TRUST NEWS

Stories and news from throughout the Trust on our work to protect wildlife and inspire a lifelong love of nature throughout Essex. Written by our staff, volunteers and members of our Local Groups.

Photo: ENORI

Native oysters

Native oyster restoration and outreach in action

Rachel Langley Living Seas Coordinator and Anna Gordon Community Engagement and Education Advisor Essex Wildlife Trust is a partner of the Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative (ENORI), who have made great strides with their native oyster restoration and outreach efforts this year. Following a successful trial in 2019, this spring ENORI undertook the mammoth task of deploying approximately 700 tonnes of cultch (stone and broken shell) into the Blackwater Restoration Box in the Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Marine Conservation Zone. The cultch added this year provides vital new native oyster habitat (approximately 3.5 thousand m2 of it) that will be ready for settlement next year; an important step to help recover this vital and rare species and habitat.

Meanwhile, Essex Wildlife Trust’s Outdoor Learning team have been busy developing a new sensory shoresearch session and inviting school groups with special educational needs and disabilities to explore their local coast and learn about native oysters, the restoration project and coastal wildlife. The aim is to reach 360 people through this scheme in 2021. These activities are generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Environment Agency.

New tree guard recycling scheme

Katie Goldsbrough Abberton Ranger

Over the last decade, we have planted over 80,000 trees across the Abberton nature reserve and the wider reservoir. With help from our partners Essex and Suffolk Water, here at Abberton we have joined a plastic tree guard recycling scheme for our old plastic Tubex tree guards across the reserve. This means at the end of their time protecting the tree from browsing animals and damage, these tree guards will be taken to be cleaned and recycled. Over the last five years we have been using various biodegradable tree guards for our tree planting on site. Moving forward for any future tree planting across the reserve, we will trial other various non-plastic alternatives. A positive move in the right direction for more sustainable tree planting!

Wave of Hope

Bailey Marchant Campaigns Officer As the UK prepared to host the G7 Summit, The Wildlife Trusts joined forces with over 70 organisations to form the Crack the Crisis Coalition. We called for decision makers to come together to tackle the four crises of Covid-19, injustice, climate change and nature loss. These crises are four of the biggest problems our world is facing. They require a collaborative and connected response.

To encourage world leaders to come together, the coalition launched the Wave of Hope campaign. We asked you to create your own ‘wave’ by drawing or making a hand, paw or claw print filled with messages of hope to show support for the cause. Thousands of people took part. These messages were delivered to world leaders at their London embassies and displayed at the G7 Summit.

It isn’t over yet, these messages will be displayed at COP26 this October, so there is still time to get involved and have your message heard, visit www.wildlifetrusts. org/crack-crises.

The Wildlife Explorer podcast

Zoe Kent Marketing & Communications Assistant As an antidote to the screen fatigue epidemic that was sweeping the nation during lockdowns, The Wildlife Explorer podcast was born. Our aim is to give people the chance to get their nature fix whilst on the go – be that on a daily walk or doing the washing up!

The Wildlife Explorer gives people the opportunity to learn all about our Essex wildlife; from the weird to the wonderful, as well as what we are doing to help nature thrive on our reserves and beyond. Our experts from across the Trust are here to take you on a magical journey throughout Essex. Immerse yourself in the sounds of the dawn chorus, find out why bats and moths have developed super-powers, learn about the secret lives of badgers and join in with a five minute guided meditation. Our first episode shot up the charts to number four on Apple’s ‘Best Nature Podcasts’ and we’re about to release episode nine.

Accessibility AT our

nature reserves

Kelly Osborne Volunteering Development Manager Essex Wildlife Trust’s Inclusion group have been conducting a survey on the accessibility of all of our sites. Through this work, we hope to provide more information to visitors about our sites before visiting. June Lambert has been taking part in the surveys: “Hanningfield has provided a hide screen with viewing windows at different heights, and as a wheelchair user this is wonderful for me. Paths have been upgraded giving wheelchair access to the hide”. At Wrabness, small adjustments will mean there will be a long and a short circular walk with two accessible hides. Information boards regarding the length of walks, picnic tables and benches to rest on will also be available.

Dormouse photo: Danny Green/2020VISION

NEW RECORDS OF DORMICE

Nicky Payne

Landscape Conservation Area Assistant A small group of our north-west volunteer team made 350 dormouse tubes for our reserves. Six sites were selected, with 50 tubes installed at each location. We have been monitoring the tubes on a monthly basis, with the main aim being to establish presence or absence of this secretive species and to help us determine future management of sites to optimise prime dormouse habitat.

By using ArcGIS software, this scratchy, prickly and sometimes unenviable task was made considerably easier. The effort from all has been made so worthwhile though – we found dormice occupying boxes, alongside evidence of solitary bees, blue tits and many invertebrates also occupying some of the boxes.

Our wild June

Lily Chambers Communications Assistant More than 4,000 individuals, families, care homes, schools and businesses across Essex carried out their daily ‘random acts of wildness’ this June for 30 Days Wild. They spent the month bird watching, planting wildflower seeds, eating outdoors and even litter picking for their health, wellbeing, for wildlife and for the planet. Thank you to those who got involved with 30 Days Wild this year to film a video, tag us in a social media post or if you helped us to spread the word, encouraging more people to connect with nature.

Tell us about your 30 Days Wild journey and we will share on our website at www.essexwt.org.uk/blog/your-30-days-wild.

Barn owl photo: Danny Green/2020VISION

The WILD summer raffle

Michelle Shepherd Supporter Development Officer A big thank you to everyone who took part in our first ever digital summer raffle! We would like to congratulate our four lucky winners – Matthew Fagg, Russell Lee, Michael Nicholson and Andrew Butcher. If you didn’t have a chance to take part, make sure you keep an eye out for details on our winter raffle – online and in our winter edition of WILD. There will be loads more wonderful prizes up for grabs, and don’t forget that every ticket you buy will be helping us to continue our vital conservation efforts, protecting Essex’s wildlife and wild places.

Adders return to Chafford Gorges

Dean Williams Chafford Gorges Ranger This year we spotted our first adders at

Chafford Gorges Nature Discovery Park

in years. This is the result of many weeks spent restoring the meadow over the last five years – it has been great to see the hard work paying off.

Adder photo: Danny Green/2020VISION

News from the

Uttlesford Local Group

Tony Morton Chair of Uttlesford Local Group The Local Group work party has continued in reduced form due to restrictions, but over this season we mostly leave the nature reserves to the wildlife that depends upon them. We have managed to do the little that is required to keep them presentable.

The weather pattern this year seems to have been good for wildflowers, but not for migratory birds which were late in arriving. Your Local Group chair found a dead bat in the middle of the lawn one morning, intact, very lightweight and looking as though it had fallen from the sky. Many bat recorders have found animals underweight and short of insect food due to the cool and dry conditions of April. A change to wetter and milder conditions since then must have been of benefit to them.

The top pond at the Aubrey Buxton nature reserve has seen a gradual increase in the number of tadpoles, so we hope to find more frogs in the coming years. Summer work at this reserve involves removing the invasive Himalayan balsam, where we seem to be getting the upper hand.

Successful charity golf day

Karen Dixon Corporate Coordinator The annual Corporate Charity Golf Day held at The Warren Estate in Danbury was able to go ahead this year, with 18 teams of four turning out to support the Trust, with not a drop of rain on the day to hold up play, despite bad forecasts. The day was a great success, raising over £6,000 for the Trust, with auction donations from Wilkin & Sons, EOL IT Services, Strix Editions and many more helping to raise this fantastic amount of funds for wildlife in what has been a difficult year for everyone.

Mike Cable, our long trusty scorer for the competition, who has freely given his time over the years, totalled the scores for Guardian Display and VITA Golf & Business Networking who was presented the winning trophy by our CEO Andrew Impey. A great day was had by all and we look forward to next year’s competition.

News from the Maldon and South

Woodham Ferrers Local Group

Anita Sanderson Secretary of Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Local Group Despite restrictions leading to uncertainties on when our indoor meetings will restart, wildlife continues to cheer us up – Chair Mike Sandison had a significant birding first – a buzzard in the garden! Buzzard photo: Amy Lewis

News about three people who have been especially important to the Local Group; Phil Luke, who is now a nonagenarian, has decided to retire. At some date in the past, the Trust started the idea of Local Groups based on Local Council areas, hence the Maldon Group was born. Phil was the first Secretary, followed by Chairman, and then, in the early 2000s, Vice Chairman. Phil also arranged the Group’s speaker programme. He was served first as Voluntary Warden at Stow Maries, then, since the early 1980s, at Chigborough Lakes nature reserve. His experience and wisdom will be missed and he has our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future.

Diana and John Rogers, long term supporters of the Local Group fundraising through the famous ‘Soup Lunches’ at Maldon Little Ship Club, have also decided to retire. Members will miss the delicious soups and cakes, as well as the fundraising!

Update from Havering Local Group

Joy Emerson Secretary of Havering Local Group We have enjoyed some walks during the summer where plenty of birds, plants and insects were identified. We hope to carry on with the walks and restart our monthly indoor meetings (restrictions permitting) at Ingrebourne Nature Discovery Centre on 13 September at 1.45pm. Upcoming walks and talks can be found on www.essexwt.org.uk/ events or by phoning Joy Emerson on 01708 440297.

News from the Brentwood and

Billericay Local Group

Graham Clegg Chair & David Threadgold Secretary

The AGMs for 2019 & 2020 were successfully held via Zoom on 17 June. Many local members enjoyed our visit to Chafford Gorges on 25 June, when we saw a colourful display of orchids and other plants in this unique environment. Our restoration of the Butterfly Meadow in Shenfield, in partnership with the local Parish Council and the charity Our Grieving Hearts, continues apace. Work originally started in the summer of 2019 clearing the site of rubbish, brambles and other invasive plants. The willow arches have been restored and meadows sown with wildflowers. The site has now been fully restored and an ongoing maintenance programme put in place, with monthly work parties when possible.

Dates for the diary: 16 September (Talk about The Naze), 22 September (Walk at The Naze), 21 October (Talk on Historic Essex Gardens) and 24 November (Walk at Elmley Marshes), details of which are available on the website at www.essexwt.org.uk/events.

News from the Colchester Local Group

Dianne Cattermole Chair of Colchester Local Group On Saturday 19 June, some of the Colchester Local Group Committee went along to West Bergholt to meet with Claire Rodie, founder of the West Bergholt Swift Conservation Project. We had been invited by Claire to see the swift boxes in situ – some of which had been funded by the Colchester Local Group – and to meet some of the residents of the village who are participating in this fantastic initiative. The project started two years ago and this is the first year to see successful breeding in one of the boxes, with the addition of one chick. We were taken to see boxes along with accompanying caller systems which had been placed on Orpen Village Hall and Heath Primary School, as well as ones installed in the eaves and on the walls of private houses. The first thing that strikes you is how sensitively they have been installed and how well they blend into the buildings that host them. The villagers we spoke to were all very enthusiastic and happy to be involved and told us how thrilled they were that the project is finally paying dividends. From our point of view, it was an absolute pleasure to see conservation in action and to know that both the Colchester Local Group’s donations and efforts are paying off for the benefit of wildlife.

Our Annual

Members Survey

Cassie Reilly Membership Manager Last autumn we introduced a digital Annual Members Survey. Our thanks to all of you who completed the survey. A snapshot of your feedback: • 65% of you said that your main reason for becoming a member was your love of wildlife.

• 60% said that support of conservation was the most significant benefit of membership. • 44% of you cited loss of wildlife as your main concern for the future, followed by 28% who are most concerned about climate change. • Over 2/3 of you felt that conservation should be the Trust’s priority, over education and campaigning for change. • On how well we’re doing in tackling your main concerns, we received an average overall score of 3.99 out of 5 – which is good, but there’s room for improvement! What’s changed since? The majority of you wanted us to increase the amount of wildlife information and conservation projects within our magazine. We feel that our newly launched WILD magazine is heading in the right direction. Over 50% would prefer to receive correspondence digitally. We since launched a ‘Green Membership’ option, whereby all correspondence, including the magazine, are sent digitally. We’re working towards sending other correspondence digitally to non-green members too.

What next? We hope that by running the survey annually, we’ll achieve an even greater understanding of you, our members, enabling us to continue working together to create a Wilder Essex.

The 2021 Annual Members Survey is now live, if you could spare 5 minutes of your time, please go to www.essexwt.org.uk/ Members-Survey-2021.