BSBI Training at Old Moor

Another excellent training day - good to get out, meet some new people and gain some practical experience rather than burying my head in books all weekend. The weather couldn't make it's mind up - everytime time I got too hot and took my waterproofs off it started to rain! - but it kept dry most of the day which made things much more enjoyable.

I met with the Botanical Society of the British Isles (BSBI) for a regional training day led by Mel Linney. This was aimed at beginners like me, though there were more experienced members also attending who were happy to share their experience.  Also helping out was Kate from the RSPB who I had previously met on a water vole training course.

We met at RSPB Old Moor reserve near Wath on Dearne, about 40 minutes drive from home.

In the morning, we walked the half mile or so to Gypsy Marsh, another piece of land managed by the RSPB but outside the reserve itself. It took us a while to get there, as we kept stopping and looking at things: mainly hedgerow and pond marginals. The session was well organised, focusing on the pea, buttercup and daisy families and with a leaflet provided that showed the key species and features.

At Gypsy Marsh itself there were orchids within a grassland meadow. I don't think I have ever seen an orchid in the wild before - by the end of the day I was getting quite complacent as there were so many of them.

I learned two new buttercup plants I had never even heard of: celery leaved buttercup, a small pond plant with elongated seed heads (pictured); and greater spearwort, another pond plant but this time a giant reaching > 1 metre tall and with elongated leaves.

We had lunch at the centre, then went into the reserve itself. Our first task was to survey orchids in a field closed off from the public. We counted 1000+ orchids, and it was interesting to relate their distribution back to the topography, with the majority occuring in the damper areas in a depression. What a shame I have already done my S216 project - it would make a great little project studying a transect and comparing plant abundance to soil water content!!

We spent the rest of the afternoon meandering down 'Green Lane' which is the main pathway through the reserve. We saw numerous different plants, including more water loving plants in the stream running alongside. It was interesting to see how big some of the Southern Marsh Orchids were growing (around 2 feet tall) due to a combination of plentiful water in the ditch and competition from grasses.

I filled four pages of my notebook with plant species and a brief description, and took numerous photographs (though did struggle to focus on some of them - must take my SLR next time).

I was so impressed with the centre and the staff that I have now joined the RSPB.  A great day, and if I can retain half of what I have learned I will be very happy :)