At RSK Biocensus, we give all of our colleagues the great opportunity to use a paid work day to volunteer, and we love to see how our colleagues use these days to support some great causes.
Last week, Michael Hogg, Ecological Consultant at RSK Biocensus, spent his volunteer day at Dumbreck Marsh Local Nature Reserve, a site managed by North Lanarkshire Council. The aim of the day was for Mike to use his experience as a biological surveyor to record animals, plants and fungi in order to boost the number of species recorded from the site. The reserve is currently being actively worked on by a volunteer group, and improved biological recording will assist the work they do massively going forward.
The weather on the day was less than ideal, being grey, showery, and rather windy, as well as being very wet underfoot (well, it is a marsh after all!). Because of this, it was tough going in places, and Mike had to turn back twice because the ground was becoming too soft underfoot.
In spite of this, Mike was able to record a range of previously unrecorded species, including the mosses Thuidium tamariscinum, Brachythecium rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga and Hylocomium splendens.
Mike also managed to record a range of fungi, including common maze-gill, birch polypore and scarlet elf cup (pictured), as well as sighting widgeon, teal, and a pair of snipes.
Plants in flower were unsurprisingly scarce at this time of year, but Mike did spot some coltsfoot, and unfortunately a large patch of the invasive non-native white butterbur, Petasites albus.
Invertebrates were also rather scarce, and most are yet to be identified, but Mike did manage to obtain a selection of spiders, beetles, bugs, centipedes and millipedes, most of which will require microscopic identification that will be carried out in the near future. One exception was a lovely drinker moth caterpillar, which was shaken from a grass tussock, which he returned after taking a photo (pictured).
Although the weather wasn’t ideal, we are glad that Mike was still able to make the most of the day, and that he had a great time while supporting the nature reserve.
Our thanks to Maureen Kinloch, Greenspace Partnerships Manager at North Lanarkshire Council, for granting permission to access the reserve for this and future visits. All records from this visit will be provided to Maureen, and to the local biological records centre.
We will have even more stories like this to share once the spring season gets into full swing, and we can’t wait to see what else our colleagues get up to!
You can read about our volunteer day highlights from last year here!