<<Name>> <<Address 1>> <<Address 2>> <<Address 3>> <<Town>> <<County>> <<Postcode>>
THIS WINTER
HELP PROTECT
WATER AND WETLAND BIRDS
<<Date>>
Dear <<Salutaion>>
www.wildlifebcn.org/wetlandsappeal
Across Britain, water and wetland birds are in decline. Data published in October 2014* show that in the last 25 years there has been a massive 51% decrease in the number of breeding lapwing recorded in the UK. And the seemingly common moorhen has seen a decrease in its number of almost a third in the same time. Overall, water and wetland birds have declined by 12% in just the last five years. Water and wetland birds depend on a suitable habitat for survival. They need it for breeding, nesting, and rearing young; it is a source of drinking water and provides a place for resting, shelter, and social interactions. Our reserves in the Nene Valley, Northamptonshire, play a pivotal role in helping wetland birds to survive – and thrive. They provide a safe refuge to wintering golden plover, wigeon and gadwall. And of course, the lakes and rivers are perfect for other wildlife too – otters, banded damsleflies and bats such as the common pipistrelle and noctule, can all be found here. Today I write to ask for your help. We need to raise £10,000 to create a wetland area for birds. Made up of scrapes, islands and wet meadow it will provide essential feeding, nesting and resting places for wetland birds such as snipe, ringed plover and common tern.
A gift of £25 could turn grassland into wet meadows, perfect for lapwing We already have some cattle grazing the land, clearing scrub and vegetation to create wet grassland, perfect for wigeon and lapwing to find food. And our newly created scrape area has already seen visitors such as little egret, and tufted duck. We are proud that our Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve in the Nene Valley is considered internationally significant for the part it plays in providing a safe place for water and wetland birds. But we want – and need – to do more. Your donation today will help to ensure that we can maintain a diverse mosaic of habitats through grazing, cutting, coppicing and removing scrub. It will help us manage essential ditches, fences and natural screens such as hedgerows to prevent disturbance to birds and other wildlife. And it will help create reedbed and ditch networks, perfect for secretive bittern. We also hope to see a significant increase in the number of breeding lapwing. Distinguished by its beautiful green and purple iridescent plumage and distinctive crest, the lapwing is one of our most recognisable birds – and one of our most threatened. Their numbers have declined steadily, caused by a change in farming techniques, the drainage of wetlands and a reduction in uncultivated grassland. We believe the new wetland areas will provide ideal conditions in which these birds can flourish. continued over...
I want to protect water and wetland birds this winter <<Name>> <<Address 1>> <<Address 2>> <<Address 3>> <<Town>> <<County>> <<Postcode>> <<PV Key>> <<Source Code>>
Thank you for your support Northants Xmas appeal 2015.indd 1
I would like to give a gift of:
£25
£38
£50
£75
Other
I enclose a cheque or CAF voucher payable to The Wildlife Trust BCN Or, Please debit my credit card/debit card/or CAF card (please delete as appropriate): Card number Start date
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Expiry date
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Issue no (if applicable) Date
Your support will fund vital work across the three counties. Your donation may be used to make a Contributing Third Party (CTP) payment to a landfill operator to secure a grant through the Landfill Communities Fund.
Help local wildlife even more I am a UK taxpayer and I would like all donations made to the Wildlife Trust in the last four years and in future to be treated as Gift Aid donations. I confirm I have paid or will pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities or Community Amateur Sports Clubs that I donate to will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year (other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify). I understand the Wildlife Trust will reclaim 25p of tax on every £1 that I give and this may be used for any of the Trust’s work.
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Please tick if you would like an acknowledgement of your donation.
04/11/2015 09:05
This winter, why not work off some of the excesses of the festive season and rejoice in the beauty of the Nene Valley and its network of lakes, waterways and grassland? Your support for this Christmas appeal will help create a wetland landscape that will be enjoyed by both wildlife and people for generations to come. With best wishes for 2016,
Brian Eversham, Chief Executive *Taken from the Wild Bird Populations in the UK, 1970 to 2013 Annual statistical release by DEFRA, visit www.gov.uk/defra for full report
There are three main wetland habitats at in the Nene Valley, home to some of our most at risk water and wetland birds as well as a vast variety of other wildlife:
Wet grassland
Reedbed
Large expanses of open water can host significant populations of wildfowl, such as tufted duck, pollard and the less common little and great crested grebe. Kingfishers rely on slow flowing and standing water for their food source.
Lowland wet grassland has decreased by more than 40% since 1930. It is particularly important for breeding waders such as snipe, lapwing and curlew. The loss of wet grassland has had an impact on wader numbers, snipe have decreased by 80% since 1975.
Reedbeds are among the most important habitats for birds in the UK. They support breeding birds including the nationally rare bittern, Cetti’s warbler and the bearded tit which lives exclusively in this habitat.
Also home to: numerous species of invertebrates, amphibians and fish.
Also home to: skylark, meadow pipit and yellow wagtail
Slow flowing / standing water
Also home to: otter, water vole. Pipistrelle and noctule bats, and dragonflies feed here
Our work to maintain and create habitat in the Nene Valley plays a significant role in the protection of our most threatened and precious water and wetland wildlife Images: Kingfisher by Margaret Holland, lapwing by Gillian Day and bittern by Tim Stenton. The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, The Manor House, Broad Street, Great Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6DH. Registered in England 2534145. Reg charity no 1000412
Protect water and wetland birds + – Donate today! n Post your donation using the form overleaf in the Freepost envelope provided n Call us on 01954 713543 to make a donation by card n Visit
THIS WINTER
HELP PROTECT
WATER AND WETLAND BIRDS www.wildlifebcn.org/wetlandsappeal
www.wildlifebcn.org/wetlandsappeal
Northants Xmas appeal 2015.indd 2
04/11/2015 09:05