Notes from a walk to Stanley Pool

The Canada Geese flock that spends the non-breeding season in the Endon area was in a pasture near Stanley Pool today. I counted about 270 birds (and one Greylag Goose). A single Green Woodpecker flew into the nearby trees.

There were about 10 Lapwing, a flock of approximately 100 Blackheaded Gulls, one Moorhen and  2 Great Crested Grebe using the water in the pool which has been very low for the last month or so.

The small pool - showing how the exposed mud is green with vegetation. 

The large pool. 

There was a pair of Stock Doves perched on a lamp post on the outskirts on Bagnall. Along the Caldon Canal,a Kingfisher perched on the landing stage near Greenway Hall Golf Club, and two Blackheaded Gulls were sitting on their regualr fence posts further along the canal. A Snipe flew up from the willow carr which is adjacent to the canal at Stanley Moss. 

Second update - Blueprint for Water campaign.

  Here is the reply I have received from Ms Bradley from the letter that is shown here And below that is my reply to her.

 

 

06.10.2015

Dear Ms Bradley 

Thank you for sending on to me the letter to you from the Environment Agency enclosed with your letter dated 17.09.15. I found the letter from the Environment Agency to be rather illuminating, and I believe it supports what I said in my original letter to you on this subject (August 2015).

For instance on the third paragraph the letter says that the River Churnet, where it passes through Endon, and Endon brook, itself is classified as “moderate” under the Water Framework Directive, and has been so for the last 6 years. Moderate is the middle category of a five category Water Quality scale which ranges from high, through good, moderate, poor and ends with bad. Having the Churnet and its tributaries classed as moderate is hardly a ringing endorsement of our local natural water courses is it? The letter then goes on to say “this means that these water bodies are not deteriorating”. I wonder does it though? What was the quality prior to 2009? I cannot find that on the internet and I would be interested to know, perhaps you can find out for me? In any case, according to the EA website, water quality is reviewed on a six-yearly basis – hence no change in six years could mean that the there has been no review for six years, not no change in water quality. The paragraph continues stating that, as those streams and the river have not deteriorated (and, as I say, that is debatable), they are not classified as “high priority water bodies”. This is very surprising since the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website says, “The purpose of the Directive is to …...ensure that all aquatic ecosystems and, with regard to their water needs, terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands meet 'good status' by 2015”. Clearly the streams and river in your constituency are going to fail to meet the requirements of the directive.

In spite of this the only examples of any work being done to improve the water quality of the Churnet catchment are being done by local charities; the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership headwater streams projects and the Wild Trout Trust's reprofiling work on Horton Brook. On this I have made a few enquires. As a result I have been told, that the work on Horton Brook was actually done as part of a deal arranged by the EA as a form of compensation paid by a farmer who had caused a serious pollution incident. I will be pleased if you will discover if this is the case.

The letter also acknowledges that some local farmers are responsible for polluting the streams and river with excess phosphate and herbicides and are not very forthcoming in putting it rights as, according to the letter, “not all landowners are willing to carry out this work themselves”. In any case it seems they need not feel too pressured to clean up their act as in a recent speech given by Liz Truss (https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/environment-secretary-speech-at-the-oxford-farming-conference) she said that, “Food and farming is one of the areas of our national life that is most burdened with red tape – much of it unnecessary, as I’m sure many in this room are aware. I want farmers farming not form filling. Since 2010 we have:

• Cut 10,000 unnecessary dairy inspections a year.
• 14 out of 31 inspection regimes now allow farmers to earn recognition, saving them time and money.
• We are reducing the volume of Defra guidance by 80%.......”

I am not the only one who is of the opinion that the Government is failing in its responsibilities. According to the Guardian newspaper website: “ WWF UK, the Angling Trust and Fish Legal say they have been granted permission by the high court to pursue their challenge to protect rivers, lakes and coastal areas from further damage. They are seeking a judicial review, arguing that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency are failing in their legal duty to take the necessary action to tackle the problem.Their case focuses on habitats known as Natura 2000 sites, including “national treasures” such as Poole harbour, in Dorset, and the rivers Avon, Wye and Eden where pollution is having a harmful impact. Poor land management is blamed for causing soil carrying nutrients and pesticides to wash into waterways. The campaigners say the UK government is required by law to take all necessary steps to ensure rivers are in good health by December 2015, and they maintain that that will not happen”. So it doesn't look good for our river does it, if we can't even properly look after the places that have been given the highest conservations status?

Finally I just want to reiterate a few other things that I mentioned in my first letter, and which have either not been mentioned in the EA's letter or that are not their particular responsibility. Firstly runoff from roads. They did not mention anything to do with that, maybe it is the Highways Authorities responsibility? Secondly misconnections. I know that there is a problem with these in Endon as I have reported detergent foam (and even milk or paint on one occasion) in the Endon Brook where it passes under Station Road to the EA on several occasions. They have now told me to inform Severn Trent Water (STW). But the problem is intermittent, mainly only showing up during dry weather when the stream is at its lowest flow. Hence I would have to have contacted STW on several occasions every year for the past eleven years. I would like to know what any authority does to monitor this problem. Do they rely on people like me reporting incidents? According to the STW website misconnections are the householders responsibility. Does anyone ever get prosecuted I wonder?

I think, given all the evidence I have supplied, I suggest you might write to Liz Truss once again, saying that it is not just one of your constituents who is concerned about the state of our local water courses, that you are yourself. I look forward to hearing the answers to the questions I have posed in this letter.

Yours sincerely

Two fungi at Rudyard Lake.

There were more that just these two species visible on the route around Rudyard Lake today. However, not having much time meant I took potos of just these.

Orange Peel Fungus  Aleuria aurantia.

A big Bolete, 20 or so cm across the cap, growing under an oak tree. 

More fungi in Deep Hayes Country Park.

Photos taken in Deep Hayes Counrty Park today and my best attempts at identification.

The three photos below show a fungus that best fits the descriptions in my books of Bay Polypore Polyporus durus. It a very tough, leathery fungus that was hard to cut and there was little flesh between the cap and pores, perhaps the one I collected is an old sample. What taste it has is slightly bitter.

This is one of the Clavulina species, best fits C. coraloides White Coral Fungus . It was not attached to tree roots, the mycelia are spreading throughout the leaf mold in deep shadow under a dense tree canopy.

I failed to ID this lilac-coloured fungus growing amongst Polytrichum moss on a well-lit sandy edge of a tree-lined woodland path. 

This is a Brittlecap or Russula species of fungi, perhaps Ochre brittlecap, growing under Beech trees.

I am sure of my ID here as this one perfectly fits the description of Suede Bolete Boletus subtomentosus in Roger Phillips "Mushrooms" (published 2006). The photos below shows the irregular network of dark-brick-coloured veins, suede cap  and yellow pores. And below that photo is the cut surface of the pores bluing on exposure to air. found growing on a near-vertical bank below woodland.

Failed to make any headway with IDing this orangy species. the samle in my hand is a few of the the twenty or so growing in leaf litter under a tree.

 This (below) is one of the several white "resupinate" fungi growing on a dead branch. I suspect many of these get overlooked by people out looking for fungi and they don't look anything like toadstools.

This one is growing on a wooden sleeper on the disused railway line. Both its stem and cap are fibrous and tough. It has neither a strong taste or smell, just a feint mushroomy smell. Failed to ID it.