Friday 12 April 2019 will see the Forum’s Annual Meeting and, sad to say, that it will see Lucy Mitchell deliver her final installment from her Nightjar research on Thorne & Hatfield Moors. This popular presentation, delivered by an amazingly dedicated ornithologist will report on the radio tagging of these enigmatic birds which breed on our local moorlands and the issues they face in terms of survival and the dynamics of this ‘northern’ outpost of the species.
Nightjar chicks, their cryptic camouflage can make them difficult to spot. Image: Lucy Mitchell.
Other talks include an update on the management works undertaken on Thorne & Hatfield Moors by Tim Kohler of Natural England and the impact this has had on the habitats and species of the peatlands.
There will also be a talk on recent discoveries made by local field naturalists, for example the amazing (re) discovery, 127 years to the day of Buckleria paludum aka the Sundew Plume moth that it was first discovered in Yorkshire by G T Porritt. The discovery of Diacheopsis mitchellii, a minute myxomycete, previously known from just two sites (one in Japan and one in Sussex).
Buckleria paludum, a very small plume moth whose larvae survive eating Sundew plants. Image: Helen R Kirk.
Diacheopsis mitchellii, a minute myxomycete found on Thorne Moors and, lacking a vernacular name was, in the interim nicknamed ‘Thorne Caviar’. Image: Martin Warne.
The talks are open to the public, if you are interested then please contact execsec@thmcf.org for more details.
The talks will be followed by a light buffet lunch and the opportunity to grab some publication bargains and network with other interested naturalists and visitors.
Tags: Buckleria paludum, G T Porritt, Lucy Mitchell, Myxomycetes, natural england, Nightjars, Sundew Plume Moth, Thorne Moors
