Alderney Environment and Nature Diary

(included to bring records up to date)

Weather report for December 2010

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There were 16 dry days and 13 sunless days in December with winds mainly from the Easterly quarter at a similar strength to last year.

Although there were only 2 nights when the temperature fell below zero at Platte Saline and then only for an hour or so, the average temperatures for the month were well below those usually found in December and lower figures were noted in Town and at the Airport with rain, sleet and snow, mostly In the first 3 days of the month, when wind-chill factors were below zero across the island for 56 consecutive hours, causing problems on the roads and at the airport. Overall our conditions were much better than in the other islands or UK.

Although December's rainfall was well below last year's and the 20-year average, total rainfall for the year was well above both these figures and the sunshine for 2010 was the highest in our records.

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Figures for comparison with December last year and the 20-year average.

Year	2010	2009	20-year average
			1991-2010
Rain mm.	81.7	134.0	101.1
Sun hrs.	62.0	65.0	54.5
Max. temp recorded °C	10.3	13.4	16.1
Min. temp recorded	-1.3	2.1	4.9
Mean day temp	5.5	8.0	9.8
Total rainfall for year to date, mm.	827.8	669.1	748.9
Total sunshine for year to date, hrs.	2521.5	2505.5	1889.5

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2010 monthly figures

Maximum figures in each line in red type, minimum in blue

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Year 2010	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	TOTAL
Temp. highest °C	11.1	10.8	13.3	20.3	23.5	25.1	27.2	21.9	23.6	20.2	16.3	10.3
Temp. lowest °C	-0.1	2.2	1.3	4.5	1.8	9.9	12.4	11.1	10.6	4.5	0.4	-1.3
Average daily Max.	5.3	8.1	10	13.3	11.8	18.9	18.1	20	19.0	13.7	11.2	8.8
Average daily Min.	3.6	3.2	5.6	7.3	9.1	12.9	14.9	14.9	10.6	9.2	7.9	3.8
Monthly mean °C	5.3	6.0	7.7	9.7	12.6	15.4	17.6	17.1	16.2	14	9.5	5.5
Rain mm.	96.9	91.0	47.4	28.5	4.82	51.0	14.7	65.8	34.5	113.4	198.2	81.6	827.79
Sun hrs.	81.5	120.0	207.0	303.0	311.5	371.0	353.0	220.0	246.0	162.0	84.5	62.0	2521.50
Barometer highestmb.	1038	1022	1031	1033	103	102	1027	1025	102	1029	1024	1037
Barometer lowest mb.	990	985	985	994	1006	1000	999	998	999	990	962	984
Barometer mean mb.	1014	1006	997	1018	1016	1016	1015	1015	1015	1011	1005	1013
Humidity max. %	96	98	97	97	96	97	98	97	97	97	100	97
Humidity min. %	58	61	47	46	57	51	47	57	50	53	61	61
Humidity average %	83.5	81.7	73.5	69.3	82.6	83.4	84	86.5	73.6	82.5	85.2	79.2
Wind direction meanº	159	153	156	151	133	166	231	225	216	168	159	127
Wind speed max kts.	36.5	34.8	36.5	28.7	26.1	27	31.8	30.4	29.6	36.5	42.6	35.7
Wind speed mean kts.	7.9	8.3	8.2	6.4	4.7	3.8	4.2	4.9	4.9	7.2	7.0	8.1

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Summary of averages for the 20 years 1991-2010

(Only 11 years 2000-2010 for parameters titled in red)

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Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
Temp. monthly max	12.6	12.4	14.1	17.3	21.2	23.9	24.1	23.8	22.1	19.0	16.1	14.0
Temp. monthy min	1.12	0.9	2.4	3.8	6.0	8.9	11.5	11.5	10.7	7.6	4.7	1.5
Average daily Max	8.9	8.7	10.0	11.6	13.2	16.1	18.5	19.2	17.9	15.0	12.1	9.7
Average daily Min.	7.0	6.4	7.2	8.0	9.9	12.4	14.8	15.5	14.5	12.6	10.0	7.6
Monthly mean °C	7.9	7.6	8.7	10.0	12.5	15.0	16.7	174	16.2	13.9	108.0	8.6
Rain mm.	79.1	61.3	49.6	50.7	43.7	42.7	42.0	54.5	50.3	86.8	96.7	101.2	758.5
Sun hrs	63.6	83.0	137.8	200.1	241.2	263.2	259.5	234.6	188.3	118.2	69.8	55.8	1914.9
Barometer highest mb	1039	1040	1038	1036	1032	1033	1031	1030	1033	1034	1034	1038
Barometer lowest mb.	990	991	991	996	996	1002	999	1001	1002	985	985	984
Barometer mean mb.	1020	1017	1017	1017	1019	1020	1018	1019	1019	1016	1015	1018
Humidity max. %	100	100	100	100	91.2	90.7	100	99.1	99.3	99.6	99.9	99.6
Humidity min %	69.3	71.8	68.7	57.8	63.0	58.6	68.7	68.3	71.5	72.0	73.6	70.7
Humidity average %	90.7	90.7	89.3	81.9	82.7	82.4	90.0	89.8	89.8	89.8	90.7	89.1
Wind direction mean°	211	178	183	161	168	199	219.8	215	178	191	199	183
Wind speed max kts.	47.3	45.5	44.9	35.2	39.4	32.2	34.3	31.1	35.7	44.0	45.2	50.6
Wind speed mean kts.	14.1	12.8	11.7	8.0	9.3	6.6	7.8	7.4	8.4	10.4	11.6	11.1

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At this point a comparison of the annual summaries of all the available Alderney rainfall figures since 1851, which I have collected over the years, makes an interesting demonstration of the declining rainfall figures across the British Isles generally and no doubt across many other areas. The first figures 1851-60 followed by 1865-71 were recorded at the Breakwater during its construction, the next block 1906-16 were recorded in Le Huret in St. Anne by the island's Greffier. The next block from 1955-1980 at the Airport, those from 1982-97 at the Lighthouse and the remainder at my house on Platte Saline.

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. a. Note the steady decline of amounts in the years of high rainfall, average rainfall, or low rainfall, since 1960

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The year started cold and a late spring with low rainfall in April and drought conditions in May and finished with a very wet October and the first snow recorded in the islands in November for 120 years, with an equivalent to almost 200mm rain from a mixture of snow, sleet, hail and rain in the month.

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.Alderney Botanical Report 2010

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The Alderney Wildlife Trust, of which I finished my 4-years as President at the AGM in May but continue as a founder director, continues to flourish and expand its activities and has cleared considerable areas of bracken/gorse/bramble scrub to the benefit of the low growing plants formerly smothered. The Major accomplishment of the year was the initiation and planting of the Community Woodland project, mostly on States land but with the co-operation of several adjacent landowners. With plantings in both late February and early December over 3,000 native trees have been planted on the total area of 42 acres to which the project will eventually expand. The first 1,000 were planted in a 1 hectare site of States Land almost in the centre of the island. This will form the core of a much larger block and we have had an excellent take of about 90% of the saplings planted. Many volunteers turned up on "Arbor Day" including scouts, cubs and guides who each had their special plot to care for later as well as the Conservation Volunteers and Trust members. The area of woodland on the island has already almost been doubled by the project and will vastly extend the habitat and accompanying flora and fauna when planting is finished in about 5 years time.

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The Essex Farm house renovation was completed last year with a considerable upgrading and expansion into the barn with additional showers and toilets, two large rooms which can be used as conference or exhibition rooms or alternatively temporary dormitories for visiting groups of students and the derelict outbuildings re-roofed and put in good order. The main accommodation has now been redecorated, damp walls dried and insulated and occupied throughout the year by 3 and later 4 postgraduate students who, amongst other things have contributed considerably to the species recording and development of the Alderney Records Centre Website, run jointly with the Alderney Society Museum.

Several Wildlife Weekends have been well attended by both members and visitors. Daytime Wild flower and evening Bat Walks as well as pool dipping on the beaches (mainly for the children), all proved very popular and several hundred people attended them over the summer. Guided walks in the town area with historical information about the various features and earlier happenings have also proved popular with both visitors and locals.

Recording both the Flora and Fauna has been given considerably more attention this year and several new (or only the second record) plant species noted. (See below). Once again, many more new moth species and dragonflies have been added to our earlier lists thanks to David Wedd a skilled, retired entomologist, and he has done considerable work with the children at both schools to encourage their interest in nature and the environment generally. A junior or "Watch" section of the Trust has been formed and I have produced a series of photographic 'identity' cards for them to use on the commoner wildflowers. My BSBI recording has continued and over 500 additional sightings entered on the database.

Jennie Grange (JG), a former chairman of La Société Guernesiaise's Botanical Section, has continued to visit several times during the year since her return to Guernsey and has found additional species.

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The long-needed scheme to harness the unused water from below the Bonne Terre pumping station and to collect from the three other streams and road run-off along Platte Saline and Crabby Bays, filter and treat it and pump it along Braye Common into Battery Quarry, which was started in 2009 and good progress made on installing the large pipes and control points and valves needed, so much so that, in early 2010 the water collected was able to be added to the main supply quarry and in only a few weeks, with a wet winter, this had filled to the top, about 20 feet above its previous level, a condition not seen for some years and the excess was being "forwarded" to Corblets Quarry through the existing pipe work. In a few short weeks this had also risen 10-15 feet and was filled to the highest level for about 15 years. The subsequent very dry spring with two drought periods in April and May failed to have any great effect on the total amount stored. A completely new cleaning and filtration plant is being installed at Battery Quarry to remove any potentially harmful chemicals and to treat the water going into the island distribution network to a very high standard of purity. This will be completed and fully functional in early 2011.

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Further work on Alderney's Ramsar site has added to the records of both the terrestrial and maritime flora lists and those of various fauna, noted in the site area. Environmental surveys have been carried out as a preliminary to various aspects of the ongoing Tidal Power project.

The 'Summer Fayre.' held at the end of August and opened by TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikov, who often visits Alderney with her young family and has done much to publicise our interesting flora and fauna on TV, was a great success with over 1,000 people attending at some time during the day

As in previous years, several visits during the year from Dr. Charles David, who runs the Guernsey Biological Records Centre, (GBRC), and has also taken over Bridget Ozanne's role as BSBI Recorder for Guernsey after her untimely death last year. Thanks to Dr. David, my entire 11,800+ database of Alderney records since 1824, of which he has modified the grid references to account for a large part of the long term discrepancy between the grid references obtained from the States of Alderney map and their true position on the UTM grid, have enabled me to create a new map which almost exactly coincides with the true satellite co-ordinates, and they can now be mapped, printed out and manipulated to produce various printed records and species distribution maps on both the GBRC and the Alderney Wildlife Trust Dismap and Digimap programmes. This still leaves a few species records of cliff-top plants apparently about 100m out to sea and some, on the north facing beaches about the same distance inland on the dunes but I am gradually weeding these out and making the appropriate corrections to their co-ordinates. I have also created a new A4 map of the island, with a (more or less) corrected grid on it and most roads and features named. This can be obtained in printed form from the AWT office or downloaded from my Website < flora.org.gg > (File Alderne.gif) and is now included in all new copies of my Alderney Flora lists, books and CDs.

The much expanded update to my 1988 Flora of Alderney, now entitled The Wildflowers of Alderney. 258 pages with the several maps including the corrected island map and some 95 colour photographs, this is in A5 size and makes a more professional "perfect-bound" version with a completely updated plant list (see the "Books" page on this site). This is available from the AWT office, the Alderney Centre paper shop, The Bookshop and the Museum.

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New plant records 2010

All species were in flower at the time of sighting unless otherwise noted.

Grid references are to parts of UTM grid hectares WA 40, 50 and WA 60.

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First records;

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Symphytum grandiflora. Creeping Comfrey; spread over about 10m in a roadside verge/hedge Val Fontaine 587076 BB 9.5.10

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Papaver orientale. Oriental Poppy; Roadside verge along Platte Saline just beyond tennis courts 568079 about 10 plants in a clump BB 14.6.10

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Avena barbarta. Slender Oat; Locally frequent in fallow field and track approach to Madonna Stone 570065 BB 29.7.10. Confirmed by Guernsey Botanist Jennie Grange (JG) 30.7.10

Allium moly. Yellow Garlic; Patch about 1m square on Platte Saline. Presumably a garden escape BB 4.6.10

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Ecballium elaterium. Squirting Cucumber; Apparently self-sown in garden along the East coast in bare ground. Patch about 3 x 2m 603088 BB 16.9.10. Long-time house owner contacted me to identify it.

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Pittosporum crassifolium. Karo; Single tree in fruit in War Memorial Gardens in Victoria Street. 573075. Probably planted 20+ years ago, not previously recorded. BB 12.10.10 confirmed by JG 13.10.10

<<Pittosporum crassifolium fruits.

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2nd record;

Pittosporum crassifolium; Another larger, bushier, shrubby, tree in fruit in a thick hedge alongside railway track near school playground 578078. Probably there many years JG 3.11.10

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New sites:

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Lunaria annua. Honesty; 1 very large plant in grass verge, Barrackmaster's Lane 589078 BB 9.5.10

Alliaria petiolata. Garlic Mustard; 2 plants in grass verge, Barrackmaster's Lane 587079 and 587077 BB 9.5.10

Allium neapolitanum. Neapolitan Garlic; large patches scattered along Val Fontaine 586076 -588078 NN 9.5.10

Allium neapolitanum; 20+ plants near Lighthouse in scrubby grassland 602089 BB 11.5.10 Previously recorded here as A. subhirsutum. Hairy Garlic.

Ceratochloae cathartica. Rescue Brome; Several clumps each about 1m scattered over 100m Barrackmaster's Lane verge 589079 BB 11.5.10 about 400m downstream from a previously long-recorded wall base site now exterminated by an enthusiastic new house owner.

Silene gallica. Small-flowered Catchfly; On grassy bank above beach by roadside below Fort Tourgis 563081 BB 22.5.10

Allium neapolitanum; Large patch by side of E. coast track opposite Fort Houmet Herbé 605087 BB 1.6.10

Tetragonium tetragonioides. Dragon's-teeth; East coast near Houmet Herbé 603087 BB 16.9.10

Phalaris canariensis. Canary-grass; Single clump of 3-5 plants in seed on Platte Saline 566079 BB 26.9.10

The spring of 2010 was very slow in coming with some of the usually first flowers, for example Petasites frgrans, Winter Heliotrope; Ranunculus ficaria, Lesser Celandine; Hyancinthoides non-scripta, Bluebell; and Prunus cerasifera; Cherry Plum; our earliest fllowering tree, were all up to several weeks late. .

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