A large audience was drawn to the talk by Nigel Slater entitled “Wildlife of the Hebrides” in which he promised to cover culture and history as well as the exciting wildlife, but first the evening started as usual, after the welcomes and notices, by inviting members to report sightings and discuss any exhibits they have brought in.

Juliet was pleased that she had seen a Green Woodpecker in her garden.

Hazel was similarly pleased at the discovery of a lichen on the mortar of the granite wall at Swithland Reservoir, new to her and not common in the County, and so far not recorded on NatureSpot, and demonstrated on her laptop. The genus was easy to determine from the photographs, but the species needed the observation of its behaviour as water was dropped on it.  It turned out to be Lathagrium auriforme, a jelly lichen, confirmed by Ivan Pedley after testing with water and seeing it swell. The similar looking Lathagrium fuscovirens does not swell.  Ivan later explained that this group of lichens use a cyanobacteriun for its photobiont making it a cyanolichen, compared to the majority of lichens (90%) which use green algae.  

Lathagrium auriforme (Photo: Hazel Graves)

Hazel also mentioned her amusement that the Lighthouse Gall on Ground Ivy leaves caused by the fly Rondaniola bursaria was able to be identified by the holes the galls had left after dropping off. (Leaves with holes were on display).

Hazel’s final comments were about the wonderful experience that morning at the Eyebrook Reservoir, a huge range of wildfowl on the water and a flock of combined Northern Lapwings (500), Golden Plover (100) and Dunlin (30) swirling in the sky when disturbed. 

Ivan brought in a large example of a Fleabane, thought (and later identified) to be Canadian Fleabane Erigeron canadensis, but care is needed, as Canadian, Guernsey Erigeron sumatrensis, Bilbao Erigeron floribundus, and Argentine Erigeron bonariensis Fleabanes are very similar and need careful keying out. Canadian Fleabane grows in cultivated and waste places, walls, often in built up areas.

Ivan Pedley with Canadian Fleabane (Erigeron canadensis) (Photo: Hazel Graves)

Ivan also brought in a sample of Horsehair Fungus Phycomyces nitens, a grey, fuzzy fungal mass, about 5 cm high, which often grows on spilled seed and droppings under bird feeders. Three species of Phycomyces need separating by spore analysis. This species falls into the Phylum Zygomycota (moulds), the third major division of the Fungi Kingdom.

Nigel was welcomed and commenced his talk by explaining that when he retired 7 years previously, he and his wife spent one month exploring the Hebrides from North to South on a camping trip. 

He described the geology and geography of the various islands, the weather (windy), the midges and how to get there. He mentioned the Callanish stones, a stone circle set up between 2900 BC and 2600 BC, so older than the large sarsen stones of Stonehenge, placed between 2600 BC and 2400 BC. The brochs, Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structures, built for a mixture of domestic use and defence, were described and illustrated as were the Black Houses, traditional dwellings for animals and people with no chimney so the smoke from the fires percolated through the roof thatch. He mentioned the Clearances, the Lewis Chessmen, the importance of the use of Harris Tweed by Nike on trainers to save the Harris Tweed industry by making it popular in the USA and the annual “Pickup” or Guga Hunt to the island of Sula Sgeir where young men of Ness at the tip of Lewis “prove” themselves by climbing the cliffs to legally collect 500 young gannets from their nests. This practice, although traditional from probably the 15th Century, is now drawing criticism because of the many problems that seabirds are facing.  Salmon farms are also unpopular because of their environmental effect. 

Nigel covered a range habitats and their associated wildlife, including the almost unique machair, low lying grassy fields on the west coast where the substrate is shell-rich sand so highly calcareous and can support a wonderful array of wild flowers, managed traditionally and also supporting a wide range of birds, such as Corncrake, and insects such as the very rare Great Yellow bumblebee (Bombus distinguendus). Seals and otters were also mentioned and illustrated, along with a cautionary tale about the hedgehog introduction which resulted in the loss of eggs and nestlings of many of the large variety of ground-nesting birds.  Rhododendron was mentioned in a similar vein, now being a rampant pest across much of the Highlands and Islands.

Nigel’s talk covered a wide range of birds and plants found on the islands, all resulting in an enticement to visit. 

The session closed with much appreciation for the insight that had been given to the audience and many of us already planning our trip next summer while we enjoyed the mince pies and hot drinks on offer. 

Report by Hazel Graves