2012 Coleopterists’ Field Meeting to Sandwich Bay, Kent
First Announcement: 10th December 2011
Following the weekend meeting at Dungeness in August 2010 hosted by RSPB and the Dungeness Bird Observatory, I am organising another in 2012 to be based at the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory (SBBO) in Kent. This will be a BENHS Field Meeting and so it will be open to all but this first announcement is going only to the beetles-britishisles e-group.
When?
Over the weekend of 1st/2nd September 2012. Gather at the SBBO at 11.00 am on Saturday 1st.
I hope this time is not too early for those who are travelling on the Saturday morning, and not too late for those who are local or who travelled down on Friday (they should be able to get a couple of hours of fieldwork in beforehand).
Where?
Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory: see their website for address, directions and information on the surrounding area.
Beetling in the area.
This is the area referred to as Deal or the Deal sandhills in older entomological literature. Inevitably, it’s not as good today as it was in the Victorian era but it is still a classic collecting ground. I’ve only been once, on 12th June 1999, and found Melanotus punctolineatus, Harpalus serripes, Amara spreta, Masoreus wetterhallii and Platynaspis luteorubra amongst others. And a Bee-eater flew over to add a touch of Mediterranean magic to the day! This time, I’ll be focussing on trying to find Ophonus cordatus and the timing is perfect but with no record from Deal/Sandwich since 1970 (and none from anywhere else in Britain since 1996) it’s a long shot.
Eric Philp will be there to advise on where to go and what to look for. Eric reckons there’s a good three days’ worth of collecting to be had within walking distance of the Obs: south towards Deal, north towards Shell Ness and inland to the estuarine and grazing marsh habitats.
Accommodation.
SBBO have reserved all of their 19 beds for attendees of this Field Meeting. But they will only hold them until April so please book soon (a 50% non-refundable deposit is required, with the balance payable on arrival). Accommodation is in one 6-bed room (£35), one 3-bed room, four 2-bed rooms (£24) and a 2-bed self-contained flat (£45). These prices are per room, not per person, and there are reductions for SBBO members. See the SBBO website for costs.
Presumably there will be plenty of other accommodation options in the surrounding area.
Catering.
SBBO is self-catering. I don’t propose to organise anything for the group but it probably would make sense to put money into a kitty to pay for breakfast, teas and coffees, packed lunches. Volunteers?
Another group has booked the kitchen space at the Obs from 18.00 on Saturday evening so I will make a group booking in Sandwich for Saturday evening’s meal. Apparently there’s plenty of choice including a good Indian, two Thai restaurants, a Greek and a couple of decent pubs, all of which are good and reasonably priced.
Lab facilities.
Much as I value spending time in the field with other coleopterists, I often think I have more to learn by spending time in the lab, learning how others go about dissecting, carding and identifying their beetles. So we have access to a classroom at SBBO where we can set up microscopes (bring your own) and examine the day’s samples.
Guides/ Leaders.
It has been said that trying to keep a group of coleopterists together is like herding cats! So I expect everyone will disperse in twos and threes but we should have the benefit of local knowledge when deciding where to go and what to look for.
For anyone who is more of a beginner and perhaps doesn’t know anyone else who’s going, don’t be put off by this talk of a free-for-all approach to proceedings. Even though there will be no leaders as such, everyone will be happy to help and we’ll make sure you get a ‘mentor’ in the field.
Toll charges.
Access to SBBO is via a private road and the Sandwich Bay Estate charge a daily toll to vehicles. In 2011, this was £7 per day: see here. But for anyone staying at the Observatory, the charge is only £1 per day.
Access and collecting permissions.
Thanks to Greg Hitchcock (Kent Wildlife Trust) it will be straightforward to get access and collecting permission for KWT’s Sandwich and Pegwell Bay reserve (outlined in green on the map) and to make contact with other landowners in the area.
If you are interested:
- please book your accommodation with SBBO, and
- please let me know: mark@carabids.fsnet.co.uk
One Response “2012 Coleopterists’ Field Meeting to Sandwich Bay, Kent”
Mark
I intend to be there but will not require accomodation. I recently found Scaphium immaculatum at Camber (Alex Williams took this at Greatstone in 2009), which may be another species to look out for on the dunes.
regards
Ron Carr