We were interested in the letter from Jean Garrod (White Admiral No. 50) asking if Toads Bufo bufo climb trees.
We have a pergola in our garden and during 1989 a toad used one of the cross members as a ‘perch’. Unfortunately we did not record the date range of our observations, however it was certainly over a period of more than one week. The cross member is three feet four inches above the ground and forms part of the side of a ‘walk through’ area. The shrubs using the pergola as support were, and still are, Wisteria and Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum. At the time it seemed a mystery to us as to how the toad managed to gain access to the perch. A photograph was taken and is dated 6 August 1989.
We have not seen this behaviour since that date, although toads still frequent the garden.
Rosalind & Jim Foster, Stonham Aspal
(Field Meeting Report 26 May 2001 Recording at Great Martin’s Hill Wood : White Admiral 50:21)
Initially thought to be Cladonia caespiticia, Dr. Chris Hitch reports that the lichen found on the coppiced stools of sweet chestnut turned out on closer examination to be C.parasitica. The latter, Chris states, is much more common than C. caespiticia, which he has only seen once in the county.
Editor
In the last White Admiral I asked if any member had a spare copy of ‘Which Bat is it?’, the guide to bat identification. Three people very kindly sent me copies, and the spares will be available to the Suffolk Bat Group for their use. What impressed me most is that the three members were motivated by bat conservation and their wish to help; not one asked for money for the book. I have sent a donation of £24 to SNS in gratitude. Thank you all very much.
Nick Sibbett
In response to the article about the Large Tortoiseshell in White Admiral No. 50, the Suffolk Branch of Butterfly Conservation has strong objections to the length of time – 18 hours – that this butterfly was kept in captivity. Consequently, we have returned the donations that were collected on our behalf.
Rob Parker
Chairman, Suffolk Branch Butterfly Conservation
Jean Garrod reports that the donations have been passed on to Landguard Bird Observatory (Ed).
May I say how delighted I am to learn that there is going to be a mammal conference on 11th May in the Henley Community Centre. I send my best wishes for a successful day and am only sorry not to have been involved. However, I am a little puzzled by the article on page 36, White Admiral 50:Autumn 2001 that states this is to be Suffolk’s first Mammal Conference!
Surely, Suffolk’s first Mammal Conference took place on Saturday 31st October 1992 before a packed house of just over 450 mammal enthusiasts at the Ipswich School Conference Centre. On that day, the illustrious list of speakers included Dr Pat Morris, Professor Stephen Harris, Dr Johnny Birks, Dr John Flowerdew, Norma Chapman and Dr John Gurnell. The event, ‘Mammal Mania’, was chaired by Lord Cranbrook. For further information on the day may I refer readers to Suffolk Natural History, (1993), Volume 29.
Jeff Martin
I was delighted to see Richard Stewart’s article about the Ipswich starling roost. For some ten years or more now I have observed the growing number of starlings that have been roosting in Ipswich. From my observations it would appear that initially this roost had its foundations in some of the roadside trees in Portman Walk, starting around 1988-89, but in the last five or so years the roost has moved closer to the town centre to give people like me a lovely winter spectacle as they wheel around the evening sky to the south of the Old Cattle Market. Judging by the large numbers that are sometimes present, I am not sure that all of the birds roost in the trees around St. Stephen’s Church - but I could be wrong.
Birds often roost in the town usually from around October to late December, and they can be seen assembling for the roost when they gather in the late afternoon on structures such as St Mary-le-Tower church spire or on the radio masts of Ipswich bus garage in Constantine Road, before moving into the town centre.
It will be very interesting to see if this roost grows larger over the coming years or whether the ever present threat of sparrowhawks (which take delight in flying down the Ipswich town centre streets very early on spring and summer mornings, especially on Sundays, to ‘knock off the local pigeons!) will cause the roost to disperse or move elsewhere.
The variety of wildlife in Ipswich town centre is considerable and ranges from birds to butterflies and dragonflies to mammals, including rabbits and squirrels, and to many kinds of wild flowers.
Jeff Martin
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