TRUST NEWS

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

Redshank photo: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Abberton Nature Discovery Centre

Big wild Seed Sow

Bailey Tait Campaigns Officer We depend on insects more than we realise, yet they have suffered from rapid declines in recent decades. Fragrant and colourful, wildflowers provide insects with the food, shelter and habitat they need to thrive. As we discussed in the autumn issue of WILD magazine, creating more insect-friendly habitat is essential for the recovery of our all-important insects.

This August we launched the first Big Wild Seed Sow. After months carefully selecting the perfect native wildflower mixes, we packed this irresistible mixture of buttercups, corn chamomiles, and other native annual and perennial wildflowers into 6g seed packets. We invited everyone to collect a free packet of wildflower seeds from our Nature Discovery Centres to create their own wildflower patch in Essex, then to map their new patch on our digital interactive map. Over 2,000 wildflower seeds were handed out at our centres and over 150 patches have already been plotted on our map at www.essexwt.org.uk/big-wild-seed-sow. Better yet, our supporters have been incredibly generous and have donated over £1,700 to our Big Wild Seed Sow Appeal, with every penny going towards giving more people in the community the chance to plant a wildflower patch and create insect friendly habitat where they live.

Thank you to CNH Industrial, one of Essex Wildlife Trust’s corporate Investors in Wildlife, for sponsoring the project.

Wetland project at Blue House Farm

James Astley Grants and Trusts Officer Waders such as lapwing and redshank are key species of Essex’s coastline and our Blue House Farm nature reserve, on the river Crouch, already supports good breeding populations of these birds. Now, thanks to funding from Biffa Award, we will be able to further improve the reserve for these iconic species by creating and improving 40 hectares (nearly 100 acres!) of wet grassland, a Priority Habitat.

These birds need wet, tussocky grass full of invertebrates to breed successfully. But each year, in our ever-drier climate, the wetlands they rely on can dry up as spring progresses and birds on territory there cannot nest. Biffa Award’s funding will allow us to improve an existing wetland and to transform an area of species-poor grassland into a thriving, dynamic habitat. Both areas will remain wetter for longer each year, providing the perfect conditions for breeding waders along with important connectivity across the Essex estuaries and benefits to climate change resilience, soil health and carbon storage.

The project work begins this autumn and contributes to the Essex Wader Strategy, a partnership with the RSPB which aims to create a network of breeding wader “hotspots” across Essex, supporting sustainable populations of these amazing birds.

Annie Gordon, Landscape Conservation Planning Coordinator

Essex Wildlife Trust in the press

Emily McParland Communications Manager We have been busy sharing Essex’s projects far and wide and campaigning on national and local issues that will put nature at the forefront of policy. Annie Gordon, the Trust’s Landscape Conservation Planning Coordinator featured on Channel 4 News to talk about Middlewick Ranges in Colchester and the importance of protecting rare areas of land from unsustainable development. You can read Essex Wildlife Trust’s position statement on Middlewick Ranges on our website at www.essexwt.org.uk/ middlewick-ranges. Rachel Langley, the Trust’s Living Seas Coordinator, also featured on international news site Mongabay, sharing the story of how our saltmarsh restoration projects are a key nature-based solution to fighting climate change, and on Good Morning Britain to celebrate the importance of the Essex coastline.

Photography

Competition 2021

Lily Chambers

Communications Assistant Thank you to all of our members who entered the Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2021. This competition is now in the judges’ hands as they meet to decide the six category winners, the six runners-up and the 24 highly commended images. The overall winner, however, is in your hands! So please keep your eyes peeled for the public vote which will open in December to decide the overall winner of the 2021 competition. A huge thank you to this year’s competition sponsor, High Chelmer, for their support.

Sustainability

award for the Trust

Keziah Rookes Sustainability Officer Essex Wildlife Trust has been awarded Level 1 of the Green Dragon sustainability accreditation (a Groundwork Trust organisation). Level 1 evidences a commitment to sustainability and innovation embedded into the Trust, and required a comprehensive internal environmental review, alongside the collection and monitoring of carbon emission data. This facilitated an ambitious improvement plan which will drive a reduction in environmental impacts of waste, electricity and travel, thereby reducing our carbon footprint.

The Trust’s sustainability team has already begun mapping out Green Dragon Level 2, which includes the initial build of an Environment Management System – a tool to reduce waste and improve efficiencies.

Essex Coastal Challenge

Michelle Shepherd Supporter Development Officer We would like to congratulate and say a huge thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Essex Coastal Challenge. Throughout August, we celebrated Essex’s Marine Month and in honour of this, participants were asked to set themselves a personal challenge based around the number 350. This number is significant because our beautiful coastline stretches for an amazing 350 miles, and is home to an abundance of incredible wildlife. So whether you walked, ran or cycled for the Essex Coastal Challenge, every step and every mile covered made a difference.

We would like to include a special shout out to the following supporters for raising over £100: Justin Collins, Sybille & Jem Hardaker, Jacob & Noah Shepherd and Chris Davison (who raised over £400!). Without the enthusiasm and generosity of our supporters we would not be able to continue our vital conservation work – so thank you!

Free Forest School sessions

Emma Grove

Education & Community Officer We were delighted to receive funding from the Government’s Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme to offer 168 free spaces at Forest School drop-off days across a number of our sites this summer, as well as Saturday sessions at Thorndon for children who have special educational needs or disabilities. Aimed at families whose parents or carers may struggle to afford childcare and other holiday clubs, children were able to spend the day playing, creating and exploring in our natural settings. At Roding Valley, many of the children were curious to know what you do outside in the woodland all day. After looking for the local wildlife, climbing in trees, swinging in hammocks, using tools and cooking their lunch on the campfire, they may have worked out the answer! In the words of one participant, who had just jumped up and down in a rain downpour, “This was the best day EVER”.

Estuarine

fish surveys

Rachel Langley

Living Seas Coordinator Saltmarshes act as nursery areas for young fish by providing food and refuge and are fundamental in supporting fish populations, and the fisheries of the North Sea. By regularly monitoring these populations we can build a better picture of how fish use the marshes and detect any changes or potential issues. It also helps build evidence for why we need to protect, restore and create saltmarshes; and why we must include fish-friendly designs in new managed realignment projects (which create saltmarsh habitat).

This September, we undertook our second year of estuarine fish surveys at the managed realignment site at Abbotts Hall. In collaboration with Steve Colclough from the Institute of Fisheries Management, we are trialling and developing a multi-method sampling approach that is easily replicable across sites and could be used by citizen scientists to help monitor the fish that use our estuaries. We were thrilled to find hundreds of juvenile European bass and many grey mullet and we will be reviewing our further findings, and the implications of them over the coming months.

Turnstone photo: Andrew Armstrong

Wheatear photo: Andrew Armstrong

Autumn passage

on the Thames

Andrew Armstrong

Ranger at Gunners Park & Shoebury Old Ranges We are currently in the middle of passage migration here at Gunners Park and have seen a wide selection of common and uncommon birds visiting the park during their long journey south. Pied flycatchers, redstarts, tree sparrow, yellow wagtails and a steady stream of hirundines have all passed through Gunners Park as well as a barred warbler, my first here in almost seven years. We have had very few wheatear and spotted flycatchers through so far, hopefully we will record a few more of these species as passage progresses.

Out over the Thames Estuary, Arctic skua, guillemot, shag and black terns have all made an appearance. In the next few weeks we hope to see species like ring ouzel and, fingers crossed, yellow-brown warbler.

The dark-bellied brent geese have just arrived back from Russia and can be seen flying up and down the Thames Estuary. We have also seen the arrival of our wader flocks from their respective breeding grounds – sanderling, dunlin, turnstone and ringed plover can be seen on the seawall at high tide.

The Gunners Park Tuesday Volunteer Group have been busy with the management of the site. We have started our winter water management programme which entails opening up any overgrown ditches to allow water to move freely across the site into the necessary outflow ditches. We have also started to cut and clear the wildflower meadows as well as clearing some bramble growth in the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

News from Castle Point Local Group

John Turner Chair of Castle Point Local Group For some time now, our ageing Committee membership has slowly reduced in numbers, and we are looking for new members in the area to join the Committee. I am appealing to Castle Point members for volunteers to join our Committee by contacting me on johnpoundwood@outlook.com. I do hope that, with your help, we can continue with our work for wildlife in Castle Point.

Pound wood nature reserve Woodland photo: Woodland Trust / Niall Benvie

News from the Brentwood & Billericay Local Group

Graham Clegg Chair of Brentwood and Billericay Local Group Brentwood used to be called Burntwood. It was an afforested area. Clearances were made for settlements, one of which developed into Brentwood. Trees are still an important aspect of our landscape. In September, the Council held an open session with residents to discuss trees in the borough. Several members of the Local Group committee attended the presentations from Essex County Council, the Forestry Commission, the Thames Chase Trust and the Council’s own arboriculturist joined in the Q&As. We also attended a separate event at which plans for the active management of woodland at Shenfield Common were shared. There may be scope for more community engagement in the future. We have also walked the boundaries of the proposed new woodland at Hole Farm, Little Warley, a proposed mitigation measure associated with the planned Lower Thames Crossing potentially involving the planning of approx. 150,000 trees.

As for our winter season of events, please see the details as they appear on the website at www.essexwt.org.uk/events.

News from the Colchester Local Group

Tracey Kinns Colchester Local Group We held a bat and glow worm walk at Iron Latch nature reserve on 30 July. Support for this activity took us by surprise – over 50 people of all ages arrived, keen to take the short walk. At the “Bat Station” they were given information about bats and using the detectors. Common and soprano pipistrelles, Daubenton’s and a noctule were detected. As back-marker, I recorded a number of bats flying over the main pathway. Paths around the reserve had recently been cleared and allow for easy passage when looking for the bright lights of female glow worms. In total 23 were seen, 17 on the transect which is surveyed three times annually. A number were nearer to the road than previously recorded. The weather held out, everyone had an enjoyable walk, and it was encouraging to see similar numbers of glow worms still present. I would like to thank volunteer Warden Peter Greig-Smith, Joan Pinch and John Thorogood for their invaluable help with organisation and information on the night.

Common pipistrelles photo: Tom Marshall

Glow worm photo: John Tyler

The Big Green Internet

Would you like to be involved in connecting our woodlands and planting wildlife corridors?

Over time many of our Essex woodlands have become fragmented islands, isolated and disconnected and no longer able to speak to each other. Led by Michael Wadham, one of Essex Wildlife Trust’s Investors in Wildlife, The Big Green Internet project is working with farmers and landowners in Essex to plant 100 miles of corridors and half a million hedgerow whips over the next 10 years.

Photo: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

To find out more or support this exciting project please contact michael.wadham@gmail.com or visit www.thebiggreeninternet.co.uk.

Abberton Road, Fingringhoe, Colchester, Essex CO5 7AS Telephone 01206 729304 Email admin@parmentercare.co.uk Website www.aveleylodge.com

Aveley Lodge Care Home offers a Pleasant & Refreshing change from all that you undoubtedly read in the media regarding care homes. A home of Peace & Relaxation yet filled with plenty of opportunities. Our professional care team have created a Warm & Homely environment and we are perfectly equipped to meet the needs of those wishing to live in this stunning care home. We look forward to Welcoming You!

Happy, healthy and hungry to learn.

Welcome to the Nature Nursery. We offer quality childcare for 2-5 year-olds based on learning through nature.

Set in the grounds of Abbotts Hall Nature Discovery Park near Colchester, where children can enjoy both freedom and security, our outdoor nursery is run by early learning experts at Essex Wildlife Trust, the most experienced provider of outdoor education in the county.

Find out more:

www.naturenursery.org.uk

Nature Nursery is part of: