Summary of 2017 at the Cornwall Nature Conservancy

I have put together various information about 2017 at the Conservancy.

At the bottom of our news summary for 2017 I have also summarised:

• A list of breeding success of our creatures in captivity
• List of butterflies seen on the Reserve
• A a list of birds seen and indicating breeding success.

In 2017 as part of our ongoing “cat breeding programme,” we managed to obtain a pair of Rusty Spotted Cats, these are the smallest cats in the world and were featured in the BBC “Big Cats” rather ironically. We now have nine different world cats. We have managed to obtain a further male Pine Marten and have been promised a female later in the summer of 2018.

We managed to obtain a male Polecat and two completely unrelated females. Unfortunately, our very old pair died of natural causes.

We took on a young male fox called Frankie, who has settled in very well but having been a victim of a road accident he has slightly reduced hearing and therefore cannot be placed back into the wild.

Earlier in the year, after severe storm damage, one of our Storks escaped. He remained within the field where the aviary is sited. We set a large trap, baited with the Stork’s favourite sprats. It seems that for 4 days wild creatures went into the traps and stole the sprats, but eventually the Stork walked back into the aviary. We had temporarily divided the aviary using one side as a trap with a string to pull the door closed from a hidden position. After a few days, having eaten only the odd frog, he beat the heron to the sprats and was happily reunited with the other 3 European Storks.

Fortunately, we are slowly getting more members. We have presented many talks to ladies at the W.I. in various villages, the University of the Third Age and others. We have entertained groups and members and slowly our income is increasing although the Trust is still 90% subsidised by the founding Trustees.

Our Keepers are well and becoming more experienced all the time. They especially look after orphans who need 24 hour attention. We are lucky to have such dedication.

We have planted out a small woodland walk, which is maturing.

Mammals seen in the Reserve are:

• Fox
• Badger
• Stoat
• Weasel (1)
• Rabbit
• Field Mouse
• Bank Vole
• Brown Rat
• Pigmy ShrewC
• Common Shrew
• Pipistrelle Bat

We have Common Lizards, Slowworms, Frogs, Toads and Common Newts, which we continually encourage by improving habitat for them.

In 2017 our first snowdrops and primroses were out in January, frogspawn was laid on 5th February. The first Common Newt was seen on 10th April. The first Swallow was seen on 13th April. (The Rooks started to build on the 4th March and completed 5 full rearing nests).

During the week between 10th and 16th April our first butterflies were seen – Orange Tip Brimstones, Small Tortoiseshell and small Whites.

Every animal has bred where we have pairs. We are still actively looking for a Pine Marten female, Ocelot female, and females for our male Black and White Ruffed Lemur.

Butterflies seen in 2017:

• Large Skipper – Ochlodes venata – Skippers are very primitive almost moth like with broad hairy bodies and wide set heads and a large gap between antennae.
• Wood White – Leptida sinapis – rarest of the white butterflies in the UK.
• Clouded Yellow – Colias croseus – very unusual most years – one of the great migratory butterflies.
• Brimstone – Gonepteryx rhamni – seen in almost every month of the year.
• Large White – Pieris brassicae – every gardeners most hated butterfly – but an interesting migrant.
• Small White – Pieris rapae – another dislike of vegetable gardeners.
• Green Veined White – Pieris napi – delicate inhabitant of moist sheltered places.
• Orange Tip – Anthocharis cardamines – extremely attractive spring time butterfly, still common.
• Small Copper – Lycaena phlaeas – exquisite, tiny, likes dry areas.
• Common Blue – Polyommatus icarus – quite common still and very attractive.
• Holly Blue – Celastrina argiolus – hedge tree (Holly) dweller.
• Painted Lady – Cynthia cardui – a migrant which does not hibernate.
• Small Tortoiseshell – Aglais urticae – beautiful, colourful, hibernates in sheds, garages and cold rooms.
• Red Admiral – Vanessa atalanta – another stunning migrant.
• Peacock – Inachis io – beautiful nomadic creature.
• Comma – Polygonia c-album – common, somewhat raw edged, attractive, well camouflaged butterfly.
• Silver-Washed Fritillary – Argynnis paphia – large attractive orangey butterfly.
• Speckled Wood – Pararge aegeria – pretty spotted and “eyed” butterfly.
• Wall – Lasiommata megera – again “eyes” and spots, and likes grassland.
• Gatekeeper – Pyronia tithonus – another “eyed” and spotted butterfly, fortunately common in the southwest.
• Meadow Brown – Maniola jurtina – still common but declined greatly in recent years.
• Ringlet – Aphantopus hyperantus – a very dark brown butterfly with eight “eyes” on the underside of the wing.
• Small Heath – Coenonympha pamphilus – a very small brown and very delicate butterfly.