Longrun Meadow

Meadow in Taunton, Somerset. Was farmland, now a floodplain and park.
Events, news and wildlife from the friends of Longrun Meadow.
Taking a break.

[Robin Parker @The_Great_Skua]

A distinctly monochrome morning @LongrunMeadow. Two decent flocks of Siskin seen, this one a chattering group of 40+

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

Pitfall traps set! Come and join us tomorrow to see what we've caught and help us try to identify it!

#EuroBioBlitz2023

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

We're joining in with the #EuroBioBlitz2023 on @inaturalist with a bug hunt and a little walk - come and join us!

Full details: https://t.co/MnXxxFLJgL

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

We're joining in with the #EuroBioBlitz2023 on @inaturalist with a bug hunt and a little walk - come and join us!

Full details: https://t.co/MnXxxFLJgL

[Somerset Wildlife Trust @SomersetWT]

Have you made an interesting wildlife sighting recently? 🔍

Help us by recording your sightings on @inaturalist — the platform will help you work out an ID for what you've seen, and we'll be able to use that data to learn more about our wildlife!

#GreatSomersetWildlifeCount

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

Green and white in the shade of the trees - garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, and ramsons, Allium ursinum.

#WildflowerHour

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

It really does seem to be a bumper cuckoo flower year. A huge patch on the north side of the willow cathedral is coming into flower now.

#WildflowerHour

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

Cuckoo flowers popping up all over the meadow this week.
#WildflowerHour

[Robin Parker @The_Great_Skua]

Insects to the fore in the sun @LongrunMeadow today. Birds seen included 2 late redpoll, willow warblers, treecreeper, yaffle & a solitary low-flying swallow.

[Robin Parker @The_Great_Skua]

A pair of flighty great spotted woodpeckers @LongrunMeadow this morning. Single singing willow warbler & blackcap, a handful of vocal chiffchaff, and a Cetti’s warbler pumping up the volume from across the river.

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

The hedge we laid this past winter covered in patches of blackthorn flowers.
#WildflowerHour

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

Cuckoo flowers popping up all over the meadow this week.
#WildflowerHour

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

A bee-fly sort of day on the meadow today. More dotted than dark-edged, but we like them both as they are cute and sensibly named.
#beefly

[Westcountry Rivers Trust @WestcountryRT]

You may have seen the recent report published by Imperial College London about the impact that flee and tick treatments are having on our rivers. 💧

To find out about our statement on dogs and our rivers: https://t.co/Woa4zSFDsn

Read the full report: https://t.co/ILuN0suTkx

[UN Biodiversity @UNBiodiversity]

How are soil animals fundamental to soil biological processes? 🪱🐌🐛

The feeding of each soil animal contributes to the vital functions of the #soil.🌱

👇Learn more with this infographic by Svenja Meyer.

Via @IPBES

[Robin Parker @The_Great_Skua]

Not something you see every day - mallard up a tree @LongrunMeadow this morning. Signs of Spring with chiffchaff calls a constant companion, and bumblebee queens powering past.

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

A raven heading over @TheCastleSchool on Friday.

[BSBI: Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland @BSBIbotany]

#BSBIAtlas2020 is now live, so check out this fabulous website: https://t.co/ZNf5ZYBpHo
Find out which of these species👇 is doing well & which is declining - and why.
Read about the #PlantAtlas project & download summary reports about our changing flora: https://t.co/1K7IKvGjB3

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

For #WorldWildlifeDay #WWD2023 #PartnershipsForConservation we'd like to thank all the individuals and groups who have contributed to making #LongrunMeadow a home for wildlife!

[John Connolly @ConnollyJohng]

A nice pair of Bullfinches feeding in a hedge on Longrun Meadow this morning. Managed some nice pics of the male but the female was too shy.

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

The hedge is almost finished, but! There are so many gaps in it that we've got an awful lot of planting to do.

If you want to lend a hand, we'll be at w3w: https://t.co/h05e1wNMsn.yarn this Saturday, 10-12 (ish).

More: https://t.co/aYDpPKn5k4

[Longrun Meadow @LongrunMeadow]

@The_Great_Skua We think looks like cherry plum, rather than blackthorn, but this is what you need to work it out: https://t.co/qlWae4zrPv

[wildflowerhour @wildflower_hour]

Prunus cerasifera (cherry plum) and Prunus spinosa (blackthorn) can easily be confused here are two guides to their key features.