I am currently unable to offer more recent postings for my Grane Site, because I have moved out of the district and been living in Cumbria for the past twelve months. Although very occasionally I will try and post the odd blog about Grane, but If you or anyone else wants to post any info on the Haslingden Grane Blog, just drop me a mail (bryan.yorke@sky.com)

Thanks,
Bryan.

Thanks Clifford (Hargreaves) for sending in this great photo of frogspawn on Calf Hey (taken on 23rd March 2010). Please click over photo to enlarge…

The outer channel of the Reservoir seems to be a regular place for this obvious main Social Gathering of Frogs, because I also had large amounts of spawn in the same place a couple of years ago (see earlier blog)…

Thanks to Peter Jepson (Ecologist), I have now been able to add a further 9 species of Spagnum to the Mosses of Grane List. These were identified on Haslingden and Oswaldtwistle Moors.

Sphagnum capillifolium subsp. rubellum Red Bog-moss
Sphagnum cuspidatum Feathery Bog-moss
Sphagnum fallax Flat-topped Bog-moss
Sphagnum fimbriatum Fringed Bog-moss
Sphagnum palustre Blunt-leaved Bog-moss
Sphagnum papillosum Papillose Bog-moss
Sphagnum subnitens Lustrous Bog-moss
Sphagnum denticulatum Cow-horn Bog-moss
Sphagnum squarrosum Spiky Bog-moss

Also thanks to Charlie Payne for sending in photos of evidence of Freshwater Mussels that have been found on Holden Wood Reservoir (Bay Area). I also received reports from as early as the middle of last year that it was noted that freshwater Mussels where seen to be uncovered and left dying, probably owing to the more recent changes in water levels which the reservoir has been subjected too, this I believe has been necessary for the carrying out of certain essential repairs. It is now thought that these samples of old shells found on the walls, where the result of possibly corvid predation and then bringing the Mussels over to the perimeter walls to try and smash the mussels on the wall to open them.

                                                    Click over photos to enlarge….

Thanks to Mike Valentine for sending in these Fungi photos which where taken last Friday (December 11th) from the wooded areas to the rear of Calf Hey Reservoir: 1) Common Jellyspot (Decrymyces stilletus)  2) Leafy Brain (Tremella foliacea) 3) Mealy Funnel (Clitocybe vibecina), 4) Snakeskin Brownie (Hypholoma marginaturn), 5) Winter Polypore (Polyporus brumalis)

” When all them years ago, we stood in front of the bulldozers to stop the destruction of the Little Ringed Plover site, and after negotiation with the LCC Engineer, we actually thought we had won a do for them little birds!!”

 These are four photos which I took of when the Lancashire County Council were making the Holden Vale Flash (Clearing the old toxic waste dumping area of the long gone  nicknamed “bleach works”, or the Holden Vale Manufacturing Co. Ltd a subsidary partner of the corporate giant USA Hercules group. (Please click over photos to enlarge)….

The whole idea had been  to try and preserve some resemblance of the original habitat for the continuation of the breeding of the rare Little Ringed Plover, which had successfully bred on this site for each year over a decade, prior to this excavation and rebuild of the area.

Sadly, all went wrong!!  the outcome to what was originally proposed, never materialized as it was supposed to do,  and consequently it was tragic and devastating to lots of us, to find out that the LRP never used this site again.

Some excellent news is that thankfully in more recent times the LRP has actually bred at another habitat some two miles away.

Here is another four vintage Grane photos (from l to r) Click over photos to enlarge)

1) The Bishop of Blackburn opening of Grane Church after move from Crowtrees

2) Ruins of Holden Hall.

3) St Stephens walking day nr to Cemetary gates c1910.

4) Haymaking at Kettlewell Hall, c1910.

(Please click over photos to enlarge)

Mike Valentine has kindly sent in the above photos of fungi found at Haslingden Grane this week. 1) Purple Jellydisc (Ascocoryne sarcoides) 2) Ochre Brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca) 3) A Mollisia species – Very tiny, each fruitbody only about 2-3mm across. (Probably Common Grey Disco – Mollisia cinerea, but cann’t be 100% positive without microscopy) 4) Wrinkled Crust (Phlebia radiata) 5) Grey Coral -(Clavullina cinerea) Note, this particular patch is being parasitised by n ascomycete fungus called Helminthosphaeria claviorum, which has stunted and deformed the grey coral fungus). 6) Grisette (Amanita vaginata).

Charlie has been up at the top end of Holden Wood today and had the following Butterflies: Gatekeeper, Peacock, Red Admiral, Small Skipper, and Whites, plus a Small Copper photo which he got again at Holden Wood a few days ago.

Also yesterday was good for the Swallow migration which was going on with large parties making their way out through Grane and going out North West, which can be usual with some of the migration. We dont know for sure but possibilities are that they are following a line of the River Ribble and eventually South. Today there did not appear much Swallow migration but there where lots feeding up across from the Duke of Wellington (probably Steve’s from Leys End Farm). He also had Reed Buntings going through…

Click over poster to enlarge….. The above workshops are being held on Sundays – THE NEXT & FINAL WORKSHOP IS ON 20th SEPTEMBER AND THE SUBJECT IS “AUTUMN SETTING IN”……