Discover Wildlife Explore Nature in Essex The magazine for Essex Wildlife Trust members Issue 120 | Autumn 2022 What’s on this autumn Page 44 Ecosystem How certain species transform their environment Page 16 engineers Celebrating the dynamic habitat created by breaching a sea wall two decades ago Page 34 Letting Finding Page 48fungifabulous
Did you know that food waste costs the average Essex family £720 a year? Food waste makes up roughly 25% of all waste in Essex. This isn’t only bad news for your wallet, but it’s also damaging the environment. Kitche is a free app designed to save you money and reduce food waste at home. Keep track of your food, access delicious recipes and find top tips and storage hacks. Join the fight against food waste and download the app today! Scan thedownloadtoapp!it,don’t ditch it! Working in partnership with
|4 WILD Autumn 2022 Engineering the landscape Page 16 Key species are responsible for creating, maintaining and engineering habitats, which benefits many other species in the landscape. We delve into two ecosystem engineers making a positive impact on their environment.
Hamblin/2020VISIONMarkphoto:Redshank
6 YOUR WILD ESSEX
A wonderful array of photos showcasing our wild county, taken by supporters of the Trust. NEWS
Collecting regular surveys on our nature reserves is fundamental to determine future conservation work that benefits all wildlife.
30 A tree revolutionplanting Tree guards have been used since the 1980s to protect young trees when they’re vulnerable. Now, the Trust has launched a Plastic-Free Planting Initiative, using sustainable alternatives to eliminate plastic from the process.
52 Shifting seas Our climate is changing rapidly, and our oceans are getting warmer, how will this impact wildlife?
Updates from across the Trust on our work to protect wildlife and inspire a lifelong love of nature.
50 Time Tunnel We travel back in time to the year 2012 to see what was happening at the Trust.
32 Build hedgehogahouse Hedgehogs will be going into hibernation soon and they’re looking for somewhere to shelter through the colder months. Learn how to make your own hog home.
8 TRUST
56 monitoringEcological
22 urban Championswildlife We look at some of the local community projects our Urban Wildlife Champions have started this year.
34 20 years on In 2002, the Trust embarked on a ground-breaking project at Abbotts Hall, breaching the sea wall and allowing the Blackwater Estuary in, to transform the previously arable land.
44 What’s on this autumn Fabulous fungi, exciting arrivals and an orange glow shining over the landscape. We’ve highlighted the top species and spectacles to enjoy, and a number of events and activities to add to your diary.
24 Under the spotlight: Blue House Farm nature reserve Nestled on the Crouch Estuary, this wild coastal grassland is of international importance for conservation and welcomes an abundance of migrant birds each autumn.
WHAT’S INSIDE
Our Essex wildlife has been out in force this summer, enjoying the warmth of the sun and showcasing their beauty across the county. Our members and supporters have been right there with them, capturing rare and special moments to share with us all. We hope you enjoy this selection of snaps submitted over the past few months.
If you would like to feature in our next edition of WILD, please email your favourite images of Essex’s wildlife and wild places to magazine@essexwt.org.uk or tag Essex Wildlife Trust on social media. Sun’s out, tongue’s out! Hummingbird hawkmoths are mesmerizing to watch, but very difficult to photograph. This stunning shot was taken by Ed Thorn, @EdThornPhotographyPage
Strut that stuff! This Mediterranean gull in striking breeding plumage was spotted at Mistley Quay by Brian Calder Stand out from the crowd! This rare albino sparrow was spotted in Thurrock by 13-year-old Jess Check mate! This beautiful heath fritillary butterfly was one of more than 30 spotted on a day out in Pound Wood nature reserve, which is great news for this rare Congratulationsspecies.to Trevor Hockey It’s all in the eyes. This doe-eyed kestrel was spotted at Walton-on-the-Naze, enjoying the cliff edge by Liam Dunne, @liam_london_wild
6WILD Autumn 2022| Your Wild Essex
Don’t follow the herd. This roe buck deer was caught taking a peaceful stroll amongst the oxeye daisies in Fordham by Tanya Ware, @t2rny
#essexwildlifetrustTime for a spot of sunbathing! This jackdaw was seen making the most of the sunshine in Colchester by William Butcher
7WILD Autumn 2022 | Your Wild Essex
You’re blue-tiful! Common blue butterflies may be tiny, but when viewed up close, their vibrant blue and orange patterning is a sight to behold. Spotted by Ben Jarman, @benjammin91.photography
Would you like to play hide-and-squeak? A bashful looking mouse spotted in the Hornchurch garden of Michael Raulinaitis, @mraulinaitis.photography. Close encounters of the bird kind. A very friendly robin was tempted by some tasty treats in Hornchurch Country Park, courtesy of photographer Lewis Ballard
One flew over the photographer! Cuckoos are secretive birds and are more usually heard than seen. Having waited 40 years to get this shot, photographer Martin Hatton was thrilled when one flew over his head at Abberton Reservoir.
bird’s-foot-trefoil photo:
Mallard
Andrew Armstrong Ranger
Hills Photography
Rapturous raptors
Trust 8WILDnews Autumn 2022| 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.
Common Philip Precey photo: Jon Hawkins- Surrey
Kestrel Sparrowhawk chicks Sparrowhawk
The appearance of a smart kestrel hunting over meadows may seem a familiar sight, but up until five years ago, was not common at Gunners Park. In 2017, a young male spent the winter hunting for small mammals in the rough grasslands, before disappearing the following summer. The next winter he returned but remained for the following summer and was able to attract a female. They have successfully raised chicks and returned each year since. This year, we saw the male hunting almost non-stop across the site, often hovering in front of 20-30 astonished people. He also learnt to follow behind my work van during litter picking, in case the van displaced a common lizard or a small mammal which he could pounce on. Smart work as he was raising a large family, with five successful fledglings, their largest clutch to date. Gunners Park also sees regular visits from sparrowhawks, but up until recently we had not seen any breeding success. This year, I noticed a young ringed male sparrowhawk, who had been ringed the year before by our regular on-site ringing team from the Thames Estuary Ringing Group. During breeding bird surveys, we were able to record the sparrowhawk attempting to breed and follow up visits saw the male nest-building. We are delighted to say three healthy chicks were raised. The male sparrowhawk is a very skilled hunter and will patrol through the tall trees opposite Old Gunners Park for small passerines.
9WILD Autumn 2022 | Trust news
Verity Hales Site Manager
Essex BioBlitz Bailey Tait Campaigns Officer Climate change is impacting our natural world more than ever before. However, the more we understand about these impacts, the more we can do to help.
In April, we partnered with the University of Essex to launch The Essex BioBlitz – the first of its kind in our county. We asked you to download the iNaturalist app and take photos of wildflowers across Essex. Each photo contributes towards the University of Essex’s important climate change research and will help determine how wildflowers in Essex are reacting to climate change.
Monitoring plankton
Kingfisher hide next to counter-wall
Rachel Langley Living Seas Coordinator Wildlife Trusts all over the country, at coastal locations and inland on our waterways, have partnered with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) on a citizen science project to increase our understanding of the UK’s plankton communities and the spread of microplastics. These tiny particles can harm wildlife and affect whole ecosystems, but more data is needed about their spread in the ocean, and their interaction with plankton – a food source for many aquatic Waterorganisms.samples are analysed using a ‘PlanktoScope’ – an imaging microscope composed of a Raspberry Pi computer and a camera, two lenses for magnification and a flow system. The flow system means high-quality images can be taken of microscopic particles in a water sample as they move past the camera.
Fingringhoe counter-wall
In 2015, the Trust worked in partnership with the Environment Agency to breach a section of the sea wall, creating a new intertidal habitat for an abundance of wildlife. In addition to that main body of work, a counter-wall further inland was built, to protect the existing reedbeds. Due to a very high spring tide in the winter of 2019/2020, the structural integrity of the counter-wall was damaged. We are now working to strengthen the existing structure by pulling clay substrate from the landward side and using coir matting across the inland side. This will improve the stability of the wall and the natural fibre coir matting will retain substrate and encourage new vegetation growth, thus enabling the existing reedbed to expand further inland. By mid-September, we are hoping to have a newly strengthened and stable counter-wall, providing enriched reedbed habitat for future wildfowl
Dedicated Essex Wildlife Trust volunteers and staff constructed the PlanktoScope after training from the NOC, and have been collecting samples from the waters surrounding The Naze. We hope to raise awareness of these tiny life forms and use the PlanktoScope to conduct long-term monitoring on plankton populations.
We’ve surpassed our record target, with over 550 people taking part and over 920 wildflower species identified in the surveys so far. Submit any further records through the iNaturalist app by 30 September. Learn more www.essexwt.org.uk/ essex-bioblitz-2022
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Putting the ‘us’ in Trust
Recycling for wildlife
Michelle Shepherd Supporter Development Officer
Trust news
Lauren Cosson Communications Officer
We have many amazing local businesses who support the Trust. One such team are the lovely people at the Alma pub in Copford Green. They have been collecting bras for Essex Wildlife Trust for years, donating sacks of them! And while that may sound like a strange donation to make to a conservation charity, it is extremely valuable. Not only are they contributing to reducing landfill, but they are also raising vital funds for the Trust – and giving people access to affordable bras, in parts of the world where they are often in short supply. Next time you’re having a rummage through your drawers and find some bras you no longer require, please drop them off at your nearest Nature Discovery Centre. For a full list of what you can recycle, while raising funds for local conservation, visit shop-recyclewww.essexwt.org.uk/ .
Almost 40% of the hours worked at the Trust are completed by volunteers, and we are grateful for every single one of you. This summer we invited our Essex Wildlife Trust volunteers to Thameside Nature Discovery Park, for an evening of wildlife walks, talks, refreshments and a chance to say thank you.
Volunteers were given a tour of the nature reserve in the sunshine, enjoying the scenic views from the rooftop and looking out across the Thames Estuary via the wildlife hide. The event was also a chance to speak to Trust staff members and other volunteers to find out what everyone had been working on. One attendee stated the event was important because it celebrated the Wildlife Trust, volunteers, staff, visitors and members as one.
Volunteers joined our team this summer at St Lawrence on the Blackwater Estuary to undergo training on surveying seagrass, as part of the Essex Seagrass Project. With the help of seagrass expert Dr Tim Gardiner, the group learned to identify eelgrass (the species that predominantly makes up our seagrass meadows). Volunteers will be surveying areas local to them, helping us monitor the presence of seagrass and to understand the pressures facing them. This data will help us inform the future restoration of seagrass in Essex.
Rosie Abbott Volunteering Development Manager
Seagrass surveys in full swing
Karen Dixon Corporate Coordinator
Tendring Local Group is looking for new members to join, if you are interested please contact David on David.r.bain@gmail.com
Joy Emerson Secretary of Havering Local Group
After a long Covid interruption, we resumed our usual three longstanding outdoor events this spring. The plant sale at Barnes Spinney, Walton on 10 April raised £790. Weeleyhall Wood Bluebell Day on 1 May was well supported, with £1,189 raised. Drizzly rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of pond-dipping youngsters at Great Holland Pits on 29 May, raising £251. There will be opportunities to get involved with the Local Group on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/EWTTendringLG
Supported by Low Carbon Across the South and East (LoCASE) and BusinessTime in Essex magazine, 27 businesses across Essex exhibited their sustainable practices or services throughout the day. All exhibitors contributed valuable insights to the wider relationship between businesses and sustainability, and with 85 attendees on the day, the expo was buzzing with new ways of thinking. We are also pleased to welcome several new Investors in Wildlife who joined at the event, with Kingswood Group Ltd and Come Shine with Me both signing up as Platinum members.
News from Chelmsford Local Group
The plant sale in May was a great success. Help us prepare plants and cuttings for next year on Monday 1 May 2023. We held two enjoyable evening walks around a few Danbury Ridge reserves, admiring the fruits of the working parties’ efforts. Butterflies were abundant on our woodland walk near Great Leighs in July. We’re planning another of our popular quizzes in Chelmsford on 19 November at £10 per head including a ploughman’s platter. If you’d like to book or find out about future events, contact Sue on 01245 471 576 or suemcclell17@gmail.com
CurriePhyllisatOrchidMarsh
The Havering Local Group events continue on 3 September with a walk at Bedfords Park. A talk about Tales of Langton Gardens, Hornchurch by Peter Lott will be held on 12 September. We look forward to seeing you at these events. Please phone Terry for walks on 07802 212151 and Joy for talks on 07759 869910 to confirm attendance.
David Bain Honorary Chair of Tendring Local Group
11WILD Autumn 2022 | Trust news
Sue McClellan Secretary of Chelmsford Local Group
Essex Wildlife Trust hosted the county’s first sustainabilityspecific exhibition in Old Park Meadow, near Great Dunmow.
News from Havering Local Group
News from Tendring Local Group
Successful Big Green Expo
We will be restarting our indoor programme of events this autumn.
Marion May Secretary of Braintree Local Group
News from Braintree Local Group
Pipistrelle bat photo:
Graham Clegg Chair of Brentwood & Billericay Local Group
News from Colchester Local Group
bat photo:
Thank you to the members who responded to the plea for help in the summer edition of WILD.
News from Brentwood & Billericay Local Group
Braintree Local Group will be holding a talk on red kites by Jeff Knott from the RSPB on Tuesday 20 September. On Tuesday 18 October, we will be holding a talk on badgers by Renee Hockley-Byam from the North East Essex Badger Group.. Full details are available on www. essexwt.org.uk/events
Diane Cattermole Chair of Colchester Local Group
. If any members would be prepared to help us run our events, please contact marionmay144@gmail.com
Recently, the Trust launched the Urban Wildlife Champions project, aiming to help nature’s recovery in our communities by restoring and reconnecting neglected spaces in our cities, towns and villages. Colchester Local Group realised there was work to be done in Colchester, so I signed up to be a Champion. An area of short sward grass in Colchester devoid of wildflowers has been located, and now part of the group are working on this urban rewilding project.
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News from Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Local Group
Anita Sandison Secretary of Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Local Group
People in the community have been approached and permission to work on the site is being sought. We will also be ably assisted in our efforts by Jenny Gifford who runs her own community project in Brightlingsea – the Greener Gardens Group Trust news
Red kite photo: Donald SutherlandHousesparrowphoto:JonHawkins-SurreyHillsPhotographyHustonKieronphoto:Wildflowers
Daubenton’s Dale Sutton/2020Vision Amy Lewis
The Local Group is still in need of volunteers for various roles, particularly helping at the monthly meeting, and with collections at local supermarkets. To find out more, please contact Group Secretary, Anita Sandison on 01621 741 352 or asandison@gmail.com
Back in May, we tried something new – an illustrated talk combined with a short field exercise. Ella Barnett from the Essex Bat Group came to talk to us about bats and their life cycles. She brought along a couple of live examples. Then, we went outside onto the Courage Playing Fields at Shenfield, armed with a dozen or so bat detectors, to see what we could detect for ourselves. I think everyone was amazed by the results. Members enjoyed the hands-on, practical nature of the evening, so that is definitely something to bear in mind for the future. Dates and details of future planned walks, talks and fundraising events can be found at www.essexwt.org.uk/events
Many members knew Cassie Reilly, the Trust’s Membership Manager Cassie sadly passed away in June, having been diagnosed with neuro endocrine cancer last autumn. Cassie was a popular and much-loved member of staff. She passed away on her eight-year work anniversary, and protecting wildlife was very close to her heart; she was a keen gardener and wildlife enthusiast. Throughout her illness, Cassie wanted to know what was going on at the Trust (she usually wanted to know the gossip!). She was committed, passionate, and a consummate professional, always doing what was best for the Trust; always determined to eke out every bit of value for the charity. Her legacy in membership is significant and was important to her; she laid very strong foundations for us to build on in the future.
In memory of Cassie
13WILD Autumn 2022 | Trust news
Although she only worked two days a week, Cassie’s level of output was phenomenal. She went about her work in a planned, methodical way, with a clear-headedness that was the envy of the Trust. But Cassie also had an amazing sense of humour. She never took herself too seriously and meetings were often filled with laughter. Cassie leaves us with a great blueprint for how to be in our working lives: have fun and be productive; and most of all, do everything in our power to protect wildlife. We celebrated Cassie’s life on 19 August, which was her birthday. In the meantime, we would like to say a huge thank you to Cassie from the Trust. We miss you and we will remember you. Our thoughts are with her husband Tony and her two young daughters, Meabh and Aoife.
Rich Yates Director of Engagement
Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065 Discover upcoming opportunities at www.essexwt.org.uk/volunteering A study of Wildlife Trust volunteers showed that 95% of participants with low mental wellbeing at the start of volunteering reported an improvement in six weeks. Remember a 5-11 September 2022 Love Essex • Love Wildlife For more details on leaving a gift in your Will, call our Legacy team on 01621 862987, visit www.essexwt.org. uk/gifts-in-wills or scan the QR code. Help us nurture nature forever with a gift in your Will today. Kingfisher photo: Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography.Registered Charity: No 210065. Just a 1% gift in your Will to Essex Wildlife Trust will protect nature and the wild places you love. Charity Week
for insects
Our pollinators need help. We need millions more wildflowers across Essex to give bees, butterflies and beetles the food and habitat they require to thrive.
THESeedbigwildsow
Thanks to CNH Industrial, helping us fund The Big Wild Seed Sow 2022.
You can help bring insects back from the brink by taking part in The Big Wild Seed Sow!
Love Essex • Love Wildlife
Edwardes/2020VISIONlGuyphoto:Wildflower
Thanks to the thousands of people who took part in The Big Wild Seed Sow last year, we are already seeing new wildflower corridors expanding across the county. This year we are hoping to give out 10,000 free packets of seeds so that everyone can connect up and create even more colourful and fragrant habitat for insects. See where the seeds have been planted on our interactive map and find out more about the project by scanning the QR code
Registered Charity No. 210065
TAKE ACTION
From 10 August until 31 October, everyone is invited to pick up a FREE packet of wildflower seeds from one of Essex Wildlife Trust’s Nature Discovery Centres. Sow your native wildflower seeds in your garden, a windowsill planter, a pot or your allotment this autumn and watch next spring as your patch is buzzing with bumblebees and brimming with brimstones.
16WILD Autumn 2022 Ecosystem engineers |
Some species have unique abilities to shape the physical landscape of their ecosystem. Born with the capability to create new habitat, or significantly alter an already existing one, the term ecosystem engineer is reserved for these special species that modify the physical habitat around them, benefiting not just themselves, but surrounding wildlife, and in many cases, aiding humans too.
E very living thing has its place within an ecosystem, and we often talk about how delicate such systems are. Ecosystems are vast, tangled webs - a natural network - where species rely on each other for survival. One small change and an entire community of connected wildlife can be affected.
rs
17WILD Autumn 2022 Ecosystem engineers |
Ecosystem
Spains Hall photo: Colin Shead @ColinShead2 (Twitter)
One of the best-known examples of an ecosystem engineer is the beaver. These brilliant builders are the architects of impressive wooden dams, capable of withholding large pools of deep water. On land, powerful hind legs and bulky paddled tails that help beavers carry their building equipment make them ill-equipped to outrun predators. The solution? Create dams to transform a dry woodland into a wetland, complete with waterways and canals, and swim your way to safety.
Autumn 2022|
A wetland for wildlife
As an idyllic habitat for a beaver and their family starts to take shape, the benefit to others that share in this ecosystem soon becomes apparent. Semi-aquatic species like frogs, toads, newts or even a curious grass snake may be spotted dipping into the freshwater habitat at their disposal. Species that feed on waterloving insects like birds and bats also reap the benefits of the beaver’s landscaping. On land, the coppiced trees result in microhabitats, such as piles of deadwood left for woodland creatures to explore. Fallen trees become new shelters and ecosystems of their own, as fungi and insects claim these collapsed woodland soldiers. Tree coppicing also invites more sunlight to stream through the thinned canopy of previously dense woodland, allowing new vegetation and flora to begin life here.
It is often said that a man is only as good as his tools. In the natural world, clever adaptations mean that beavers are suitably evolved as highly-skilled workers, without the need for additional resources. The sharpest tool in their possession is undoubtedly their iron-enriched teeth. By continually growing and selfsharpening, beavers’ teeth can gnaw and chew through thick trees and drag their heavy woodland building materials to dams under Importantly,construction.beaversaredesigned for life in the wetland they create. Their strong paddle tail is useful for balancing on land, and careful steering as they navigate deep waterways, often while floating sticks and branches too. Beavers can spend up to 15 minutes exploring their underwater tunnels, thanks to the oxygen supply in their large lungs. A secreted oil also helps a beaver swiftly manoeuvre in and out of the water, by adding a waterproof layer to the thick and insulating coat they wear.
18WILDengineers
Eurasian beaver photo: Nick Upton
Spains Hall photo:Colin Shead @ColinShead2(Twitter)
Nature’s toolkit
Dams are only one aspect of a beaver’s ingenuity. Beavers live in dome-shaped lodges, formed out of intricately woven branches and plastered with mud. Depending on the number of beavers in a colony, these can reach 3 metres in height. By building dams nearby, the lodge becomes an island within the surrounding waters. Underwater canals give beavers concealed access to their lodge, making it an impenetrable fortress against land animals.
beaverEurasian
Native oysters have a rounded, rough shell with overlapping ridges across their knobbly surface, reminiscent of the growth rings visible in a tree’s trunk. Coloured with bruised shades of yellow, brown, and green, each native oyster appears to exhibit its own unique fingerprint on the rounded half of its two-part shell. You’d be forgiven if you are wondering how this humble mollusc, which lacks even a central nervous system, could be deemed an ecosystem engineer. Yet, these iconic staples of the Essex coastline provide a valuable service to the underwater world.
Like whale sharks, manta rays, and tropical giants in faraway seas, oysters are filter feeders. This means that they pump large volumes of water through their little bodies, feeding on tiny plankton, algae and other waterborne nutrients that get trapped in the mucus of their gills. The small but mighty native oyster can filter up to 200 litres of water per day, proving that you don’t need to be whale-sized to make an impact on your surroundings.
Filter feeders
A local example of this is a project that Essex Wildlife Trust has been supporting since 2019. Spains Hall Estate has slowed the flow of flooding in Braintree’s local village, Finchingfield, since the introduction of beavers to a secure enclosure. Although the project is still in early stages, the resulting water security, along with the filtering effects of dams, has led to increased biodiversity with water shrews, freshwater shrimp and kingfishers back on site and cleaner water flowing downstream – with no planning permission required. As the beavers work busily on their woodland landscape, other creatures are ‘making waves’ in habitats elsewhere. Away from the crashing tides and strong currents, in the sheltered muddy respite that Essex’s estuaries offer, lives an unassuming ecosystem engineer: the native oyster.
The most important service that native oysters provide to the coastal ecosystem is their ability to purify water.
oysterNative
Slowing the flow Beavers engineer a wildlife-rich landscape that promotes and supports biodiversity while giving them an ideal home to raise their young. Remarkably, the ingenuity of the beaver species reaches far beyond the wild world. For humans, the beavers’ capacity to retain and control water levels acts as a natural solution to environmental problems. Dams store and gently release water in drier periods of the year while reducing the impact of floods after heavy rainfall in wetter periods.
Spains Hall photo: Colin Shead @ColinShead2(Twitter)
Oysters are the kidneys of the coast; just as human kidneys filter blood to keep our internal environment healthy, native oysters filter the surrounding waters to maintain the health of their habitat. By filter feeding, oysters are removing excess organic matter like nitrogen and phosphorus, which in large quantities can trigger algal blooms, causing oxygen levels to deplete and fatalities to marine life. Thanks to the oysters’ filtering process, waters become clearer, and sunlight can shine through the less-murky waters. Vegetation such as seagrass can grow on the newly-lit seabed, providing further habitat and food sources for creatures like worms and crabs.
Ecosystem engineers19WILD Autumn 2022 |
Oyster reefs While native oysters are hard at work filtering the waters they live within, they also provide another valuable service to their coastal companions. Oysters begin life as larvae, floating freely in search of a rough surface to grow upon. But native oysters like to stick together, literally. Often, larvae will settle on adult oysters, and these oyster colonies form reef-like habitats that support biodiversity. Sea settlers like mussels, barnacles and sea anemones enjoy the new residential area to live upon. For other underwater creatures like eels, sponges, crabs and fish, the oyster bed is a foraging hotspot, as well as a place of shelter when evading prey. An oyster reef is also an ideal nursery for juvenile species, looking to curiously explore the shallow surroundings with the safety of the reef nearby. Mighty molluscs
Restoring native oysters
Sadly, native oysters have declined by 95% since the 1850s. Overfishing, invasive species, disease and pollution have all contributed to this loss. Luckily, the South East boasts the highest remaining population of native oysters, and Essex Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with local fishermen, conservationists and government regulators to conserve this important species, through the Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative (ENORI). In 2013, 284km2 of the Blackwater, Crouch, Roach and Colne Estuaries was designated a Marine Conservation Zone and so began the largest marine restoration project in the UK, by area.
By working collaboratively, the Trust hopes to recover selfsustaining populations of these culturally, economically and environmentally valuable native oysters. It is fascinating to think that nature’s engineers take on this role unintentionally. In most cases, the resulting biodiversity and beneficial services to wildlife come as a by-product of the species’ day-to-day life. While the beaver works to build a lodge suitable as a fortress against predators, it does so unbeknown to the hundreds of species that will soon dwell amongst the wetland and canals created from a previously dry woodland site. So too, does the native oyster feed on the minuscule particles of the water, not realising that it allows sunlight to penetrate through the cleaner waves, giving life to others. Just by existing, native oysters create a whole new habitat for hundreds of others to live within.
But unlike the ecosystem engineers, unaware of the profound impact they have on the wildlife that surrounds them, we do recognise the benefit that they provide to nature and the nature-based solutions to environmental issues that face us. The resilience of our wildlife, and the services they provide to others, never ceases to amaze.
Ecosystem 20WILDengineers Autumn 2022|
Blackwater cultch deployment photo: Jim Pullen Turning cultch during weathering photo: Matt Uttley
Not only can oysters support hundreds of species, from crustaceans creeping along the rocky shallows, to the seabirds soaring above, but their impact reaches far beyond the marine environment. As an iconic species of Essex, these creatures are part of a rich cultural heritage for the fishing community, dating back to the Roman period when they were first popularised. However, their cultural and economic significance is secondary to the role they play environmentally. Oyster reefs serve as natural coastal buffers, absorbing the energy of crashing waves upon our shorelines and reducing coastal erosion. Through their filtration system, oysters also help to contain and capture greenhouse gases like carbon, acting as a nature-based solution to climate change.
Blackwater cultch deployment photo: ZSL digital
Play Discover Learn Play Discover Learn Play Discover Learn Play Discover Learn Welcome to the Nature Nursery. We offer quality childcare for 2-5 year-olds based on learning through nature. Find out more: www.naturenursery.org.uk Nature Nursery is part of: Happy, healthy and hungry to learn. Set in the grounds of Abbotts Hall 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. Registered Charity Number 210065Photos: Eleanor Church / Lark Rise Pictures
Six months ago, we launched the Urban Wildlife Champions project. Since then, over 100 people across Essex have signed up to take action for nature in their local communities. Together, they are creating new homes for wildlife, nurturing and rejuvenating existing spaces and connecting up areas that are already thriving. With the help of workshops, webinars and site visits from experts, Essex Wildlife Trust’s Urban Wildlife Champions are reaching beyond the boundaries of nature reserves to create a county rich in wildlife with people connected to nature. Here’s a few examples of projects already underway… S
Installing an owl box photo: John Denis Le Seve
Similarly, John and the Wickham Bishops Biodiversity group are inviting birds and bats into their village. The group has already crafted and installed bird and bat boxes throughout the village. They now aim to create a community nature trail to share their knowledge of the wonderful wildlife found on the doorstep of residents.
Urban Wildlife Champions 22WILD Autumn 2022|
New homes for nature In Fingringhoe, Lindsey and the local Green Group are creating new homes for migrating birds. The Green Group are planning to fundraise for specialist bird boxes and will install them, with the expert help of a local roofing company, across the entire village. In the meantime, they are surveying current bird box sites and identifying potential new sites.
Recognising it’s potential for connectivity, Clive at Willow Park Lifeskills Centre scythed a neglected road verge patch, encouraging a colourful bloom over summer. Since then, Clive and his learning groups continue transforming the space into a playground for insects, hedgehogs and birds. This year, they have already established and built deadwood habitats, bug hotels, hedgehog homes and mini wildlife ponds.
Hedgehog photo:
Refreshing habitat havens
Urban Wildlife Champions
A insect, bird and hedgehog friendly road verge: Willow Park Lifeskills Centre Transforming a neglected road verge: Willow Park Lifeskills Centre A bug hotel: Willow Park Lifeskills Centre Grassland Management Workshop
Thanks to the generous contributions from Eat Natural, we are able to fund training webinars and workshops for our fantastic Urban Wildlife Champions this autumn. Tom Marshall
23WILD Autumn 2022|
Angela and the Weeley in Bloom group have identified two areas of unused and mismanaged green space. Their goal is to transform both sites into havens for wildlife. These sites will be managed as grassland habitat in which wildflowers will be encouraged to grow and, on one of the sites, fruit trees and berry bushes will be planted for both wildlife and people to enjoy.
Also putting petal to the metal are Kate and the gardening team at Colchester Christ Church. They’re taking action to entice wildlife into their urban church setting. They’re rejuvenating their outdoor space by creating a wildflower meadow, installing stag beetle hotels and planting trees to create wildlife corridors.
In Great Saling, Charmaine and her team are busy connecting up our landscape. They’re working with the parish council and surrounding landowners to restore wildlife corridors along footpaths, through parks and around housing. Hedgerows that have been lost or degraded around the village are being replanted and connected up, pockets of woodland are being managed and encouraged to expand and margins of green space are being naturalised so wildflowers can thrive.
These are just a few inspirational examples of what happens when local people are given the tools and support to take action for nature in their gardens, streets, villages, towns and cities. Together we are Team Wilder and we can create a Wilder Essex.
Connectivity is key
24WILD Autumn 2022| Blue House Farm nature reserve
Blue House Farm
nature reserve With the River Crouch as your companion, escape from busy modern life and tune in to the rhythm of nature, following the ebb and flow of the tide, and the seasonal spectacles that this wild coastal reserve has to offer.
Blue House Farm nature reserve
Blue House Farm nature reserve
Water vole
Wave goodbye to summer as you catch the last glimpses of migrant visitors. This brightly-coloured bird may even wave its tail back, as the name implies.
Lapwing
What to look out for this autumn at Blue House Farm
Yellow wagtail
Lapwing photo: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION. Dark-bellied brent goose and water vole photos: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION. Yellow wagtail photo: Amy Lewis
The guttural chatter of brent geese in their thousands flocking up the estuary on the bitter winter winds from Siberia is a truly captivating spectacle.
Waders like lapwing are iconic species of wet marshland. Hear the trudge and squelch of muddy feet belonging to wading birds in search of buried treasure: mud-loving insects.
brentDark-belliedgeese
25WILD Autumn 2022 |
Size: 287 hectares. Address: Blue House Farm Chase,North Fambridge, Essex, CM3 6GU.
Access: Follow the permissive patharound the farm to access three bird hides. This path links withthe sea wall footpath and creates a4km circular route. Paths are unevenmown grass with a few steep inclines,with stepped access onto the sea wall.Small car park available. Accessible allyear round. Dogs: Permitted on a lead along thepublic footpath along the sea wall only,not on the reserve. Billie’s facts
If you are lucky, catch a glimpse of a clumsy water vole tumbling in and out of ditches, or listen for the distinctive ‘plop’ as they cool off in the water.
Often in the winter, we say goodbye to wildlife as it takes refuge from the cold. However, at Blue House Farm, winter waves a welcoming hand to a new hoard of wildlife. Thousands of dark-bellied brent geese flock from Siberia, grazing on the flat fields and enjoying the nearby estuary.
Nestled between the north bank of the Crouch Estuary and the quaint village of North Fambridge, lives a wild coastal reserve, of international importance for conservation.
Marsh harrier photo: Amee Fairbank
Dark-bellied brent geese photo: Charlie Oliver
The grassland is valuable to many creatures, revealed best in the summer. Adders slink through the grass and occasionally bask upon the sea wall. Insects burst into life as hundreds of butterflies like small heaths and meadow browns dance along the grass thickets. By the water’s edge, water voles nibble on fresh vegetation as emperor dragonflies zoom by. The grassland management at Blue House Farm means there is an abundant food source for birds of prey, most notably barn owls and marsh harriers, keeping them fed into the autumn months. Cattle egret has also been spotted in the autumn as a companion to the livestock that helps us manage our grassland.
Blue House Farm Nature reserve 26WILD Autumn 2022|
Easily accessible via the North Fambridge railway station, this is the ideal destination for a day out – whether you are escaping the hustle and bustle of busy city life, or simply enjoying the refreshing sea breeze that washes over the sea wall from the River Crouch.
The extensive area of flooded marsh is the beating heart of this wild coastal reserve. Myriads of waterfowl and wading birds like golden plover, curlew, teal and shoveler add to the commotion of a busy habitat and are all species to spot on your scenic stroll.
Tranquil and sedentary at first glance, this nature reserve is more ‘peace’ than ‘quiet’. As you follow along the pathway that runs a circular route on the outskirts of the reserve, stop and listen for a while - what can you hear? The whisper of reedbeds being tickled by the winds. The slaps and sploshes of wading birds dancing in the muddy marshes. The buzz and chirp of insects flittering through the long blades of grass of grazing marshland. The summersweet melody of skylarks hovering high in the air to sing to all around. The honking of dark-bellied brent geese announcing their arrival from transatlantic pastures as the summer comes to an end. This is the soundscape of Blue House Farm nature reserve. There is a vastness to this reserve. As you look across the landscape, the large expansive open sky meets the long stretches of grazing marshland and green grassland. But it doesn’t end there. Over the ancient sea wall, the Crouch Estuary ebbs and flows with the changing tides and creates intertidal zones for wildlife to explore, designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is no wonder that Blue House Farm is home to hundreds of species all year round, enjoying the diverse habitat that is offered here. not beards. In the hedgerows, listen for the distinctive ‘coo’ of the cuckoo, looking mischievously for a host nest to lay its own eggs in. Making use of the managed grassland, brown hares sprint and frolic in springtime, often getting into heated ‘boxing’ matches in mating season.
27WILD Autumn 2022 |
Blue Farm nature reserve
We look forward to announcing the completion of this project and conserving the vulnerable species that need our help. Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Predator exclusion fence
Lapwing eggs Redshank photo:
Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award Grants Manager, says: “Biffa Award is delighted to award £263,874 to create this valuable wetland haven of over 40 hectares for a variety of important species. It is paramount that we continue to invest in projects like this through our Partnership Grants Scheme which plays a significant part in promoting nature’s recovery. We can’t wait to see more birds using the site and flourishing following completion of the work.”
‘With generous funding from Biffa Award, Essex Wildlife Trust has set out this year to transform over 40 hectares of the reserve into an improved wetland’ Barn owl webcam An elusive bird of prey that roams the open space of the countryside, the barn owl can be difficult to spot. Thanks to the live webcam at Blue House Farm, the characteristic heart-shaped faces of these special animals have graced our screens for the tenth year in a row! This year, we watched in anticipation as a record-breaking nine eggs were laid. A familiar face to Blue House Farm, a male barn owl fondly nicknamed ‘One Eye’ and female ‘Barnadette’ (named this year by our supporters), worked tirelessly to feed their brood. Many visitors to Blue House Farm have captured shots of One Eye in action. Thanks to the conservation work and management of this habitat, Blue House Farm has food in abundance for the baby Sinceowlets.March, many viewers have watched daily to follow the journey of the owls. From the courtship and bonding of the adults to the first egg hatching and revealing a tiny chick with eyes tightly shut, all eyes have been on our owl Infamily.July, the four owlets were ringed under license, and, in total, 10 owlets were counted at Blue House Farm, ready to begin their life as graceful hunters in our skies.
With the addition of a predator exclusion fence, the reserve will offer a protected zone for breeding in the hopes of supporting the future prosperity of vulnerable ground-nesting birds.
Protecting ground-nesting birds with thanks to Biffa Award Our changing climate and hotter, drier weather mean the invertebrate-rich wet grassland at Blue House Farm that iconic species such as lapwing and redshank need to breed, is drying out early each spring. Nationally, these birds have each experienced breeding declines of 43% in just 25 years. With generous funding from Biffa Award, Essex Wildlife Trust has set out this year to transform over 40 hectares of the reserve into an improved wetland. The conservation project will adapt the landscape to create shallow-profiled scrapes and remove agricultural drains, ready to collect water over the winter months. Retaining water throughout the spring and summer provides substantial benefits to threatened bird species, tiny insects and small mammals who all rely on wetland areas for breeding, feeding or as respite.
House
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Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065
Tree of Life
A bird (8 years) could help us create or restore a pond, or carry out essential rotovating work in wet grasslands to increase the number of invertebrates, providing more food for breeding waders.
To find out more, visit www.essexwt.org.uk/tree-of-life or contact our legacy team via email ontreeoflife@essexwt.org.ukWithyoursupport:
Our new Tree of Life at Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Centre has been installed, allowing supporters to remember a loved one, celebrate a joyous occasion or recognise an individual’s love of the nature reserve. All proceeds go towards helping us protect wildlife for perpetuity.
SCAN TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUTINFORMATIONTREEOFLIFE
A silver leaf (5 years) could fund a large bee hotel, benefitting solitary bees. A gold leaf (7 years) could help us pay for a new field gate on a reserve or buy 4kg of native wildflower seed mix to help stop the decline of insects.
A bronze leaf (3 years) could help us to buy five bat boxes for our reserves.
ME
30WILD Autumn 2022| Tree planting revolution
What is a tree guard?
revolutionTreeplanting
Have you ever seen a group of up-right cylindrical plastic tubes on a field or grass bank? That’s a tree guard. Used since the 1980s, these shelters are designed to protect young trees from general damage, browsing animals, adverse weather and herbicide application. Usually, they will protect a tree for the first five years. After this, they should break free from the stem and be released, ready for collection and removal by the tree planter.
As we become ever more aware of the problems with plastic pollution in our oceans, we look at how we can make positive changes, starting on land. That’s why Essex Wildlife Trust is working to revolutionise the way we plant trees, eliminate plastic in the tree planting process, and inspire the future generation of plastic-free tree planters.
31WILD Autumn 2022 | Tree planting revolution
Katie Goldsbrough, Ranger at Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park, is an advocate for plastic-free tree planting. Find out how her studies on plastic pollution and love of wildlife led to her pioneering the Plastic-Free Planting Initiative at Essex Wildlife Trust.
During my master’s degree in 2019, I began to look at plastic and its environmental impact. Although I appreciated its usefulness as a robust and durable material, the negative impacts caused to the natural environment far outweighed this. Thanks to a passionate lecture specialising in plastic pollution, I became aware of plastic, not just in the oceans and rivers, but on land, particularly in our soils. On a visit to a wooded area one day, I started to question: all these trees have plastic tree guards protecting them, but what happens if the plastic degrades into the soil? I wanted to know more, so I decided to focus my master’s project on plastic tree guards. From this, I learned about the different types of plastic used for different guards and their longevity on the trees, how some guards fragment more than others, and the surprising discovery of how across the UK, many millions of plastic tree guards are left on trees with no plan of ever removing them. As tree guards are rarely recovered once planted, they start to break down. Unlike natural materials that go back into the earth, plastic guards degrade into microplastics – less than 5mm in size. At whatever size, fragments of a plastic tree guard can entangle wildlife, be ingested or cause injury. Long-term problems with plastic tree guards may include being passed through the food chain, interfering with soil ecology, pollution, and releasing toxic chemicals, but there is little research into the effects of plastic tree guards. Tree guards do a wonderful job. They protect trees from browsing animals nibbling at young roots, and adverse weather conditions. Yet, the environmental impact of using a plastic guard is substantial, not to mention the carbon footprint and fossil fuels used to manufacture them.
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Did you know, between 8 –
Read
That’s why, through the Plastic-Free Planting Initiative, we are tackling the issue of plastic tree guards, starting at Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park. With the support and funding of our partners Essex & Suffolk Water, we are removing plastic tree guards, and recycling them. However, recycling is not the solution. The Trust has pledged that all future trees will be planted without plastic guards, instead, using non-plastic tree guard alternatives or natural protection like dead-heading or brash. For the future, the Trust strives toward nature-based solutions for tree planting and we hope that other organisations will adopt our position. 14 million tonnes of plastic enter our ocean each year Sadly, this means that 88% of the sea’s surface is polluted by plastic waste. our statementposition on plastic tree guards here.
A large storage tub with lid A sturdy tube of diameter at least 13 cm and length at least 30cm Hay and leaves A drill, strong scissors or a Stanley knife smaller tube
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Hedgehogphoto:JonHawkins-SurreyHillsPhotography
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Your step-by-step guide t o making a hedgehog
Choose where you want your tunnel entrance to connect and draw around the tube to mark where to cut.
Step
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Hedgehogs are one of the few mammals found in the UK that hibernate over winter. As autumn draws in, hedgehogs start to look for a place to call home for the colder months. They need to keep their temperature stable, but not necessarily warm, and although they hibernate until spring, they usually move to a new space at least once during this period. You can invite your neighbourhood hedgehogs into your garden this autumn by creating a hedgehog hibernaculum, out of old bits and bobs you can find around your house. hibernaculum.
• Optional -
Half fill the tub with hay. Close the lid and place in the garden in a cosy spot. Cover the finished hedgehog home in branches and leaves.
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If you
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. 32WILD Autumn 2022 HOW TO HELP WILDLIFE
What you will need •
Start Gather all your materials – go for a walk and forage some dry leaves to make your hibernaculum extra cosy. Step 2 Wear goggles and be careful of sharp corners. Cut out the circle shape and sit the tube inside the hole – you can use a circular attachment on a drill, a Stanley knife or strong scissors. make your own hedgehog hibernaculum, we’d love to see it, send your pictures to magazine@essexwt.org.uk
Step 1
Smooth any sharp edges with tough black outdoor tape. Step 4 Drill some breathing holes near the top of the tub. You can also add an extra-large breathing tube.
Step 5
PROVIDINGwww.ellisonssolicitors.comEXPERTADVICEFORMORETHAN250YEARS Ellisons Solicitors is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority SRA Number 49336 Colchester | Ipswich | Chelmsford | Bury St Edmunds | Tendring 01206 enquiries@ellisonssolicitors.com764477 I’ve heardit’sim-peck-able The Wildlife Explorer podcast delves into the secret lives of some of our best-loved wildlife. onnaturethego Discover Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065 Spotify, PodcastsApple and all other online podcast platforms Photo: Jon Hawkins Surrey Hills Photography 01245 806332 info@oldparkmeadow.co.uk @oldparkmeadow @OldParkMeadow Coppice Lane, North End, Between Chelmsford & Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 3PL Burial & Ash Interments, Funerals, Services and Wakes Memorial Services and Celebrations of Life Adaptable and completely personalised service from memorials to music. Reserving a plot in advance is also possible. Assurance of a caring and compassionate experience. OLD PARK MEADOW Natural Burial Ground
Celebrating 20 years of saltmarsh restoration 34WILD Autumn 2022| Celebrating 20 years
Saltmarshes are a habitat where biodiversity can flourish. Saline creeks meander through bursts of purple sea lavender. Water flows between green banks, where fish nibble on algae, snails and worms. Hear the paddle of wading birds in the muddy fringes or watch the graceful grey heron gliding overhead. This is our vision for the future of Essex’s saltmarshes, a habitat that epitomises this county’s coastline. Read how Essex Wildlife Trust has been championing saltmarshes for over two decades, through an ambitious project that has helped bring saltmarsh back to life. Whittaker/2020VISION saltmars restoration
Abbotts Hall Farm saltmarsh photo: Terry
The Abbots Hall managed realignment, two decadeson
h
35WILD Autumn 2022| Celebrating 20 years of saltmarsh restoration
of
Mark Iley, Essex Wildlife Trust’s Landscape Conservation Development Manager remembers back to 2002, and talks of his excitement at the managed realignment project: “As a new member of staff, I couldn’t believe my fortune to have landed a role in an organisation undertaking the biggest managed realignment in Europe at the time. We were thinking big, learning a lot and confidence was growing in the project.”
Four 10-metre-wide and one 100-metre-wide openings were created, welcoming the tides of the Blackwater Estuary back onto the disused farmland and creating almost 50 hectares of saltmarsh
36 WILD Winter 2021|
. Celebrating 20 years of saltmarsh restoration Breaching the sea wall at Abbotts Hall 36WILD Autumn 2022
Instead of undertaking the costly reparations to the sea wall, which would need constant maintenance for years to come, why not use this as an opportunity to explore a different kind of coastal defence method – one that would take rising sea level into account? In collaboration with the Environment Agency and other key partners, that is exactly what Essex Wildlife Trust set out to do. Managed realignment at Abbotts Hall Managed realignment is one way of creating new saltmarsh and is achieved by purposefully removing coastal defences or moving them further inland. At Abbotts Hall, after two years of studies, monitoring, and consulting the local community, new defences were installed further inland and in 2002, the old sea wall was breached in five places.
In 1999, Essex Wildlife Trust acquired Abbotts Hall Farm. In doing so, it also acquired a sea wall that for centuries has separated the arable farming land of Abbotts Hall from the waters of the Blackwater.
Four 10-metre-wide and one 100-metre-wide openings were created, welcoming the tides of the Blackwater Estuary back onto the disused farmland and creating almost 50 hectares of intertidal habitat.
Stretching for 3,500 metres, this aged medieval stone structure was badly weathered and in need of reparation.
Mark was one of over 1,000 members of public, staff, politicians and conservationists to witness the sea wall breach in the autumn of 2002. Amongst the crowd were notable figures like wildlife TV presenter Nick Baker and Elliott Morley MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Water and Nature Protection at the time.
He talks of the habitat change he witnessed as the project “Twentycommenced:yearsago,these were fields of barley and wheat, part of the arable farming operation at Abbotts Hall Farm. We watched as the last crops were taken off in advance of the sea wall breaching, and we watched the tide flooding in. We welcomed the return of the intertidal habitat.”
In this same period, over just 25 years, a quarter of Essex’s saltmarsh had already been lost to erosion and man-made sea defences. A sea wall, just like the one at Abbotts Hall Farm, causes immense pressure on saltmarsh habitat. But how? The process is known as ‘coastal squeeze’. When saltmarsh is squeezed between man-made sea defences and the rising level of the sea, saltmarsh has nowhere to go and is lost to the tide.
By creating 50 hectares of saltmarsh, this acts as a natural barrier to flooding and storm surges, absorbing the impact of coastal pressures before it reaches our community.
Raptors including merlin, peregrine falcons and marsh harriers may all be spotted at points of the year stalking prey from the skies above. Occasional visitors even include spoonbill and glossy ibis. In the winter, wigeon, shoveler and brent geese, rest and recuperate here. Look at the saltmarsh from above and you’ll see a network of water channels, reminiscent of the arteries and veins of the human body. Cleverly, fish use the ebb and flow of the tide to travel without using much energy. These channels within the saltmarsh act as a safe passageway for juvenile fish to forage for food, while using the plants and muddy creeks to stay hidden from predators. Surveys have revealed that 14 species of fish have utilised the saltmarsh since its creation, including common goby, European eel, herring, three-spined stickleback, and thin-lipped grey mullet.
Common sea-lavender photo: Patrick Jefferies Marsh samphire
Autumn 2022 | Celebrating 20
Three-spined stickleback photo: Jack Perks
The Blackwater waves that crept over the once-arable land brought seeds of life within its water, leaving saltmarsh plant seeds scattered among the new intertidal zone. Very quickly, new life was evident. Resilient plants that can withstand salty soils started to appear. The purples of sea lavender and the bright greens of marsh samphire burst through the muddy-brown banks. Curious and eager to colonise this new wetland were marine worms, shrimps, shore crabs and insects. Wading and wetland birds soon followed, keen to make use of this abundant food source.
Unlike centuries-old sea walls prone to erosion, saltmarsh is self-sufficient and resilient, adapting to the environment as it matures. It is estimated that over £500,000 has been saved on sea wall maintenance and man-made coastal defences since the managed realignment was created. Not only are saltmarshes a natural flood defence, protecting our homes and land in case of storms and floods, they also fight climate change by reducing carbon in our atmosphere. These carbon sinks can capture four tonnes of carbon per year, in just one hectare of saltmarsh. It is the plants within the saltmarsh that are the real superheroes in this process.
37WILD Winter 2021| Section title here
The managed realignment site at Abbotts Hall has been consistently monitored and surveyed for signs of life, and as a force for good against climate change. The site is well studied, including monitoring the marsh vegetation and the carbon sequestered and stored, the bird species present, and the fish using the area. It is considered an impressive case study for managed realignments across the world and highlights the value of using nature-based solutions for human problems.
A defence against climate change
Little egret on saltmarsh photo: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION WILD years of saltmarsh
Welcoming back wildlife
We may not realise it, but saltmarshes help humans. As sea level rises, the pressures of being a coastal community for the neighbouring village of Salcott and nearby, will become evident. You may ask, why remove a sea wall barrier that was there to protect us from floods?
Fingringhoe Wick: Following in the footsteps
Due to the success of Abbotts Hall’s saltmarsh, a second managed realignment was carried out at Essex Wildlife Trust’s first-ever nature reserve, Fingringhoe Wick, in 2015. Here, medieval walls were breached to create 22 hectares of new, couldnewfishingbright-whiteofbluewelcomedofEstuary.habitatimportantinternationallyintertidalontheColneWithinhoursthebreach,thesitethestrikingandorangeflasheskingfishersandthelittleegret,curiouslyinthewetlandthattheynowcallhome.
Carbon is captured by plants growing in the saltmarsh, and this can be locked away within the deep marsh for hundreds of years. Just by existing, saltmarshes are fighting climate change for us.
Only the beginning As we look out on this vast landscape at Abbotts Hall and marvel at all its functions, protecting us from the ever-growing climate crisis, and giving wildlife a home, we must remember something. This October, we celebrate 20 years of a restored landscape and a case study for future managed realignment projects across the world. Yet, at 20 years of age, this saltmarsh is still a relatively new feature of Essex’s coastline. Compared to the saltmarsh that has existed for tens of thousands of years, here at Abbotts Hall, our saltmarsh project is only just getting started and we are excited to see how wildlife thrives.
restoration
Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065. Enter today: www.essexwt.org.uk/photography-competitionSixcategories , a cash prize and a whole wild county at fingertips!our Scan me to Enter! Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2022 Buff tailed bumblebee photo ‘Collecting Pollen’ by Nigel Harris. for entries Juvenile female sparrowhawk by Karl Price ‘Loveheart Ladybird’ by Jennifer Spittle Now open
WILD THOUGHTS
Dave Goulson is a professor of biology at the University of Sussex, one of the UK’s leading insect experts, and an ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts. He champions insects in his latest book, Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse.
@DaveGoulson@dave.goulson
Get more tips on how to help insects at action-for-insectswildlifetrusts.org/
COOPERDAWNILLUSTRATION:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Dave Goulson
Silent AvertingEarth:theInsect
Since I was a child I have been obsessed with insects; they are amazing, often beautiful, and with fascinating, peculiar lives. I grew up in the countryside, and spent my childhood roaming the lanes and meadows in search of caterpillars, butterflies, grasshoppers and beetles. My bedroom filled with jam jars, cages and tanks housing all manner of small beasts. I eventually came to learn that the world would not function without these tiny creatures. They pollinate; control pests; recycle all sorts of organic material from dung to corpses, tree trunks and leaves; they keep the soil healthy; disperse seeds; and provide food for many larger creatures such as birds, bats, lizards, amphibians and fish. It should thus be of profound concern to all of us that insects appear to be undergoing massive declines. As a child, I vividly remember my parents having to stop the car on long summer journeys to scrub clear the windscreen, which quickly became crusted with splatted insects as we drove along. Today, our windscreens are disturbingly clean. The causes of insect declines are many: habitat loss to intensive farming, housing and other developments; the ever-growing blizzard of pesticides used by farmers and gardeners; climate change; light pollution; impacts of invasive species and more. Our tidy, pesticide-infused world is largely hostile to insect life. This may all seem terribly depressing, but do not despair. We may feel helpless in the face of many global environmental issues, but as I explain in my book Silent Earth, we can all get involved in reversing insect declines. If you are lucky enough to have a garden, take some simple steps to invite insects and other wildlife in; it is astonishing how much life a small garden can support. If you have no garden, you might consider joining national and local campaigns to fill our urban greenspaces with wildflowers, or to have your town or village declared pesticide-free. Imagine every garden, park, cemetery, roundabout and road verge filled with swathes of wildflowers. We could create a national network of wildlife-rich habitat from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Of course we should not forget our farmland, which covers 70% of the UK. It is my view that the move towards ever-more intensive, pesticide-soaked monoculture farming is unsustainable; it has done terrible damage to our wildlife and soils, pollutes streams and rivers, and contributes a lot to greenhouse gas emissions. You can reduce your own impact and support more sustainable farming practices by buying and eating local, seasonal, organic produce, buying loose fruit and veg, and reducing your meat consumption. Better still, grow what food you can in your garden or an allotment. Love them or loathe them, we all need insects. We have to learn to live in harmony with nature, seeing ourselves as part of it, not trying to rule and control it with an iron fist. Our survival depends upon it, as does that of the glorious array of life with which we share our planet.
39WILD Autumn 2022 | Wild thoughts
Apocalypse As we live through a time of great uncertainty, food security is an important issue. But it’s vital we consider nature in any plans. Industrial agriculture has destroyed wildlife on a grand scale. Further intensification will be a huge blow for nature and climate, but also jeopardise long-term food Learnsecurity.more: wtru.st/energy-food
The latest season sees new innovative products added to Henry Bell’s wild bird care portfolio. A central prerequisite to the range is creating products that enhance wild bird wellbeing.
The company first operated in the farming industry, supplying feeds, fertilisers and trading cereals and pulses. In the early 1980s, with the introduction of three micronisers, Henry Bell became one of the leading suppliers of flaked cereals and pulses to the animal and pet food industry. In 1998, the installation of a computerised mixing plant further increased flexibility and enabled Henry Bell to expand its capacity and create mixes for a wide range of wild birds and small animals, catering to a varied customer Knowledgebase.and understanding are key to the creation of excellence in pet food. With over 175 years of expertise in choosing quality feeds, Henry Bell products are designed with care, understanding and consideration for the wellbeing of wild birds and pets.
Care for wild birds
Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065 this autumn
You can purchase items from this range at all Nature Discovery Centres. Find your nearest centre centreswww.essexwt.org.uk/visit/here:
E stablished in 1825, Henry Bell & Co Limited is a fourth-generation family-owned British business that produces high-quality pet, wild bird food and accessories.
42WILD AUTUMN 2022|
Nature Discovery Centres
This October half term we will be running a range of events for children and families in the wild wood. There will be spooky Halloween walks, a chilling pumpkin trail and an animal encounter evening with some awesome creepy-crawlies! We will also be running a Quiz Night for adults.
Jo Wray, Site Manager Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 4LR
As the seasons change, take shelter in one of our Nature Discovery Centres to start your wild walk, or join us at one of our many events this autumn. Look out for the new signage and trails to explore or bring your family to one of our character-themed trails.
Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park
Follow
Greg Borgartz, Site Manager
We have reopened and the centre has had a fabulous makeover! Newly decorated, we have a spacious café and exciting retail products. Stock up on your bird feed, dog walking products and wonderful gift ideas, cards, toys, books, jams, honeys, and much more. Enjoy beautiful walks through the woodlands, meadows, around the lake and past the ponds. A friendly welcome awaits you.
Redwing photo: Jon HawkinsSurrey Hills Photography Discover your nearest www.essexwt.org.uk/visit/centrescentre each of our Nature Discovery Centres on Bedfords Park
CentresDiscoveryNature Belfairs
Abberton Reservoir
During the autumn months, the site will start to change colour as the trees prepare for winter. Berries and fruits in the woodland and hedgerows will attract a variety of birds including flocks of fieldfare and redwing, whilst wildfowl numbers will start to increase on the reservoir.
Elizabeth Oddy, Visitor Engagement Area Manager
Bedfords Park Nature Discovery Centre Broxhill Road, Havering-atte-Bower, RM4 1QH
Church Road, Layer-de-la-Haye, Colchester, CO2 0EU
Our 1-year anniversary celebrations in July were a great success, with seed-bomb making, the Peter Rabbit Trail, guided walks, informative talks and the grand opening by the Lord Mayor of Basildon. Come and visit this autumn to enjoy miles of beautiful walks around the woodland, meadows, lakes, and former Plotland gardens. Then visit our new sustainable centre and restaurant for a wonderful hot meal or indulge yourself with a luxury hot chocolate.
As autumn settles in, we will be running lots of guided walks around The Naze, covering geology, history and specialist birdwatching. We are also looking for volunteers to join us on one of our monthly beach cleans, to keep our beaches safe for wildlife. During October half term we will be running a spooky Halloween themed trail for children, from 25 – 29 October.
Thameside Nature Discovery Park Mucking Wharf Road, Stanford-le-Hope, SS17 0RN
Michelle Rayner, Assistant Centre Manager
Langdon Nature Discovery Park Lower Dunton Road, Basildon, SS16 6EJ
Helen Daw, Assistant Centre Manager
Hanningfield Reservoir
Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park South Green Road, Fingringhoe, Colchester, CO5 7DN Autumn is an exciting time, as we welcome back our overwintering waders – so look out for flocks of avocet, knot and many others. We have three wonderful artists exhibiting with us: Lucia Hardy in September, Jackie South in October and Jane Hunter in November, all inspired by the local area. Lucia often comes to paint on the reserve, keep an eye out for events she will be running.
Charlotte Goodman, Site Manager
Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park Hawkswood Road, Downham, Billericay, CM11 1WT Autumn is a spectacular season at Hanningfield, where the summer birds take their new young back south, while the winter visitors begin to arrive. Diving and dabbling ducks begin to show themselves, look for large flocks of common pochard, wigeon and gadwall. Take part in our Fungi Trail from 24 October – 7 November. Collect your map and identification book for this self-led 3km trail for just £6 and learn all about fabulous fungi and where to find them, no booking required.
Fingringhoe Wick Langdon The Naze Thameside
The Naze Nature Discovery Centre Old Hall Lane, Walton-on-the-Naze, CO14 8LE
Verity Hales, Site Manager
| Nature Discovery Centres43WILD AUTUMN 2022
Jimmy Allan, Site Manager
After a busy summer holiday packed with events and activities, Thameside is looking forward to hosting more evening fun through the autumn months. Look out for a fabulous quiz night, featuring both Family Fortunes and The Price is Right rounds! We are also working with Thurrock Astronomy Society to host a spectacular stargazing evening.
Helpful
hedgerows
Hops photo: Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography Hops
As the air cools and each day brings us closer to winter, hedgehogs feast on as many insects as they can find and go house hunting for their winter hibernation, while dormice descend from the trees to create their cosy ground-level nests. Here are some of autumn’s top species and spectacles to look for, so you don’t miss a thing this season.Hedges
Wild hop weaves throughout hedgerows by looping around other plants and using their spiney stems to become fixed in place. During September, the wild hops’ female fruit turns from green to brown, signalling that they are ready to be picked. It’s the oils and resins found beneath the fruit’s layers that are used to flavour beer.
44WILD autumn 2022| Discover things to do and spot in September, October and November >>> What’s on this autumn Autumn What’s on this
During autumn, the woods become even more enchanting as the sun shines through the creaking, ancient trees, illuminating the fiery colours of the leaves as they glide gracefully down from the branches. Race to find the biggest conker and go head-to-head to see how many fungi species you can find; woodland wildlife is just waiting to be explored.
A s autumn tucks summer away under a blanket of crisp, golden leaves, say goodbye to the long, heat-filled days of summer and get ready to witness the breath-taking spectacles that autumn is about to perform. Grab your favourite jumper and head outside to see dark-bellied brent geese arrive in formation, redwings populate our fields and hedgerows, with juicy berries ripening just in time for their post-flight snack. Watch as the bright red fly agaric mushrooms emerge from the undergrowth replacing the summer’s purple foxgloves and pause to breathe in the cooling air. There is so much to experience this autumn, are you ready?
come in many shapes and sizes, from narrow strings of scraggy hawthorn bushes to thick bushes, tangled with dog rose, bramble and honeysuckle and overtopped with mature trees.
In total, hedgerows support several hundred species across the UK. But during autumn is when they become most enchanting. From blackberries to sloe berries, hedgerows become a pantry for migrating birds such as the new arrivals, waxwing and fieldfare, as well as young foxes who at this time of year leave their families and begin fending for themselves.
Species and spectacles
Oak marblegall
woodlandsWonderous
Coastal creatures
WILD autumn 2022 |Fly agaric photo: Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography What’s on this autumn
Acorns on the forest floor are a clearcut sign that autumn is upon us. But they won’t be there for long as, amongst the trees, the acorn games begin! Acorns and other nuts are swiped from beneath the branches and stashed away for a colder day. Wood pigeons are the greediest of the bunch, who don’t store them but ravish them all at once. Jays are the ones to beat as they can hoard up to 3,000 a month, often forgetting where they’ve hidden them and accidentally helping the woodland to rejuvenate.
The oak marble gall wasp lays its eggs within the tree’s tissue which irritates the oak tree so that it covers them with plant tissue. These little ‘oak nuts’ provide the perfect sanctuary for the tiny wasps to grow. Look closely at the small, brown balls. If there is a little hole in them, the wasp has flown the nest. If there is no hole, the wasp is still tucked up safely within.
Whereas nuthatches smash them against trees to access the delicious seed inside. As you crunch through the golden leaves, look out for oak marble galls, one of nature’s best Halloween tricks.
European Eel photo: Vaughn Matthews
Flyagaric
Europeaneel
Oak marble gall photo: Vaughn Matthews
As the days draw shorter and the little tern leave their summer lodgings behind, the autumn spectacles at the coast are only just beginning.. Now is the perfect time to make the most out of the cooler temperatures and get up close and personal with some coastal creatures. An unusually low tide accompanies the autumn equinox, this year occurring on 23 September. Revealed for your eyes only are areas of mudflats, wet sands and rockpools that would usually be underwater, even at low tide throughout the rest of the year. These newly uncovered habitats are home to a number of secretive species. Look closely for little holes in the wet sand for crustaceans, echinoderms and molluscs and keep your eyes peeled and you might catch a glimpse of a sea mouse. While many are flocking from the coast, European eels are embarking on the journey of a lifetime. Their destination? The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic where they will spawn. Having only ever lived in freshwater, European eels make their way down river, switching between streams and dodging obstacles by squirming over the land like snakes. Nobody knows what triggers eels to begin this journey and although they are known to spawn in the Sargasso Sea, no one has ever spotted one there.
Autumn is the season of change for wildlife. Why not try something new and join Essex Wildlife Trust on guided walks, expert talks, or run wild in our latest fundraising challenge this October? We have a packed calendar of events for everyone to get closer to nature this autumn.
Our Forest School home education sessions are a series of specialised, play-based, learning activities.
Birthday parties Are you looking for an exciting and hassle-free party with a difference? Our Nature Discovery Centres offer wildlifethemed birthday parties for all ages. Our regular events for children and families:
Home Education
SEND Forest Fun Our regular forest outdoor learning sessions for SEND children, where they can learn bushcraft skills, enjoy making natural arts and crafts and go for a nature walk.
Events and activities
School holiday events
Throughout the October half-term, we are offering a wide range of wildlife-themed events, from family activities to drop-off days, at each of our Nature Discovery Centres.
46WILD AUTUMN 2022|
AUTUMN Events and activities
AUTUMN
Nature Tots Join our weekly parent and toddler group where young children can explore, play and learn through nature, suitable for ages 18 months to 5 years.
Sunday 6 November 11am-12.30pm Join Colchester Local Group at Cockaynes Wood nature reserve. Discover the varied habitat of this gem, where in autumn the woods are transformed into a golden and russet toned landscape. Contact 07963 080335 or pjcatte@gmail.com. £4.
Dates for your diary
Running Wild Saturday 8 October 10am A fundraising challenge with a difference! Join us for 90 minutes of obstacles and mud and help us create a wilder Essex. Wild Forest, Brentwood, CM15 0LA. Book online and start fundraising. Owl Prowl Friday 9 September Join our Ranger at Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park for a dusk safari. Enjoy the tranquil reserve, whilst listening and looking for owls including tawny, barn and little. Bats, moths and other night-time flyers will also be on the wing. £6, call the centre to book on 01268 711011
Chelmsford Local Group AGM
Brentwood & Billericay Local Group are hosting a concert with Essex singing group “The Motley Crew”, featuring sea-shanties and other traditional songs. Bardswell Social Club, Brentwood. £15 tickets including jacket potato supper, book via John Allen on chainbridge1009@gmail.com or 01277 231305
Saturday 17 September 10am-12pm Lie in a hammock, whittle your own stick for roasting marshmallows, strike a fire lighter, build a den or hunt for minibeasts. Children must be accompanied by an adult, £7 per child. Book online at www.essexwt.org.uk/events
Monthly walk: Blue House Farm
Saturday 22 October 7:30pm-10pm
AUTUMN Events and activities47WILD AUTUMN 2022 |
A Personal Quest for UK Butterflies
Wednesday 19 October 7pm Tendring Local Group’s illustrated talk features Essex Wildlife Trust Warden, Bob Seago, accounting his ambition to see all British species of butterflies. Beaumont Village Hall, CO16 0AS. Autumn in Cockaynes Wood
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The Motley Crew
Commonbluephoto:PaulThrush Scan here to book online and fundraising:start
Background photo: Matthew Roberts Discover many more events, find details and book online through our website, www.essexwt.org.uk/events
Saturday 1 October 10.30am-12.30pm Havering Local Group’s monthly walk will go to Blue House Farm nature reserve, to look for the wintering waterfowl and autumn migrants. Free event, call 07802 212151 or ts15457@netscape.net Little owl photo: Luke Massey/2020VISION
Thameside Wild Weekends
Saturday 15 October 10am Hear about local news in the Chelmsford area or become a new committee member. Refreshments available. Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park, contact Secretary Sue to confirm attendance on 01245 471576 or suemcclell17@gmail.com
Fly agaric Velvet shanks Amethyst deceiver Jelly ear Scarlet elf cup Magpie inkcap Common eyelash fungus Lilac bonnet Green elf cup Parrot waxcap Verdigris agaric St George’s mushroom Autumn species to spot AUTUMNSpecies to spot We’ve created a handy checklist to cut out and keep, featuring some of the funky fungi you can hope to spot in Essex this autumn. Challenge your friends and see how many you can tick off the list whilst enjoying the rich colours that autumn has to offer. AUTUMN 2022 BirdersBeardedThePhoto: BirdersBeardedThePhoto: BirdersBeardedThePhoto:
Find new or familiar Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserves to explore on our website at nature-reserveswww.essexwt.org.uk/visit/
Bodacious bowls brimming with remarkably ruby inners, scarlet elf cups look like woodland goblets made for mystical creatures. These striking fungi only measure up to 4cm across, with an even shorter stem of 3cm that often isn’t noticed. They are food for foragers, whether it is a passing scurrying mouse or wandering people. This species has a similar-looking cousin who is often mistaken for them – the ruby elf cup. The difference between the two lies in the hairs on their surface which you’d have to be fairy-sized to see! Or, you would need a microscope. Where: These magical bowls are found growing on leaf litter, twigs or moss on the woodland floor. They fruit from early winter to early spring across the UK.
49WILD AUTUMN 2022 |
Perhaps one of the most distinctive fungi, the toadstool is often depicted in fairy tales thanks to its enchanting appearance. Fly agaric grows up to 30cm and is eye-catching on woodland floors with an apple-red domed cap and bright-white specks. This poisonous species contains ibotenic acid, which attracts and kills flies, hence its common name. Where: Spot this iconic fungus growing beneath the birch tree as you wander through the pathway into an ancient woodland, at Thrift Wood nature reserve for example.
Edwardes/2020VISIONGuyphoto:cupelfScarlet
Scarlet elf cup
Tiny and tantalising, vibrant in violet, the amethyst deceiver stands just 10cm tall, or should we say small? The cap of the mushroom starts off life domed and with age it stretches out and becomes flat, eventually curling upwards to reveal its frilly gills beneath. When the amethyst deceiver grows older, it performs a deceptive trick; it loses its violet colouring and becomes beige-brown. No one would ever know what a conspicuous colour it once was. Where: These little fungi are found in damp areas of woodlands amongst fallen leaves, all over the UK from late summer to early winter.
Fly agaric
Autumn species to spot
deceiverAmethyst
2012
At around 50 hectares, the ‘new’ intertidal habitats are a demonstration of a truly wild place.
The Trust’s project was simple, even if exercising it was not, and was two years in the planning: to breach the sea wall, to allow saltwater back on the reclaimed land and to allow for the regeneration of saltmarsh and mudflat.
• Two studies in Science revealed that neonicotinoids, which were introduced in the 1990s, were resulting in the collapse of bee hives
• The world population reached 7.086 billion while the population of the United Kingdom was 63.7 million.
Time Tunnel
The UK hosted its third Olympic Games in London.
Ten years on and nature has flourished. The incoming tides from the Salcott Channel – which leads into the vast Blackwater Estuary – have brought in seeds from the established saltmarsh outside the sea wall. Venturing on to that area today the familiar elements of saltmarsh are all present, from the succulent marsh samphire, which flanks the drainage channels, to shrubby seablite clumps on the higher ridges. The new mudflats have developed a rich invertebrate fauna and in winter support many species of wader, including grey plover, dunlin and black-tailed godwit. The channels and pools are home to small fish, prawns and shrimps, to the delight of little egrets and kingfishers. It is perhaps the gentle slope from mudflat and lagoon through the saltmarsh to the coastal grassland that is the defining success of the scheme to date. It has meant that there no longer needs to be a man-made sea wall; it has allowed the natural graduation from saline to terrestrial habitats that is all but absent on our county’s low lying engineered coastline. It is a place where sea purslane mingles with terrestrial grasses. This ‘transitional’ zone is where brown hares hide by day and graze by night, barn owls hunt and where skylarks and redshanks nest among the tussocks.
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Discover how the site has continued to develop over the following decade on pages 34 as we celebrate the project’s 20 year anniversary Saltmarsh at Abbotts Hall - Charlie Oliver
50WILD Autumn 2022| ...to give you a glimpse of our past and see what was happening at the Trust.
• The end of the Mayan calendar, or the end of the world as some believed, was observed without consequence.
Essex Wildlife Trust’s Winter 2012 magazine featured a 10 year review of the Trust’s pioneering realignmentmanagedproject, breaching the sea wall at Abbotts Hall. Once more unto the breach
• Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee
It was four centuries ago that the earth moved for Abbotts Hall Farm, when pioneering landowners began constructing the sea defences that excluded the sea and reclaimed the low lying parts of Abbotts Hall from saltmarsh and mudflat. That reclaimed land became rich grass and supported sheep farming until the 1940s, when it was ploughed to produce arable crops. Then, thanks to the legacy of Joan Elliot, along came Essex Wildlife Trust to this beautiful corner of the county; Abbotts Hall Farm was to change yet again.
We travel back to... What was happening globally in 2012:
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Bex Lynam explores the effects of the climate crisis on our underwater wildlife. Shifting seas
This spring, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its sixth assessment report, and it makes for deeply uncomfortable reading. The report, authored by the world’s leading climate change scientists, outlines the damage being done to the planet from our continued release of greenhouse gases, as well as the action needed to slow down the rate of change.
MUSTARD/2020VISIONALEXANDER©KELPINSEAL 53WILD Autumn 2022| Shifting seas
The impacts of a rapidly changing climate are not only felt on land (where we see droughts, wildfires, and flooding after heavy rainfall) but in the ocean too, as our seas heat up, rise and become more acidic. Globally, across both land and sea we’re witnessing increases in the frequency and intensity of climate and weather extremes. Coral bleaching is widespread and glaciers are retreating, changing the waters aroundCloserthem.tohome we know that UK seas are getting warmer. The biggest changes in sea surface temperature have been recorded in the North Sea and north of Scotland. Since 2000, eight of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred. At the same time, UK sea levels have risen by an average of 12-16cm since 1900. This may sound like a small increase, but even seemingly small rises cause more erosion on the coast and increase the chances of flooding. The chemistry of our seas has also shifted; according to the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership, the North Atlantic Ocean contains more anthropogenic CO2 than any other, causing it to become more acidic. So what does all this change mean for our marine wildlife?
New neighbours Nature is constantly changing, so the effects of climate change can be difficult to discern. However, scientists are in agreement on some of the common effects seen across the world’s seas. One of the most obvious trends is that wildlife is on the move. Long-term evidence shows shifts in the distribution of not only wildlife, but habitats too. As the seas around the UK warm, species that prefer cooler water are shifting northwards to seek a more suitable temperature. At the same time, some species from warmer waters to the south are moving into our seas, as conditions become more favourable for them. Several kelp species (a type of brown seaweed) have declined because of warming sea temperatures. This has a knock-on effect on other wildlife, as so many animals rely on the kelp as a food source, hunting ground or shelter against predators. Many marine mammals, like the white-beaked dolphin, require cooler waters to live in. It’s estimated around 80% of the European population of white-beaked dolphin is found in the UK, yet as our waters warm their range is getting smaller and they’re being pushed out of areas previously suitable for them.
54WILD Autumn 2022 Shifting seas |
Whereas warm water fish species like northern hake, largely absent in UK waters for over 50 years, are increasing in number, cold water species like cod will move north. This will have consequences for our seas, but also for UK fishers and the availability of cod in our local fish and chip shops! Seas out of sync Ocean warming also affects the timing of animal lifecycles. There’s evidence that grey seals are giving birth earlier in the year, and that climatic changes are part of the cause. In some cases, these timing shifts can lead to repercussions felt across the food web. One worrying example is the sandeel, a small, silvery fish that plays a big role in the UK’s seas. It’s an important prey item for many animals. Seabirds like Arctic terns, puffins and kittiwakes rely heavily on sandeels to feed themselves and their chicks. Warming seas have led to a mismatch between the timing of sandeels’ spawning and the time when zooplankton, their favourite food, is available. As a result, sandeels have declined (exacerbated by overfishing), which in turn has been linked to declines in UK seabird Temperaturenumbers.isn’ttheonly aspect of our seas that’s shifting. Climate-driven changes in ocean chemistry have reduced the amount of carbonate available in sea water. This matters because carbonate is an important building block of the shells of many marine creatures, including crabs and lobsters. These shelled species are eaten by a variety of different animals, including us! Any impacts on their numbers could quickly affect the wildlife that relies on them, as well as many key fisheries across the UK. The rise in sea level will impact coastal habitats like saltmarshes and sand dunes, as deeper water and bigger waves can reach them, increasing erosion. As these places are damaged and potentially even lost, we also lose the valuable services they provide such as capturing and storing carbon, or protecting coastal communities from flooding and erosion. Habitats like saltmarsh also have an important role to play for our wildlife, providing food for breeding and wintering wading birds and wildfowl, and acting as nursery sites for many fish and invertebrates. White-beaked dolphins thrive in UK seas, but that could change as waters warm.
The ringneck blenny, also known as the variable blenny, is a small fish that thrives in the warm coastal waters of the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. There were no UK records of this species until 2007, but in recent years it has become increasingly common along the southern coasts of Cornwall and Devon. Ringneck blennies live around rocky shores, reefs and maerl beds — a seaweed that forms hard skeletons, a bit like a coral reef.
At The Wildlife Trusts we have been campaigning for the establishment and protection of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for decades. Well managed MPAs are a tried and tested tool for making space for nature. By restricting damaging activities, they can allow wildlife populations to rebuild and flourish. These healthy populations are better prepared to face other threats, like those introduced by climate change. While the UK has established a network of MPAs in its waters, we believe more are needed and with greater levels of protection (in the form of Highly Protected Marine Areas) to ensure we safeguard wildlife for the future.
NATUREPL.COMBERGERSENESPEN©DOLPHINWHITE-BEAKEDMORAN,SHANNON©BLENNYRINGNECKHISCOCK,KEITH©FORESTKELP
55WILD Autumn 2022 Shifting seas | 2022|
The key step is to reduce the pressure from other human activities. This means ensuring we are fishing sustainably, making sure development is carried out in a sensitive way that minimises impacts on wildlife, significantly reducing marine pollution and noise in our oceans, and managing invasive species.
Ocean optimism Ultimately, we need to work hard to drastically reduce our carbon emissions. But whilst we do that, there are ways to help our seas cope in the meantime.
Bex Lynam is the marine advocacy officer for the North Sea Wildlife Trusts and her role focuses on policy development and implementation, particularly around Marine Protected Areas and their management.
Some kelp species are in decline, threatening the wildlife that relies on them. Find out more about how you can help protect our seas at wtru.st/marine-mailing
The Wildlife Trusts lead many restoration projects around the UK, bringing these habitats back to areas of our coast where they have been lost. Using both of these tools together, we hope to tackle the dual climate and biodiversity crises we face, before it’s too late. We can turn the tide if we all take action now!
Alongside the designation and proper management of MPAs, we’re championing the use of nature-based solutions to combat climate change. This means protecting the habitats and wildlife that provide us with ecosystem services, like the saltmarshes and seagrass meadows that prevent flooding and take in carbon.
Counting butterflies
• Breeding behaviour.
• Structure of habitats, like woodlands or grasslands, to tell us if it is a healthy habitat. We monitor
Botany specialists from Colchester Natural History Society kindly joined us at Tollesbury Wick nature reserve to share their expertise and carry out detailed botanical surveys. These surveys are helping to inform the future management of the reserve, to support wildlife in the best way. There are a range of beautiful and exciting plant species present at Tollesbury, including divided sedge which is scarce in the UK, lesser stitchwort, slender thistle, celeryleaved buttercup and suffocated clover, to name a few interesting species which the botanists identified.
monitoring
Afundamental part of conservation work is ecological monitoring. Put simply, this means conducting regular surveys at our nature reserves. Why is this important?
• Plant species to indicate habitat quality.
Celery-leaved buttercup
Lesser stitchwort
Green-veined white Brown argus
• Wildlife numbers, how they fluctuate throughout seasons and across the years.
Charli McLachlan, Essex Wildlife Trust’s Assistant Reserves Ecologist, tells us why… As conservationists, we need to understand what wildlife is benefiting from our reserves, how the habitats are developing and/or being maintained, and which management methods are working best. To do this, we carry out surveys.
Butterfly surveys give us an indication of which species are present and how many, but also indicates the suitability of habitat for other pollinating insects which are harder to see and identify. Set routes are walked each time in suitable weather conditions (warm, dry, sunny and calm) so that we can compare results from one survey to the next and over several years. A few of the butterflies we’ve spotted recently include: green-veined white at Brookes, speckled wood at Stow Maries Halt, brown argus at Tollesbury Wick, red admiral at Wrabness and painted lady at Abbotts Hall. Some ‘gatecrashers’ on recent butterfly surveys have included mother shipton moth and latticed heath moth at Blue House Farm.
Speckled wood: Vaughn Matthews
Watching out for wildflowers
Understanding how these factors change over time can help inform which aspects of our conservation management are working well, and allow us to adapt our methods if needed, based on evidence. Spending time on reserves carrying out ecological surveys can also be a great opportunity for some exciting wildlife encounters!
56WILD Autumn 2022| Ecological monitoring
Understanding deer Sometimes, our surveys focus on the impact particular groups of species may have on a reserve. One example of this includes assessing deer impact. Deer can impact woodlands by browsing (feeding on woody vegetation), stripping bark, and fraying (rubbing their antlers on small trees to mark territory or help remove velvet), which can damage bark and sometimes kill small trees. Deer activity within an area can also be estimated by looking for signs such as dung and tracks. In some areas, there was clear deer activity, mainly found in the form of dung and tracks, which were identified as coming from muntjac deer. However, little impact on the vegetation was found.
Sedge warbler: Amy Lewis
Great spotted woodpecker
Breeding bird survey season means a lot of early starts! To carry out a breeding bird survey, we rely on our ears. Listening to the birds singing in the morning allows us to identify which bird species are present on a reserve, including those which may be defending a breeding territory or trying to attract a mate, even when they often remain hidden amongst the trees. Many exciting species have been heard on our surveys, including turtle doves and nightingales at Wrabness and Abbotts Hall, reed and sedge warblers at Blue House Farm and Tollesbury Wick, and nightingales have been singing at Thrift Wood – the first records we have of them on this site in over five years! Our second breeding bird survey at Heather Hills treated us to great spotted woodpecker nests with hungry juveniles peeping out of their nest holes, jackdaw nestlings squawking loudly when their parent arrived at the nest, and a well-grown but still fluffy tawny owl chick.
Listening out for breeding birds
Thecountsummer butterfliesindividualforacrossourreserves totalled 3,295!
Muntjac deer: Amy Lewis
57WILD Autumn 2022| Ecological monitoring
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A type of fungus named after a food and a body part. (5,3) This ancient and primitive fish has no jaw, it instead has a round sucker for a mouth. (5,7) The only British bird not to rear its own young. (6) The transfer of pollen to a flower to allow fertilisation. (11) After an absence of 400 years, this large white bird bred in Essex once again in 2021. (9) A beautiful mauve flower that blooms across saltmarshes. (3,8) This bird of prey is commonly identified by its forked tail. (3,4) Clues down The species of owl renowned for the twit-twoo call. (5) Britain’s smallest type of cetacean. (7,8) This snake can sometimes be seen swimming across ponds, looking for newts and frogs. (5) What is the largest species of deer found in the UK? (3) This corvid has a bright blue stripe on its wing. (3) The answers will be revealed in our Winter 2022 edition of
WILD Wildlife fun facts... Answers from Summer 2022: 3.Across:Comma 5. Tiptree Heath 8. Murder 9. Drake 10. Skylark 1.DownSwift 2. Adder 3. Cuttlefish 4. Badger 6. Poppy 7. Beaver 8. Moon TentaclesTerritorial areanemonesBeadletoneof the most withtheyaboutwillanemonesaggressiveandeatjustanythingcancatchtheirtentacles, such as shrimp, crabs, mussels and small fish. Flower power Britain & Ireland are home to around 1,600 species of wildflower. Super spiky A hedgehog has between 3,000 and 5,000 quills on its body, made from keratin, the same material our hair and fingernails are made of. Meadow photo: James Adler Hedgehog photo: Amy Lewis Beadlet anemone photo: Paul Naylor 11AA AA AA AA A A1 3A A A 2 1 A A3 2 4 3 A 4A A 1 5 A AA A 3 5 3 6 AA A 6 A 4 AA A 5 7 A A5 6 A 7 A AA A A 8 AA A A 9 A10 A A A AA A A 9 A AA 11 A 12 10 AA A A 10 10 A A AA A A 11 11 A 12 A A A A A A A A A A A AA4AAAAAA CrosswordWildlifeBillie’s Spoonbill
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58WILD Autumn 2022| Wildlife quiz time How is your general knowledge on the wildlife and wild places of our country? Test yourself with our nature crossword. Clues Across 3
Nestled on the Essex, Suffolk border, Wivenhoe House at Christmas is somethng very special. Everyone is warmly welcomed and is able to escape and relax from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. Throughout your time with us, you will enjoy wonderful hospitality and delicious food with one or two Christmas surprises. 01206 878450 | wivenhoehouse.co.uk/christmasevents@wivenhoehouse.co.uk at Wivenhoe House Christmas 2 & 3 nights breaks Party Privatenightsfestive lunches Bottomless prosecco lunches & dinners Afternoon tea Festive events New years eve gala Scan to Christmasdownloadbrochure
Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity Number 210065. Photo: Adrian Clarke. Weekly Nature Tots sessions Look for creepy crawlies, get messy in the mud, hear the crunch of leaves, watch the trees sway in the breeze, splash in puddles or simply just explore. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Suitable for 18 months-5 years old. Become a Nature Tot Explore outdoors Look for wildlife Sensory activities Plus more! www.essexwt.org.uk/nature-tots Book sessions or find out more:
