Whilst walking on Ferring beach today, I met a man turning over piles of seaweed in search of a rare jellyfish! He had found 2. Apparently, he had read that 1000’s had been stranded on Dorset’s Jurassic beaches in the wake of Storm Desmond.These are flotillas of Velella velella or ‘By-the-wind Sailors’ a tiny jellyfish which has a transparent sail attached to an oval base. It is really a colony of jellyfish which has a blue body with the tentacles hanging below.

I did a search myself and eventually found 3. They had lost their blue, jelly bodies but I took them home and photographed the transparent sails and bases. Being transparent and only about 5-6cm long, the jellyfish are not easy to spot but it is worth having a look and you never know what you might find!
There have been many stories all around the world lately about mass strandings of jellyfish. Last year it was Barrel Jellyfish on our beaches. The phenomenon may be linked to over-fishing where there are not enough fish to eat the jellyfish eggs and larvae and therefore too many adults develop. Another example of man’s interference with nature?

On Saturday, the 5th December, at 11am, representatives from many Ferring organisations met on the Village green for a traditional Tree Dressing. Each group was assigned one of the trees around the periphery of the Green and we hung our decorations on the lower branches.It was very windy but within half an hour there were hundreds of fluttering, brightly-coloured churches, masks, flowers etc..The FCG provided butterflies, trees and birds.
The event was meticulously planned by Norma Cummings, one of our long-standing members. She designed the decorations and, over several months, invited each organisation to her house to cut out their appropriate shapes. All the designs

were given ribbons for hanging and Norma distributed boxes of decorations to each group as we arrived on the Green. We applaud Norma for all her hard work which she says she thoroughly enjoyed. Afterwards, the Parish Council kindly gave us hot drinks and nibbles in the Village Hall.

Later in the day, Ferring’s Christmas Lights were switched on and FCG manned a stall in the Village Green to sell Christmas cards, calendars and painted pebbles in aid of the Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice, our chosen charity.

Please see below our formal response to the Arun DC consultation on the much loved Tamarisk trees on Pattersons Walk, which has been sent to Martyn Burkinshaw at Arun. If you feel strongly as we do that these trees should be preserved, then please send your own response to him in writing at the Parks Department, Bognor Regis Town Hall, Clarence Road, Bognor Regis PO21 1LD by 1st Jan – please include your name and address for weighting purposes. If you are unable to send a letter as above, then you can e mail via parks@arun.go.uk, but still include your name and address please. The reasons for this consultation are in the recent Parish Flyer.

 

As the Chairman of Ferring Conservation Group, I am writing a formal response to the consultation on the Pattersons Walk Tamarisk trees in Ferring.

Having been present at our meeting last Friday (Nov 27), you will be very much aware of the strong feelings of our membership that the trees must be maintained in their present form as we feel that they form an integral and important part of the Ferring beach scene which have been there for many years. They act as an effective wind break and a very valuable habitat for wildlife, especially birds who use them for rest, roosting and as a source of food. We accept that there has to be some regular maintenance to stop them growing out of control and blocking the footpath or the raised concrete blockhouse area. We feel that this should be light cutting and would prefer this to be by hand rather than by large machinery, although we accept that the financial constraints of the local authority may mean that the latter is the preferred option.

We would stongly urge that the maintenance is decided by the opinions of the majority of Ferring residents rather than by the odd one or two who presumably back on to the area and may feel that they have a vested interest. We would also urge that these residents are dissuaded from taking the matter into their own hands and cutting back the trees themselves as has happened recently. This might be by writing to the few people involved and reminding them that these public space trees are there for the benefit of all, and not for them to do as they see fit without any prior permission from Arun DC.

On the morning of Sat 7 November, 25 members of Ferring Conservation Group and councillors from Ferring Parish Council braved the rain to carry out their annual clearance of the surrounds of the much loved Warren Pond in the village.

The pond is now under the ownership of the Parish Council and it is being carefully managed for the benefit of local wildlife as a nature reserve. It is particularly well known as a home of a sizeable colony of the much protected Great Crested Newt and any work carried out there is with them very much in mind.

This is the second year of ownership by the Council and the work carried out in less than clement weather on this occasion has improved both the habitat for wildlife and also improved views of the pond for local people to see the various ducks, Moorhens, Little Egrets and Kingfishers amongst others which have been seen there. The work included cutting back brambles and other invasive weeds which can detract from the area if left unchecked.

Three days later on Tuesday 10 November, another group of Conservation Group members planted about 500 daffodil and tulip bulbs on the Village Green. These had been funded by the Parish Council and obtained by Martyn Burkinshaw – the Community Parks Officer for Arun District Council. These were in addition to a similar number of bulbs planted on the Green last year, and hopefully will provide a great display next Spring. The Group also carried out a seasonal tidying up of the Medieval Herb Bed and other shrub beds there.

Chairman of Ferring Conservation Group, David Bettiss said, “These two work mornings demonstrate the commitment of our Group to work with the Parish and District Councils to improve the village for the benefit of local people and wildlife. We value their support, and I must thank our volunteers who turn out time and again to make the extra effort. We would always like to see more people on our work sessions, which are always friendly and enjoyable. Details of future dates when they are arranged can be found by checking our website – www.ferringconservationgroup.co.uk”, or on our village noticeboard.

 

 

Dressed appropriately for predicted showers 20 keen members of Ferring Conservation Group set out on a ‘Tree Identification Walk’ led by Tricia Hall our Group’s knowledgeable wildlife expert.

Our route took us from the Bluebird Café car park in Ferring along the west bank of the River Rife and across to Kingston Village. Jane Hayman from Ferring Conservation Group said ‘Tricia challenged us to try to identify 10 trees along the way and gave us further facts to add to our knowledge as we came to each tree’.

The first tree correctly identified by the walkers was a White Poplar. This untidy looking tree has dark green-grey leaves with a white downy underside. The bark is pale grey with lines of black diamond-shaped pores called lenticels. Once fertilised female catkins develop into fluffy cotton-like seeds.

Further along the bank a graceful Crack Willow was spotted, one of 300 species of willow worldwide. It is one of Britain’s largest native trees and is named after the sound made when its branches and twigs fall to the ground. It is found growing alongside rivers and lakes and is often planted to stabilise banks. The willow tree bark is a source of salicylic acid. This substance is used to produce aspirin, one of the most popular pharmaceutical agents.

As a kestrel hovered overhead we headed west away from the river towards Kingston Village. Treading carefully along the muddy paths we successfully identified an English Elm tree and Tricia informed us that ‘Dutch Elm Disease’ actually originated in trees in the USA. The word ‘Dutch’ was applied because the disease was identified by phytopathologists in Holland. This disease is caused by a fungus invading the water conducting system of trees and has killed over 60 million British elms in two epidemics and continues to spread today.

As our Group headed back towards the west bank of the Rife we came across a majestic Perdunculate or English Oak tree. These trees grow to between 20 to 40 metres tall and have leaves that typically have little stem and grow in bunches. Its fruit, commonly known as the acorn, grow on long stalks and are a popular food for squirrels. For thousands of years Oak was the prized hardwood timber used for ship building until the mid-nineteenth century, and remains a popular wood for house building. It is commonly used today for flooring, furniture, and wine barrels.

As our walk came to an end and we made our way northwards to the Country Centre for some well-deserved refreshment we reflected on our eye-opening journey into our dependence on trees and the benefits they have to all mankind and how every tree has its own story to tell.

Crabs and Sharks

16 Conservation Group members met at 5.30pm in the Bluebird cafe car park for a warm and sunny  early evening visit to the Black Rocks at West Kingston. We were taking advantage of the exceptional spring tide following the ‘supermoon’ of the day before. The moon was at its perigee, its shortest distance from the earth, appearing 14 per cent larger and 30 percent brighter than when at its furthest point. This ‘pull’ by the moon had produced a 6.5 metre high tide (or 22 feet, about the height of a house) and a corresponding very low tide which exposed the rocks.

 We approached the rocks via the green sward at Kingston Gorse and then picked our way gingerly across the slippery rocks and pebbles, our goal being several hundred metres from the beach. The Black Rocks are lumps of conglomerate and appear dark because they are covered in the brown seaweed, Serrated Wrack.

 Another strange animal was a tiny Coat-of-mail Shell or Chiton which is like a limpet with 8 articulated shell plates. It is a primitive mollusc, a ‘missing link’ between segmented worms and snails.

Our most exciting find, however, was a small shark apparently trapped in shallow water as the sea rapidly retreated. We identified it as a Lesser-spotted Dogfish. It was about 80 cm long and seemed a bit surprised to be the centre of attention!

At 7.0pm, the tide was on the turn and the sun was just sinking below the horizon so we retraced our steps with the background of a beautiful sunset and by the time we got back to Ferring the bats were out and a Tawny Owl was heard.

 This popular outing was again led by Tricia Hall with Sue Palmer lending a hand with identification.