Are you ready to explore the beautiful, tranquil waters of the Broads? Want to feel the breeze gently brushing across your face as you lay back and relax to the sound of the water while navigating the sprawling waterways?
Well a Norfolk Broads holiday is perfect for you!
The Broads has been an iconic family holiday spot for decades. The mesmerising natural beauty, unique network of navigable rivers and lakes meeting the Norfolk coast, and the diverse landscape – all collectively come together to offer the perfect backdrop for a much needed vacation.
To make your next holiday an adventure on the Norfolk Broads visit www.herbertwoods.co.uk to find your perfect getaway, with short breaks starting from £330.
If you are not already a member of NWT, please join today. Alternatively, you could give membership as a rewarding and worthwhile gift to a friend or relative. To become a member from as little as £3 a month you can:
• Visit our website norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
• Call us on 01603 625540
• Ask a member of staff at one of our five visitor centres
Tern is published three times a year by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Advertising sales by Countrywide Publications and printed by Micropress Printers Ltd.
Editor: Nick Acheson
Designer: Scott Poulson/Hannah Moulton
While every care is taken when accepting advertisements neither Norfolk Wildlife Trust nor Countrywide Publications can accept responsibility for unsatisfactory transactions which arise. The views expressed in this magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
NORFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST
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All contents © Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
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Cover photo: NWT
NWT2023012
Spring feels like a time of potential and of coming together, as fresh blooms appear across our landscape and birds busy themselves with new nests and broods.
Our new strategy A Wilder Norfolk is about doing more for nature with others and in this issue we reflect on what we are achieving together for wildlife, how much it can benefit our communities and how, in these times of challenge, there is both huge potential and an urgent need to do more.
We’re celebrating the successful conclusion of our Claylands Wilder Connections project, the outcomes of which offer us a springboard for more action for nature in the future. Read more on p.31 about how landowners, communities and conservationists have come together to restore and connect wildlife habitat across south Norfolk.
With over 80 per cent of our population now living in urban centres, we share more on our work supporting wildlife and people in Norwich on p.24. As the dawn chorus slowly builds to its full glory, spring is the perfect season for listening – something we’ll be doing in the coming
months as we ask our communities how they would like to enjoy and support nature in Norwich, including at our new Sweet Briar Marshes nature reserve.
The fortunes of Norfolk’s wildlife, wild spaces, and people are intertwined. It continues to be our mission to inspire and support everyone to work together to build a wilder future for us all. From creating wildlife friendly features in our gardens and parks (see p.40) to standing up for wildlife in the face of damaging developments (p.16), we hope that you find fresh inspiration within these pages.
Eliot Lyne Chief Executive
WELCOME TERN | Spring 2023 3 ©
Breckland Reserves Manager Kyle Jennings and his team recently visited one of our partnership sites, owned by Forestry England, to create areas of bare ground for rare Breckland plants. As the site is of national importance for Neolithic artefacts, they were joined by archaeologist Sarah Bates.
In spite of the site’s renown, volunteer Gary Ship was thrilled to find a stunning barbed flint arrowhead. The team was humbled to think that they were the first to hold the arrowhead since it had been lost thousands of years before and to
We are delighted that a newly installed bridge over the River Whitewater between Beetley Meadows and Hoe Rough will help us to protect rare habitat on these reserves.
The River Whitewater is a nationally important chalk stream, supporting water vole and wild brown trout. Our two sites, lying either side of the river, are home to a diversity of rare grassland plants and insects and include areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They are also vital stepping stones along a river valley which is being restored for wildlife.
Grazing is important in the management of these sites, but the river has always made moving livestock difficult. With our new bridge in place, grazing animals can be moved with ease from one reserve to the other, helping to maintain the biodiversity of both.
The bridge has been funded by Biffa Award through the government’s Landfill Communities Fund. Biffa Award’s support has also enabled us to erect new livestock fencing, create several new
adder hibernacula and plant five native black poplar saplings, bolstering the UK’s small population of this rare species.
With additional funding from a Biffa Award Platinum Jubilee grant, we have undertaken scrub clearance and grassland mowing to improve Beetley Meadows for scarce plants such as marsh lousewort, bog pimpernel and green-winged orchid. The project also established a trail, allowing visitors to enjoy both sites year-round. New signs offer information on wildlife and management.
This spring we will hold a celebration to thank our generous funders and welcome the community to the newly connected sites. The event will mark the official opening of our bridge and activities will include a guided wildlife walk along the new Biffa Award Platinum Jubilee trail.
We will soon be welcoming a herd of British white cows to the reserve, to assist in managing habitat for rare wildlife.
reflect on the wild animals our Neolithic ancestors must once have hunted here.
The archaeologist’s report includes these details: ‘A fairly small (28x200x5mm) barbed and tanged arrowhead. Barbed and tanged arrowheads are often associated with Beaker Period burials. The arrowhead is undamaged and seems quite fresh in nature and may be from a littledisturbed soil deposit. It has a slight bluish grey patina on one surface, which could suggest it lay undisturbed in the same position for some time.’
We extend our thanks to Matthew Williamson Digger Hire, who kindly donated their services to narrow the River Whitewater at the bridge crossing. This has enabled us to speed up the flow of the water, creating areas of exposed gravel on the river bed that we hope will act as spawning grounds for wild brown trout.
Plans for a tidal barrage on The Wash estuary in East Anglia have been put forward, despite the significant risks such a development would pose to wildlife. They are fronted by businessman James Sutcliffe, CEO of Centre Port Holdings Ltd. A deepwater port is included in the plans.
Alongside partners including the RSPB, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and Wild Ken Hill, we are urging the government and developers to rethink this proposal, to avoid catastrophic impacts on nature.
The Wash is one of the UK’s most important estuaries for wild birds. At any one time in winter, up to 400,000 birds depend upon it for survival. It is estimated that millions of birds use The Wash to feed, rest and breed over the course of a year. A tidal barrage would fundamentally alter the intertidal habitats on which so much wildlife depends.
The estuary is of global importance for wildlife and for the carbon locked in its tidal habitats. It is therefore of significance both to the government’s commitment to protecting 30 per cent of land and sea for nature by 2030 and to reaching net zero carbon emissions.
NWT CEO Eliot Lyne said: ‘With its vast exposed mudflats and warm, shallow waters full of invertebrates, The Wash is one of the UK’s most important estuaries for wildlife. As well as supporting internationally important bird populations, including knot, redshank and shelduck, the area is home to England’s largest colony of harbour seals.
‘To ensure we play our part in tackling the global biodiversity crisis, it is our responsibility to safeguard this incredible wetland.’
Norfolk Wildlife Trust will continue to work with conservation partners in the region to monitor the developers’ plans and speak up for wildlife.
Roydon Common has nationally important communities of plants and invertebrates associated with low-nutrient water and soils. However, pollution from fossil fuels has increased atmospheric nitrogen, in turn enriching the peaty soil of the site. Combined with milder winters, these conditions have favoured the rapid growth of purple moor-grass. Large tussocks of purple moorgrass can exclude other plants, particularly low-growing sedges, mosses and liverworts.
Reserve Manager Ash Murray and his team have undertaken tussock removal at Roydon Comon and the creation of shallow peat pools. ‘This work will ensure the survival of important plant communities for decades to come,’ Ash said, ‘and improve conditions for orchids and carnivorous sundews.’
Natural England monitoring staff from the UK Barcode of Life (UKBOL) project recently visited Weeting Heath to collect samples of spider DNA. UKBOL comprises UK government agencies, biodiversity institutions and individual scientists, all of them engaged in DNA barcoding of our biota. Project staff constructed pitfall traps and conducted vacuum sampling for spiders at Weeting Heath.
Fifteen Dartmoor ponies recently arrived in Norfolk, to begin a new role grazing heathland for conservation.
The herd has come to NWT from five moorland breeders in Devon. The ponies, both male and female, range in age from one to six years old. They join our existing herd of Dartmoors in the delivery of conservation grazing on sites we manage on behalf of Forestry England, under the Brecks Heath Partnership, and our own nature reserves including East Wretham Heath.
The Dartmoor pony is a rare native breed. These moor–bred, hardy animals thrive on coarse vegetation. As selective grazers, ponies create variety in vegetation structure, preventing delicate habitats from becoming overgrown. They can also reach spots which a mower simply never could.
The ponies were sourced from Equi Phoenix Ltd, a company supplying handled horses of hardy breeds, which are suitable for conservation grazing on nature reserves.
NWT’s new four-legged recruits will play an important role in managing the Brecks for wildlife, helping to maintain its unique landscape of dry grassland, shifting sands and post-glacial ponds, and benefiting a range of vulnerable species including grayling butterfly, Breckland speedwell, stone curlew and nightjar.
NWT
‘This is another great opportunity for us to protect Norfolk’s biodiversity while helping secure the future of a rare native pony breed.
‘In addition to faring well on the mixed mire and heath sites of Norfolk – areas not dissimilar to Dartmoor – these ponies thrive on the grass heaths of the Norfolk Brecks, where other livestock tends to lose condition.
‘It is important we maintain the ponies’ wildness. If they become too tame, they can become over-friendly to the public on our nature reserves, rather than carry out important conservation grazing. Keep your distance if you spot our ponies when you’re out and about, as they are true free spirits!’
Dru Butterfield, Company Director for Equi Phoenix Ltd, said: ‘We are thrilled that NWT has extended its investment in pedigree Dartmoors. Providing a variety of ages and lineages helps create a healthy, happy herd, that is more resistant to disease. As in all communities, the younger ponies will learn from older animals, leading to varied and productive grazing on conservation sites.’
These new additions increase the Trust’s Dartmoor pony herd to 134 and demonstrate our commitment to this charming rare breed.
Reserve Warden James Symonds assisted the team: ‘They were specifically interested in finding rare Brecks spiders such as Agroeca cuprea and Meioneta fuscipalpa, plus Walckenaeria stylifrons, for which Weeting Heath remains the UK’s only known site.’
Tern magazine can now be read on our website as a textonly document. You can make changes to font size and background colour, for easier reading, and enjoy Tern using a screen reader. This issue is available to download at norfolkwt.uk/PlainTextTern
NWT volunteer Bruce Carman regularly sets a moth trap close to the Visitor Centre at Hickling Broad. It harmlessly captures moths, which are later released, and gives visitors an opportunity to see Hickling’s many fascinating species close at hand.
Despite his years of experience, the trap recently gave Bruce a wonderful surprise. On 21 September he caught a rare Clifden nonpareil, whose name translates as beyond compare. This stunning moth is otherwise known as the blue underwing. Thanks to its huge size and the sky-blue band across its black hindwings, this moth is unmistakable.
We continue to work with nature conservation organisations around the Norfolk coast – including National Trust, RSPB, Natural England, Wild Ken Hill, Holkham Estate and the Norfolk Coast Partnership – to protect the county’s iconic but threatened beach-nesting birds.
Each spring and summer, the stunning beaches of our coastline are crucial breeding grounds for birds including oystercatchers, ringed plovers and little terns. All three species lay camouflaged eggs on the sand and shingle of the beach, where they are easily trampled. Beach-nesters are also constantly at risk of disturbance, which can prompt them to abandon their clutches.
Following in the footsteps of partners including Holkham Estate, we are taking steps to understand how best to help visitors to NWT Holme Dunes – particularly those with dogs – avoid disturbing beach-nesting birds.
Through a public consultation last year, we asked for your thoughts and we were delighted by your response. We have analysed over 1,700 responses
and are working on ways in which our visitors can enjoy themselves on Holme Beaches, while protecting the vulnerable wildlife which makes its home there.
We extend our thanks to everyone who took part in our consultation. We will soon share news of the results and of the protection initiatives in place ahead of this year’s breeding season.
• In the last 35 years, the population of ringed plovers in Norfolk has declined by a shocking 79 per cent, with just 123 pairs recorded in 2018.
• Norfolk is the most important county in the UK for nesting little terns. In 2021, almost half of the UK population (some 691 pairs) attempted to nest around the north and east of Norfolk.
• Oystercatcher numbers are also dropping, seeing them join the little tern on the Amber List of conservation concern.
The Clifden nonpareil bred in the Norfolk Broads in the 1930s, before becoming extinct as a British breeding moth. Until recently it was recorded only as a very rare autumn visitor from continental Europe, with just a tiny handful of records in Norfolk each year.
In recent years sightings across Norfolk have greatly increased, leading to speculation that this handsome species may once again be breeding. The aspen trees around the Visitor Centre at Hickling Broad are a favoured caterpillar foodplant of the Clifden nonpareil. As a second individual was caught on 27 October, perhaps this magnificent moth has already joined Hickling’s impressive tally of breeding species.
Remembered by Brendan Joyce OBE, NWT CEO 1995 – 2017
I first met Tim in his role as Director of the Norfolk Rural Community Council. He cut a very good impression as someone intelligent, capable and wise, so I quickly formed the idea he would make a good Trustee for Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
He then moved to the role of Chief Steward for the Dean and Chapter of Norwich Cathedral. We continued to keep in touch, meeting for coffee or lunch on occasions. On one such occasion, I asked him if he would be interested in being a Trustee. He enthusiastically agreed, joined the Board in 1997 and was formally elected in 1998. His 13 years as a Trustee saw many positive developments in the Trust, including a move to the current headquarters, the creation of the new Cley Visitor Centre and land acquisitions at Grimston Warren, Rising Heath and the Delph at Roydon Common, Gills Farm (Wissey Wetland), Swangey Fen, Stanley Carrs and Brett’s Wood. This period also saw the delivery of the Hickling Wetland Project, Tomorrow’s Heathland Heritage, Natural Connections and development of the Simon Aspinall Wildlife Education Centre at Cley.
Tim lent his support, thoughts and wisdom to all these initiatives and meanwhile led a review of governance and chaired the Business Strategy Working Group. In 2007 he took on the role of Chair of NWT, steering the overall direction and key decision-making of the Trust for a further four years. He stepped down as Trustee in 2013. As CEO, I worked with Tim closely and frequently throughout his tenure, getting to know him well. He was a pleasure to work with, highly supportive while commanding great respect for his intellect, knowledge and wisdom, as well as his superlative diplomatic skills and strong sense of fairness.
His passion for wildlife and nature conservation was unquestionable and he had many other interests including his love of cinema, films, film-making, literature and, not least, cricket. He wrote and published four books on the subject along with numerous other books, essays and ideas. He also made his own films, some of them experimental, which are perhaps best explained in his own words:
‘Animation and film are usually put in separate compartments; I am interested in removing the walls. In exploring with the camera a film language that uses shots measured in frames rather than feet, I was led to work directly on the film itself – frame by frame – with paints, chemicals and pens.’
He was a gentleman, a scholar and a friend.
Tim’s family have kindly requested any donations go to NWT or Break.
On Thursday 10 November, with support from a host of friends and colleagues, we held our first Youth Conservation Careers Fair at Sheringham High School.
With funding from Norfolk Coast Partnership and the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, we brought together a wide variety of conservation organisations in the hope of inspiring young people to explore a career in Norfolk’s environmental sector.
Partner organisations represented included Hawk and Owl Trust, National Trust, Greenlight Trust, Norfolk Coast Partnership, Norfolk Rivers Trust, Natural England and Holkham.
NWT Education Officer Isabelle Mudge said: ‘The Norfolk landscape is well known throughout the UK for its rich wildlife and iconic habitats. Our new event offered young people a great opportunity to learn about the breadth of conservation work taking place across the county, and to consider a career helping to protect and restore Norfolk’s nature.
‘From landscape management and wildlife recording to communications and inspiring community action, there is a career for everyone in conservation.’
We hope to make our Youth Conservation Careers Fair an annual event, to ensure young people have information and access to careers in conservation across the county.
Well known in East Anglia in the Mediaeval Period, the extraordinary Eurasian spoonbill was hunted to national extinction by the late 1600s. Almost 400 years later, in 2010, the species effected a remarkable return as a UK-breeding bird, when six pairs joined the heronry on the Holkham National Nature Reserve.
The Holkham colony has gone from strength to strength and now holds around fifty pairs of spoonbills, which nest alongside grey herons, little egrets, cattle egrets and cormorants. The colony is busy throughout spring and summer, with displaying adults, parents carrying food, and begging chicks. As soon as chicks fledge, they can be seen chasing their parents for food on wetlands across North Norfolk.
In summer 2022 a drone survey of a colony of grey herons and little egrets close to NWT Cley Marshes revealed that – following several years of prospection – spoonbills had settled to nest here too. Up to four pairs bred and, for the first time in our history, locally fledged juvenile spoonbills could be seen pestering their parents for food on the reserve.
In autumn 2022 Holkham hosted a conference on UK-breeding spoonbills, at which NWT Warden George Baldock presented the story of Cley’s new colony. We are delighted that our oldest reserve is contributing to the return of this stunning bird as a UK species.
WORDS AND PICTURES BY ROBIN CHITTENDEN THE VOICE OF BIRDLINE EAST ANGLIA
October is one of the best months of the year for finding a rare bird in Norfolk. This past October, though, was a damp squib, with the weather stuck in a near-constant westerly flow. This meant that drift migrants from the east were spectacularly thin on the ground, though on the few days when the winds swung to the east a few surprises were in store.
Of the two most unusual birds discovered in Norfolk, one is normally at home basking in Mediterranean warmth and the other poking around the mountain peaks of Europe. The first,
an immature blue rock thrush, zoomed about the village of Winterton for one wet day in October. It was the first ever to be seen in Norfolk, and a second accolade for the finder, who found Norfolk’s first black lark nearby in 2008.
The other exceedingly rare bird in October was an alpine accentor on Blakeney Point. A colourful mountain version of a dunnock, the bird spent several days on the Point, which must in some way have felt like home. Many of those heading up Blakeney Point to see it came across a late common tern in a plumage not often seen in the
UK. It was mostly in winter plumage and, instead of a characteristic red bill with a black tip, it had a dark bill with a pale tip, raising potential confusion with a Sandwich tern, which has a dark bill with yellow tip.
The spurge hawkmoth is a very scarce migrant from southern Europe, most
likely to be seen in its adult form between May and October. Although the species has bred several times in southern England, a caterpillar seen at Wild Ken Hill this autumn would appear to represent the first confirmed breeding in Norfolk. This occurrence was not unexpected, as many mobile species are heading northwards as a
Left: the spurge hawkmoth caterpillar at Wild Ken Hill. Below: the winter plumaged common tern & alpine accentor at Blakeney Point.Right: blue rock thrush (note photo taken in Menorca) Below: Slavonian grebe extracting a caddisfly larva from vegetation at Whitlingham CP.
result of climate change. The spurge hawkmoth caterpillar is a podgy, gaudy thing, about the size of a little finger, with a small hook at the rear end, as is characteristic of its family. As its name suggests, it feeds on spurges.
Since we happened to be staying nearby, my family went looking for the caterpillar when it was reported. Spurred on by a cash reward, one of my teenage sons spotted it munching on sea spurge. We let the team at Wild Ken Hill know. The BBC was able to film the creature, which ended up with a slot on Autumnwatch.
Slavonian grebes breed in very small numbers in Scotland (and more commonly in other northern European countries) and some winter around the Norfolk coastline. In summer plumage they are strikingly marked orange and black, but in winter they turn black and white. Always great birds to see, it is especially rare for Slavonian grebes to turn up on inland water bodies. One at Whitlingham Country Park therefore attracted considerable attention. This attractive bird seemed to be gulping down the pondweed it
was bringing up when diving. Closer inspection of photographs revealed it was managing to extract small creatures from the vegetation with deft flicks of its head. These turned out to be quite large caddisfly larvae.
Several back-to-back freezing days in December resulted in some interesting observations. Also at Whitlingham, I noticed a section of an otherwise thickly iced ditch which had not frozen. An inspection of the open area revealed a tightly packed shoal of several hundred fish that looked like immature chub. Their heads were all at the surface, their mouths gaping occasionally, as they gasped for air.
They must have collectively depleted the oxygen in the water of the frozenover ditch, and their fidgeting mass had ensured that a small section had not frozen. This meant, however, that they were vulnerable to predation from little egrets and, remarkably, carrion crows.
Several European robins were trying to find morsels from their frozen surroundings around the Great Broad. One was helped by an unseen European mole which I watched creating a mole hill, pushing up loose soil. I wondered how it managed to force the soil through the solid crust, but the robin was happily exploiting this gift of a new foraging opportunity.
Closer inspection of photographs revealed it was managing to extract small creatures from the vegetation with deft flicks of its head. These turned out to be quite large caddisfly larvae
We understand that Norfolk County Council will soon submit its planning application for the Norwich Western Link road. The coming spring will therefore be a vital time for us to speak up for the wildlife that depends on the tapestry of habitats threatened by the proposed route.
Our two most powerful tools in protecting wildlife are accurate data and work in partnership with other bodies and the community. A solid base of evidence is crucial to effective conservation, whether we are improving habitat for wildlife or protecting a vulnerable landscape for its wild inhabitants.
While the road will harm countless habitats and species, our research has focussed on the rare barbastelle bat, which is both legally protected and emblematic of the struggle to preserve the Wensum Valley. Growing evidence suggests that Norfolk holds vital strongholds for the barbastelle.
Building a case for the bats, we are working with Dr Charlotte Packman, an experienced conservation scientist who has studied barbastelles in Norfolk for over a decade. To understand the impact of a major road through the Wensum Valley, Dr Packman has researched two key questions: the presence and activity of barbastelles in habitats along the route; and the effectiveness of measures put in place for bats along the existing Northern Distributor Road.
Her findings are a stark warning to conservationists and developers alike, spotlighting the critical importance of Norfolk for this very rare bat and demonstrating that the Norwich Western Link would spell disaster for its survival. Dr Packman’s research has revealed the presence of many more barbastelles than Norfolk County Council ecologists have previously recorded, making the area even more important for the species.
Her data also reveal the presence of a unique barbastelle super-colony in the area of the proposed road. The so-called super-colony comprises a number of large colonies of barbastelles and includes several woodlands supporting maternity colonies of vital importance to the survival of barbastelle bats in the UK.
Dr Packman’s data have also shown just how ineffective measures in place for bats along the existing NDR have been. This road development included structures known as bat bridges that, it was claimed, offered bats safe road crossings above vehicle height, from one area of habitat to another. Dr Packman’s data suggest that in fact barbastelles ignore these structures, preferring crossing points bordered by trees and overhanging vegetation, where they may be at risk from collision with vehicles. Alarmingly, her data suggest that barbastelle colonies present within 2.5km of the NDR prior to its construction have now disappeared.
Natural England’s criterion for designating a Site of Special Scientific Interest for barbastelles is the presence of a colony of 20 or more bats.
Norfolk is home to the majority of known barbastelle bat maternity colonies, making us the guardians of this species in the UK.
The area in red on fig. 1 shows the predicted impact on remaining barbastelle colonies, should the same outcome occur in the case of the Norwich Western Link.
We are pleased that, thanks to the presence of barbastelle bats, Natural England has recently added Wensum Woodlands, in the impact zone of the proposed road, to a list of sites being considered for designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Dr Packman’s research will continue this summer, as she gathers data in support of our opposition to plans for the Norwich Western Link.
Dr Packman’s data suggest a minimum of 105 barbastelles are present in one of the maternity colonies. Norfolk County Council’s ecologists recorded just 27 barbastelles in the same colony.
On account of the proposed road’s impacts on nationally significant wildlife, and to ensure an impartial decision is taken, we intend to call for the planning application to be considered by the Secretary of State at a Public Inquiry.
Once the planning application for the road is submitted, a public consultation phase will follow. Please keep your eye on NWT emails and our social media for advice on speaking out in support of Norfolk’s wildlife, against this harmful development.
To find out more about our campaign against the Norwich Western Link, please visit norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/ndr
To hear Dr Packman explain her research to the Bat Conservation Trust, head to the BatChat Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/ysmr9cks
Over the past year, we have improved a number of sites for wildlife thanks to a multimillion pound, UK-wide programme established by The Wildlife Trusts and funded by National Highways.
The Network for Nature project is intended to address the impacts of the UK’s major road network on our wildlife.
We are delighted to be supporting an array of species through this work, ranging from bats and other small mammals to dragonflies and rare plants. Our work will provide vital stepping stones in the landscape, enabling wildlife to move between nearby areas of habitat.
This County Wildlife Site was created as a new home for an important population of great crested newts which was displaced when the A11 was dualled. It is now a wild refuge for both people and wildlife. We are enhancing Silfield Newt Reserve by clearing scrub, and both restoring and creating ponds as essential habitat for great crested newts.
Adjacent to the A47, East Winch Common consists of heathland, interspersed with wet heath and ponds which are home to a remarkable diversity of plants and invertebrates.
We are exploring how proximity to the road may affect this Site of Special Scientific Interest. By studying how water moves into and out of East Winch Common, and the impacts of pollution from vehicles on the reserve’s wild plants, we’re learning how to protect this exceptional site for wildlife. With the restoration of ponds and wet heath, species including lousewort, sphagnum mosses, sundews and cross-leaved heath can thrive here again.
Scarning Meadows is a County Wildlife Site in the heart of Dereham, just across the A47 from our Scarning Fen and Potters Fen reserves. It is well loved and used by local people. Jointly owned by Dereham Town Council, Breckland District Council and the Diocese of Norwich, it is managed for wildlife in consultation with NWT. Working in partnership with the landowners, we can significantly improve Scarning Meadows for wildlife. This year we are restoring the fenced area and reintroducing grazing.
Next year will see us creating new areas of open water on Scarning Fen and Potters Fen, enabling pockets of wildlife-rich mire to develop over time.
We are also exploring whether any of the bridges over the A47 and A11 that do not carry public roads could be converted into green bridges, offering safe crossing points for wildlife.
Providing a full range of legal services to individuals, families and businesses in Norfolk.
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Our service is modern and comprehensive, whilst drawing on sixty years of experience and legal knowledge to guide and advise our clients with total professionalism. Our services include:
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‘We are excited to share this wildlife-rich spot with as many people as possible, making the reserve more accessible and family-friendly than ever before.’
If you have recently visited NWT Ranworth Broad, you may have noticed a few improvements, making our nature reserve more welcoming to both wildlife and people. And more are to come, all thanks to our Discovering Ranworth project.
This initiative sees us creating new wildlife habitat at Ranworth, in addition to improving visitor access and facilities. New signage and education activities complete the project, making NWT Ranworth Broad an even better place to explore Norfolk’s iconic wildlife.
Last year a new wildlife hide, kindly donated by Acle Primary School, popped up on the left as you head down the boardwalk towards the Visitor Centre. In a tranquil corner of the reserve, that has never before been open to the public, it is perfectly positioned for visitors to enjoy the results of our new kingfisher bank. Offering nesting habitat for these stunning birds, the bank gives you a better chance of glimpsing the incomparable blue-green flash as a kingfisher dashes across the water’s surface.
We are also hoping to coax otters to the waterway along the boardwalk, both through habitat improvement and with the addition of an artificial holt.
In the coming months, we will make even more improvements to help families explore Ranworth Broad: offering new signage, trails, quizzes and information about the site’s wildlife and habitats. We will also update the family discovery area on the upper floor of the Visitor Centre, making it the perfect place to while away some wild time with little ones.
In the summer, you can set off from Ranworth Visitor Centre on a wild and watery adventure to Cockshoot Broad, a new route added to our already popular boat trip programme last year.
Nick Morritt, NWT Visitor Centre and Sales Manager, says of the new
initiative: ‘As part of our new Discovering Ranworth project we’re making improvements that help visitors explore and learn about the vital wetlands of the Broads landscape.
‘Huge thanks go to members of the local community, including the Bure Valley Conservation Group, who are kindly helping us improve habitat on the reserve.
‘We are excited to share this wildlife-rich spot with as many people as possible, making the reserve more accessible and family-friendly than ever before.’
The Discovering Ranworth project has been made possible thanks to generous funding from a variety of NWT supporters, including Essex & Suffolk Water, Norwich Freemen’s Charity and The Ranworth Trust.
Recent visits from pupils of Fairhaven and Acle Primary Schools signalled the start of the project.
Pupils watched from the new wildlife hide, took part in pond dipping, explored the habitat trail and enjoyed a boat trip on the Broad.
A teacher from Fairhaven Primary School said: ‘We had a super day! This experience has made our pupils more aware of what a special part of the county we live in and are lucky to have.’
‘I loved the boat’, said a pupil from Acle Primary, ‘because we got to see all the animals and we saw three kingfishers!’
The pupils will continue to explore the theme of Broads wildlife throughout the coming term, and have a return visit to the nature reserve planned this year.
As we add new features to the site, we hope to make Ranworth Broad as welcoming as possible to everyone. Like the boardwalk and the ground floor of the Broads Wildlife Centre, our new hide is fully accessible. We are exploring ways to ensure our new information boards can be enjoyed by as many of our visitors as possible. And the new bike shelter, due for installation in spring, will welcome those who wish to reach us on two wheels.
© Scott Poulson
With such tremendous shifts, come both challenges and opportunities. With more and more of us living in towns, fewer of us are in daily contact with wild places and the countless species which inhabit them. This inevitably translates into a decline in ecological literacy –our understanding of how the natural world works – and in concern for the conservation of biodiversity. This is alarming, both because we are in a time of ecological crisis, during which species are being lost at rates not witnessed in hundreds of thousands of years, and because our own society – including our extraordinary towns and cities – depends on the healthy functioning of the natural world for breathable air, drinkable water, cultivable soils and liveable temperatures.
Our increasingly urban society offers opportunities too. For one thing, our towns and cities have often developed along rivers – nature’s corridors – meaning shy species, such as kingfishers, otters and water voles, can sometimes be seen more readily in urban environments than in the surrounding countryside. Counterintuitively, some habitats are also better preserved in urban areas, where they are buffered from industrial agriculture and embraced by gardens, which mimic the scrubby glades which would have been common across the UK landscape prior to the Bronze Age felling of the wildwood.
Crucially, where urban green spaces are open to local people, they are often far more accessible – on foot or by public transport – than any comparable nature reserve in the countryside. As it is well established that access to nature has important benefits for human health, both physical and mental, urban green spaces can and must form a key part of a long-overdue revolution in our relationship with nature in the UK. At Norfolk Wildlife Trust, we see urban nature reserves, and their collaborative management, as critical to the delivery of our new strategy A Wilder Norfolk.
Over 80 per cent of the UK population now lives in urban areas, a figure which is projected to rise. The very nature of our society is changing.
Our first urban nature reserve was Thorpe Marshes, on the eastern edge of Norwich. Grazing marshes, dykes and open water make up this peaceful oasis, which is home to countless species including the iconic Norfolk hawker dragonfly. Its proximity to the city makes Thorpe Marshes ideal for school and group visits, and the reserve is being managed with this use in mind.
Our education team recently organised two visits to Thorpe Marshes for New Routes – a Norwich-based charity supporting refugees, asylum seekers and isolated migrants – one for a group of young women and another for families. Sadhia Islam, youth project co-ordinator, was delighted:
‘The young girls who visited Thorpe Marshes belong to a New Routes programme called EmpowHER. The idea is to empower young girls by doing things they might otherwise not have access to, all in the name of building their confidence, social skills and self-esteem.
‘The girls were incredibly surprised to find such beauty on our doorstep. It was really lovely to have a different space for them where they could feel calm and focus on their wellbeing.
‘Our family group had a wonderful time too. There was a chance to engage in pond dipping, moth traps, crafting, a guided walk and a natural history matching game. The drop-in format worked really well for our families, as there was something for everyone. In particular, the families enjoyed using binoculars to explore the hidden life around the marshes.’
Below: New Routes at Thorpe Marshes
Right: Norfolk hawker dragonfly
‘The girls were incredibly surprised to find such beauty on our doorstep. It was really lovely to have a different space for them where they could feel calm and focus on their wellbeing.’
Connecting more people with nature on their doorsteps is also the focus of Nextdoor Nature campaign, a project to mark the Queen’s Jubilee, enabled by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and delivered by all 46 Wildlife Trusts around the country. The project will bring communities together, helping nature flourish wherever people live and work and strengthening the bonds that improve our quality of life.
At Norfolk Wildlife Trust, our first phase will target the neighbourhoods surrounding Sweet Briar Marshes, the 90-acre reserve along the River Wensum which we purchased last year with tremendous support from Aviva, the local community and our loyal supporters. Here we will help local people explore the wildlife on their doorstep, inviting them to share in the delivery of a Wilder Norwich for
‘Sweet Briar Marshes forms both an essential part of the Wensum Valley’s biological corridor, and an opportunity for the people of Norwich to explore the natural world on their doorstep.’
everyone. With Sweet Briar Marshes at the heart of the community, every small act for wildlife – a wildflower meadow in a local park, bird and bat boxes in gardens, or hedgehog-friendly streets –will contribute to a patchwork of thriving spaces for nature across the city.
Since purchasing Sweet Briar Marshes in June 2022, we have entered the site’s discovery phase. We have started to survey the marshes’ wildlife, established a team of staff and begun to work with the local community to forge a joint vision for our new nature reserve.
Among the team overseeing the site will be Matt Wickens, NWT Urban Nature Reserves Manager. Matt will work closely with the local community, helping people to enjoy this rare wild space so close to home.
‘Sweet Briar Marshes forms both an essential part of the Wensum Valley’s biological corridor,’ says Matt, ‘and an opportunity for the people of Norwich to explore the natural world on their doorstep.
‘The site is a mosaic of fen, rough meadow, grazing marsh, old hedgerows and young woodland. It includes a Site of Special Scientific Interest; and the baseline survey work we’ve done so far shows it’s home to many fascinating species of plant and animal, including water vole, water shrew, common toad and frog, orchids, reed bunting, willow warbler and snipe.
‘There is so much potential for wildlife at Sweet Briar Marshes, thanks to the site’s hydrology and its diversity of habitat. We are excited to start exploring how to make the most of this incredible place. Listening to local people, hearing your views and ideas for the reserve will be central to our plans. So please do look out for opportunities to find out more and get involved.’
To learn more about Sweet Briar Marshes and our exciting partnership with Aviva and the local community, please visit norfolkwildlifetrust.org. uk/sweetbriar
Staff from Aviva on their first volunteer day at Sweet Briar Marshes.
Long-term NWT supporters, Aviva, generously pledged up to £300,000 in match funding, helping to complete the public appeal to purchase Sweet Briar Marshes just four months after it was launched, making this the fastest appeal success in our history.
Aviva will continue to support the project, through the discovery phase and beyond, both financially and with volunteering opportunities in which Aviva staff can visit Sweet Briar Marshes and contribute to the restoration of its wonderful wildlife.
‘There is so much potential for wildlife at Sweet Briar Marshes, thanks to the site’s hydrology and its diversity of habitat.’© Check credits with Rachael
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Folding pack of 10 notecards in delightful designs
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Over the past 18 months we have delivered our ambitious Claylands Wilder Connections project, funded by Defra’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund, across targeted parts of south Norfolk. The project’s focus has been on ecological connectivity: stitching together the fabric of the countryside, linking sites through the restoration of ponds, hedges, woods and associated grassland.
The dedication of volunteers, local people and project staff, and the engagement of land managers, have together led to many successes: not just in practical delivery, but also in improved understanding and in the provision of resources to underpin future action for wildlife.
This is not the end of the story. In the context of our new strategy – A Wilder Norfolk – we plan to build on the project’s legacy, continuing to restore this fascinating but undervalued south Norfolk landscape.
Through Claylands Wilder Connections we have enhanced habitat condition and connectivity on land belonging to more than 20 farmers and community members.
Hedgerows: A key focus has been working with farmers to plant new hedgerows, and to rejuvenate existing hedgerows through coppicing or laying.
Important habitat features in their own right, hedgerows also form valuable corridors through the landscape. With sterling support from volunteers, six kilometres of new hedgerows have been planted. Volunteers have also helped survey hedgerow condition on several farms, and we have developed guidance to help landowners produce hedgerow management plans for their own land.
Ponds: The project has worked with 10 landowners to restore 50 existing ponds, improving habitat for aquatic species, including the rare great crested newt. Natural succession means that over time ponds can become overgrown with
scrub and trees, with leaf litter and plant material eventually drying ponds out altogether. Removal of dense vegetation from the south and west sides, along with sensitive mechanical excavation, can rejuvenate ponds, allowing light to reach larger areas of water. Research by Norfolk Ponds Project shows that an open pond typically contains four times more species than an overgrown one, and that perhaps 90 per cent of Norfolk’s ponds are overgrown, making a compelling case for pond restoration.
Grassland: Enhancing existing grassland to increase species diversity benefits not only the flora but also associated invertebrates, particularly bees and butterflies. Over 15 hectares of grassland have been enhanced through the Claylands Wilder Connections project, using a combination of direct seeding, plug-planting and green hay (gathering hay from diverse grassland
and spreading it immediately on prepared grassland to transfer seed).
Mapping connectivity: Reconnecting habitats is fundamental to creating resilient, wildlife-rich landscapes. Through our Claylands Wilder Connections project, we have worked with Southampton University’s GeoData team, in conjunction with colleagues at Norfolk County Council, to develop new mapping tools.
Using GIS software, the team has analysed data, including the latest satellite-derived maps, to develop a connectivity heat map. In essence this shows how well priority habitats are linked across the countryside, helping target future conservation action to improve wildlife corridors. The team has also trialled similar maps for individual species, including turtle dove, hedgehog and barbastelle bat.
Our Claylands Wilder Connections project has engaged with a fantastic number of people, all enthusiastic to connect with nature by lending their support. Volunteers have planted trees and hedges; undertaken surveys of hedgerows and ponds to inform the project; and have recorded sightings of iconic Claylands species to help map their distribution. Others have attended workshops, to learn more about the landscape and connectivity or pick up new skills in identification, practical conservation and survey techniques.
To engage more widely with communities, we have run roadshow events, inspiring families to take positive action for nature.
‘What I’ll take away from this project is a tangible sense of community spirit for the Claylands area of south Norfolk. Of feeling appreciated for what we were doing on the land to help nature thrive. I shan’t forget that sense of being on an important front line, of doing something constructive for nature, in increasingly febrile times. It’s been marvellous. I shall miss the people, the wideranging conversations and the digging and planting. Meantime, I hope those kilometres of infant hedges grow well and prosper.’
Heather Tyrell, Claylands Volunteer
Community focus: Our Claylands Wilder Connections team worked with the people of Saxlingham Nethergate and Roydon to uncover the status of hedgehogs in these villages. Residents surveyed not just their own gardens but also other green spaces, such as parks, cemeteries and adjacent farmland, concluding that hedgehogs were present in around half of gardens and green spaces.
Keep connected: Everyone wishing to take action for nature can use our new online resources, including handouts, films and links on how to improve habitat connectivity in your local area. For more information visit: norfolkwildlifetrust. org.uk/wilderconnections
undertaken on over 20 landowner sites
6km of hedges, including 24,000 saplings, planted or restored.
More than 50 ponds restored.
15 hectares of grassland enhanced. Over 500 trees planted. More than 100 volunteers engaged in practical tasks and surveys.
Over 50 events delivered, including training workshops, roadshows, conferences and guided walks.
Ratty, the famous children’s character in The Wind in the Willows, was of course a water vole. This charming but now uncommon resident of Norfolk’s streams, dykes, ditches and ponds is often mistaken for a rat. In fact, the water vole is very unlike a rat, especially in its habits. Its diet is herbivorous, with an individual vole consuming around 80 per cent of its own weight in plants each day. Little, if any, damage is done to crops, as its preference is for the leaves and stems of water plants. Cut stems of plants such as water plantain are often eaten by a vole sitting upright on its haunches, holding the stem between its front paws, and noisily crunching its meal like a child with a celery stick.
At the first sign of any danger, the vole disappears into water with a characteristic plop and swims underwater to the network of burrows where it makes its home.
With rounded heads and dumpy, rotund bodies, water voles look a little like aquatic guinea pigs. They are likely only to be confused with brown rats, from which they can easily be distinguished by their blunt, rounded noses and inconspicuous ears which – unlike a rat’s – are almost hidden in their fur. Their hair-covered tails are not as long as a rat’s, extending to only 60 per cent of their head and body length.
Most water voles are dark brown, but both reddish-brown and almost black voles are recorded. Their fur, surprisingly for animals which spend so much time in water, is not fully waterproof and often looks dishevelled after swimming.
The presence of water voles can be detected by their runs, tracks, droppings, feeding stations and burrows. Neat piles of water plant stems, close to a burrow, are a sure sign that water voles are present.
If you have water voles on your land, ensure that waterside vegetation is allowed to grow tall, and streams, dykes and ditches have wide margins, where vegetation is not cut too frequently or over-grazed.
This March, April and May, make your water vole sightings count by sending them to our online Spotter Survey. Details can be found at norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/ spottersurvey
Water voles favour slow-flowing or still freshwater and like lots of bankside plant cover. They avoid areas where water levels fluctuate, preferring streams, dykes, rivers and ponds with soft earth banks into which they can burrow.
NWT Hickling and Ranworth Broads are good places to see signs of water voles, as are the freshwater dykes of NWT Cley Marshes.
Unlike many small mammals, water voles are active during the day. A quiet approach is essential, as they are easily disturbed. Often the first sign of a water vole is the distinctive plop as it dives for safety. Wait quietly and you may be rewarded by the sight of Ratty emerging from the water, oblivious to your presence.
The water vole has suffered the largest decline of any British mammal in recent decades. Surveys in the 1990s showed that water voles had disappeared from more than 70 per cent of previously occupied sites. By some estimates they have declined by 90 per cent, as even where water voles remain, their numbers have decreased enormously.
Loss of habitat, predation by introduced North American mink and water pollution are all implicated. In urban areas predation by cats may also be a factor.
Although water voles have declined in Norfolk, the county remains a national stronghold, with good populations in the Broads, along the North Norfolk coast, in the Fens and in the South Norfolk Claylands.
Experience a wide variety of Broadland habitats, from land to water. Make a day of it with a pub lunch, a boat trip and a circular walk through local lanes.
Start point: Ranworth Village
Nearest postcode: NR13 6HS
Grid reference: TG 360 146
Map: Ordnance Survey Explorer OL40
Approximate walking time: 1 hour
Approximate distance: 3.5km
Our Broads Wildlife Centre sits against the backdrop of Ranworth Broad and Marshes. The route to the Centre is a short stroll through a variety of Broadland habitats. A centuries-old oak stands sentinel at the start of the boardwalk. This raised wooden trail, allowing easy access for wheelchairs, winds through a swampy wood before crossing a reedbed. It ends at our thatched, floating Visitor Centre. A viewing platform and picnic area look out onto the open water of the broad.
The wood supports a diversity of wildlife, including marsh tits and impressive royal ferns. Cetti’s warblers breed in the reedbed, as do reed buntings and sedge warblers. A newly
installed hide allows views along Decoy Dyke, which is a great spot for watching waterbirds and, with luck, a kingfisher too. In early summer the picnic area is a great place to observe the beautiful swallowtail butterfly, arguably the UK’s most impressive insect.
The reserve is only a short walk from the village Staithe, via a beautiful fifteenth century church, Saint Helen’s. Visitors can climb the spiral staircase to the roof of the tower to enjoy the view across a stunning landscape.
A circular walk, taking in the nature reserve, offers visitors the chance to enjoy a ramble through local country lanes.
Access information: Easy access is available along the boardwalk and on the ground floor of the Broads Wildlife Centre.
There is limited disabled parking on Broad Road.
Only assistance dogs are allowed on the nature reserve.
Public toilets are available at the Staithe in Ranworth village.
The nature reserve is open every day, dawn to dusk, and entry is free all year round. The Broads Wildlife Centre is open Easter to October, 10am to 5pm, and offers a gift shop and light refreshments.
A great way to enjoy the area is to take a trip by boat with an experienced NWT guide. Boat trips depart at regular intervals through the day. Ferry trips are also available between the Staithe and Visitor Centre.
Great crested grebe: several pairs breed around the edge of the broad, where they can often be seen diving for fish. The striped chicks are often carried on their parents’ backs.
Swallowtail butterfly: the gorgeous swallowtail butterfly is common here in early summer. Adults can be seen searching for nectar-rich flowers, such as marsh thistle. In later summer their distinctive caterpillars can be found eating the leaves of milk parsley.
Otter: sightings are becoming increasingly common on the Bure River, even during daytime. Ranworth Broad is one of the best places in Norfolk to catch a glimpse of this elusive river-dweller.
Fenland plants: the wood and fen have an impressive array of native wildflowers. Look for southern marsh and common spotted orchids, purple loosestrife, marsh sowthistle and meadowsweet.
For more information visit norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk or call the Visitor Centre on 01603 270479.
The newly created Jubilee Meadow in Stoke Holy Cross measures around an acre in size and was formerly arable land. It is owned by Stoke Holy Cross Parish Council. Green hay from a local wildflower meadow and from roadside nature reserves was provided – through our Claylands Wilder Connections project – to seed it.
The Parish Council used social media, parish magazines, parish noticeboards and word of mouth to galvanise a group of hardy volunteers, the Meadow Makers. In the past year, the Meadow Makers have completed: soil analysis; planted trees; spread green hay; raked and removed cut grass; created bug hotels; put up bird boxes; taken wildlife photographs;
created log piles; designed and produced a noticeboard and website; and carried out butterfly surveys.
‘In the future,’ one of the Meadow Makers says, ‘more activities are planned with the school, youth club, parent and toddler group and local pre-school, to get them involved with our Jubilee Meadow. We want everyone in the village to feel that the meadow is theirs to enjoy. We could not have made the meadow without the support of NWT.’
To learn more about Stoke Holy Cross Jubilee Meadow visit stokeholycrosspc.info/ wildflower-meadow
Check out our Wilder Community workshops, online presentations, tours and guided walks, which we have tailored to support communities, groups and people acting for local nature. From meadow creation to pond management, there’s something for everyone.
To find out more visit norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/ wilder-community
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Rather than buying plants grown in peat-based compost and plastic pots, grow them from seed in your own compost and an upcycled container. Take cuttings and dig up and divide plants to propagate more; and if you have too many, why not share them with friends and neighbours who might return the favour? It’s a good idea to save seeds rather than buy fresh every spring, but don’t forget how good birds are at farming — if you’ve ever watched a goldfinch feeding on knapweed seed you’ll know that half of it ends up on the ground to grow into next year’s larder. Look out for seedlings of holly and hawthorn at the base of fences or other spots where birds like to perch, and — with the landowner’s permission — dig them up to grow for free in your garden.
It’s not just gardening that can be done cheaply. Want a log pile? Keep an eye out for neighbours doing tree work and ask if you can have a log or two. Want a new bird box? Find instructions online to make your own. Other ways to help wildlife require no money at all: let grass grow long around the edges, avoid cutting back plants and start a nice open compost pile at the end of the garden. Nature costs nothing, we just have to let her in.
Get more tips for helping nature at home from wildlifetrusts.org/gardening
Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlife-friendly gardening and is the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.
Grow annuals from seed
Pollinator-friendly favourites like sunflowers and cosmos are easy — simply sow in pots of peat-free compost and plant out in early summer.
Make new plants from old Dig up herbaceous plants like catmint and cranesbills and use an old bread knife to slice the rootball in two, with intact stems. Replant and water well.
Cut 10cm shoots from shrubs like lavender, remove lower leaves and push into pots of moist, gritty compost. Cover with a plastic bag, sealed with an elastic band, and keep on a bright windowsill for eight weeks.
Make a log pile
Neighbours pruning or cutting down a tree?
Ask for some logs! Piled up in a corner or beneath a bench they provide an easy, inexpensive habitat.
Let an area of grass grow long, allow leaves to pile up in borders, deadhead and cut back less.
From bird and bat boxes to hedgehog feeding stations and even toad abodes, there are plenty of instructions online on how to make your own bespoke wildlife homes.
Home-grown bird food is free: avoid cutting back seedbearing plants like lavender, knapweed, grasses, sunflower and Verbena bonariensis, and watch the birds flock to feed from them.
Birds make great farmers. Keep an eye out for holly and hawthorn seedlings, often found at the base of fences or other perches. With the landowner’s permission, dig them up and plant them in your garden!
The phylum Mollusca is megadiverse, holding more species than any other invertebrate phylum apart from Arthropoda (which includes, among others, insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans). Molluscs are found in almost every habitat on Earth and comprise the largest marine phylum, holding almost a quarter of described marine species.
Though molluscs are hugely varied and relationships between groups are debated, several shared characteristics define them. The body of all molluscs has a head and a fleshy foot. It is almost always enclosed in a mantle, which is very often used to secrete a shell. The majority of mollusc groups also have scraping mouthparts known as a radula, used in feeding.
In Norfolk we are broadly familiar with four classes of molluscs. The class Gastropoda (meaning stomachfoot) holds snails (known in Norfolk as dodmen) and slugs, plus whelks, winkles, limpets and the gorgeous nudibranchs or sea slugs. With the exception of nudibranchs and most slugs, gastropods carry shells. While in limpets these are conical, for most species they are coiled.
Species in the class Bivalvia have shells in two parts, joined by a flexible ligament, allowing the shell to be opened and closed like a book. The overwhelming majority of Norfolk bivalves are marine – including razor shells, cockles, mussels, oysters and tellins – though a number of freshwater mussels also occur, including the (sadly threatened) depressed river mussel. Bivalves are largely filter feeders and lack the radula which characterises most molluscs.
WORDS BY NICK ACHESON, NWT AMBASSADOR
Least known among our Norfolk molluscs are the chitons of the class Polyplacophora. Also known as coat-ofmail shells, chitons are marine molluscs with eight overlapping shell plates, surrounded by a skirt or girdle, giving them a highly armoured appearance. Chitons are grazers and, like limpets, many species return to the same spot each day to rest. Astonishingly the radula of a chiton contains magnetite and it is speculated that chitons may sense the Earth’s magnetic field. They are exclusively marine, inhabiting rocky shores. In Norfolk, chitons may be seen in rockpools between Sheringham and Cromer.
Most remarkable and divergent of all molluscs are those in the class Cephalopoda (meaning head-foot). These include squids, octopuses and cuttlefish, in which the mollusc foot has been modified into a set of tentacles. Cephalopods have the most complex nervous systems of all invertebrates and are highly intelligent, capable of problem-solving, tool use and spatial learning to a degree found otherwise only in vertebrates.
To reproduce, molluscs lay eggs. In many mollusc groups, male and female individuals occur, though most terrestrial gastropods are hermaphrodites, with both male and female reproductive organs. The slipper limpet, introduced to UK shores from North America, is a sequential hermaphrodite. Slipper limpets start life male. They live in stacks of around a dozen individuals in which the older, larger animals at the bottom have changed from male to female.
Wherever you are in Norfolk, there are multiple mollusc species – worthy of admiration – all around you.
With its beautiful sandy beaches, big skies, pretty villages and wonderful coastal walks, Norfolk is the perfect choice when it comes to choosing a holiday destination in the UK. From cosy cottages to luxury retreats close to beautiful sandy beaches, in rural hotspots or in the middle of quaint market towns, we’ve got something for everyone. Many of our properties are dog friendly too, so your four-legged friend can enjoy the abundance of walks this region has to o er.
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Do you have a property you would like to let with Norfolk Hideaways? If so, please email newowners@norfolkhideaways.co.uk
Our fantastic Holme Dunes reserve is home to diverse and wonderful wildlife, including marsh harriers, barn owls, spoonbills, avocets, cuckoos and rare natterjack toads. As on many of our reserves, we rely on volunteers to support our dedicated wardens and Visitor Centre staff. At present we have vacancies in a number of volunteer roles at Holme Dunes.
Reserves volunteer – help with practical tasks around the reserve to keep it in the best condition for the threatened wildlife calling it home.
Beach warden - help protect and monitor the vulnerable beach-nesting birds, like ringed plover, little tern and oystercatcher, that nest on Holme Beach through spring and summer
(April-September); and educate the many visitors to the beach on the plight of these beautiful birds.
Or you could help out in our Visitor Centre, checking visitors in, sharing news of the wildlife they might see, and helping to keep it welcoming and informative for everyone.
Find out more about all these roles on our website: norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
Or you can contact Alan Marchbank, our Volunteer Coordinator, at alanm@ norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk or by telephone 01603 625540.
The sight of skeins of geese adorning a wide-open Norfolk winter sky might feel commonplace in our understanding of this landscape of the air, but this annual wildlife spectacle will always remain a truly rarefied experience for many. And none more so than Nick Acheson, who keenly feels the presence of these avian companions that he has observed and lived with as man and boy.
The Meaning of Geese is a magnificent exaltation of the many thousands of birds whose lives he intimately bears witness to. In the bleak winter months, in a world locked down by the global pandemic, Nick discovers a certain freedom cycling the lanes of north Norfolk in pursuit of these wondrous feathered migrants. With the help of like-minded devotees, Nick traces the ebb and flow of pinkfeet, brent and
barnacle between marsh and field. Many hours of pilgrimage are undertaken searching for them and rarer geese too, scanning huge flocks of birds in a deeply immersive and elusive Where’s Wally escapade of discovery of the grey-bellied brant and others.
The beautifully crafted journal he keeps of this time captures a wonderful sense of place, as he meditates on the complex lives of these creatures and the impacts they endure in our ever-changing world.
The Meaning of Geese – Nick Acheson (priced £20.00) is available to buy at all NWT visitor centres.
We have three copies to give away to the winners drawn from the correct answers to the question:
When geese come to land they often lose altitude by banking sharply from side to side, what is this action known as?
Answers to competition@ norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk
Would you like to become an NWT Trustee? Can you help us to achieve our new mission?
‘To create more space for nature to thrive and inspire more people to take action for nature’
We are looking for people who are passionate about Norfolk’s wildlife and who want to make a difference. You don’t need to have prior experience on a Trustee Board, or to understand all the formalities of being a Trustee. We can offer you a full induction, mentoring, training and expenses. In exchange you would bring new ideas, make a time commitment to attend meetings, and be willing to learn about being a Trustee and the work of Norfolk Wildlife Trust. We are particularly interested to hear from anyone with experience in:
• Income Generation/Direct Marketing • Retail/Catering
• Conservation
• Campaigning
• Digital • Farming/Agriculture
• People management/HR
If you are interested, or simply want to find out more, please contact our Governance Officer, Marion Riches on ceoadmin@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk Or visit norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/ governance-and-trustees
What’s your favourite animal? I love swifts, badgers and purple emperor butterflies but my honest answer is Canis lupus familaris. And one dog in particular: a milk chocolate-brown sausage of a beast called Betty.
Our miniature dachshund is waggy, friendly and loyal. Being so small, she’s extremely popular with toddlers. She’s tame. And yet, she’s not.
She may look comical but, like every other dog, her tiny heart beats mostly wolf. She will futilely chase any bird that lands on our lawn and remorselessly snuffle vole runs in my rewilded lawn. She’s even confronted a muntjac in our garden. She’s never killed anything but she’s a predator, and every wild animal knows it.
Dogs are our beloved companions and boost our mental and physical health, partly because they get us into green space, walking.
When we walk our dogs, we love to watch them run free, off the lead. Unfortunately, even without chasing wild species, they disrupt them. One study found that on small nature reserves, the mere presence of dogs can cause a 40 per cent reduction in bird species.
During bird-nesting season, even ‘good’ dogs have a profound impact on the
success of breeding birds. To give you an example, Scolt Head Island on the north Norfolk coast (a virtually dog-free uninhabited island) is one of England’s best places for breeding ringed plover, which nest just above the high-tide line. The identical stretch of coastline nextdoor from Wells to Holkham has almost no breeding ringed plovers –because of walkers and their dogs.
You may have noticed big changes at Holkham over the last two summers. During nesting season, large signs demand that dogs are kept on leads across swaths of beach, dune and saltmarsh. Large cordons give beachnesting birds more protection.
This is working well because it is enforced. Two summers ago, I somehow missed a dogs-on-lead sign. Betty trotted at my heels on the beach but, within minutes, a large man in shades roared up in a truck and told me: dogs on leads. I obeyed pretty quickly!
Last summer, I watched two dogs bounding through the salt marsh at Morston Quay. I politely told their owner it was nesting season, this was a (National Trust) nature reserve and dogs should be on leads. The dogowner was rude and unrepentant.
I mention this because enforcing dog-related rules is every nature reserve warden’s nightmare. So all of us, together, need to establish a new cultural norm: dogs don’t run free on nature reserves.
Alongside more people, there are more dogs in Britain today than at any point in our history. Big populations require more rules. Quite rightly, I can’t take Betty to NWT Hickling Broad or NWT Foxley Wood. Beaches and public rights of way are trickier to police but Holkham is leading the way. I hope NWT will follow by making more of its beachside reserves out of bounds to bounding dogs during the bird-nesting season.
