Citizen Science Testing Site - Newton Brook, Hereford

 Never memorize something that you can look up - Albert Einstein

One of my citizen science test sites is in a small steep sided wooded area within the city limits of Hereford. The site is regularly flooded during the winter season when the River Wye is in full spate. It has the feel of a temperate rainforest and is popular with the dog-walking fraternity. Being close to housing estates, shops, etc., it is also a favourite spot for the younger generation (Gen Z??) who like to drink beer and smoke cannabis and, for some unfathomable reason, scatter their litter around & dump supermarket trolleys in the brook.

Figure 1: Test Site U033 on Newton Brook (h/t Google Maps)

Figure 1 shows the approximate position of my test site (X) on the Newton Brook which follows the treeline towards the River Wye. As you can see, it is a short narrow stretch of woodland, about 200 metres in length.

I took this short panoramic video on 29th July 2026 just after I had finished testing. You can see the brook itself in the first six seconds, followed by the path heading north to the River Wye (at 7 seconds), the main wooded area and the path heading south (at 20 seconds) from whence I came and will return.

Video 1: Panoramic View of Surrounding Woodland at Site U033 (Newton Brook)

The brook is currently at historically low levels but is still flowing (just about). The woodland becomes a lake when the River Wye level exceeds 3 metres at Hereford Bridge, the nearest hydrology monitoring station. This can be quite often during the wet season (October to March) as Figure 2 shows.

Figure 2: River Wye Level at Hereford Bridge (h/t Environmental Agency)

If you watched the short video above, you will have noticed that some of the trees are at a funny angle - presumably as a result of the regular flooding. The brook itself is polluted and there is very little evidence of aquatic life apart from the odd minnow and freshwater shrimp. We are hoping Newton Brook will be adopted as part of the Hereford River City Project and upgraded to a 'living' river to be enjoyed by everyone.

I started writing this blog post so I could put up a picture of a wonderful bracket fungus spotted during my last two testing visits. Possibly an example of Dryad's Saddle (aka Pheasants Back)? I have uploaded to the iNaturalist app to see if it can be identified by a more knowledgeable mycologist (fungi expert). First spotted on the 26th July (Photo 1 & Photo 2) when the main 'saddle' was at least two-feet wide.

Photo 1: Bracket Fungi (26th July 2026)

Photo 2: Bracket Fungi Close-up (26th July 2026)

And again, three days later ...

Photo 3: Bracket Fungi (29th July 2026)

Photo 4: Bracket Fungi Close-up (26th July 2026)

I'm surprised it has lasted this long as i had expected some kids would have smashed it to pieces by now.

On the earlier visit (26th July), I also spotted the remains of a pigeon ...

Photo 5: Dinner Leftovers?

Who or what was the predator? Bird of prey (e.g. sparrowhawk), mammal (e.g. fox or badger) or a domestic cat? I'm not sure a domestic cat would eat a pigeon and a fox/badger would be more likely to drag the prey off to a safer place before eating. My money would be on a sparrowhawk - they are seen in the area and, in my experience, often eat where they make the kill.