New Sorby Gallery
We have a new section on our Web site to showcase our members photographs, all taken
within the Sorby recording area. Click on Gallery in the menu on the left to view!
If you are a Sorby member and have photographs of fauna or flora taken within the Sorby area, you can find instructions in the gallery for submitting them for inclusion.
...and don't forget to check back every so often to see whats new!
Sorby Activities for Sheffield Environment Weeks
Mon 1 May 06 - Brown Hare Census
Meet in the large car park behind the hotel at Monsal Head at 7pm. Don't pay unless you intend to leave your car here. We will divide into small groups to survey different bits of the White Peak for mad May hares. Some groups on foot and others by car. It's spring and the hares will be active. Debriefing session at the Stable Bar at 9pm to compare results.
Wed 3 May 06 - Bats at Beeley Wood
This year we are attempting a spring batwatch. Meet at Oughtibridge on the bridge over the River Don at 7.30pm. We will walk along the Don through Beeley Wood towards Middlewood recording bats as we go, and returning to Oughtibridge by the same route.
Sat 6 May 06 - Birdwatching at Redmires
Cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
Wed 17 May 06 - Deep Dale Invertebrates
Meet 10.00am in the Wye Dale Car Park on the A6, 4km east of Buxton (grid ref SK/103.724). Please note that this is the Deep Dale between King Sterndale and Chelmorton.
Fri 19 May 06 - Invertebrates at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Members only - see May newsletter for details
Sat 20 May 06 - Birdsong in the Shire Brook Valley
An early morning stroll in the Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve, to help beginners learn how to identify birds from their songs and calls. Meet 8.00am in the car park on Stone Lane, off Coisley Hill (grid ref SK/413.843).
2006-2007 Events Programme
The new events programme covering the period up to March 2007 has now been finalised.
Sorby members will automatically receive a copy of the programme card with their April newsletter in the post or you can view a summary of confirmed events in our Events section.
Ladybird Identification Workshop
On Saturday 22nd April 2006, we are running an all day ladybird identification workshop in conjunction with the UK Ladybird Survey. The workshop will be led by Peter Brown, the UK Ladybird Project Officer, who co-ordinates both the UK Ladybird Survey and the Harlequin Ladybird Survey and will cover the UK ladybirds together with the alien species Harmonia axyridis.
View full details of the ladybird identification workshop here.
Meeting Cancellation
Unfortunately Peter Clegg is unable to lead us through the delights of foraminifers and microfossils on 2nd March 2006 so we are having a general members night instead. Althougth there will be some Foraminifera for members to look at (these are amazingly beautiful shell like organisms that can be found in sand) members have the opportunity to bring along a variety of problems or pleasures to share with others.
Bring along old microscopical instruments from your attic... they may work! Advice may be offered on how to clean them up.
Do you have any small or microscopic organisms that are a puzzle; we could share the problem and maybe solve it. Bring along some pond water or a spoonful of sludge from a gutter you might be amazed to discover what they contain. Microscopic section members work on a range of organisms from beetles, fungi, mosses to geology so come along and add to the expertise available.
Beginners are particularly welcome as advice could be offered on how to start up in microscopy.
Sorby Record No. 39
Sorby Record No. 39, A Journal of Natural History for the Sheffield Area, is now available at £3.00 UK plus 70p postage & packing to non-members (members receive it free). Contents include Hoverflies (Syrphidae) of Nottinghamshire, The Charles Waite Herbarium at Sheffield Museum, a checklist of easily identifiable flowers, ferns and grasses of Middleton Dale and many other articles of Natural History interest in the Sorby area. 92 pages including line drawings, photographs and distribution maps.
To order your copy, have at look at our publications page.
Fungi Group Reformed
After a short lapse, the Sorby Fungi Group was reformed on 6th July 2005, after a meeting of interested Sorby members at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet.
Ziggy Senkans has volunteered to be the recorder Neil Barden the secretary. A preliminary set of meetings has subsequently been arranged for this Autumn to various venues including Linacre wood, Longshaw, Beauchief and Ladybower. See the monthly members newsletter for further details. Whether you are interested purely in edible fungi or have a greater curiosity about the fifth Kingdom all these events are to interesting local venues and so should be very enjoyable excursions.
Anyone wishing to add their name to the Sorby Fungus Group e-mail list can do so by sending an email to the .
New Recording Section
We have a new addition to the Web site! If you check out the menu on the left you will notice a new option - Recording. The recording of flora and fauna is a vital activity for the naturalist and is actively encouraged by the Sorby Natural History Society, so this new section has been introduced to make all our information relating to the process of recording and submitting records more easily available. Up until now, some of this information has been published on various printed handouts and leaflets so this has been collated, edited, re-written in places and added to for publication here. It is very much in the early stages of development and we will be ammending and adding more information over the coming months so please check back every so often to see whats new!
Mycena albidolilacea (Kuhn. & Mre.)
Surprisingly this pretty little Mycena species had not been recorded in Britain prior to its find at Potteric Carr in January 2004.
Measuring 1cm across and approximately 1.5cms high the beautiful pink colour is distinctive on the small cap. The stipe (stem) also features the same pink, which is at its most intense at its apex. Finally the gill edges have a pink violet edge which is very obvious when viewing them with a hand lens.
Following its discovery by Sorby member Caroline Hobart, the dried material was closely examined by E. Emmett a mycologist specialising in this genus. The material was then found to be microscopically identical to an a-typical collection from Kew Gardens collected in November 2002 but until now without a confirmed identification.
Potteric Carr has a wealth of habitats conducive to the growth of a variety of interesting fungi often they are extremely small and can be very beautiful. They occur throughout the year with a flush of larger fungi appearing in the autumn.
For further information on Potteric Carr, visit the Potteric Carr Nature Reserve Web site.
We Have a New Logo!
If you have looked up in the top left corner of this Web site, you may have noticed we have a new logo! It was a tough decision to decide between all the entries we had from our members after our appeal but we eventually decided on a new version of the trusty Sorby Owl (which we have used for over 40 years!). I hope you'll agree it's much 'wiser' than the previous logo (groan!).
2005-2006 Events Programme
The new events programme
covering the period up to March 2006 has now been finalised. Sorby members will
automatically receive a copy of the programme card with their newsletter in the
post or you can view it in its entirety in our
Events section.
Special Offer
A Flora of the Sheffield Area (Two Hundred Years of
Plant Records) is now reduced in price to £2.00 (UK). At 308 pages, this
represents fantastic value for money. Hurry while stocks last!
You can obtain your copy at meetings or by post (please add £1.50 postage and packing) from:
Membership Services Officer,
Sorby Natural History Society,
76 Crawford Road,
Sheffield S8 9BU.
2004-2005 Events Programme
The new events programme covering the period up to March 2005 has now been finalised. Sorby members will automatically receive a copy of the programme card with their newsletter in the post or you can view it in its entirety here.
Sorby Record No. 38
Sorby Record No. 38, A Journal of Natural History for the Sheffield
Area, is now available at £3.00 UK plus 50p postage & packing to
non-members (members receive it free). Containing 84 pages including line drawings,
photographs and distribution maps, it is packed with the usual range of local Natural
History interests. For details of how to order your copy, have at look at our publications page.
Sorby Record Special Series No. 13
The Common Trees in the Peak District, the 13th title
in the Sorby Record Special Series, has recently been published. This excellent 76 page
booklet is illustrated with over 100 photographs and contains a guide to the common and
naturalised trees and large shrubs of the Peak District. It is based on Leonora
Dobson’s many years studying, identifying and lecturing on trees and is full of
identification tips and hints, many of which are published here for the first time. It
represents great value for money at only £5.00 (UK) (plus £0.50 postage and
packing); you may even be able to pick one up at one of our indoor meetings and save on
postage and packing!
New Logo Appeal
In the August 2003 newsletter we appealed to our members to
submit a new design for our society logo and entries have now started to come in. You can
view
the current submissions here.
If you would like to submit a logo, the only requirement is that it should be simple enough to be reproducible clearly at small size (say 1" (25mm) square) yet still look good at around 4" (100mm) square. It may be in colour or monochrome. Please send submissions (at the larger size please as a GIF / TIFF or PNG) to our .
Insect Show
Come along to the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Entomological Society Insect Show where Sorby will be having a stall! The event is on Saturday November 1st between 11am and 4pm at Broomfield Hall, Morley which is on the A608 just North of Derby. The event will include:
- insect collections, some with microscopes to use
- live exhibits
- studies and records
- local wildlife group displays
- beekeepers
- slide show
- interactive computer presentations
In addition, the following items will be for sale:
- lepidopterist supplies
- plants for insects
- insect themed gifts and cards
- natural history books and a new moth book along with the author
The entrance fee is 50p for adults, under 16's and members of the Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire Entomological Society free.
The venue has some lovely grounds suitable for a walk, a cafe and a small garden centre so anyone attending can really make a day of it!
Sorby Record No. 37
Sorby Record No 37, A Journal of Natural History for the Sheffield Area, is now available and represents excellent value at £3.00 UK (plus 50p postage & packing). Containing 68 pages, it is packed with the usual range of local Natural History interests. For details of how to order your copy, have at look at our publications page.
The latest Sorby Record A Journal of Natural History for the Sheffield Area, is available at the excellent value price of £3.00 UK (plus 50p postage & packing).
Its 60 pages are packed with the usual range of local Natural History interests but also includes a record of the man from South Yorkshire who had the privilege of seeing one of the last surviving Wolves in the British Isles.
For details of how to order your copy, have at look at our publications page, where you may also be tempted by many of our other publications.
Don't hang about though, they are selling fast!
[30-Nov-02]
The 84th Annual General Meeting is to be held at Sheffield City Museum on October 10th 2002, at 7.15 pm. Nominations are invited for vacancies on the Sorby Council, namely:
- Two vacancies for Vice President (of four posts)
- Three vacancies for Ordinary Members of Council (of ten posts)
Barbara Croxton, Hon. General Secretary [15-Sep-02]
A second update to The Sorby Record Special Series No. 12, The Insects Of The Barnsley Area, originally published in 1999, is now available. This brings the species lists up to September 2001. This update replaces the previous update and again is free to download (as a zipped Microsoft Word document) by clicking the following link.
Download (78KB). [04-Oct-01]
Its here! The entire Sorby Mammal Atlas is now on-line! This includes all the distribution maps and text originally published in Sorby Record No. 33 and will be periodically updated as new records become available. Click here to view the atlas.
[06-Aug-01]
As part of the work on the Derbyshire Flora, Nick Moyes at the Derbyshire Biological Records Centre is collating information about wild plants which have strong historical or cultural connections with Derbyshire. He is looking for details of plants used in coats of arms, or perhaps in local village customs or industry. Local plants names are of interest, too, providing they have been well used within this county, or perhaps you know of the largest or tallest example of a particular tree. Yew, oak, beech etc.? Here are a handful of examples.
- Lily of the Valley traditionally represented in inlaid Ashford Black Marble
- Alder cones used in well dressing
- Silver Birch plantation near Ashover in early 1800s grown for sap for wine making.
- Goosegrass known locally as Herrif or Errif
The new events programme covering the period up to March 2002 has now been finalised.
Sorby members will automatically receive a copy of the programme card with their newsletters in the post but a summarised version can also be viewed here.
[06-May-01]
The Sorby Record Special Series No. 12, The Insects Of The Barnsley Area was published in 1999. The author, John Coldwell, has now produced an update which brings the species lists up to November 2000. What's more this update is free to download (as a zipped Microsoft Word document) by clicking the following link.
Download (14KB). [20-Mar-01]
Our 35th Sorby Record has just been published and is now being distributed to members.
With 75 Natural History packed pages it represents great value for money at only £3.50 + 50p postage (UK) to non-members (free to members).
[18-Mar-01]
We have updated the on-line Sorby mammal atlas to include more distribution maps. Over the coming weeks, we shall eventually be providing the complete Sorby Mammal Atlas on-line, as originally published in the Sorby Record No 33 - watch this space! Click here to view the updated atlas.
[13-Mar-01]
After doing the Society's accounts for around 20 years, Ken Slater has decided to have a well-earned rest. We thank Ken for his efforts on our behalf over this period, and wish him well for the future. We now need a replacement Auditor, and are looking for a volunteer to take on this role. This basically means preparing/checking the Society's accounts once a year. This would maybe suit a partner of one of our members (but members are not eligible). So, please, if you know of a suitable candidate, . [11-Jan-01]
As part of a continuing effort to standardise communications, we have set-up the following e-mail addresses to be used instead of personal ones:
| Newsletter Editor | /TD> |
| President | |
| Hon. Gen. Sec | |
| Sorby Record Editor |
Updated BiographyWe have updated our biography of Henry Clifton Sorby, which now includes a photo! [08-Dec-00]
We are teaming up with the Sheffield Bird Study Group and the Sheffield RSPB Members Group, and organising a one-day meeting, 'Moorland Birds', on Saturday 10th February 2001. The venue holds 390, so we do need a good turn out! Both the Peak District National Park and the National Trust are supporting the meeting. Click here for more details. [10-Dec-00]
Check out our updated list of links to other interesting web sites! [08-Dec-00]
The Sorby Invertebrate Group have arranged an all day workshop on Sunday 14 January 2001 for the Identification of Hoverflies. [11-Dec-00]
The BTO has updated its popular handbook of garden birdwatching and so now contains more information relating to birdwatching in your garden. For more details click here. [13-Jun-00]
Sorby Record No 34 is Here!The special 80th anniversary issue of the Sorby Record is now available. This is the 34th publication in the series and contains 100 pages (including 5 colour pictures) packed with information from the Sorby recording area. [22-Jan-00]
Found locally - a rare New Zealand alien! Paurocotylis pila Berk. Masquerading as a wrinkled, contorted, deflated Red Pepper; this crimson ascomycete appears to have been recorded from only about half-a-dozen sites in Britain. It has a Northern distribution and has now appeared in Sheffield. It grows up to about 4 cms and appears to favour damp soil, mosses and plant debris. Anyone finding anything bright crimson lurking at the edge of a path or in their garden ought to check that it's not a balloon or a piece of plastic! And do please let us know so that it can be checked out. Do not collect it, but leave it in situ and e-mail us at . Thank you. [01-Dec-99]
Do you want to get more involved with the Society? We need someone to fill the vacant role of Publicity Officer, which basically involves promoting the society in various ways. You do not need to be an expert naturalist and there is no set workload. It is an ideal opportunity for someone with enthusiasm who wants to, well, do their own thing (almost!). If you are interested, email our General Secretary at . [07-Nov-99]
Once again, Freshwater Jellyfish has turned up in the Canal Basin in central Sheffield during the hot summer weather. Some were also found in Bradwell Ponds - possibly a first Derbyshire record! We are very grateful to members of the local angling club for this information. See Sorby Record 28 (1991) for an account of these wee beasties in the canal. [07-Nov-99]
Congratulations to Sorby council member Harry Lake who netted a hoverfly on a Sorby excursion this May to Poolsbrook. It was identified by Austin Brackenbury as Tropidia scita, an uncommon species of lush lowland wetlands. This is the first county record for Derbyshire. It is known from Langold Holt in Rotherham and a few sites in Barnsley (see John Coldwell's book) and has a WET1 Sorby Red Data Book grade in Derek Whiteley's good wetland guide (See Sorby Record No 31). Nice one Harry! [07-Nov-99]
For the first time since 1990 we have been forced to increase our membership fees. The increase represents a rise of 25%, during which time the retail price index has increased by some 41%! However we still provide getting on for 100 meetings a year so we reckon our new rates are still excellent value for money. Visit our membership page for more details. [07-Nov-99]
The Sorby Record Special Series No. 12, Insects of the Barnsley Area, is now available. This is the latest in the Sorby
Record Special Series and represents the results of 20 years of dedicated
study of insects in the Barnsley
area by the author, John Coldwell. It is a whopping 190 pages packed full
of information, including site references and a full annotated checklist of all known species
and where they occur. An absolute must for anyone interested in
insects in this area, this will surely become a standard reference for
local entomologists. Only 200 have been printed, so please do not leave it
too late to order. At 190 pages this is a bargain at just £7.00 UK (plus
£1.50 postage). To order your copy, visit our publications page. [04-Nov-99]
The BTO has produced a new handbook containing a wealth of information relating to birdwatching in your garden. For more details click here. [09-Jun-99]
The Mappin Café is now open on Thursday evenings from 6.45 PM. to 9.00 PM. Selina offers hot and cold beverages, and a selection of cakes, biscuits and nibbles. (We had a great slab of cake for 50p in the middle of the Bat lecture in January. - Ed). This means that you can enjoy a cuppa before a Sorby meeting or during the break in informal surroundings. Bon appetit! [09-Jun-99]
The Sorby Record Special Series No. 11, Reptiles And Amphibians of the Sheffield Area and North Derbyshire, is now available, hot from the printing press.
For more information click here. [15-Nov-98]
Thirsting for your own Private Oasis?
If you've always fancied the idea of having a wildlife pond in your garden, but you haven't got the energy, time or muscle-power to dig one, Sheffield Environment Training may be able to help you.
SET is a registered charity which runs training courses leading to NVQs in Environmental Conservation.
At least two sites are required on which to construct a pond as part of the students' training.
These are usually on sites managed by bona fide conservation bodies, but this year the tutors are struggling to find suitable sites, so are extending the search to private land (e.g. garden or perhaps a farm).
Each pond will cover an area of 2 to 6 sq. m., will be constructed by a small team (all responsible adults) under close supervision, and should take at most 3 days to construct.
SET will provide all labour and equipment free of charge.
All you have to do is provide the site and a suitable, good quality flexible pond liner (SET can advise on all aspects including siting, plants &c.).
Interested? Then phone Emma Dent on (0114) 250 7955. [15-Nov-98]
This is the big one!
Our 80th anniversary exhibition is now underway in the entrance hall of the Sheffield City Museum and will run from Saturday 7th November 1998 to Sunday 10th January 1999.
A large number of people have been planning and preparing this exhibition for a number of months.
It was a credit to the Society that we were invited to present this exhibition so early in the life of the new Museums Trust.
We have therefore attempted to do ourselves proud, and would like to attract as large an audience as possible.
So do tell all your friends, relatives and neighbours about it.
If you know of a suitable noticeboard, shop window etc please e-mail us at
for a poster. So do ensure that you visit the museum at least once between
7th November and 10th January. What you'll see is a whole host of photos
and information about the Society and local wildlife, a stunning aerial
photograph of the Sorby recording area (and beyond, from coast to coast),
mock-up displays of a naturalist's study ca. 1918 and 1998, computer
display etc., and, for younger (or shorter!) people, a "snail trail" and
"discovery tree". [15-Nov-98]
Cranefly Day-School
Come and learn about craneflies on this FREE day-school at the Sheffield City Museum. [14-Nov-98]
Find out about the Dragonfly of the month for October - The Migrant Hawker. [04-Oct-98]
This is a two-year part-time modular course starting in September. It includes evening/day schools/field trips and the option to do a project under the guidance of the Course Director. The course assumes no previous knowledge. It requires no formal entry qualifications, only an interest in the subject and a determination to complete the assignments. It is aimed at those with an interest in the natural world who have had no formal training, as well as people knowledgeable in a particular aspect who would like to extend their experience.
For a detailed information pack please contact the Course Secretary (Natural History), The University of Sheffield, Division of Adult Continuing Education, 196-198 West Street, Sheffield S1 4ET. Tel: (0114) 222 7025 or contact the Course Director, Dr. Margaret Redfern, on (0114) 268667. [22-Jun-98]
Find out how you can contribute to this forthcoming Sorby publication. [22-Jun-98]
Come and learn how to identify mammals at the Sheffield City Museum on this 3 day weekend course. [20-Mar-98]
Getting Started In Natural HistoryWe now have more details of this event, including the final programme of events - make sure you're there!
Invertebrate Identification Day-SchoolsThere are still some places available on these excellent Saturday day schools that are taking place at the Sheffield City Museum, but hurry, they are getting booked up fast!
This year Sorby celebrates its 80th year. Read a captivating report of our birthday party! [18-Jan-98]
We have now included a sample chapter from Sorby Record No 32 for you to view! [31-Dec-97]
Getting Started In Natural HistoryThe Sorby Natural History Society is to run a beginners forum in 1998 at the Sheffield City Museum.
Derbyshire Soldier-fliesA review of Derbyshire 'Strats' in the latest issue of the DES Journal.
Thorne & Hatfield Moors SSSIEnglish Nature announced in June that it proposes to denotify part of Thorne & Hatfield Moors and so rescind its SSSI status.
Wildlife Doomsday ProjectNews of an exciting project to take us into the 21st century.