Feature

Redd Alert: Spotting Spawning Salmonids

Stroll along a chalk stream in winter, and you might see a wildlife wonder in progress. At this time of year, the cool, clear, oxygen-rich water is alive with amorous brown trout and salmon. As the females get busy building their nests, the males compete for the chance to be their spawning partners.

To create a nest, or ‘redd’, a female turns on her side and flexes her body. This directs the flow towards the stream bed, forming a hollow and sweeping away the finer sediment. She lays her eggs in this hollow, the victorious male fertilises them, and she covers them over with a layer of gravel.

This process can take several days, but the result is a dip followed by a slight mound just downstream. A freshly made redd is easier to spot, since the disturbed patch is a lighter colour than the area around it. As sediment and algae accumulate, the redd gradually becomes less visible.

Of course, not every breeding attempt will be successful. Moreover, a female may start forming a redd to test a spot’s suitability, only to abandon the site upon finding a better option. Beyond this natural uncertainty, however, there are other factors that make the odds less favourable. Barriers like weirs and dams can be impassable for some fish, which isolates them and limits their space for spawning – you might see redds crowded together in the vicinity of these obstacles. In dry weather years, low water levels can leave redds exposed, putting the eggs at risk of dehydration.

Excess sediment can fill the gaps between larger pieces of gravel, thereby preventing water from flowing through them. This deprives a redd’s eggs of oxygen, which is crucial to their development. Dredging can remove gravel from a stream bed entirely, leaving only fine sediment behind.

So how do we aid our salmonids in coping with such issues? To put it simply: by keeping their chalk stream homes in a healthy condition. Tackling bank erosion, removing barriers, conserving water, and restoring habitat diversity will all help these amazing animals to thrive. The Watercress and Winterbournes scheme is surveying redds and supporting wild fish on the Test and Itchen headwaters. If you’d like to help, or make habitat improvements on your land, we’d love to hear from you: visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/winterbournes. Our work is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Online Talk – Chalk Stream Habitat Restoration

12th January, 7 - 8pm, Free to attend. Join the Watercress and Winterbournes team to hear about our recent chalk stream restoration work. The Test and Itchen headwaters are incredibly precious places that teem with vibrant wildlife. We’ll discuss this autumn’s habitat improvements, why each one was needed, and what the future might look like for these spaces.

Book your ticket at: www.hiwwt.org.uk/events

Handel Messiah - Sat 10th Dec 2022

It’s so good to be back singing again, and this December, Southampton Philharmonic Choir return to O2 Guildhall Southampton with possibly the most famous of all choral works, Handel’s Messiah. It is a genuinely virtuoso work; requiring superb vocal technique from the chorus and soloists, a wide range of emotional expression and the ability to convey the most dramatic of narratives as well as moments of intense reflection. The fact that parts of Messiah are well known is a huge advantage to performer and listener alike - providing rallying moments of instant recognition and pure excitement. However, in such a substantial Oratorio, there are always new or less familiar moments to surprise and delight the listener.

For many, Messiah is an indispensable part of the festive season. With music of such remarkable quality, something new and fresh is almost inevitable, especially performing with the world-class Hanover Band. The use of period instruments creates just the right quality of sound whilst experienced musicians, immersed in Baroque style and techniques, will inevitably bring authenticity and authority to this popular work. Messiah was written in a mere 24 days between 22 August and 14 September 1741 with text compiled by Charles Jennens, and premiered at the New Music Hall in Fishamble Street, Dublin on 13 April 1742. The Choir, under the baton of Musical Director David Gibson is pleased to welcome soloists for this performance are soprano, Charlotte Bowden, mezzo Emma Roberts, tenor Michael Bell and bass Jamie Woollard.

Join us, tickets are on sale now from O2 Guildhall Southampton box office 023 8063 2601 or online www.O2guildhallsouthampton.co.uk.

JESSIE KEANE CELEBRATES 15 YEARS AS A TOP 10 BESTSELLING NOVELIST!

Local author Jessie Keane, dubbed the Queen of the Underworld, is back with another thrilling tale about her favourite heroine Annie Carter. ‘The fans have been screaming for this,’ says Jessie. NEVER GO BACK is the seventh novel in the Annie Carter series, following on from Number One Heatseeker Dirty Game, then Black Widow, Scarlet Women, Playing Dead, Ruthless and Stay Dead. ‘I’ve written a number of stand-alones too, and the Ruby Darke series of 3 books,’ says Jessie, ‘I’m working on my 18th right now! But it’s the question I get asked time and again: when is Annie Carter coming back? Well – here she is!’

NEVER GO BACK hits the shelves in major retailers and bookshops on 2nd February 2023. It charts Annie’s sensational rise from East End London madam to gangster’s moll to Mafia queen to woman of substance. Jessie loved returning to her, and there may even be more Annie Carter books. ‘There’s a huge demand for more Annie,’ says Jessie. ‘I see it every day on Twitter and Facebook.’

Jessie is Romany and has – just like her heroines – known both bad times and good. ‘I’ve always written,’ she says. ‘And I was flat broke when I was inspired in 2008 to write Annie Carter in Dirty Game. I wrote it using a borrowed monitor in 3 months and within a fortnight I had a 3 book offer for a 6 figure sum from a major publisher. 15 years on, I’m still writing, still loving it.’

Pre-order your copy of NEVER GO BACK now at: https://amzn. to/3QEYiBF or on Jessie’s website www.jessie-keane.co.uk