Fossils - Part 3: Graptolites and Stromatolites (Cotham Marble)

Graptolites were tiny, marine, colonial animals that lived during the Palaeozoic Era (Cambrian to Carboniferous Periods i.e. around 545 - 290 million years ago) before becoming extinct. They are common fossils in Ordovician and Silurian rocks and because they were widely distributed and underwent fairly rapid evolution they are often used to correlate the age of sedimentary rocks.

The graptolite fossils shown below were found in Wales and the shale rock dates from the Ordovician Period (and so is between 495 - 443 million years old).

The graptolites were a few centimetres long and look like miniature saw blades. The "teeth" that you may be able to make out on the "saw blades" were once small cups that contained the individual animals that made up the colony; all interconnected along a hollow tube.

Graptolites were filter feeders and tiny tentacles would have emerged from the cup when the organism was alive.



A few species may have lived on the ocean floor but the majority drifted or swam weakly in the ocean currents. They have been placed in the Phylum Hemichordata which is distantly related to Chordates (the Phylum which is comprised mainly of vertebrates).

More graptolites can be seen in the photo below at the top of the rock.



The name graptolite means "writing on stone" due to the similarity of the fossils to pencil scribblings.


Stromatolites are the most common early Pre-Cambrian fossils. In fact, the oldest fossils found which are visible to the naked eye are 3500 million years old stromatolites.

Stromatolites formed mounds as mats of cyanobacteria trapped sediments and successive layers would build upwards in shallow marine waters eventually reaching a metre in height. Living stromatolites can be found today in Shark Bay, Australia.

The polished fossilised stromatolite or algal mat shown in the photos below measures 10 centimetres by 7 centimetres and is 225 million years old (Upper Triassic) from Cotham, near Bristol, Somerset. These particular fossils are known as "Cotham or Landscape Marble" although the rock is actually a limestone not a true marble.

This is one of my favourite fossils and Cotham Marble is famous for the miniature landscapes you can see within the pattern of the stone. The patterns were formed by the action of worm-like animals and the growth of algae on the Triassic mud flats and if you click on the photo to enlarge it you may be able to visualise ploughed fields, trees and sky.

Garden Birds

Compared to many parts of the country we have only had a small amount of snow but it was even colder today. Temperatures reached as low as -8.4 degrees centigrade last night and the highest temperature today was -1.5!

Plenty of birds feeding although the cold weather is still failing to bring in any of the more unusual species. Two carrion crows came for bird seed today - this species is a regular visitor to the garden but rarely comes for food. Also had another visit from a chaffinch - a male this time and it was good to see two greenfinches on the feeders. I haven't seen any finches suffering from trichomonosis but greenfinch numbers are definitely much lower than usual.

Here's a photo of the resident robin who landed on the bird table as soon as I had filled the dish with mealworms.




This blackbird descended to take his share as soon as I had moved further away.



Sorry - the photos are not very good - they are heavily cropped and were taken with the 14 - 42mm lens.

And here's a few photos of frosty seedheads and plants








Still checking those berry trees and shrubs but still no sign of waxwings!

The Secret Garden and First Fieldfare

My son and I went to Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Tuesday night to see The Secret Garden - the Rep's Christmas production.

The play is a musical based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I loved this book when I was a child and the Rep didn't disappoint with a magical play that followed the original story closely. The cast are excellent and there are some clever stage sets which switch effortlessly between the interior of the house to the secret garden.

It's the Rep's final show before they close their doors for two years whilst renovations to the theatre and the building of a new library take place and it was a truly fitting finale. I also rather enjoyed a warming glass of mulled wine and a hot mince pie at the interval!


Publicity photo for the play taken from the Birmingham Rep's website:





To change the subject entirely I saw my first fieldfare of the autumn this morning feeding with some redwings on hawthorn berries along a lane near Bickenhill, Solihull. Its taken a while to see my first fieldfare so perhaps there's hope where the elusive waxwings are concerned!!

Garden Update (and still no waxwings!)

Woke up on Saturday morning to see a sprinkling of snow covering the garden.




Temperatures dropped to - 7.8 on Saturday night and it hasn't got above 0 degrees centigrade since.



The cold spell has failed to bring any of the more unusual species to the garden so far although numbers of birds are increasing daily at the feeders. I've scattered apples on the lawn but only blackbirds have been eating them - we have had visits from fieldfares and redwings in the past but I think its probably too early in the winter as there is lots of natural food still around.

A collared dove has started to visit the garden occasionally - we used to get several collared doves feeding daily but a decrease in sightings in the last eighteen months seems to have coincided with an increase in feral pigeon numbers. There were 5 wood pigeons feeding today and goldfinch numbers are in double figures. A pair of robins are still having daily territorial disputes and blackbirds seem to spend more time chasing each other round the lawn than actually feeding.

I gave my son a lift to work in Solihull this morning and checked out a site where waxwings had been seen on Friday near the town centre. There were several rowan trees with berries but definitely no waxwings! It was worth the journey though as the countryside looked absolutely beautiful in the frosty weather with the fields and trees laced with silvery hoar frost. I wished I had taken my camera with me.

Later I took a drive out to the business park but although there were blackbirds feeding on the many berries there were still no fieldfares or redwings and again - you guessed it! - no waxwings. Reports of sightings in Warwickshire are increasing so hopefully I will get a glimpse eventually! I think you have to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens in Autumn Sunshine

I popped along to Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens yesterday for an hour. Although it was very cold it was a beautiful sunny day with clear blue skies.

I was hoping that

Windfall apples/pears + berries = winter thrushes (possible) + waxwings (remote possibility!)

Well, there were certainly plenty of apples



and berries



and something had been feeding on the apples



but sadly I didn't see any redwings or fieldfares and, of course, there was not a waxwing in sight!

I'm always surprised not to see more bird species here. Today's sightings were wood pigeons, carrion crows, magpies, dunnocks, blackbirds, great and blue tits and robins.

I found a few species of fungi in the small copse that contains a pond and a "stumpery".

I haven't tried to identify the white fungi but, looking at a fungi id guide, I think the very pretty toadstools in the third photo below may be Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata). Please correct me if I'm wrong.







Most of the deciduous trees have lost their leaves





but there are still a few shrubs and trees with some autumn colour.





And I found a few flowers still lingering on.







It was a lovely walk in these tranquil, peaceful gardens and there's a few more photos below from my visit.

Garden Update and Local Birding

As mentioned in the previous post there isn't a lot to report bird-wise from the garden. Most recent highlight was a "charm" of twelve goldfinches perched in the whitebeam tree yesterday. They are still visiting the feeders daily and also eating the silver birch seeds. I am keeping my eye out for lesser redpolls as this species often visits the garden at this time of the years to feast on the birch seeds too.

I had to take my daughter to Coleshill this morning so, whilst I was in the area, I visited a few local birding "hotspots". Shustoke Reservoir was first port of call - unfortunately it started to rain as I arrived so I just had a quick scan of the reservoir from the car park. Birds seen included mallard, pied wagtail, cormorant, black-headed gulls, canada geese, coot, tufted duck, dabchick, pochard and great crested grebe. No sign of the red-breased merganser that was reported there several days last week. Makes mental note to herself again to get out to these places as soon as unusual birds are reported and not leave it!

I then visited a nearby churchyard which has a lot yew and holly trees and, as I had hoped, they were covered in berries. There were a lot of birds flitting around the trees and flying over - magpie, robin, great tit, blackbird, greenfinch, great spotted woodpecker and redwings plus a grey squirrel which also appeared to be eating yew berries.

I would have stayed here for an hour or more but the place was like Paddington Station in the rush hour - people on bikes, transit vans, delivery men roaring past and a couple who arrived in separate cars and who didn't appear to be interested in wildlife!!! Very strange as the church is situated at the end of a lane which is a dead end!


Memorial at the Church to commemorate the visit of William Gladstone, Prime Minister, in 1905, to Hamms Hall. Some of the yew and holly trees visible in the background



Before going home I stopped off at the business park - the berries hardly looked touched so at some stage this winter they are going to prove a magnet for wintering thrushes etc. But not a sign of any birds on them today and certainly no waxwings! But again I had timed it badly as there were loads of lorries on the roads and there was a constant procession of cars from a distribution centre as, I assume, a shift ended. Talking of waxwings there have been reports of several seen yesterday at Brandon Marsh. I had already been suffering withdrawal symptoms from not having visited recently too. This week is not looking good for a visit though as daughter is on holiday and I shall be on call all week as a chauffeur!

Theatre Trips and Stir-up Sunday

I will try and do a garden update later although to be honest there is so little to report I could have tagged it onto the end of this post!

I've been on several theatre trips in the last week or so and each was excellent in its own way.

First up was a trip to Birmingham Old Rep to see a stage adaptation of Philip Pulman's childrens' novel The Firework Maker's Daughter by the Birmingham Stage Company. I've seen productions of Skellig, George's Marvellous Medicine and Twelfth Night by this Company and all have been brilliant. This latest production didn't disappoint and was again excellent.

On Sunday, 14th November, we all went to see Lee Mack at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Least said about this the better really. Not that the warm up act and Lee Mack weren't good - they were both really funny. Its just that the seats were situated in what was grandly called the South Ledge, Grande Tier which meant they were very high up and you had to lean over a balcony to see the stage a long way below. For someone like me who hates heights it made for an uncomfortable two and a half hours!

Last Friday my son and I went off to Solihull to see The Wedding Singer, a musical comedy, at Solihull Arts Complex Theatre. This was another excellent production by St Augustines Musical Theatre Company. Before the play we had a meal at the Handmade Burger Company's restaurant. Everything from the burgers to chips to relishes is handmade here with a choice of over 40 burghers and it was great to find that there was a choice of 6 vegetarian options. The cheese patty with apple chutney, salad and mayo burger I had was delicious.

Yesterday was Stir-up Sunday, the day when Christmas Puddings are traditionally made. I normally have my Christmas puddings made by now but this year I have been trying to get hold of a mould which produces a round "cannon-ball" type pudding. I eventually tracked down a company on the internet which sells the mould but they don't seem exactly speedy in posting orders as I ordered it nearly 2 weeks ago and it still hasn't been posted! So I made the Christmas cake instead.










Not a very good picture of the finished cake as it looks burnt!