Leach's Storm-petrel at Afan Argoed!

During the minor seabird 'wreck' in the second half of November there were small numbers of Leach's Storm-petrels sighted at various sites up the Bristol Channel, though only one observation of a bird in our area has come to light, this sadly being of a dead bird from Afan Argoed. Simon Allen form the Gower Bird Hospital made these interesting observations and wrote:

'Have had a couple of petrels in:
23/11/09 Afan Forest Park, dead on arrival, missing left Leg from proximal tarsus.
25/11/09 Ammanford, moribund, missing right leg from distal tarsus.
You are probably aware of this but apparently the petrel family is well known for their frequent missing toes and limbs (J Ornithol (2007) 148:333–346). There are many hypotheses, ranging from predatory fish (Harrison 1955; Pitman 1961; Threlfall 1974; Love 1984) as well molluscs, gulls and marine mammals.'

Simon makes further reference to research on this phenomenon in an abstract that can be found at http://www.jstor.org/stable/27669760. To see details of the work carried out by the Gower Bird Hospital check out http://www.gowerbirdhospital.org.uk/

For photos of live Leach's check out the bird sightings page of the Portland Bird Observatory website http://www.portlandbirdobs.org.uk/

Lichens on Twigs - Charles Hipkin

At this time of year when leaves are falling off our deciduous trees, the abundance of mosses, liverworts and lichens that live as epiphytes on tree bark is much more apparent. Among the lichens, some of the most obvious are the larger, foliose species of Parmelia. But close inspection will reveal a beautiful mosaic of smaller lichens, especially on the smooth bark of twigs in well-lit environments. Arthonia radiata and Lecidella elaeochroma (shown in the photograph below, taken on a walk along the Old Railway Trail in Afan Argoed) are common on smooth-barked trees. At a glance they look similar, but under a hand lens you should see that A. radiata has irregular (sometimes star-like) shaped apothecia while those of L. elaeochroma are roughly circular [click on the image to see detail of these two species].


Lecanora species belonging to the Lecanora subfusca aggregate are also very common, especially L. chlarotera. Unfortunately, species in this group are often difficult to tell apart without microscopic examination. In the photograph below (which was taken near the parking area on Crymlyn Burrows), you can see L. chlarotera with the pale red brown apothecia (upper right) and L. argentata with the darker brown apothecia (upper middle) – the lichen on the upper left is Lecidella elaeochroma again. The apothecia of L. chlarotera have a coating of mica-like granules on their surface but those of L. argentata do not show this feature. L. argentata is very under recorded. Note that the apothecia of Lecanora species have a distinct white margin.


Physcia species are small, foliose lichens with narrow lobes. Two species encountered commonly on woody twigs are P. adscendens and P. aipolia. Both are very distinctive and the photograph below shows both species side by side for comparison. Physcia aipolia is the one on the left with the abundant, dark apothecia. In contrast, the thallus of P. adscendens produces prominent hair-like cilia and the ends of the lobes have a mass of powdery soredia. However, P. adscendens rarely produces apothecia. The lichen on the far right of the photograph is Lecidella elaeochroma again. All these lichens were found growing on young oak twigs near the car parking area on Crymlyn Burrows.


Large yellow patches of Xanthoria parietina are often found on the twigs and trunks of trees near our coast. Along the Coed Morganwg Way, near Bryn, exposed Larch twigs are covered with the smaller Xanthoria polycarpa. Note the abundance of apothecia which almost cover the thallus.


Also see: http://goweros.blogspot.com/2009/10/afon-argoed-lichens.html

Afon Argoed lichens

1. Porpidia macrocara
2. Porpidia tuberculosa
3. Rhizocarpon reductum
4. Baeomyces rufus
Charles & Hilary Hipkin noticed this amazing rock while walking on the Penhydd Trail in Afan Argoed on Saturday. Charles wrote: These are all crustose lichens that grow on acidic rocks. You can find them on any walk in upland areas of the Swansea and Neath Valleys. The reddish stained lichens in the photo are all Porpidia macrocarpa . It produces very large black apothecia and extracts iron from the rock, which gives rise to the red colouration. Rhizocarpon reducrum is somewhat similar but has a black-lined, cracked prothallus with lots of small black apothecia. Both are very common on acidic rocks in the uplands. The plain white lichen (but often with a few apothecia) is Porpidium tuberculosum. It’s an extremely common lichen on acidic rocks, in upland areas and walls and gravestones in the lowlands. Baeomyces rufus has short-stalked brown (or pinkish-brown) apothecia at this time of year which make it very conspicuous. It is called the Brown-beret lichen. It’s not as common as the others, but now is a good time to look for it.