Roebuck The member magazine for Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Space for nature a WILDER FUTURE
Simon Barnes on why we must all help to reconnect the UK’s wild places
YOUR WILDLIFEFRIENDLY HOuse
Follow our 10 simple steps to make nature feel at home
PLAN A PERFECT POND
How to create a watery haven that will attract wildlife to your garden
Summer 2019 | 148
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Welcome
Working together to bring about change As climate change and extinction is now being discussed, the urgency to act for nature’s recovery and reverse its decline are at last being taken seriously, but more action is needed. This is something The Wildlife Trusts and our Greener UK partners have been campaigning for and which culminated in a rally in London on 26 June which was attended by over 10,000 people, many from Trusts and other environmental charities working together as one voice for nature. What we need next is a great Environment Act to reinforce wildlife protection (and enhancement). The message of a wilder everywhere is starting to take shape, but we will keep pushing for positive change especially in times of such political uncertainty. Locally, we have been meeting with MPs to move this up the agenda, despite other national distractions, and it is working. What we want is an Environment Act to guarantee long-term wildlife protection, with statutorily required maps for nature’s recovery at grass root level. At sea, there has been great progress with the creation of more Marine Conservation Zones, including another one off the Northumberland coast, which are helping to complete a cohesive marine network of protected areas, to ensure wildlife at sea is better protected. This is a massive achievement and shows how if we all work together, we can bring about big change.
Chief Executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust Follow me on twitter @Mike_Pratt_NWT
Mike pratt: jack seery, bottlenose dolphins: M
Northumberland Wildlife Trust Roebuck is the membership magazine for Northumberland Wildlife Trust Email mail@northwt.org.uk Telephone (0191) 284 6884 Address Garden House, St Nicholas Park, Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 3XT. Registered charity number 221819 Registered company number 717813 Website nwt.org.uk facebook.com/northumberlandwt twitter.com/northwildlife instagram.com/northwildlife
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Get in touch
Northumberland Wildlife Trust is a member of the UK’s largest voluntary organisation concerned with all aspects of wildlife protection - The Wildlife Trusts. For The Wildlife Trusts Editor Sophie Stafford
Roebuck Magazine Team Editor Fiona Dryden Designer Richard Clark Consultant editor Sophie Stafford Consultant art editor Tina Smith Hobson Roebuck is printed on
Cover: Watervole by Terry Whittaker/naturepl.com
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Contents 4 Your wild summer
The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it on your local patch
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Wild reserves Why summer is the best time of year to visit these Wildlife Trust reserves
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Wild thoughts Nature writer Melissa Harrison on how we’re all nature’s guardians
16 Wild news
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The latest regional and national news from The Wildlife Trusts
23 Focus on: Benshaw Moor Appeal After a successful appeal, find out what’s next for Benshaw Moor
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Space for nature Author Simon Barnes finds out how the fortunes of three species can be transformed
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At home with nature Turn your home and garden into a place for nature this summer
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The swallow’s tale A personal story about swallows from Trust Vice Chair, Ian Armstrong
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But that’s not wildlife...! Revitalising Redesdale’s historical monuments and buildings
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Gardening for wildlife Kate Bradbury explains how to make your pond a haven for animals, large or small
Martin Kitching, joel & water vole: Kelly Hollings, swollows: amy lewis, benshaw moor: duncan hutt
6 ways to get involved with Northumberland Wildlife Trust Membership
Volunteer
Help us protect the wildlife and countryside you love... and discover the incredible natural world, on your doorstep nwt.org.uk/membership
Could you donate your skills and time to look after wildlife? A wide range of indoor and outdoor tasks need doing nwt.org.uk/volunteer
Donate to an appeal
Campaigning You can play
From purchasing land to protecting species, exciting projects near you need your support. nwt.org.uk/donate
a vital role in raising awareness, and lobbying, on local and national issues. nwt.org.uk/campaigns
Local groups
Join one of our network of local groups and enjoy leaning about wildlife. nwt.org.uk/local-groups
Leave a legacy
If you’ve had a lifetime’s pleasure from nature, help ensure its future by leaving us a legacy in your will. nwt.org.uk/legacy Roebuck | Summer 2019
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Your wild summer The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it
UK bottlenose dolphins are the biggest in the world their large size helps them cope with our chilly waters!
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T h a n k y ou
Thanks to your co ntinued support, the UK no w has 91 Marine Conservatio n Zones (MCZs), including our very own Northumberla nd coast. wildlifetrusts.org / mczs
summer SPECTACLE
Delightful dolphins
bottlenose dolphins: martin kitching
Over the last 10 years, the importance of the Northumberland coast for marine wildlife has really come to the fore, particularly with discussions about marine protected areas and the designation of marine conservation zones. Bottlenose Dolphins were a scarce animal in Northumberland until October 2012 when a large group from the Moray/Tay population in eastern Scotland passed south along the coast. Since then sightings have increased and it may be that we’ve now reached a point where they’re resident in our waters all year round making it likely that we now have young dolphins that were born here. SEE THEM THIS summer The Mouth of the Tweed Stag Rock, Bamburgh Seaton Sluice
Martin Kitching North East Regional Officer for MARINElife. He is also Northumberland/Durham Regional Coordinator for the Seawatch Foundation.
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Your wild summer
Look for common lizards basking in warm sun on heathland, moorland, grassland and in coastal areas. April, May and September are the best times to look, as this is when they spend the most time basking. Common lizards eat small invertebrates and hibernate in winter. Adults grow to 10-15cm long and are brown with patterns of spots or stripes, but colour variants occur. Juveniles are smaller and black, gradually changing colour as they develop into adults. SEE them THIS summer † Whitelee Moor Carter Bar, near Byrness, Northumberland. Nearest postcode, TD8 6PT. † Annstead Dunes Between Beadnell and Seahouses, Northumberland. Nearest postcode, NE67 5BT
Look out for a common lizards basking in the warm sun as you wander around heathlands, moorlands and grasslands. You might even be lucky enough to spot one in your garden, too!
Tyne kittiwake and young chick, nesting on the side of a building
urban fieldcraft
Kittiwakes on the Tyne
kittiwakes: Ian cook
Since the 1960s, the River Tyne has supported the most inland breeding colony of kittiwakes in the world. Each spring, these gulls return from flying the open sea to the Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside where they nest on buildings and structures, including the Tyne Bridge. The kittiwakes are now part of this iconic cityscape and a tourist attraction in their own right A local ornithologist has been monitoring the Tyne kittiwakes for 25 years during which time a great increase in their numbers at NewcastleGateshead Quayside has been recorded. This is incredible, not just because of the 6
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special place these birds have chosen to nest, but in light of the significant reductions in kittiwake populations elsewhere. Unfortunately, the Tyne kittiwakes face risks at their artificial nest site as individual birds accidentally became caught up in, and in some instances perished, because of unfit bird deterrent netting. The Tyne Kittiwake Partnership, which includes Northumberland Wildlife Trust, worked alongside the RSPCA to support rescue operations and collaborative efforts are continuing in an attempt to prevent this from happening again.
common lizrad: Tom Marshall
Common lizard
SEE THIS
Take a trip to Longhorsley Moor in Northumberland and spot the Flexigraze Exmoor ponies grazing as part the Trust’s conservation grazing scheme.
DO THIS
Head to Weetslade Country Park and cycle along the old Wagonway, which is part of the popular Sustrans Reivers Coast to Coast walking and cycling route.
species spotlight
Moths
Emperor moth
pony: steven comber, emperor moth, hummingbird hawk-moth, emperor moth caterpillar & magpie moth: jenna berry
Moths are often dismissed as drab, night-flying relatives of butterflies but this couldn’t be further from the truth! What are they doing at this time of year? There are a whopping 2500 species of moth to be found in Britain. Most are found all year round in one life stage or another, either as eggs, caterpillars or adult moths but some visit us as migrants from other countries. Whilst moths can be found all year round, the adults of most species are on the wing right now during the summer months. The majority of these will be night flying and will be active from dusk through to the early hours of the morning. Their main goal is to find a mate so that they can breed, lay eggs and start the next generation of moths. Males use their feathered antennae like a ‘nose’ to sniff out the pheromones produced by females. Some moths, like the emperor moth, can smell a female from several kilometres away! Eggs are laid on a specific type of plant which is eaten by the caterpillar once it hatches. Different species choose different plants to avoid competition. Once a caterpillar has reached its full size it will pupate and undergo its transformation into an adult moth. Some species will pupate and emerge as adult moths in the same year they hatched; others will overwinter either as a caterpillar or a pupa and hatch out as adults the following year. Migrants like the hummingbird hawkmoth and the silver-Y moth will be making their way to us from North Africa and the Mediterranean and can be seen drinking nectar, hovering hummingbird style, from
Antennae Moths typically have featherlike antennae, while butterflies have clubbed antennae
Top tips
3 species to spot Hummingbird hawk-moth Most abundant in August. Seen feeding from buddleia and red valerian.
wings Moths usually rest with their wings flat. Butterflies rest with their wings folded
flowers like red valerian, viper’s bugloss and buddleia. Like most migrants, they are seen more often during hot summers with southerly winds. Why are they important? Moths are an important food source for lots of other creatures including birds, bats and hedgehogs. They also pollinate plants including our food crops which depend on pollinating insects for a good harvest. Since they are sensitive to environmental change and so numerous and widespread, monitoring their numbers gives us a better idea of how human activity and changes in the environment are affecting our wildlife, such as the effects of urban development, pollution, climate change, the effects of new farming practices and the use of pesticides. SEE THEM THIS SUMMER Benshaw Moor near Elsdon, Northumberland NE19 1BN. Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre Low Hauxley, Northumberland NE65 0JR. Harbottle Crags south of Harbottle, Northumberland NE65 7BB.
Emperor moth impressive, black/ green caterpillars feed on heather from late May - August. Adults fly April - May.
Magpie moth Flies from July - August. Attracted to light but seen at rest on vegetation by day.
To find out more please visit our website nwt.org.uk/wildlife-explorer
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HEAR THIS
Listen out for honking geese as they fly in formation over Druridge Bay heading south for winter. They honk from behind to encourage those up front.
FORAGE FOR THIS
Search for blackberries in meadows, field edges and along the region’s rural roads. They offer the highest level of antioxidants amongst fresh fruit.
Handlebards: Lynette friend , osprey: Peter Cairns/2020VISION, ratty trail: joel ireland, volunteer photography: simon greener, common bluey: amy lewis
not just for kids
Seven ways to enjoy nature this summer Reignite your love of nature with these really wild things to do
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May the Bard be with you Join The HandleBard’s 2019 Summer Tour for a unique open-air performance of the Shakespeare classic ‘The Tempest’ at Northumberlandia on Thursday, 22nd August 2019. Find out more nwt.org.uk/ handlebards.
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Eyes to the skies Why not try and catch a last glimpse of the Kielder ospreys before they leave the region for sunnier weather? Two nests have live streaming, whilst the remaining four have recordings. All activity can be viewed via the osprey blog at kielderospreys.wordpress.com.
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Share your skills We are looking for marketing, finance, social media, photography and community ambassador volunteers to join our 2020 Vision project, so if you can spare some time why not get in touch? Find out more at: nwt.org.uk/2020-vision.
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Follow the Ratty Trail Head to Kielder Forest and follow the 1.5 mile long Ratty Trail that starts and finishes at Kielder Castle. Take your pencils and paper with you, collect 10 brass rubbings, and take part in a fun quiz along the way. Better still, it’s free!
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Make a butterfly banquet Use old fruit to give autumn butterflies a sugary treat to help them stay fit and healthy and see them into hibernation or install a butterfly fruit feeder to your garden. Take an old banana, massage it all over without breaking the skin, use a knife to nick three or four small cuts across the upper side of the skin and put it outside in a sunny, sheltered position then sit back and watch them flutter.
Your wild summer
10 upcoming events Take your pick from this selection of some of the best seasonal activities and events close to you
Big Wild Debate Join us on 17th October at Northumbria University and share your concerns about the planet, wildlife and the state of nature with North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll and our specialist panel. Find out more at: nwt.org.uk/bigwild-debate
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Create a wildlife pond By digging one in your back garden or simply by filling a waterproof container outside your front door - is great for hedgehogs to have somewhere to drink and for frogs, newts and other amphibians to feed and breed. All ponds, large, small, dug or container, are good news for bats, damselflies, dragonflies and other insects.
N at u re craft
you will need Spade Plank of wood Spirit level Butyl pond liner Sand Rainwater A variety of pond plants Large rocks make your wildlife pond Choose your spot. Draw your pond ouline and dig out, include some shallow areas (use the spirit level to ensure that the edges are level).
1 Owl pellet dissection 25th July 2019 Hauxley, NE65 0JR Dissect a real owl pellet, identify the contents and find out what barn owls eat.
6 Spiders on the doorstep 15th September 2019 Corsenside Parish Hall, NE48 2SQ Learn to identify common spiders, where to find them, their biology and behaviour.
2 Secrets of the wild 31st July 2019 Hauxley, NE65 0JR Wildlife photography tuition with Neil Atkinson.
7 East Chevington walk 21st September 2019 East Chevington, NE61 5BQ Find out about the species at this time of year, such as the migratory birds.
3 Ratty ramble 5th August 2019 Kielder Castle, NE48 1ER Learn about our Restorng Ratty project look for signs of our released water voles. 4 Treasure hunt 13th August 2019 Northumberlandia, NE23 8AU Follow clues, explore the woodland and find treasure along the way. 5 Minibeast safari 27th August 2019 Northumberlandia, NE23 8AU See which minibeasts live amongst the dead wood and leaves in the woodland.
8 Intro to printmaking 28th September 2019 Hauxley, NE65 0JR Learn how to make prints during a one-day tutored printmaking course. 9 Intro to autumn birds 5th October 2019 Hauxley, NE65 0JR Improve your identification of autumn birds.
mayor driscoll: North News & Pictures, Minibeast hunt: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
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10 Spirit of nature 31st October 2019 Northumberlandia, NE23 8AU Self-led trail and storyteller Jim Grant with stories from the ‘Spirit of nature’.
Discover more on these and all forthcoming events, visit our website nwt.org.uk/events
Join us on a minibeast safari this summer!
Put a layer of sand at the bottom (don’t use it all, you’ll need some later). Make a trench all around the edge of your pond and lay the edge of the liner into this. Weigh it down with large rocks. Fill the bottom with the remaining sand and fill the pond with water (use rainwater for best results). Add your plants and wait to see what wildlife visits (make sure you add a plank of wood, or similar, as a ramp to help any wildlife that may have fallen in). Roebuck | Summer 2019
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Old mine site continues to drift towards nature In 2003 the Trust was passed East Chevington Nature Reserve, a 185-hectacre site that now consists of lakes, ponds, reed beds, woodland, pasture and arable farming.
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Once operating as a drift mine from 1882 - 1962 and then an opencast site from 1982 - 1994 the site is now home to habitats and species of local, national and international importance. Marsh harriers, red squirrels and great crested newts are protected species that can all be found on site. East Chevington is also known for its bird life with Cetti’s warbler and bearded tits breeding on site and bitterns using the site as an overwintering ground. We also have fantastic flora in our meadows including a variety of orchids; common spotted orchid, marsh helleborine, marsh orchid and lesser butterfly orchid, which help support pollinating insects. The site is also important to the local communities who use the site as an area for walking and access to the beach, with an estimated 10,000 visitors a year. Following on from the success of our National Lottery Heritage Fund funded
Dynamic Druridge Project, which included the creation of our fabulous Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, we now have our sights firmly set on enhancing East Chevington as the next step to creating a connected mosaic of habitats along Druridge Bay. The project, aptly titled ‘Catch My Drift’ is a nod to the reserves history. Thanks to National Lottery players, The National
Marsh harriers can be soptted on the reserve between April and September
our best summer reserves
The Catch my Drift project on social media: @catchmydriftnwt
into willow scrub due to the silting up of water. To be able to arrest the development of scrub we must be able to access the reed beds but currently water levels are too high. JBA Consulting will be looking into our water levels to determine the sources of water, where it goes to and how levels change throughout the year. The plantation woodland put in place as part of opencast restoration is dominated by coniferous trees that need partial removal to open up the woodland canopy as well as the planting of more native broadleaved species to increase species diversity. Furthermore, the reserves current nine hectares of poor quality meadow and a further twenty hectares of pasture are to be turned into a large block of
Our sights firmly set on enhancing East Chevington Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the project a £90,000 development grant to finalise plans and apply for a full grant of £415,800 in the future. During the development stage we will be working with ecological and hydrological consultant JBA Consulting to create a site masterplan that includes new habitats, access routes and an update of the site’s management plan. Many of our habitats require long-term management plans to maintain them at their best for species to thrive. Our reed beds are at risk of developing
did you know The reed beds at East Chevington are classed as an extremely uncommon habitat by the Northumberland Biodiversity Action Plan and they are the largest complex in the county at 16 hectares. They support the Schedule 1 listed Marsh Harrier.
species-rich meadow. A grant from the Ventient Sisters North Steads Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund at the Community Foundation has been secured to carry out a small section of this work in 2019/20. This work will enable us to visibly see the difference meadow habitat has on pollinator species and will help the development of our second stage bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The existing wildlife hides are noisy and unwelcoming metal boxes. We have appointed Biotope, an architectural company that specialises in the creation of wildlife watching hides, to help us transform the visitor experience for the site. At our first on site meeting, we discussed with them a potential plan for improving the wildlife hides, feeding in opinions and ideas collected from our consultations with the public. We are excited to see what concepts they come up with to improve the site.
now you do it
Visit East Chevington Know before you go Location: Opposite Red Row, Druridge Bay, Northumberland NE61 5BQ How to get there: Access off the A1068. Opening times: All day everyday. Access: There is a network of designated routes on site and there are several hides dotted around the lakes. All footpaths are level and well-surfaced. top WILDLIFE TO SPOT Barn Owls: can be seen hunting over farmland and grassland. Look out for a pure white underside and a silver-grey back. Butterflies: a variety of species can be spotted along grass verges and hedgerows including: orange tip, comma, peacock, speckled wood, red admiral, meadow brown and ringlet. Otters: one of our top four predators they feed mainly on fish. They have a broad snout and a pale chest and throat.
east chevington nature reserve: steven morris, Marsh harrier: Andrew Parkinson/2020VISION, Otter: Luke Massey/2020VISION
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Fo llow
Otters are regular visitors to East Chevington
THINGS TO DO Visit the Drift Stone, this limestone rock sits at the entrance to the Old Drift mine that operated between 1882-1962. Between April and September, try to spot a marsh harrier. Keep an eye out for our breeding pairs over the south pool. You can see them flying and diving into the reed beds. Females are brown with a golden-yellow crown and throat. Males have a brown back, pale head and grey wings. Take a stroll along the Northumberland coastal path. The path runs alongside the east of the reserve and gives access to some of our hides; you may even hear a grasshopper warbler or Cetti’s warbler.
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our best summer reserves
More Northumberland Wildlife Trust nature reserves for a great summer day out 3
Berwick upon Tweed
East Crindledykes Quarry Nature Reserve
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Alnwick
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East Chevington Nature Reserve
Kielder Morpeth
3 Hexham
Newcastle upon Tyne
Why now? The reserve has a rich limestone flora including autumn gentian and bird’s-foot trefoil, the latter being the food plant of the common blue butterfly. Late summer and early autumn brings added colour to the reserve in the form of a range of waxcap fungi. Know before you go Location: The road north of Bardon Mill, referred to as the Stanegate. NE47 7AF. Open: All day, everyday. Wildlife to spot: There are several waxcap species found in the meadow including snowy, blackening, and scarlet. Additional flowering plants to be found include salad burnet, wild thyme, cowslip and hoary plantain.
annstead dunes: becky johnson, East crindledykes quarry: duncan hutt
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Annstead Dunes Nature Reserve Why now? The beautiful sandy beach is a great place for a family day out over the summer months, enjoy paddling in the sea or, when the tide is out, try your hand at rock pooling. Know before you go Location: Between Beadnell and Seahouses on the B1340. NE67 5BT. Open: All day, everyday.
Annstead Dunes
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Wildlife to spot: A wide range of flowers can be found on the reserve such as lady’s bedstraw, sea rocket, sea milkwort, upright hedge-parsley, viper’s bugloss, and fewflowered leek. Keep an eye open for the colony of common lizards on the reserve. The lowdown The sand dunes that define much of Northumberland’s coast provide a natural and effective protection against the sea. Behind the beach, the dunes are grazed during the winter by Flexigraze Exmoor ponies to encourage stunning displays of wildflowers such as pyramidal orchid, common restharrow, bloody cranesbill and wild strawberry. The colourful narrowbordered five-spot burnet and cinnabar moths can be seen in large numbers feeding on the flowers, whilst birds such as stonechat and meadow pipit can be heard.
East Crindledykes Quarry The lowdown This small reserve was rescued by the Trust from being filled in with shale waste from a nearby colliery. A small amount of this shale covers part of the quarry floor but elsewhere there are thin limestone soils. The quarry is part of a larger quarry area in the Great Limestone, a band of rock that can be found sweeping around south Northumberland close to the Whin Sill.
Plan your next great day out from all our nature reserves at: nwt.org.uk/nature-reserves
WILD THOUGHTS
Melissa Harrison
illustration: jade they, nettle: katrina martin/2020vision
We’re all nature’s guardians How did you first learn to look after nature? Moving to a flat with a garden did it for me. Not only was it the first bit of habitat I felt responsible for, but it also meant that I could get a dog. Going out on twice-daily walks in all weathers, year after year, broadened my sense of custodianship to take in two urban parks and a common near my house; so as well as feeding my garden birds, planting pots up with nectar-rich species and fitting nestboxes, I found myself discovering which of my local parks’ nettle patches always had the most small tortoiseshell caterpillars, where on the common the fox den was, and which hollow trees were hibernacula for bats. Before long, I found that if any of those green spaces had been threatened with development, I would have fought for them tooth and nail; not for the theoretical ‘ecosystem services’ they provided, but because I loved them and knew them, every inch. Cultivating a localised sense of custodianship could prove key to preserving and connecting our threatened natural environment – and going by the way people have spoken up for nature recently, from protesting against anti-bird nets to protecting wildflower verges from being mown, I think it’s already happening, right across the UK. We all have a ‘home patch’ we care about, whether it’s a single street tree, a garden, park, village green or other open space. Getting to know what happens in it year-in, year-out not only grounds us in nature and the seasons in a way that’s proven to have deep
physical and psychological benefits, a little bit wild but also makes us more likely to step in and act when it’s threatened: when Let them grow builders block off the eaves of our local Nettles are an important supermarket so returning swallows can’t food source for many nest, or an avenue of much-loved trees is moths and butterflies, and in danger of being felled. they make great fertiliser. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the Leave a patch to grow, if scale of the issues we’re dealing with, you can, then harvest and helpless in the face of structures so it for compost just large as to seem unassailable. But caring before it sets seed. for a home patch is a win-win thing: not only can you achieve tangible results that benefit nature, but the sense of connection and fulfilment you can derive from protecting local habitats so they remain rich in life is huge. Imagine if, instead of waiting for someone or something else to turn things around, we did it ourselves: an army of parents and park runners, nature fans and dog-walkers looking after our nearby ponds and hedgerows, verges and bramble thickets and scrappy little woods. We’ve been taught Melissa to think that if we don’t own the land, Harrison is a we don’t own the problem. But a world nature writer rich in wildlife is everyone’s right – and and novelist, everyone’s responsibility, too. and editor of the anthologies Show your support People taking action in Spring, Summer, the places closest to them is the foundation of Autumn and the grassroots movement that is The Wildlife Trusts. Winter, produced Join our campaign for a Wilder Future and help in support of The nature recover. wildlifetrusts.org/wilder-future Wildlife Trusts.
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WATER VOLE: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
6 places to see Water voles
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ater voles once thrived across the UK, but in the last 30 years they’ve declined by 90% due to habitat loss, pollution and predation by mink. However, thanks to the hard work of Wildlife Trusts, water voles are making a comeback in some areas. We’ve pulled together a list of some of our top places to spot them. Water voles can be secretive, but tell-tale signs can signal their presence. Look out for burrows in the riverbank, piles of nibbled grass and latrines of small, cigar-shaped droppings. If you’re quiet, you might hear the distinctive ‘plop’ of a vole dropping into the water. With a bit of patience, you can enjoy wonderful views of this water-loving mammal.
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With your suppor t, we’re helping wate r voles to recover across the UK. You can find out more abou t our work at wildlifetrusts.org /water-voles
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T h a n k y ou
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See the spectacle
for yourself
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1 Ben Mor Coigach, Scottish Wildlife Trust The water voles on this large highland reserve have black fur, noticeably darker than those found further south in the UK. Where: 10 miles from Ullapool, IV26 2YJ 2 Bakethin, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Search for signs of recently reintroduced water voles throughout the reserve. Where: Kielder, NE48 1HD 3 Cromford Canal, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust Water voles are regularly spotted on this former working waterway, now a haven for wetland wildlife. Where: Cromford, DE4 3RQ 4 Upton Broad and Marshes Norfolk Wildlife Trust A network of pristine dykes crisscrossing swathes of reedbed and fen creates the perfect home for water voles. Where: 2.2 miles northwest of Acle, NR13 6EQ 5 Thorley Wash Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust Water voles are thriving on this reserve following a successful reintroduction programme by the Wildlife Trust in 2015. Where: Spellbrook, CM22 7SE 6 Winnall Moors Nature Reserve, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Follow the water vole trail and look for these enigmatic mammals in the clear waters of a beautiful chalk stream. Where: Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8DX
Did you see one?
We’d love to know how your water vole search went. Please tweet us your best photos of a water vole from your day out @wildlifetrusts
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wild news
All the latest regional and national news from The Wildlife Trusts
Blogs
R ead w h at have be our Trust blogg en up to er and writ s about a ing t nwt.or g.uk/blo g
regional
The youth are striking and it is wonderful! Towards the end of last year (2018), I attended a Parliamentary Reception in London, hosted by The Wildlife Trusts, which provided young people with the opportunity to speak to their MPs about their concerns for the environment. At the same time, young people outside were protesting over climate change. Two separate events from which I drew one conclusion - the younger generation were not only concerned, but also terrified for their future and beginning to speak out. I wouldn’t have imagined that only months later the protest group, ‘Extinction Rebellion’, would hit the headlines almost daily and children around the world would begin regular school strikes for climate change, following the Swedish footsteps of 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg who is now a global celebrity. The momentum soared over Easter and, as Greta described the UK’s response to climate change as “beyond absurd” to political leaders in Westminster, waves of climate protests took place and over 1,000 arrests were made. As news reporters focused on how protestors must let London “return to 16
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business as usual” (the Major of London’s advice), Sir David Attenborough’s oneoff programme ‘Climate Change - The Facts’ was aired on BBC One. It was perfect timing with the cameras exposing what is happening now as a result of continuing “business as usual” - the forest fires, melting ice cliffs, flooded homes, and declining species. The facts the next generation of conservationists are calling out for the media to expose, and the government to prevent. Sir David has explained how young people “understand our dependence upon the natural world” and stated his “generation is no great example for understanding - we have done terrible things.” A new UN report, published in May (2019), confirmed the shocking numbers by which individual species have declined and warned us that the collapse of our ecosystems is also putting humanity at risk - reinforcing further why the youth climate movement is growing. On May 24th, hundreds of school children were in Newcastle City Centre taking part in what was predicted to be the
Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad standing for wildlife biggest global school strike to date, with over 1.4 million pupils attending. The Wind in the Willows trailer for The Wildlife Trusts’ new campaign, which calls for a ‘Wilder Future’ exposes some of those terrible things Sir David described, which our species now face… too many roads, river pollution and intensive agriculture. Whilst those characters in the story may be species familiar now, will they be to the next generation if we continue “business as usual?” However, it is not too late, this is why the young are demanding immediate action, and the Trust is calling for people of all ages to join their national campaign to secure a Wilder Future before it really is too late. Karen Statham is a Trustee for Northumberland Wildlife Trust, Associate for Ryder Architecture and wildlife lover. @womanofaran Join us on our campaign for a Wilder Future, for more info visit: wildlifetrusts.org/wilder-future
News
Volunteers enjoyed the talks and activities of the day
Legacies Together we’re stronger with legacy support The Trust is delighted to have been named as a beneficiary in the following legacies: Edith K Telford - £10,000 Anne McCreath - £500 John L Coburn - £250
Charity lottery helps volunteers celebrate Players of People’s Postcode Lottery helped the Trust recognise the efforts of all our hardworking volunteers by supporting the 2019 Volfest. As a volunteer organisation, we rely heavily on the invaluable efforts of our volunteers without whom our work would be 100% harder. The annual Volfest is our way of thanking them for all their hard work. This year’s event was held at St Mary’s Village Hall near Stannington. As part of the celebrations, 138 volunteers who had individually clocked up 70+ volunteering hours during 2018 each received an honorary membership courtesy of the players of
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A whole lot of voles This June the thousandth water vole was released into Kielder by the ‘Restoring Ratty’ water vole reintroduction project, taking the total number of voles released since 2017 to 1,205. By the end of 2019, 1,400 water voles will have been released. Much has been learnt about water voles from previous releases, which have shaped future releases. ‘Restoring Ratty’ is funded by National Lottery players through a grant of £421,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
People’s Postcode Lottery. As a special thank you, the efforts of two volunteers were specifically recognised with an additional award. Mary Lee and Joe Christie have volunteered for the Trust for 14 and 9 years respectively, with Mary clocking up 1,175 hours during 2018 volunteering in the Lookout Café at the Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, helping with the Hauxley bird counts, undertaking a wide range of practical estates tasks and monitoring birds in the north of Kielder as part of the Kielderhead Wildwood project. She has also been a reserve warden at the Weetslade Country Park for over 11 years.
University placement student placement Joel Ireland ready to release his first water vole
This selfless generosity is hugely appreciated and, it goes without saying that the money will be used carefully to continue our valuable conservation work. If you are inspired by the wildlife and landscapes in our region, please consider leaving us a legacy to safeguard them for future generations. If you would like to find out more about legacies, visit our website nwt.org.uk/legacy or contact Dan Venner, Director of Finance & Business Development at the Trust on 0191 284 6884.
Where there’s a will...
Don’t leave a financial nightmare for your loved ones! Make sure you have an up-to-date will as it’s all too easy to put it off. It’s well worth tackling as soon as possible - both for your beneficiaries and for your own peace of mind. Find out which solicitors offer discounts on will writing at nwt.org.uk/ legacy.
volfest 2019: fiona dryden, joel and water vole: kelly hollings
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Get ‘kitted out’ for wildlife
Don’t forget the Trust has a comprehensive fundraising guide which is available at nwt.org.uk/ fundraise. From event ideas and planning them to advice on how to promote activities and resources available, the guide offers great advice to anybody wanting to fundraise on behalf of the Trust.
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uk news Ratty floats downriver in a scene from our new film
UK UPDATE
Carder bee: Rachel Scopes
A changing Wind in the Willows The Wildlife Trusts have launched a new campaign calling for a Wilder Future and nature’s recovery on land and at sea. To kickstart the campaign and raise awareness of the plight of our wildlife, we’ve created a film trailer for The Wind in the Willows. With an all-star voice cast including Stephen Fry, Alison Steadman and Sir David Attenborough, the film brings to life the modern threats facing the beloved characters from Kenneth Grahame’s children’s classic. A lot has changed on the riverbank since we first met Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad just over a hundred years ago. Wild places have shrunk and disappeared, threatening the wonderful wildlife they support. We’ve lost 80% of our heathlands and up to 49% of our seagrass meadows, crucial nursery grounds for fish and important stores of carbon. Rivers are in poor condition and water voles like Ratty have become the UK’s most rapidly declining mammal, lost from 94% of the places they were once common. Toads have found the last century tough as well, with numbers dropping by almost 70% in the last 30 years alone. 18
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But the film’s message is ultimately one of hope: nature is currently in a bad state, but it’s not too late to change things. Our new campaign, Wilder Future, asks people to pledge to take action for nature in whatever way they can, from simple acts like planting wildflowers for pollinators to reaching out to politicians and speaking up for our wildlife. Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “We are a nation of naturelovers, yet we live in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. If we want to put nature into recovery we have to create a mass movement of people calling for change.” Sir David Attenborough, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts and narrator of the trailer, added: “Together we can make the next chapter for wildlife a happier one. Join us to put nature into recovery.” The trailer premiered on social media and attracted over a million views in the first few days. It also played in cinemas across the country.
How can you help? n Contact politicians - to call for strong environmental laws which help nature recover, including Nature Recovery Networks that connect wild spaces. n Walk in the pawprints of others - and imagine what wildlife needs to survive in your neighbourhood. Are there gaps for hedgehogs to move between gardens? Woods for badgers to build setts in? Or ponds in which toads can spawn? Take action in your local area to create new homes for wildlife. n Create a Wilder Future where you live - by checking out events and volunteering opportunities at your Wildlife Trust. Get involved Join us on our campaign for a Wilder Future and watch our The Wind in the Willows trailer wildlifetrusts.org/wilder-future
News
uk highlights
UK UPDATE
Big or small, ponds for all!
Beaver: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Toad: Dawn Monrose, Osprey: Peter Cairns/2020VISION
For this year’s Wild About Gardens challenge, The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society are urging gardeners to make a splash for wildlife. We are calling on people to create a pond to benefit their garden wildlife. Whether it’s a large sunken pond or a tiny container pond, water is the garden
feature that can make the biggest difference to wildlife. With a rapid decline in natural freshwater habitats, garden ponds are increasingly important for the wildlife that depends on these watery places, such as frogs, toads and insects. Adding a pond is one of the best ways you can help wildlife and enjoy the benefits of seeing more amazing animals and plants close to home. You can download a free booklet full of advice on the Wild About Gardens website wildaboutgardens.org.uk.
Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are working for you across the UK
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1 Water Works An innovative project is testing new ways to grow food and lock in carbon in Cambridgeshire’s Great Fen. The project will use wetland farming to test new crops for food, healthcare and industry, all whilst reducing the amount of carbon lost from the soil. This was made possible by the People’s Postcode Lottery Dream Fund. wildlifebcn.org/news/water-works
2 An osprey anniversary The Scottish Wildlife Trust are celebrating 50 years of ospreys at the Loch of the Lowes reserve. The reserve became just the fifth known nest site when ospreys recolonised the UK after their extinction in 1916. The current pair fledged 10 chicks from 2015-2018 and returned again this year. scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ospreys-50
3 Seal of approval Beavering away The Wildlife Trusts continue to be at the forefront of work to bring beavers back to our waterways, with reintroduction projects across the UK. Beavers are ecosystem engineers that can improve water quality, reduce flooding downstream and improve conditions
for many other species, including water voles, frogs and dragonflies. Conservation efforts received a boost on the first of May, when the Scottish Government introduced European Protected Species status for the Eurasian beaver in Scotland. wildlifetrusts.org/beavers
A record number of grey seals have been counted at South Walney Nature Reserve. A drone survey spotted 483 seals, 123 more than the previous record. The grey seal is one of the world’s rarest seals and around 50% of the world population lives around the British Isles. cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/recordseals
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fox cubs: Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
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Trust launches 2020 Vision Project The Trust’s dynamic new people engagement project is now up and running, following support from National Lottery players via an £85,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Resilient Heritage programme. The 2020 Vision Project is dedicated to creating greater public awareness of the serious state of nature and fostering a grassroots movement to act for wildlife. It received the funding to create community initiatives and large-scale events. The funding comes at a time when nature is under threat from human impacts on the environment through climate change, housing and industrial development, pollution and intensive agriculture and fishing. According to The State of Nature Report (2016): “Between 1970 and 2013, 56% of UK species declined…15% are threatened with extinction. This suggests we are among the most naturedepleted countries in the world.” 20
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Northumberland is as depleted as anywhere else in the UK, and the current situation is far from the rich picture of pre-1940s diversity: meadows and grasslands are 98% gone and the county has little remaining native woodland. In Newcastle and North Tyneside, the demand for housing and industry has caused urban sprawl with green space reduced to green corridors. The National Lottery Heritage Fund grant is enabling the 2020 Team to respond to new challenges in nature conservation and changes in environmental protection when the UK leaves the European Union. There is now an urgent need for fundamental change to give wildlife a chance to recover and adapt to pressure and the year-long project will focus on engaging with people in market towns and suburbs around the region, informing them of the dangers to the planet and establish schemes to tackle that. Trustee Karen Statham has joined us
as our 2020 blogger and the project has allowed us to create a number of new volunteers roles including: Finance Assistant Marketing Assistant Photography and Digital Marketing Assistant Reception and Office Assistant Social Media Assistant Community Ambassador If you are interested, more details are available at nwt.org.uk/volunteer. You can read Karen Statham’s blogs at nwt.org.uk/blog.
Find out more email us at John.Gibbon@northwt.org.uk or visit nwt.org.uk/2020-vision
News
Aaron Optometrists in Ashington
Corporate
Membership We offer three levels of corporate membership which are designed to enhance your Corporate Social Responsibility commitments, provide year-round benefits to your business and support your staff development, PR and marketing strategies. You choose the level that you feel reflects your company’s commitment to the local environment. To find out more about becoming a corporate member contact our Marketing Office on (0191) 284 6884 or via email to elizabeth.lovatt@ northwt.org.uk.
Optometrists go gold Exciting news! The Trust is pleased to welcome a new gold category corporate supporter. Joining the Trust is Aaron Optometrists, an independent practice based in Ashington which is the only ‘medical’ optometrist in Northumberland; they focus on patient care and ethical business. A regular visitor to our Hauxley reserve, practice owner, Dr Peter Frampton, previously studied Environmental Sciences and firmly believes that ‘profit without conscience today, comes with a cost tomorrow’ and therefore strives to reduce waste, use renewable resources and recycle.
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A thirst for wildlife Brewers of our ‘Ratty’ Ale, The First & Last Brewery in Elsdon are new Silver Category corporate members. Run by Sam and Red Kellie, their beers are brewed behind Elsdon’s Bird in Bush pub. The couple are no strangers to the Trust as Sam was a People and Wildlife Officer and Red was a volunteer. Last year First & Last created a pale ale labelled ‘Ratty’ to mark the reintroduction of water voles into the Kielder area and are generously donating 20p from every bottle sold to the Restoring Ratty project.
Situated on Woodhorn Road in Ashington the practice provides a recycling service for spectacles and contact lenses. Micro-plastics are an enormous issue and the project, funded by Aaron’s, is open to all contact lens wearers. Supporters of several national and international environmental organisations, Aaron’s are also rooted in the local community and as a result they are proud to support the Trust as we rebuild and preserve habitat and wildlife in the local area. For all Aaron’s latest news, visit aaronoptometrists.com.
The First & Last Brewery owners, Sam and Red Kellie
Gold Aaron Optometrists Northumbrian Water Ltd Tarmac Thermofisher Scientific
silver Harlow Printing Ltd Karpet Mills Potts Printers Ltd Riverside Leisure The First and Last Brewery
optometrists: aaron optometrists, sam & red kellie: : the first & last brewery
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bronze Albion Outdoors Bell Ingram Blyth Harbour Commission Cottages in Northumberland Geoffrey Lurie Solicitors Gustharts Holidaycottages.co.uk Howick Hall Gardens Northern Experience Wildlife Tours Northumberland County Council Northumbria Byways Ord House Country Park Poltross Enterprises Shepherds Retreats Verdant Leisure Wardell Armstrong
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We bet you didn’t know... As part of our Restoring Ratty project to reintroduce water voles to Kielder, we have produced a delicious pale ale available from stores throughout the region. For more visit nwt.org.uk/restoring-ratty.
Young Rangers in action on Coquet Island
Thank Thank you
you!
Tombola donations Thank you to Morrisons (Killingworth), Rutherfords of Morpeth, Tesco Express (Monkseaton and Kenton), Family and Friends of Amberley First School and our own staff and volunteers for the kind donations to our tombola.
£600 Trust members and very supportive volunteers Christine and Jeremy Willoughby celebrated their 25th Wedding Anniversary, and instead of gifts, asked for donations to the Kielder Osprey Project.
Amazing experience for Young Rangers The Coast Care Young Rangers, the project’s volunteer educational group, assisted the RSPB on Coquet Island with its preparation for the arrival of migratory birds. Sailing with Puffin Cruises from Amble to the island, the youngsters aged 13 - 19, were guided through a range of tasks including using a technique of applying sand around the nesting
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Lady of the North ready for summer For three weeks in May, Northumberlandia’s visitor centre was closed whilst a team of volunteers worked round the clock to redecorate the inside of the centre, revamp the outdoor seating area and toilets and upgrade the kitchen to accommodate the increasing visitor numbers. The centre now also sports brand new, high quality flooring that was donated and installed by a team from Karpet Mills. 22
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areas to act as a weed suppressant and creating perching areas - hard work, but well worth the effort. The Young Rangers were excited, as this was their third attempt to land, plus, the site it usually closed to the public, ready for the nesting birds. It was hard manual work but well worth the effort. To find out more about the Coast Care initiative visit coast-care.co.uk.
Sheila Sharp (Northumberland Wildlife Trust) and Bob Irvine (Karpet Mills)
£207 Birdersmarket.com donated 55 prizes, including books, signed prints, bird seed and bird boxes, for a raffle and tombola at Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre’s Lookout Café.
£230 From North Northumberland Bird Club has allowed two pairs of Opticron Savanna binoculars and two window attachment kits to be bought for use by visitors to The Lookout Café.
£500 Donated by Amble and Warkworth Rotary Club for equipment to be used at the Hauxley reserve’s new pond.
£1051.36 Hexham and District Photographic Society hosted a talk with polar explorer and trust Patron Conrad Dickinson. A total of £901 was raised and added to a donation from the society to make a total of £1051.36.
ratty beer: richard clark, young ranger: jane smith, Sheila & bob: Alex lister
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WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT
Focus on... Benshaw Moor Appeal
Thank you
So far Trust members and members of the public have raised over £76,000 for our Benshaw Moor Appeal.
benshaw moor: duncan hutt, short-eared owl: Luke Massey/2020VISION
You made the dream a reality At the end of April we were able to purchase the 600-acre Benshaw Moor in Redesdale as a new nature reserve taking the Trust’s total to 63. We had already received a considerable amount of money from charitable trusts, businesses, donations and a legacy in our bid to buy the Northumberland site, but it was a race against time to find a further £135,000 to complete the purchase by the end of April deadline. The site is all about big skies and magnificent vistas, a feeling you are in the presence of powerful forces and wildness. There are burns, springs and
Short-eared owl
even a limestone-stepped waterfall. The Moor is home to otters, dragonflies, butterflies and adders. Curlews, skylark and meadow pipit nest and visitors to the site can catch a glimpse of short-eared owls as they hunt over the moorland. The abundance of plants found on the moor is stunning and include bogbean, butterwort, limestone-bedstraw, grass of Parnassus, and bog species such as cranberry, sphagnum mosses and roundleaved sundew. Benshaw Moor is a paradise for botanists and probably the Trust’s most exciting and important acquisition in the last 15 years and would not have been possible without the support from our very generous members and members of the public. Why did we want to secure it? The Trust was keen to buy the site to save its important wildlife and habitats including peatland and limestone springs, which were at risk of intensive commercial forestry or the installation of wind turbines that could have damaged the sensitive areas.
What we will do We aim to manage this amazing new reserve to improve the quality of habitat and variety of species by: removing invasive species (mainly sitka spruce) blocking the drainage channels to re-wet the peatland planting native upland trees erecting fencing so we can use conservation grazing We also plan to improve the small car park and access to the site plus add signage and interpretation. How you can help Our plans to restore the site are ambitious and will cost money so donations to the Benshaw Moor Appeal are still most welcome. Anything you can give would be very gratefully received, but, we still need approximately £60,000 to cover remedial work.
For more information or to donate visit on our website: nwt.org.uk/benshaw-moor-appeal Roebuck | Summer 2019
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Space for
nature
Today, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, but it’s not too late to help our wildlife recover. Simon Barnes finds out how the fortunes of three much-loved species can be transformed by protecting and connecting their wild habitat.
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A WILDER FUTURE
If we think we can live without insects, we’re wrong: 80% of our crops, as well as fruit trees, herbs and most garden and wild flowers are pollinated by bees, wasps, beetles and flies. It’s said that if bees died out, we would follow four years later.
Red-tailed bumblebee: Nick Upton/2020VISION, Buff-tailed bumblebee cut out: Vicky Nall
Space for bees “Only connect!” EM Forster’s words – from his novel Howard’s End – are about human relationships, but let’s borrow them, for they say a great deal about the world we live in today. “Live no longer in fragments,” Forster added: the perfect motto for bees, toads and water voles, and just as good for our own relationship with nature. Just as more and better connections make human lives better, so we need exactly the same things to keep the wild world wild. It’s a problem that’s been sneaking up on us for years. We can visit a nature reserve, but when it’s surrounded by houses, roads and industrialised farming, it’s an island – lovely but doomed. We have allowed the human world to take over our countryside. But we can fight back – by joining up the good places, by softening and freeing our landscape, and by allowing wild places and wild things to connect. Protecting pollinators We have grown rightly worried about the decline of the insects that pollinate plants. Pollinators provide every third mouthful of food we eat; without them, the countryside will die. But bees are not great travellers: they prefer to potter from flower to flower. What they need is connectivity. So we need to make it possible for bees to travel by road. Roadside verges can be seen as long, thin nature reserves: places that allow bees to travel small distances, spread and increase. So Kent Wildlife Trust has been working with local councils to establish the right sort of conditions by encouraging wild flowers to regenerate naturally. The scheme already manages 11.5 hectares and hopes to add more sites. This involves another kind of connectivity: connecting wildlife and conservation organisations with people. Many roadsides are managed by intensive mowing. We have somehow developed the idea that the ideal green space looks like the fairway on a golf
course: which is like saying that the ideal living room is an airport lounge. We’ve an unfortunate mania for tidiness, forgetting that we call an untidy house ‘lived-in’. If we want a countryside that’s lived in by bees, toads, water voles and everything else, we must persuade people to accept a little roughness around the edges. So communication matters: you can’t impose conservation, it has to be carried out with the will of us all. And that again is about connecting. There’s another crucial move: connecting the present with the future. It’s no good making a series of lovely bee roads if you leave them to fend for themselves. Soon they will become overgrown and lose the very thing that bees love them for. There’s no point to the scheme unless it has a long-term
We need bees. They are essential for a wild and living countryside. legacy: and that is achieved by training local volunteers to monitor and look after sections of the bee roads. After that we must look for further connections. “Small actions can make a big difference,” says the Trust’s Rosie Earwaker. “We need people to be aware of that. What you do in your garden matters.” Kent Wildlife Trust has started awards for the best gardens for bees and for other wildlife. So they’re joining up people and bees. Bees are part of our lives. We need them; many of our crops depend on them. They are essential for a wild and living countryside. So we need to make a mental adjustment and see them in a different light: creatures that we must connect with, and whose connections we need to cherish and enlarge. Roebuck | Summer 2019
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vital statistics
£430m The estimated value of services by pollinating insects for agriculture
1
Most bumblebee workers forage within one kilometre of their nest
80%
63%
The increase in road traffic between 1980 and 2005
Space for toads
The increase in area treated with pesticides between 1990 and 2016
2km Toad sign: Linda Pitkin/2020VISION, toad: sam hobson
4 in 5
Toads can travel two kilometres to reach their breeding ponds
Four out of five rivers in England and Wales fail to achieve ‘good ecological status’
1–2km
The distance most water voles travel to find food, shelter and mates
Join our campaign for a Wilder Future and help us put nature into recovery wildlifetrusts. org/wilder-future
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Live no longer in fragments, eh? A hard thing to achieve when many areas of our countryside have been split down the middle with roads. There’s a classic example in Herefordshire, where a road cuts off an area of woodland from Bodenham Lake. And that’s not good news for toads. They hibernate in the woods and in spring they travel down to the lake to get on with the crucial business of mating, spawning and making more toads. Toads are not swift and sure crossers of roads. It’s ironic: Mr Toad in The Wind in the Willows is the great mad driver of fiction, but in practice toads are the constant road casualties of Mr and Mrs Human. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust has coordinated a team of lollipop people for toads: out there on spring nights with buckets and torches as toads, mad with desire, make their way to the lake. In its first year, the team helped 200 toads to the other side. Last year, the score was 1,300 – not because they’re better at catching toads but because, thanks to their efforts in previous years, there are now more toads needing to cross. As a simple example of connectivity in action it could hardly be bettered. Toads have declined by 70% since 1985, due to a complex combination of reasons. But
On warm, damp evenings in early spring, toads migrate back to their breeding ponds. But each year, an estimated 20 tonnes of unlucky toads never make it, due to roads. saving them from being run over is a swift and effective counter-blast to the fragmentation of our countryside. Yet it’s only the beginning. In an ideal world there would be no need for toad patrols. And so work is underway to make the landscape around the lake better for toads. Plans include making places where toads can hibernate without needing to cross the road to do so. Creating new ponds for toads One of the problems toads suffer from is the loss of the old farm ponds. On the wooded side of the road, farmers are being encouraged to install new ponds, so that toads will be able to mate and spawn – again without crossing the road. This helps to improve the quality of the connecting landscape. More ponds: part of a gentler and softer landscape that joins up the best places and so brings the wider countryside back to life. It’s good for wildlife and good for humans. A wilder countryside is a better place for us all, reconnecting us with nature and making our lives richer.
A WILDER FUTURE
Water vole: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Space for water voles Ratty in The Wind in the Willows is not a rat but a water vole. He’s also a poet, a dreamer and a waterman. Here he is talking about the river: “It’s my world, and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t got is not worth having, and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing. Lord! The times we’ve had together…” You can interpret this as Ratty’s plea for connectivity: for not breaking up the system of waterways on which water voles depend. But we’ve dredged them and concreted them and polluted them and generally bullied them, until it’s a wonder they’re able to support any life at all. Now we’re beginning to re-think, and to adjust the way we live to make for better connectivity – with greater consideration of what wildlife needs to survive. You might expect that, in rural stretches of river at least, water voles would have it their own way. But that’s not the case. Riverside meadow is traditionally good grazing for cows, and as they crowd onto the bank to drink or to browse the riverside vegetation, they munch away on water vole food. Worse, they trample the banks and make it impossible for voles to make the tunnels they live in. Wherever we look, even in the heart of the countryside, it seems that we’re losing
our connection with wildlife and making it harder for wild animals to make a living. Those cows staring at an idyllic riverside landscape while dreamily chewing the cud are making life hell for poor Ratty. Sometimes the solution requires little more than common sense and goodwill.
Together, we can work towards a kinder and richer countryside In several areas, Essex Wildlife Trust has worked with local landowners to erect fences that protect stretches of river bank from cows, and create the perfect habitat for water voles – and the voles have returned, all along the bank. Lock gates on rivers and canals are also problematic for water voles. But with ‘soft engineering’ solutions to the problems they create, including coir matting instead of concrete and the planting of willows, they can become water-vole friendly once again – and the connecting nature of the river can be restored.
This is not, as you will no doubt have observed, rocket science. It requires only a subtle shift in the minds of humans. We have relegated wildlife to the backwater of life, and it should be mainstream. We have made wildlife a luxury item, the first thing we lose when we chase that will-o’-the-wisp we call progress. But as we start to live with notions of connectivity, we can work towards a kinder and richer landscape, a better countryside and a better country. It often starts with small individual decisions – not using pesticides in your own garden, accepting that a tidy landscape is a dead landscape and letting a patch of your lawn grow wild, supporting conservation organisations such as your local Wildlife Trust, and speaking up for wildlife whenever you get the chance, over cups of coffee and pints of beer. It’s also about our connections with wildlife and our connections with other people. We can do it. Only connect. Let’s resolve to live no longer in fragments. Simon Barnes is an author with a passion for wildlife. He was awarded the Wildlife Trusts’ Rothschild medal in 2014.
Our new 10 year study of water voles shows that national treasure ‘Ratty’ needs urgent help, and sensitive management of river banks, to survive.
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At home with nature We put a lot of effort into making our gardens wilder, and rightly so. But what about our houses and flats themselves? In a world where the wild places are shrinking, every inch of space we can make for nature is vital. Whether it’s the joyful song of a robin drifting through an open window, or the colourful flash of a peacock butterfly just beyond the glass, it’s always a delight to glimpse the wild world just beyond our walls. But our wildlife is in trouble. Natural habitats are shrinking, becoming fragmented and isolated by roads and other developments. With every tree that is lost, there are fewer natural cavities in which bats and birds can roost and nest. Nature no longer has the space it needs to thrive. Nature reserves are invaluable, but to keep these protected areas from becoming wild oases in an impoverished landscape, we need to use every single space to help wildlife. Our gardens, streets, road verges and even houses can become part of a wild network, creating vital green corridors and stepping stones that connect larger wild spaces. Every home, new or old, can play a part. The Wildlife Trusts have a vision for future housing and work with some developers to make new builds as green as possible, with built-in features that complement the habitats around them. But existing homes can do their bit, too. With just a few mostly inexpensive adjustments, we can make our roofs, walls and even windows a little more wildlife-friendly. From bee bricks and bat and bird boxes that provide safe roosting and nesting spots, to walls blooming with climbing plants, there are lots of great ways to turn the outside of your house into a wildlife sanctuary. The best results will come when they complement the surrounding landscape, so take a look at the habitats around your house and choose the best features for your location – bats are more likely to use a roost close to a hedgerow or line of trees, and birds need to be able to find enough food to feed their hungry chicks. Together, our homes and gardens take up more space than all of the UK’s nature reserves put together. So let’s make every inch count!
Visit our website for handy guides to helping wildlife, from building bat boxes to attracting bees wildlifetrusts.org/actions 28
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Window-mounted feeders Even with no garden you can still feed the birds. A window-mounted feeder gives them a helping hand and lets you enjoy their antics from your armchair.
House martin nest cups Invite house martins to move in under your eaves with a specially made nest cup. They’re especially useful when martins can’t find enough mud to build their own.
Hanging baskets and window boxes Wildflower-filled hanging baskets and window boxes make the perfect pit stop for passing pollinators.
Hedgehog holes Hedgehogs can travel over a mile each night as they forage and look for mates. A 13cm x 13cm hole in your fence helps keep the hedgehog highway open.
CLOSER TO NATURE
Bat boxes By fixing a bat box to your wall you can provide the perfect resting spot for your local bats. It’s important to avoid directing any artificial lighting onto the box.
Swift box Modern houses leave little space for swifts to nest, but swift boxes create a home for these summer visitors. Broadcasting a recording of their calls encourages them to move in.
Green wall From a simple climbing plant to a trellis laden with different species, a green wall adds colour to a house, creates vital habitat and helps regulate pollution and rainfall.
Water butt Using less water helps keep our wetlands healthy, so set up a water butt to catch rainfall. You can use the water to clean your car and water your plants.
Window stickers
illustration: sam brewster
Placing stickers on your windows gives birds a better chance of spotting the glass, reducing the chance of a fatal collision. You can buy them or cut out your own.
Bee box Bee boxes offer nesting space for some species of solitary bee. If you’re having work done on your house, you can even fit a built-in bee brick! Roebuck | Summer 2019
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The swallow’s tale The Swallow, or ‘Barn Swallow’, is a common summer visitor
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the swallow’s tale
bird to arrive in the spring, usually one of the males identifiable by the length of the long tail streamers. The longer streamers are more attractive to the females who arrive a few days later. Swallows love wires to sit on where they chatter away and let everyone know they are back and pleased to see that everything is as they left it last year. The scientists among you will say I am just being anthropomorphic here, or just imagining it, but I can assure you that at least one of the males every year will give me one very close twittering fly past at head height, in the first day or so. They never do it after that so I like to think they are actually letting me know they are back in case I hadn’t noticed. After these first few days of activity, usually around mid-April, the swallows are seldom seen around the house until early to mid-May when they get down to producing their first clutch of eggs.
Their journey back to this country takes them the length of Africa Because of the position of the wood store nest, I can easily check what is going on in the nest without disturbing the birds and one thing was a complete surprise to me. The eggs are actually laid in the early morning hours, and the female goes off for the rest of the day feeding, only coming back in the evening to lay another egg until she has completed the clutch over a period of 4 or 5 days. Once she has laid the last egg, she settles straight down to incubate them over a period of about a couple of weeks. The young all hatch within a few hours of each other and it takes about three weeks of intensive feeding by both adults before the big day comes when they all leave the nest usually by the end of June. Swallows are double brooded so that with maybe a week or ten days rest the whole process starts again. In some years they even manage a third brood with the young birds leaving the nest in the second half of September when many swallows are already well on their way back to South Africa. These broods are going to have to be quick learners if they are to stand any chance of completing that long journey. We regard our swallows as small members of our family who we only see for 5 or 6 months each year, who look after themselves while they are here, producing lots of babies, bring us an enormous amount of pleasure and are a joy to have around.
swallows: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
N
ot long after we moved into our first house I noticed a pair of swallows flying in and out of open garages in our road, including ours. They were clearly looking for a nest site and I was pretty sure that none of our neighbours would want them in theirs so I asked them if they would mind closing their garage doors while I left mine open. Everybody was quite happy to do that and within the hour we had our first pair of swallows building a nest on a platform I had thoughtfully provided for them! We left our garage door open throughout that summer and the swallows raised two broods and gave us hours of entertainment. We had them for several summers after that until one year they did not appear. Swallows, or barn swallows as they are now called to bring them in line with their name elsewhere in their range, are a summer visitor here in Britain from April to September, and are particularly attracted to human settlements, although they originally nested on cliffs or in caves. This has made them a very widespread species, with even the remotest farms having a pair or two nesting in the barn or other buildings. A variation to that is in North America where they frequently build their nests below an osprey nest, getting protection from the big birds of prey. British swallows spend the winter in South Africa and their journey back to this country takes them the length of Africa, including crossing the Sahara into Morocco. From there they cross into Spain travelling up the east side before crossing the Pyrenees, then through western France before spreading out over the whole of Britain as far north as the Shetlands. They go through the whole thing in reverse each autumn. Twenty years ago, we moved into our present home and with that move, it brought us back to a much closer relationship with swallows. There were many reasons that persuaded us that this was the house for us and one of them was that it had swallows nesting in the wood store in the outhouse! How long they had been nesting there I do not know but 20 years later we still have a pair of swallows nesting there, even using the same nest until 3 years ago when it finally collapsed during the winter. Undeterred, when they arrived back the following spring they built another just below where the first one had been. They have been very productive over the years so that we have one more in the fuel store, another three in our garage, and our neighbours have a nest each in their front porch. None of those nests is used every year, but we do have three regular pairs. It is always an exciting time waiting for the first
Ian Armstrong Vice Chairperson and Trustee for Northumberland Wildlife Trust
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But that’s not wildlife...! Many Northumberland Wildlife Trust projects involve working closely with other organisations – with 17 partners the Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership Scheme is no exception! With the River Rede at its heart, Redesdale is a landscape of 347km2 extending from the Scottish border at Carter Bar to the North Tyne confluence at Redesmouth. It includes three reserves managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust: Whitelee Moor NNR, Mill Burn and the newly acquired, Benshaw Moor. Projects include habitat restoration and improvements to rights of way as well as researching, restoring and interpreting historical features. We hope that by the end of this five-year National Lottery Heritage-funded project, now in its second year, visitors will be coming to explore all aspects of the valley’s heritage, both natural and cultural. Redesdale has a number of historic monuments or buildings at risk. Our partner Northumberland National Park Authority has led repair and consolidation works on two of these. They are both scheduled monuments and so nationally important and legally protected. On-site interpretation is still to come, but you can visit and see these fascinating parts of Redesdale’s history now.
Ridsdale Ironworks The remains of the engine house at Ridsdale are a visible and enigmatic reminder of a largely unsuccessful 19th century iron industry in Northumberland, a short lived venture with a lasting legacy. Ridsdale Ironworks was established in 1836 and saw the creation of the settlement of Ridsdale to house workers brought into this remote area. From 1838 to 1848, iron ore was mined, smelted and cast in the village of Ridsdale. Iron from Ridsdale was used in the construction of Robert Stephenson’s High Level Bridge in Newcastle. Iron-rich rocks near Ridsdale (Redesdale Ironstone Quarries) are now protected as a SSSI for their rich fossil fauna. The works consisted of three furnaces, an engine house, coke ovens, calcining kilns and reservoirs. A series of tramways linked the site with nearby sources of ironstone, limestone and coal. By 1848 the ironworks had virtually closed and in 1864 two of the furnaces were dismantled and taken to W.G. Armstrong’s works in Elswick, Newcastle. Many features can still be seen either as standing ruins or earthworks and the site is now protected as a scheduled monument, including the ruins of the engine house, earthwork remains of coke ovens and ore-roasting kilns, waste heaps and tubways. To the south of these are large quarry pits and to the east of the A68 are the now-dry banks of a reservoir that once supplied water to the boilers of the blowing engines. The former furnace has 32
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been converted into a local residence and is protected as a Grade II listed building. The engine house is the most prominent structural survival. It was constructed in 1839-40 to hold two steam-powered beam blowing engines which provided the air blast for three blast furnaces lying downslope to the north. These would have been housed side by side with the rocking arms of the engines pivoting on ‘bob’ or ‘lever’ beams set up transversely across the building. The standing shell of the engine house, which is unique in the region, provides an iconic landscape feature. Prior to the recent works, the engine house was in danger of imminent collapse, with emergency scaffolding in place to hold up two sections of the structure. However, repair and consolidation works have now been carried out, saving this scheduled monument from further deterioration and collapse and safeguarding this local heritage landmark for the future.
Visit Ridsdale Ironworks (Grid reference: NY 909 846) is situated on the west side of the A68 at the village of Ridsdale, nearest postcode NE48 2TF. Parking is sensitively in the village. There is permissive access to the site via a newly installed pedestrian access gate in the field wall partway down the hill. Please be mindful of livestock in the field and ensure all gates are securely fastened behind you.
Discussing plans for the restoration of an arch supported by emergency scaffolding at the Ridsdale Ironworks Engine House.
but that’s not wildlife...!
Bremenium Roman Fort
A part of the fort wall at Bremenium status. Stone from the fort was also taken during the 18th and 19th centuries to build local field walls and buildings. The complete circuit of the Roman rampart is accessible including the west gate and an interval tower. The fort sits within a landscape rich in archaeological remains including marching camps along Dere Street and the remarkable Petty Knowes Roman cemetery a short way to the south-east. Bremenium Roman Fort is one of the best preserved archaeological sites within Northumberland National Park. However, it is threatened by gradual deterioration and erosion over time. A condition survey prepared in 2014 highlighted the impacts of vegetation growing in walls, weakening the structure. Repair and consolidation works have been carried out to the walls of the fort, saving them from further deterioration and collapse and improving the aesthetics of this scheduled monument.
Visit Bremenium Roman Fort (Grid reference: NY 833 986) is accessed via a minor road on the right hand side of the A68 as you enter Rochester village from the south-east. There is very limited parking at the site, so parking sensitively in the village of Rochester and walking up the lane is advised. There is a permissive footpath circumnavigating the fort, which gives the best views of the remains. For more information on Revitalising Redesdale visit revitalisingredesdale.org.uk, find them on Facebook @RevitalisingRedesdale or email info@revitalisingredesdale.org.uk. Roebuck | Summer 2019
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ARch before: Jennifer care, Arch after: karen collins, fort wall: karen collins
The arch, now restored.
Bremenium Roman Fort at High Rochester was one of five Roman outpost stations beyond Hadrian’s Wall and for two centuries was the northernmost fort of the Roman Empire. It provided warning of attacks from the north and guarded both Dere Street, the Roman’s easterly route into Scotland, and another road running east to join the Devil’s Causeway. Built almost 2,000 years ago, Bremenium would originally have consisted of earth and turf ramparts, a wooden fort and an outer ditch. It was rebuilt in stone in the mid-second century. The fort is built in a standard pattern found throughout the Roman Empire, which meant that troops would be familiar with the layout regardless of where in the empire they were stationed. Bremenium is built on the site of an earlier Iron Age enclosure, now partly buried under the western defences of the fort. From the west gate, you can see the larger outline of a big temporary camp on the far side of the Sills Burn and the line of Dere Street, now a modern military road. The Sills Burn is referred to in the fort’s Roman name of Bremenium, which means ‘place on the roaring stream’. In the 3rd Century AD, the fort was home to 1,000 men, including auxiliaries from France, Belgium, Spain and the former Yugoslavia. As well as infantry and cavalry, scouts known as Numerus Exploratores Bremenienses were stationed here, whose duty was to police the countryside and give advance warning of any possible attack or unrest. The fort was abandoned around 340AD, when the Roman Empire began to collapse and the Romans started to withdraw from Britain. Little is known about Bremenium following the departure of the Romans, but in the 16th century, during the era of the Border Reivers, stone from the fort was used to build defensive farmhouses known as Bastles, two of which survive within the fort to this day, in the hamlet now known as High Rochester. These Bastles and sections of Bremenium’s standing wall and gateways are protected by listed building
Plan your wildlife-friendly
pond for all We’re rapidly losing our ponds, rivers and streams in the UK, so adding a pond is one of the best things you can do to help wildlife in your garden. Kate Bradbury explains how to make your pond a haven for animals, large and small.
Long grass for cover Allow the grass to grow long around your pond, or grow low-growing herbaceous plants nearby, to provide cover for young frogs, toads and newts and protect them from predators such as birds.
A mix of pond plants Add a range of emergent, floating and submerged plants to provide the best habitat for wildlife, offering egg-laying habitat and shelter from predators. Submerged plants oxygenate the water, too.
Shallow water This is where the life is! Here, you’ll find tadpoles and other aquatic larvae. Shallow areas warm up more quickly in spring, and frogs lay spawn here.
Emergent plants Dragonfly nymphs climb out of the water using the stems of emergent plants before transforming into winged adults.
Landing pad Water lilies will be used by thirsty insects such as bees. Frogs may rest on them to catch insects and aquatic larvae will shelter beneath them.
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Deep water In winter, deep areas provide shelter for frogs, which rest at the bottom, breathing through their skin. Toads prefer deep ponds too.
illustration: hannah bailey, KATE BRADBURY: Sarah Cuttle
gardening for wildlife A pond is one of the richest habitats you can create in a garden, providing food, water and a breeding place for a huge range of species, from amphibians to aquatic invertebrates, and birds to small mammals, such as hedgehogs and bats. A pond is also one of the busiest wildlife habitats. Digging one will have an almost immediate effect. Within just two weeks, you might attract water boatmen and pond skaters, bathing birds, thirsty hedgehogs and egglaying insects, such as dragonflies and damselflies. Amphibians will seek out the water to spawn in spring, and bats will take advantage of the insects dancing over the water’s surface in summer. In the wild, ponds, rivers and streams are being lost and degraded by development, drainage and intensive farming, resulting in a huge loss of wildlife. So garden ponds are an increasingly vital habitat for species that may have lost their breeding grounds elsewhere. They can also act as stepping stones between larger bodies
Somewhere to hide Make piles of old terracotta pots or loose heaps of stones near your pond to provide shelter for frogs and toads.
of water, providing a lifeline to species that are unable to travel long distances. While large ponds attract the greatest number of species, don’t underestimate the value of a small pond. A container such as an old tin bath, Belfast sink or even a washing up bowl can provide a home for aquatic insects. Frogs may use the habitat too – just help them to reach the water by making a ‘frog ladder’ out of stones outside the container. Add more stones at the bottom and plants to provide oxygen and shelter for tadpoles and other aquatic larvae. Our gardens take up more space than all of Britain’s nature reserves put together. If we all provided some form of watery home, we could create a network of wildlife-rich water highways across the country.
Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlife-friendly gardening and the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.
For more pond tips and to add your Water feature to our UK pond map, visit wildaboutgardens.org.uk
Gently sloping sides Make sure mammals such as hedgehogs can enter and exit the pond safely to avoid drowning. A sloping ‘beach’ is perfect and will attract birds to bathe here too.
Nurseries for eggs Toads wrap their ribbonlike spawn around the submerged stems of plants such as marsh marigold. Newts fold individual eggs into the leaves of plants such as water-forget-me-not.
Sheltering stones In the shallows and deeper areas of the pond, stones provide nooks and crannies for aquatic larvae to shelter from predators. Tadpoles also suck algae off them. Roebuck | Summer 2019
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Big Wild Debate
Your chance to speak out about extinction and climate change in the North East
Thursday 17th October, 7:00pm - 9:00pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)
Tickets: £5.00
Students: £2.50
City Campus East Business & Law Building, Lecture Theatre 001, Northumbria University, NE2 1UY Join a panel of experts including, North of Tyne Mayor Jamie Driscoll and Extinction Rebellion Durham eco-campaigner Alan Charlton to discuss what can be done to avert an environmental crisis that will affect everybody. Chaired by BBC Look North’s Adrian Pitches.
panellists
Alan Charlton Eco-campaigner with Extinction Rebellion Durham
Jamie Driscoll Newly elected North of Tyne Mayor
Dr Mike Jeffries Associate Professor in Ecology, Northumbria University
Mike Pratt Chief Executive, Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Anne-Marie Trevelyan Conservative MP for Berwick upon Tweed
Right now we are facing a manmade disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. Sir David Attenborough
info & booking: nwt.org.uk/big-wild-debate