WildSuffolk The membership magazine for Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Winter 2021/22
WILDER SKIES
The return of the marsh harrier to Suffolk’s landscapes
YOUR WILD LIFE
The natural benefits of a life filled with nature
WILDER FUTURE
Rewilding Suffolk We’re letting nature lead the way
Welcome
Looking back, I can have only just started school when I learnt ‘Plant a tree in ’73… plant some more in ’74’, the 1970s tree planting slogan. Half a century later, we might want the rhyme to be a little more nuanced. ‘Give nature space to grow a tree’ is less catchy, but better captures the Trust’s ambition to bring nature back into our landscape, to make it wilder, with bramble scrub, billowing hedges and self-set trees all part of everyday Suffolk. However you describe it, wilding… rewilding… letting nature take the lead… creating this wilder Suffolk needs to be part of our county’s emergency response to the biodiversity and climate crises. Putting our trust in nature and allowing land to regenerate naturally is something that sits well with us, indeed we have been doing it for many years. Arger Fen & Spouse’s Vale and Black Bourn Valley have been at the vanguard of wilding in the UK – and 2022 brings the rewilding of Foxburrow Farm and the opportunity to buy and rewild fields alongside Market Weston Fen. ‘Start them young’ is something I’ve heard many times in conversations with members about the Trust’s activities with children. These powerful early experiences of nature are life-enhancing, but we also need them to see the political ambition and leadership that will safeguard their future. Society must empower our children and young people to play their part, but we must not burden them with eco-anxiety. Gifting them a wilder future is surely within our grasp. Christine Luxton Chief Executive
Suffolk Wildlife Trust Wild Suffolk is the membership magazine for Suffolk Wildlife Trust info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org Telephone 01473 890089 Address Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brooke House, Ashbocking IP6 9JY Registered charity number 262777 Website suffolkwildlifetrust.org Facebook @suffolkwildlife Twitter @suffolkwildlife Instagram @suffolkwildlifetrust
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
MARSH HARRIER ALAMY
Wilder future
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Get in touch Our Membership Manager, Nicola Martin, is happy to help with any questions about your membership on 01473 890089 or membership@suffolkwildlifetrust.org. Wild Suffolk Magazine Team Editor Lucy McRobert Designer Clare Sheehan Content editor UK Tom Hibbert Cover: Jay Mike Lane RSPB Images
Suffolk Wildlife Trust is one of a national network of Wildlife Trusts dedicated to safeguarding the future of wildlife for the benefit of all.
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SARAH: NEIL RATTENBURY; SPIDER: STEPHEN DALTON NATUREPL.COM
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Contents 4 Your wild winter
The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it nearby.
10 Our nature reserves
Special wild places to discover this winter.
13 Wild thoughts
Dr Amir Khan shares why spending time in nature is good for you.
14 Gardening for wildlife
Upcycle your way to a garden that’s great for wildlife.
16 Wild news
Read what’s happening for Suffolk’s wildlife and around the UK.
21 Wilder landscapes in focus
How we're working with local farmers to restore nature.
22 Rewilding Suffolk
Steve Aylward shares how we’re letting nature lead the way across our nature reserves and beyond.
28 Return of the marsh harrier
How this once rare harrier has made a triumphant return to Suffolk’s wetlands and reedbeds.
HOUSE AND TREE SPARROWS: ALAMY
32 Wildlife in your home
Meet the wildlife that might be living a bit closer than you think: in your house!
34 Your wild life
Sarah Groves shares how rewilding her life has been good for her and for nature.
38 Next generation
Meet our Youth Board who are flying the flag for Team Wilder!
6 ways to get involved with Suffolk Wildlife Trust Volunteer Donating your skills,
time and knowledge to wildlife can leave you feeling happier, healthier and more connected to local nature. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/volunteer
Wild your school Inspire a
whole class or school with one of our tailored school visits to our gateway nature reserves. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ outdoorlearning
Team Wilder Share your love of
nature with friends, family and colleagues and encourage them to join Team Wilder! suffolkwildlifetrust.org/team-wilder
Wild your land Be inspired by our farmland wildlife advisors who can give expert advice on making your land or farm great for nature. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wilderlandscapes
Gift membership
Help someone make a New Year’s resolution by gifting them membership to Suffolk Wildlife Trust. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/join
Events
Enjoy courses, activities, badger watches, birthday parties, walks and talks, all designed to bring you and your family closer to nature. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/whatson
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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Your wild winter The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it in Suffolk.
Like all mustelids, weasels have long bodies and short legs. They hunt day and night, and even in the snow!
Covid-19
to follow We are continuing ce and to an id Government gu y. Please gl in rd respond acco and social check our website t up-to-date media for the mos r nature information on ou and reserves, centres events.
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
T h a n k y ou
Your membership gives us a voice – to inspire others and encourage council s, businesses, comm unity groups and lando wners to give nature space to thrive.
WINTER SPECTACLE
Marvel at mustelids From the subterranean badger to the water-loving otter, and elusive animals like the polecat and pine marten, mustelids make up a diverse family of mammals, with several species found in Suffolk. Two species often (w-easily?) confused are the stoat and the weasel. All you might see of either of these charismatic animals is the flash of fur as they streak across the road. Shy and secretive, both are ferocious hunters despite their tiny size and getting a good view is a real treat. Stoats are bigger, but still small at under 30cm long. They have a distinctive, blacktipped tail and a bounding gait. Weasels are daintier still, capable of bringing down prey much larger than themselves. They scurry along on tiny legs. In northern climes, stoats might moult into their white winter ermine coats, but further south, including in Suffolk, they’ll stay a russet-brown.
WEASEL: BLICKWINKEL ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
SEE THEM THIS WINTER Lackford Lakes The mosaic of habitats in this wildlife oasis provide the perfect hunting grounds for stoats and weasels. Redgrave & Lopham Fen A star nature reserve that shines in any season, look out for the flash of fur on a track in front of you. Arger Fen & Spouse's Vale The mixture of habitats supports a range of mustelids, including stoats, weasels and badgers. Reserve info & maps suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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YOUR WILD WINTER
Primroses The common name of the primrose comes from the Latin prima rosa, meaning 'first rose' – a fitting title, as this is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in the year. As early as late December, the first primroses poke their head through the leaf litter in damp, shady woodlands, hedgerows, churchyards and gardens. Primrose is a favourite nectaring plant for brimstone and small tortoiseshell butterflies, as well as a vital food source for early pollinators like queen bumblebees. According to legend, no primrose could grow in the Suffolk village of Cockfield – one legend says that this is following a dreadful and bloody Viking battle, whilst another says that the plague affected primroses as well as humans here. In fact, they are thriving in Bull's Wood, in Cockfield! SEE THEM THIS WINTER Reydon Wood is famed for an amazing display of wildflowers, starting with primroses in late winter. Bull’s Wood comes alive early in the year, with wildflowers like the rare springtime oxlips, primroses and early purple orchids.
Primrose flowers are large and creamy, with deep yellow centres, and often appear clustered together.
FIELDCRAFT
Spend a day with a jay
GUY EDWARDES
Explore a woodland near you to spot a jay this winter suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ nature-reserves
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
Jays are famed for their brightly coloured pinkish-buff plumage with a startling blue wing patch and suave black moustache. They are exceptionally intelligent and some studies suggest that they may even be as clever as apes. Despite this, they can be very secretive, so winter is a good time to spot one foraging for buried acorns on lawns or in parks and grasslands, or in the bare canopies of deciduous trees. Jays are renowned for caching acorns in the autumn as a winter snack, but many will lie forgotten underground; some will grow into huge oak trees!
How to SPOT A JAY
Look As they fly, you’ll notice the obvious white rump, black tail and bouncy, flappy flight. Listen Like all corvids, the jay won’t win awards for its song. Listen for a harsh croaking screech from within the scrub or canopy. Find a feather Jays are known for their plumage, so finding their moulted wing feathers is a treat. They are smallish, with iridescent blue and black stripes.
SEE THIS
On wetlands, riverbanks and canals, look for the mowed ‘lawns’ of water voles, which are easier to see in winter.
SMELL THIS
You may be able to spot (or smell!) otter spraints by rivers and waterways: scented messages that smell of jasmine.
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
Great spotted woodpeckers GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS have dagger-like bills for drumming.
PLUMAGE is black and white, with red under-tail coverts.
FLIGHT is bounding, often bouncing between tall trees.
Inspiring technologies The ability of woodpeckers to Amazing adaptations repeatedly bang their bills and Woodpeckers are famed for heads with force against wood PLUMAGE their adaptations. Their has been long admired by Males and zygodactylic feet, with scientists. Some species can juveniles have two toes pointing up peck over 20 times a second, or red on their and two pointing down over 12,000 times a day. As well as necks, too! allow them to move having specially adapted beaks and dextrously up and down tree eyes, their skulls are softer, spongier trunks. Their bills are reinforced yet and fit tight around the brain, acting as a elastic, and the cells at the end of the bill are shock absorber and minimising vibrations. constantly replaced so that they never wear This has inspired many human-made shock down. absorbers, including to protect the black A springy hyoid bone wraps around their boxes on airplanes and bicycle helmets. heads, which acts like a seat-belt to protect against the pounding vibrations shaking LOOK FOR THEM THIS WINTER their brains. This is connected to their Captain’s Wood Step back hundreds of extremely long and sticky tongues: perfect years into a woodland habitat of ancient for fishing insects out of tiny holes. In great trees, perfect for great spotted woodpeckers. spotted woodpeckers, this extends four Knettishall Heath The woodland areas of centimetres beyond their bill tip and are so this varied nature reserve support long that they wrap around their skulls. invertebrates, fungi – and woodpeckers! Woodpeckers have a translucent third eyelid, Newbourne Springs Oak, hazel, ash, alder which can be drawn across the eye for and hawthorn make up this secret garden, protection whilst still allowing them to see. which comes alive with springtime drumming. They even have bristly feathers over their nostrils to prevent inhalation of wood Reserve info & maps suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves particles as they chisel.
Treecreeper Found in woodlands, well-camouflaged treecreepers move up tree trunks like mice.
Nuthatch This bright woodland passerine has a fluting call and can crawl up and down trees!
Green woodpecker Favour grasslands, using their long tongues to probe ant hills. Distinctive yaffling call.
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
ALAMY; ISTOCK
CUT OUT: ADOBE STOCK
ROD WILLIAMS NATUREPL.COM
Sounds of spring The drumming of the great spotted woodpecker across woodlands, parks and gardens heralds the onset of spring. As well as using that dagger bill to drill for food and create nest cavities, it is most commonly used as a form of communication, setting up and defending breeding territories. You may spot one shimmying up a tree before the canopy develops or bounding across a parkland with their bouncing flight.
SPECIES TO SPOT
ALAMY
Listen for nature’s percussionists.
Top tips THREE
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HEAR THIS
SMELL THIS
In winter, numbers of wildfowl build up on our wetlands. Listen for the distinctive whistle of the beautiful wigeon.
From February, look for tiny purple sweet violets growing beneath hedgerows. Get close and you can smell the sweet aroma.
NOT JUST FOR KIDS
Seven ways to enjoy nature this winter Dive into nature this winter and unleash your inner wild child.
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WANDER ON A WINDSWEPT BEACH A winter beach-combing walk can produce some wonderful seaside treasures. Look for shells, sea-glass, fossils and driftwood washed up by winter storms.
ALAMY
Take only photos Leave natural objects on the beac h, but do remove lit ter. Be wary of rising winter tides.
2 FELIXSTOWE BEACH: ALAMY
UPSKILL YOUR WILD SIDE Get accredited in Forest School and Wild Beach, perfect for teachers, support staff, educators and youth group leaders. Levels 1-3 available, check website for dates and locations. Book or find out more suffolkwildlifetrust. org/wildlearning
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Use your wildlife experience gift voucher to visit our badger hide.
Go Wild Valid for admission on a Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Go Wild
Valid for admissio n to Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Badger Hide.
Please book by calling 01473 890089
suffolkwildlifetrust.org
ALAMY
The hide is open bookable event. April to Septembe r. Choose from a selection of Please book by calling events available on our website. 01473 890089 Registered charity no 262777 suffolkwildlifetrust.org Please book by calling Choose from a selection of suffolkwildlifetrucharity no 262777 01473 890089 events available on our website. Registered st.org
BADGER WATCH
Registered charity
no 262777
Visit our online shop suffolkwildlifetrust.org/onlineshop
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ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
LOOK FOR BUDBURST Budburst is a sure sign of the coming spring. As the weather warms, this triggers physiological changes in trees and the tips of twigs on branches erupt with the buds of new leaves.
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
Cherry tree budburst.
BUDS / BADGER: ALAMY
Valid for admission on a Suffolk Wildlife Trust bookable event.
VOUCHER
VOUCHER
GIVE A WILD GIFT Discover family activities, adult wild learning courses, children’s activities, special events, badger watch, wildlife walks and more with our wildlife experience gift vouchers. VOUCHER
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SHIVER IN THE GELID AIR On those truly icy days where you’re shivering in your thick coat and woolly hat, remember this wonderful wild word, “gelid”, which means extremely cold.
YOUR WILD WINTER
10 winter & spring events
NIGEL PYE ALAMY
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WATCH A WILD WEBINAR On winter evenings, join one of our online Wildlife Live Webinars, led by wildlife experts. Learn about everything from waders and garden bugs to rewilding and wildlife in trees, from the comfort of your sofa!
Check out some of our top events happening this winter and spring, or see more online. 1 Connect 10 January 10.30-12 noon Lackford Lakes Join our new group for adults with learning disabilities.
suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ wildlife-live-webinars
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GROW A MINI MEADOW February is a great time to plant a meadow, ready for the summer ahead. wildlifewatch.org.uk/activities YOU WILL NEED l A patch of garden l Native wildflower seeds, grass seed and sand l Rake and secateurs l Twigs l Handful of sand
1 Prepare the area Rake over your patch of garden, removing any grass, plants and top soil.
N at u re cra ft
2 Sow your seeds Sprinkle the area with a mix of one part wildflower seeds, four parts grass seed and some sand (to help you see where you’ve sowed).
2 Photography mentorship 16 January 10am-12 noon Ipswich parks A four-week course in wildlife photography for 11-16-year-olds, with expert Kevin Sawford. 3 Young Naturalists 12 February 1.30-3.30pm Redgrave & Lopham Fen Meet new wild friends at our monthly group for 11-16-year-olds. 4 Love nest 14 February 5pm-7pm Lackford Lakes Build a nest box, explore our Valentine’s trail and enjoy hot chocolate round the fire. 5 Monthly social stroll 28 February 10am-12 noon Redgrave & Lopham Fen Join a monthy walk round the lakes.
6 Eco fair 20 March 10am-3pm Foxburrow Farm Discover inspiring approaches to sustainability. 7 Lino-printing workshop 26 March 10am-4pm Carlton Marshes Lino-cutting and printing and decorate your own bag with artist Charlotte Johnston. 8 Plant sale 10 April 10am-3pm Redgrave & Lopham Fen Join us for our annual plant sale (now exclusively peat free) and a cup of tea and cake. 9 Holiday club 12 April 9.30am-3.30pm Lackford Lakes Fun activities for 6-11-yearolds, including lunch cooked over the fire. Visit our website for details of holiday clubs across the county. 10 Bird identification 24 April 10am-4pm Lackford Lakes Brush up your bird ID skills with local expert, Paul Holness.
Browse our events page for the latest news suffolkwildlifetrust.org/events
3 Finish your prep Walk over the area, lightly water and cover with twigs to protect the seeds from animals.
ILLUSTRATIONS: CORINNE WELCH
JOHN FERGUSON
Take action for insects suffolkwildlifetrust. org/action-insects-0
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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Discover Hazlewood Marsh
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
To stroll around Hazlewood Marshes is to witness the everchanging order and chaos of nature at work. When this extraordinary nature reserve was purchased in 1991, it was one of the last undrained freshwater grazing marshes on the Suffolk coast. Miles of freshwater dykes, lagoons and reedbeds interspersed with species-rich meadows, supporting an array of invertebrates and birds. All that changed in 2013. As autumn progressed, the high tides and strong winds took their toll, with St Jude’s Storm in October causing the seawall to fail. It was clear that these manmade defences wouldn’t last forever, despite recent repairs. Then, in the dead of night on 5th December 2013, an unprecedented tidal surge significantly overtopped the seawall. Under immense pressure from the volume of water now inside the reserve, the defences gave way, effortlessly blowing out a section of the wall.
Now at the mercy of seawater, the ecology of Hazlewood changed dramatically. How to manage these changes best for wildlife was the key question: to fight the damage or embrace it, letting nature lead the way? In the end, there was only one choice. Species disappeared overnight, including bittern, marsh harrier, water rail, and many plants and flowers. But with careful consideration and help from partners
Redshank.
ALAMY
Nestled on the edgelands of Suffolk, where sea meets land and salt meets marsh, Hazlewood Marshes encapsulates the changing ebb and flow of the coastline, sometimes gentle – but sometimes bold, dangerous, dramatic. It is here that wildlife thrives.
OUR BEST WINTER RESERVES
T h a n k y ou
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Thanks to donatio ns from members and gifts in Wills, we can purch ase, restore and look af ter land for wildlife.
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Hazlewood Marshes
es like Natural England, it became clear that an intertidal ecosystem could work for wildlife and people, offering an amazing habitat and providing valuable natural saltmarsh defences against further flooding. Since then, the saltmarsh has spread out, supporting new and burgeoning populations of invertebrates and plants. Every tide brings new seeds, eggs, species. Whilst the skeletons of trees look stark and salt-blasted, marsh
DID YOU KNOW Pioneering
research at Hazlewood is showing the important role that saltmarshes can play in supporting coastal fish populations. Pipefish, bass, grey mullet, sticklebacks, common gobies, flounder and sand spelt have all been recorded, with fry using the pools in the nature reserve as a nursery to shelter from the main estuary.
An intertidal ecosystem offers an amazing habitat and valuable defences samphire is sprouting up, hopefully to be joined by sea lavender and sea aster. The extensive mudflats are perfect for roosting waders and ducks. A winter walk here will contrast a vast, flat and shimmering landscape with a cacophony of sound and colour. The site is more popular than ever with wintering wildfowl and waders, including huge flocks of black-tailed godwits and dunlin. Last autumn 33 spoonbills were recorded at once and ospreys use the site on migration. Later in the spring, listen for nightingales serenading from the scrub around the edges. Newly-built islands support thriving populations of waders, like breeding redshank and avocet, the latter fledging at least 20 chicks from 10-11 pairs in 2021. Whether you want panoramic views across the Ramsar-designated Alde estuary or an intimate view of thousands of roosting waders, ducks and geese, this mesmerising landscape is constantly shifting and will keep you coming back time Blackand again. tailed godwit.
Location: Marsh Lane, Aldeburgh IP17 1PG. How to get there: The reserve lies to the south west of the A1094 road, approximately halfway between Snape and Aldeburgh. There is a small car park just off the road for up to six cars, five minutes from the reserve. Please do not block the access road. Opening times: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Access: Please use caution if visiting around high tide a day or two either side of a full or new moon, as the path to the hide can be covered for a short period. Sorry, not suitable for wheelchairs. Phone for information: 01473 890089. Email: info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org Website: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ hazlewoodmarshes TOP WILDLIFE TO SPOT Black-tailed godwit: This long-legged, long-billed wader looks greyish-brown in winter, but will glow russet-red in breeding plumage. Teal: Tiny teal are dabbling ducks, often seen feeding along the muddy edges of water. Look for the green mask on the face. Grey mullet: Whilst only the osprey-eyed will spot a fish in water, adult grey mullet are found in the deeper pools. Look for a splash! THINGS TO DO NEARBY Enjoy Aldeburgh town centre, a five-minute drive away, including artisan tea shops or fish-and-chips on the beach. Walk the Sailor’s Path from Aldeburgh to Snape, a three-to-four-hour stroll taking in our Snape Marshes nature reserve. Admire striking local buildings, including Snape Maltings concert hall and the ancient St Botolph's Church at Iken.
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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TEAL: DAVID KJAER; BLACK-TAILED GODWIT: MINDEN PICTURES
The views across Hazlewood Marshes showcase the best of the Suffolk coast: wide skies, wild lands and shimmering waters.
STEVE AYLWARD
Dunlin.
ADO BE STO CK
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
OUR BEST WINTER RESERVES
More Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves for a great winter day out Nature reserves
Larger reserves
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Larger reserves with refreshments & toilets
Lowestoft BROADS NATIONAL PARK
A1065 A11
THE BRECKS
Mildenhall
A146
Diss A134
Halesworth
2 Ixworth
A143
Southwold
Eye A140
A14
Newmarket
A12
Bury St Edmunds
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Bull’s Wood
Why now? This is the perfect place to usher in the spring as the woodland floor lights up with a carpet of early blooming wildflowers, including the rare oxlip, early purple orchids and wood anemone.
Saxmundham
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1
A14
Stowmarket
Needham Market
Aldeburgh
A134
Lavenham
Woodbridge
Haverhill Hadleigh
Sudbury
DEDHAM VALE AONB
A12
SUFFOLK COAST & HEATHS AONB
Ipswich
A14
Felixstowe
Know before you go Location: Bury St Edmunds IP30 0HD. There is no parking at the reserve. Please park safely in the village of Cockfield. Open: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Wildlife to spot: Roe deer, marsh tit, treecreeper, oxlip, wood anemone, early purple orchid. Find out more: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ bullswood
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Mickle Mere
Why now? Mickle Mere’s network of islands and scrapes has seen numbers of breeding, wintering and passage birds soar. Teal, wigeon, gadwall and shoveler are frequent winter visitors, whilst the patient might also see Mickle Mere’s reclusive otters. Viewing is from a single hide. Know before you go Location: Ixworth IP31 2NB. Park at Pakenham Water Mill. Open: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Wildlife to spot: Otter, teal, wigeon, gadwall, shoveler, lapwing, greenshank. Find out more: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ micklemere
The lowdown At 17 hectares (42 acres), this glistening mosaic of wet meadows, open water and sedge fringed ditches boasts a rich variety of birdlife visiting the site all year round. Lying in a valley next to the River Black Bourn, the very existence of Mickle Mere is something of a fluke. When the Ixworth bypass was built in the early 1990s across the north west corner of the site, a new sluice network to connect the ditches to the river failed, resulting in regular floods. What was once improved grazing marsh soon became the wonderful wetland habitat we have today. Mickle Mere has benefited from a gift in the Will of Bill Payn.
STEVE AYLWARD
The purchase of Mickle Mere was helped by a legacy gift from eminent Suffolk birder Bill Payn.
STEVE AYLWARD
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The lowdown Anyone visiting between March and June will be treated to abundant displays of early purple orchid, spurge laurel, wood anemone and herb-paris. Birds such as marsh tits, long-tailed tits and treecreeper can be regularly seen, with roe deer haunting the trees as well. Look for their white heart-shaped rumps or hoof prints in the mud. The wood is famed for its rare springtime oxlips, which are limited to just 100 sites in East Anglia. Carpeting swathes of the woodland floor in buttery yellow, they were chosen as Suffolk's county flower. Info & maps for all reserves suffolkwildlifetrust.org/naturereserves
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
WILD THOUGHTS
Dr Amir Khan @DrAmirKhanGP
@doctoramirkhan
ILLUSTRATION: DAWN COOPER. PROFILE PHOTO: TOM HAUGHTON
A dose of nature I have just come in from the garden, having filled the bird feeders with sunflower hearts, topped up the watering station with fresh water and refilled the bowls the hedgehogs like to eat from with crunchy kitten biscuits. As soon as I come inside, a magnificent male bullfinch plonks itself onto one of the feeders and starts eating the seeds, dropping as many onto the floor as it manages to get into its mouth. Luckily an opportunistic chaffinch is on clean up duty, guzzling any seeds the messy bullfinch drops. It is a lovely scene to watch unfold, calming and beautiful in its simplicity. Many of you reading this article will be familiar with the feeling of positivity that fills our bodies when we spend time in nature, and as a doctor it is something I am increasingly “prescribing” for my patients. I have to be honest, sometimes I do get incredulous looks when I suggest a “dose” of time spent in green spaces to my patients to help sooth their ailments, either on its own or in conjunction with modern medicine; but for those who heed my advice, I have never had any complaints. That is because there is scientific evidence that nature is good for us. When we go outdoors and embrace our natural surroundings our bodies produce less of our stress hormone, cortisol, lowering our heart rates and blood pressure. We also produce more of our “happy” brain chemicals, dopamine and serotonin, increasing our sense of calm and wellbeing. It is relatively easy to spend time outdoors in the summer months when the sun is shining and everything is more inviting,
but we can get huge health benefits from nature as autumn and winter set in too. We need that boost to our mental health that nature gives us more than ever when longer nights set in, but the benefits don’t stop there. Plants and trees naturally produce chemicals called phytoncides that help protect them against damage from bacteria, fungi and insects. As we spend time in green spaces, we breathe these chemicals in and they can help stimulate our own immune systems to produce more natural “killer” cells, which are vital for fighting off viruses, perfect for winter when respiratory viruses are more common. Nature can also help our brains focus better; by spending time looking at wildlife and plants during our breaks at work, we can give the parts of our brain a rest that are needed for attention and focusing, so when we return to work or a task we need to complete, we will be more productive. Being out in natural light is good for improving sleep – so make the most of those shorter days and get out there! Sometimes it can feel difficult to go out if the weather isn’t quite right, but it is important to carry our good summer habits into autumn and winter. For those who do go outdoors regularly, spread the word and encourage your friends and family to do the same, so they too can reap the benefits of our natural world. Find inspiration to get outdoors and discover wildlife this winter with our selection of seasonal spectacles! wildlifetrusts.org/winter-wildlife
WILD HOUSE CALL
You don’t have to travel far for your dose of nature. Even in built-up areas, there are wild wonders to soothe your soul. Listen for the cheerful chirps of house sparrows in the bushes, or the soft cooing of pigeons perched on buildings. If you have a garden, we’ve got lots of great tips to help attract even more wildlife at wildlifetrusts.org/actions
Dr Amir Khan is an ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts. He is an advocate for Green Prescribing and champions the benefit that being in nature has on health and wellbeing.
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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Upcycle your garden
for wildlife
Wildlife gardening needn’t be expensive. There’s nothing more rewarding than upcycling old, broken or unused household items into wildlife habitats for the garden.
Use hessian bags to grow bee-friendly plants Many bee-friendly plants grow well in pots and hessian bags make excellent alternatives that you can pack away in winter. Choose drought-tolerant catmint, lavender and Mediterranean herbs like oregano and mint.
Pallet herb garden An upturned pallet can add height to your garden. You can paint it a nice colour and simply wedge plants in their pots between the slats.
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
Grow plants in saucepans Drill holes in old saucepans and other kitchen containers to make plant pots. They’re perfect for salad crops like lettuce and radish, plus herbs like chives and parsley.
Tin can bee hotels Fix an old tin can to a fence or wall and pack it with dried, hollow plant stems from 1mm to 12mm in diameter, to attract a range of solitary bees and wasps. Make sure the can overhangs the stems so they don’t get wet.
Upcycling is a fantastic way to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, while saving you money, too. Who needs to buy expensive plant pots when there are old saucepans, wellington boots or even basins and toilets that can be used instead? Or how about making a pond from your old bath or kitchen sink? There are no limits to what you can do with old, broken and unused items. Use your imagination to find creative ways to find new uses for forgotten possessions in the loft or shed. What can you use to make a cosy bird box for a blue tit or a refugia for slow worms? Do you have enough old bits of wood to knock up a hedgehog or bat box? Whatever you choose, make sure you use materials safely and effectively. Upcycled gardens look fun, quirky and unique. They can make fantastic wildlife habitats, too.
Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlifefriendly gardening and the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.
Get more wildlife gardening tips on our website wildlifetrusts.org/actions
A teapot bird house An old teapot can make the perfect nest site for a robin or wren. Hang it with the spout facing down, in a sheltered site away from cats and other predators.
Plant tray bird bath Fill an old plant pot tray with water to make a bird bath. Stand it on old bricks to raise it from the ground or leave it low to provide water for hedgehogs. Add a stone to help bees escape if they get stuck.
Old sink pond A Belfast sink or old baby bath make attractive mini container ponds, or sink a full-sized bath into the ground for a bigger pond. Pile up logs or stones to make sure wildlife can get in and out safely.
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ILLUSTRATION BY KATY FROST, PHOTO © SARAH CUTTLE
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
WILD NEWS Highlights from Suffolk and national news from The Wildlife Trusts
3,230 £XXX hectares of land cared for
Number factoid thiswant space and by us. By 2030inwe 30% description here. Number factoid of Suffolk to be naturein this space and description here. friendly, so that wildlife can Number factoid in this space thrive beyond our and description here.
reserves.
MIKE BRYANT ALAMY
Great crested newts can be quite large, growing up to 17cm long.
Great news for newts! We had a busy autumn restoring farm ponds as part of Natural England’s District Level Licensing Scheme for great crested newts. This new scheme targets pond-rich areas in the country to support and strengthen existing populations, rather than relying on translocation. At the end of 2021, we worked on restoring ponds on farms across Suffolk, with over 30 ponds earmarked for improvements. We are delighted to work with the landowners who have been involved with this scheme thus far. We will return to these farms in the spring to survey for newts and see what other wildlife is present. Under this scheme, the priority for pond restorations are ponds that are no longer suitable for great crested newts and that are near to suitable habitat.
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Many former farm ponds have become surrounded by trees and scrub and full of leaf-litter, and therefore are of low value. These forgotten mini wetlands are prime areas for transformation, creating open habitats rich in wildlife. The work involves removing silt and restoring the original profile, with shallow gradient edges. Bankside tree removal is also important, whilst leaving a few feature trees, such as veterans or those with holes and crevices for roosting bats. Clearance along the southern edge is most important to let maximum light into the pond. This will allow growth of marginal and aquatic plants from the existing seedbank, which will benefit newts and a host of wetland wildlife, including dragonflies, aquatic invertebrates and other amphibians, such as toads and frogs.
Hibernating on land in winter, great crested newts need ponds with clean water to breed in.
JOH N FER GUS ON
POND RESTORATION
Our Wilder Landscapes Manager Sam Hanks inspecting a farm pond. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wilderlandscapes
NEWS
Dr Mya-Rose Craig's first book profiles 30 young people of colour campaigning for the planet.
Together
we’re stronger
Here are some of the ways your membership is helping to protect local wildlife.
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wild learning sites
ADOBE STOCK
inspire children and families from across the county.
£78,500
WILD READS
raised from donations and a legacy gift to buy Rowley Grove woodland.
We have a dream We are delighted to have copies of Dr Mya-Rose Craig's book We have a Dream illustrated by Sabrena Khadija to give to 100 Suffolk schools. With young environmentalist's voices being some of the most eloquent and compelling of our time, we hope this book will embolden and empower young people in Suffolk to speak up for the natural world. 19-yearold Mya-Rose ‘Birdgirl’ Craig is an environmental and diversity campaigner. The book profiles 30 young people of colour protecting the planet. In her book, she speaks to indigenous and people of colour campaigners from around the world, including Autumn Peltier, Vanessa Nakate and Lesein Mutunkei. Indigenous
communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, yet often aren’t heard in global conversations. From wildlife conservation to clean water, from air pollution to plastic waste, from climate justice to climate strikes, the time has come to listen to a generation of young people demanding urgent change for the world they will inherit. Our Youth Board have been invited to think of ways that they can help us to get Dr Craig’s book into schools and colleges to empower more young people to campaign to save nature. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust. org/youth-board
KNETTISHALL HEATH
Our ‘Welcome on Wheels’ at Knettishall Heath is up and running, initially on a ‘pop-up’ basis. Serving delicious drinks and snacks, our friendly staff are there to provide information and help visitors too. If you’re visiting the reserve, do say hello to the new team! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help out, too; you can find details on our website.
SAR AH GROVES
Welcome on wheels
Our Welcome on Wheels serving delicious drinks and snacks.
Thank
you!
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orchid species
blossomed this summer at Winks Meadow, including bee, pyramidal, green-winged, common-spotted and twayblade.
30+
farmland ponds restored or planned for restoration in late 2021.
Butterflies
boomed last summer at Bonny Wood, including silver-washed fritillary, purple hairstreak, white admiral and purple emperor.
Find details on our website suffolkwildlifetrust.org/volunteer
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UK NEWS
GLASGOW PROTESTORS: ALAMY
UK UPDATE
A COP-out on climate?
I
n November, negotiators from governments around the world gathered in Glasgow to discuss action to tackle the climate emergency. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, known as COP26, brought together tens of thousands of representatives from almost every country in the world to find solutions to the worsening crisis. After two weeks of talks and negotiations, the Glasgow Climate Pact was agreed to accelerate action on climate this decade and keep alive the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels. The outcomes included commitments to increase financial support to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change, and to reduce the use of fossil fuels, after the language was weakened from the initial phasing out of fossil fuels. COP26 also saw a pledge from 130 countries to end deforestation by 2030. But The Wildlife Trusts’ response to the resolutions of COP26 is that they do not go far enough to address the urgent issue of the climate crisis, and by extension the nature crisis with which it is inextricably linked. Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said, “We’ve seen some
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baby steps forward, when giant leaps were needed. The focus on ‘keeping 1.5 alive’ has been welcome, as has the greater recognition of the role that nature can play in helping us tackle the climate crisis. But to deliver this, we need to build a renewed momentum to cut carbon emissions deeper and faster, and we need the world to adopt a local-toglobal ‘30 by 30 target’ for nature at the UN Convention on Biodiversity meeting taking place in China next spring, so that nature can be put into recovery across 30% of land and sea by the end of the decade.” Elliot Chapman-Jones, Head of Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, adds, “The prognosis for ‘keeping 1.5 alive’ remains poor. It must now be urgently remedied in the UK by banning new coal mines, setting an end date for oil and gas exploration and production, greater investment in nature restoration, and ensuring agricultural and fishing industries are supported so that they can help solve, rather than worsen, the nature and climate crises.” The UK Government must increase its ambition and speed up adaptation and carbon reduction, having taken a few steps back prior to COP26 by cutting foreign aid, failing to ban new coal mines, and offering support for more oil and gas
WHAT WE ARE DOING The Wildlife Trusts believe global ambition must now unite under the following principles:
n Countries must keep 1.5 alive through action and adaptation. n Net zero by 2050 is not the destination – nature becomes increasingly critical to remove carbon beyond 2050. n The global community must work together and finance climate action.
exploration in UK waters. It’s time to get serious about putting nature in recovery across 30% of the UK’s land and sea by 2030 to tackle the twin climate and nature crises. It’s important to remember that Net Zero is not the destination, merely a waymark point. We need to be restoring nature on a huge scale right now to enable it to draw carbon down from the atmosphere after 2050 and help repair the climate. How you can play your part wildlifetrusts.org/takingclimate-action
NEWS
UK UPDATE
Big vision, high ambition – a year of progress This September marked the first anniversary of 30 by 30, The Wildlife Trusts collective vision for 30% of land and sea to be restored for nature by 2030. In the past year, Trusts across the UK have launched inspirational projects to restore land for nature, from saving meadows for mountain pansies in Shropshire to restoring rhos pasture in Radnorshire – marshy grasslands home to rare butterflies, curlew and snipe. Thanks to your generous support, we will continue to bring nature back across the UK – to link up wild places and protect and repair others.
Our latest projects include securing more land for nature in Somerset’s Avalon Marshes, an internationally important wetland landscape home to waders, wildfowl, and rare insects and plants, and here in Suffolk, an exciting project to let nature reclaim former arable land alongside Market Weston Fen.
Discover more of our 30 by 30 projects at wildlifetrusts.org/30-30-30 taking-climate-action
UK HIGHLIGHTS Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK
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1 Great news for gulls
Gull chicks have fledged at South Walney nature reserve for the first time since 2015, thanks to a new predatorproof fence. Since 2017, no chicks have survived longer than a week, but this summer Cumbria Wildlife Trust recorded over 100 large and healthy chicks of lesser black-backed gulls and herring gulls – a red-listed and declining species. Find out more at wtru.st/Cumbria-gulls
2 Tadpole triumphs
SUNFLOWERS: ADOBE STOCK; JELLYFISH: IAN WATKIN; SNIPE: ALAMY
The northern pool frog has been successfully reintroduced to Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Thompson Common, the last place it was recorded before its extinction in Britain in the 1990s. Since 2015, more than 1,000 pool frog tadpoles have been released on the site, with early indications promising that the frogs will form a self-sustaining population. Learn more at wtru.st/frogs-return
Sunflower power Birdfood suppliers, Vine House Farm has generated £2 million to support the conservation work of The Wildlife Trusts. For the past 14 years, The Wildlife Trusts have been in partnership with the wildlife friendly farm in Lincolnshire, with a percentage of each purchase of their bird seed going to local Wildlife Trusts and helping wildlife across the UK. This year saw the contribution pass the impressive
milestone, with the Covid-19 pandemic prompting more people than ever to purchase food for their garden birds. Vine House Farm grows 400 acres of bird seed crops, including the ever-popular sunflower seeds, as well as being a haven for wildlife in itself, with a thriving population of tree sparrows and other farmland birds. Learn more at wtru.st/2-million
3 Jelly jeopardy
Cornwall Wildlife Trust supporter Ian Watkins spotted the unusual sight of a whiting trapped inside the bell of a compass jellyfish, whilst on a walk during National Marine Week. Juvenile fish often hide amongst jellyfish tentacles for protection from predators, but are occasionally stung and eaten.
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We bet you didn’t know... At the end of winter, you might start to see catkins hanging from trees like hazel and alder. The word ‘catkin’ comes from the Dutch for ‘kitten’, as they look and feel like a kitten’s tail.
New Chair for Suffolk Wildlife Trust We are delighted to welcome James Alexander as the new Chair of Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Board of Trustees. Elected by members at our AGM, Trustees oversee the management of the charity and agree the strategic focus and ambition for the investment of our resources. Trustees are volunteers and bring their collective skills, life experiences and professional training to help the Trust be the force for nature we strive to be.
ALAMY
Natterjack toads are the UK's loudest amphibian!
PARTNERSHIP WORKING
Keep up-to-date suffolkwildlifetrust.org/lackford
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Thank you
LEGACIES
We are grateful to the families of the following friends of the Trust who have recently remembered us in their Will or through an In memoriam donation.
For the latest news on Sizewell C visit suffolkwildlifetrust.org
New view from Lackford Lakes Visitors will soon be able to enjoy even better views of wildlife at Lackford Lakes in the form of a gorgeous new, twostorey wildlife viewing point, planned for opening in the new year. The replacement of the hide is part of a package of activity across our West Suffolk reserves funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund (GRCF) and by legacy gifts and donations. The GRCF is being delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.
Further information on our Board and how to get involved is on our website suffolkwildlife trust.org/how-we-are-governed
remain unhappy with several aspects of the development. For example, we have particular concern on how the development might impact on the SSSI hydrology, potentially replacing groundwater with surface water of poorer water quality. Over time, this could have a significant effect on many of the rare plant species found there.
VIEWPOINT
The new viewpoint will open in the new year.
Judith Ann Boxall Keith Brown Christopher Everitt Russell Farman Gwendoline Flatt Barbara Ann Foulger John Fox Kenneth Frost Joyce Haines Robert Jillings Sheila Ladell Mollie Larke Andrew Leng
Roger Mitchell Kathleen Nelson Michael ParryCrooke Mary Bryan Pryor Marianne Sansbury Anne Seward John Sharp Paddy Shaw Doris Sparkes Audrey Steley Sally Taylor Derek Tripp
REDWING: ALAMY; LITTLE OWLS: ISTOCK
We have been working hard with RSPB and Friends of the Earth during the examination. The development proposal is now resting with the Planning Inspectors who will make their recommendation to the Secretary of State. Progress has been made on many elements of the design, for example, the crossing of the Sizewell Marshes SSSI is now less impactful and there is now better mitigation provision for rare barbastelle bats and natterjack toads. However, we are still concerned and
STE VE AYLWA RD
Sizewell C update
WILDER LANDSCAPES
FOCUS ON Wilder landscapes
Wildlifefriendly farming
Thank you
Thanks to your support, we can work with farmers and landowners across the county to restore local wildlife.
MIKALAY VARDHEY ALAMY
Yellowhammers are now a Red List species due to declines across our farmland.
SARAH GROVES
A wilder Suffolk Our vision for a Wilder Suffolk hinges on changes to our farmed landscape, and Suffolk Wildlife Trust is investing in the future of our local farming community. To lead this change, we have recruited a team of farmland wildlife advisers, to help farmers shift to more wildlifefriendly farming. Across the UK, The Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of our land and sea to be connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030. Making more space for nature will give our struggling wildlife the chance to recover and restore beautiful wild places – places that store
Sam Hanks SWT Wilder Landscapes Manager with land owner John Sanderson .
carbon and help to tackle the climate crisis. Connecting habitats along river valleys and via road verges, woodlands and hedgerows is vital to allow wildlife to move and, where possible, increase in abundance. For Suffolk, a big part of this work will focus on investing in farmland, making it more sustainable, more resilient and to help it thrive with wildlife once more.
The greatest uplift for nature will be in Suffolk's farmland Farming for the future Having worked for several years with many farmers in Suffolk on a wide range of projects, from simple actions to whole farm transformations, we recognise that the greatest uplift for nature will be in Suffolk’s farmland of the future. As such, we are building on our existing work with farmers and farmer clusters in Suffolk. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is uniquely placed to support local farmers in accessing the knowledge and specialisms that farmers may require in the future.
Farmland Wildlife Advisory team Our Farmland Advisory team will support farmers to develop sustainable, nature-friendly farming businesses. We are aiming to provide a wide range of important advice and support, including traditional and new approaches to agrienvironment, novel funding streams for specific projects and developing approaches to blended finance in the agricultural support system. Bringing nature back to Suffolk’s farmland is part of our vision for a Wilder Suffolk, and you can get involved. We are looking for Farmland Wildlife Volunteers to help with wildlife survey work, or if you’re part of the farming community, find out how we can help you. What next? Although a time of great challenge, this is also a time of great optimism. There is a will for change and gathering momentum from farmers to seize the moment and play their part in bringing nature back to our farmed landscapes. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wilderlandscapes
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Rewilding
Suffol
The concept of rewilding has captured the imagination of many in recent years, giving hope we could once again live in a world where wildlife is abundant, and the natural environment is in good health. But can we rewild Suffolk and if so, what would it look like? BY STEVE AYLWARD
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REWILDING SUFFOLK
TREESPARROWS & GREENFINCHES: BENCE MATE NATUREPL.COM
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REWILDING SUFFOLK
Black Bourn Valley nature reserve now has a naturally functioning floodplain that attracts large flocks of wildfowl.
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ewilding’ can excite and enthuse, rile and enrage in equal measure. Some see it as the way to restore the natural world while others simply dismiss it as a fad, but of course it is far more complicated than that. Rewilding is best viewed as an umbrella term to describe the action we can take to benefit nature at any scale, from leaving a patch of lawn un-mown to taking hundreds of acres of land out of conventional agricultural use and letting nature run wild. Suffolk is an intensely managed county. Everywhere you look you can see the impacts of human activity, the mowing, the flailing, the draining, the ploughing, the building and relentless suppression of the natural environment. It feels as if there is hardly a corner of Suffolk not subjected to some form of human intervention or control. We no longer naturally fit into the natural world; it has to fit around us and that has had a devastating impact on nature. We are currently locked into a spiral of habitat
Hullback's Grove, Arger Fen, is naturally regenerated woodland on former arable land and is now home to dormice.
Rewilding is a model we can all adopt at any scale that will address both the biodiversity crisis and climate change decline, climate chaos and extinction, and the window of opportunity to stop this is rapidly disappearing. We know that the biodiversity crisis and climate change are directly linked, and neither can be solved separately. Tackling climate change will hugely benefit wildlife and the natural environment and vice versa; restoring biodiversity and natural habitats can start to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and limit the impact of climate change. Rewilding is a model we can all adopt at any scale that will address both the biodiversity crisis and climate change. Rewilding our rivers Every river in Suffolk has been modified in some way. They have been deepened, straightened, embanked and polluted. There isn’t a
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single watercourse that can be described as entirely natural or completely healthy. In equally poor shape are their floodplains that have been drained and intensively farmed, which in turn contributes to the poor condition of the rivers. Rewilding our rivers and river corridors can take many forms. Where possible, reconnecting a river to its floodplain can have huge benefits for nature and for us. Climate change is already creating multiple extreme weather events and while Suffolk has to date avoided any serious large-scale flood events, the risk increases year on year. Natural floodplains are one of the most effective flood protection measures for towns and villages, and also wonderful wildlife habitats that if connected, could create a county-wide network of nature-rich land. Rewilding farms Suffolk’s farms are essential and successful food production businesses that dominate the Suffolk landscape. Over 70% of Suffolk is cultivated arable land and much of that has been farmed
nature. They carefully use crop rotations and leys to reduce pesticide use and build natural fertility. They value the hedges and margins that harbour the natural insect predators that keep crop pests under control and are happy to leave the farm looking a little less ‘tidy’. These are the farms where wildlife is recovering and in their own way, they are being ‘rewilded’.
Oystercatcher.
Rewilding the coast We might not like it, but the Suffolk coast will be unrecognisable in 50-100-years’ time. We are locked in to significant sea level rise and ‘holding the line’ will be physically impossible. We have no option other than to start
DORMOUSE: ALAMY; MALLARDS: JACK DYKINGA NATUREPL.COM; OYSTERCATCHER: ISTOCK
LANDSCAPE PHOTOS: STEVE AYLWARD
for hundreds if not thousands of years. Suffolk’s farms were not so long ago a rich environment for wildlife with an abundance of different species living alongside our livestock and crops. Modern farming has changed all that and today, most farms are a challenging environment for birds such as lapwings and sparrows, which were once a ubiquitous part of any farm. The demand for increased productivity has squeezed the ‘wild’ out, creating crop factories. The challenge is to find a new balance where there is once again space for nature alongside food production. Some farmers have found a way. They have identified the field corners that will never be productive and are best left to
Saltmarsh at Simpson's Saltings is a resilient natural sea defence and important winter feeding habitat for wading birds.
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REWILDING SUFFOLK
STE VE AYLWAR D
planning for change as otherwise natural events will simply overtake us. Natural coastal habitats are far more resilient than man-made defences and therefore allowing extensive areas of the coast and our estuaries to develop into new saltmarsh and mudflat habitats will provide multiple benefits. Not only do they support rich and diverse ecosystems for birds, fish, invertebrates and plants, they can lock up huge quantities of carbon in the mud and substrate. Of equal importance, planning
Peacock butterfly.
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for and applying this approach in the right places will protect our towns and coastal communities from the worst impacts of sea-level rise. This is ‘rewilding’ in the purest sense where natural processes are the dominant force and human intervention is almost absent. Suffolk 30 by 30 The Trust’s Black Bourn Valley and Arger Fen & Spouse's Vale nature reserves are an alternative approach to management, recently joined by Foxburrow Farm. These are large areas of mostly ex-arable land that are at different stages on a rewilding journey. They are places where nature is being allowed to do its own thing, management interventions are minimal, and nature is responding in both spectacular and surprising ways. Nightingale and turtle dove have returned to Black Bourn and dormice are colonising the new woodland and scrub habitats at Arger Fen. Reptile and great crested newt populations are flourishing along with orchids and invertebrates. These reserves will be the productivity ‘hot spots’ for both common and rare species that in time will hopefully
repopulate the wider countryside with their ‘surplus’ offspring. We need more Black Bourn Valleys. Taking just 3% of Suffolk’s arable land out of farming could create another seventy Black Bourn Valley’s across Suffolk. Imagine seventy nature factories!
Taking just 3% of Suffolk’s arable land out of farming could create another 70 Black Bourn Valleys We have a hugely ambitious aspiration that by 2030, 30% of Suffolk will be managed in a way that is sympathetic to wildlife. We have to achieve that goal if we are to halt the loss of biodiversity and seriously address climate change. The Trust is leading the way on multiple fronts and rewilding is a core part of our strategy. We are helping farmers ‘wild’ their farms, we are rewilding rivers in partnership with the Environment
GRASS SNAKE: ALAMY, LINNET: ALAMY
Developing scrub and grassland habitat on former arable land at Black Bourn Valley.
LEFT: Small and
STEVE AYLWARD
green-veined white butterflies taking moisture and salts from a muddy pond margin.
Linnet, a once common bird of scrubby grassland habitats.
Grass snake numbers have increased at Black Bourn Valley following the creation of more suitable habitat.
Agency and landowners, and we are rewilding our nature reserves with fewer management interventions where we can. The next decade will be the ‘make or break’ years. We know how to do it and we can do it, but it needs everyone to play their part. Every garden, farm, river, estuary and nature reserve must be wilder if we are to pass on to future generations a Suffolk that can feed us, nurture us and enrich our lives with nature. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/conservation
MIDDLE: Grass snake numbers have increased at Black Bourn Valley following the creation of more suitable habitat.
Steve Aylward is Head of Property & Projects for Suffolk Wildlife Trust and has been closely involved in the Trust's wilding projects.
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MARSH HARRIER: MIKALAY VARABY NATUREPL.COM
Marsh harriers are the biggest of our harrier species, with a 1.3m wingspan.
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HAUNTING THE MARSHES
Haunting the
Marshes The majestic marsh harrier is one of the UK’s untold conservation success stories, and it has Suffolk at its heart. BY BEN MCFARLAND
Ben McFarland is Head of Conservation for Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
A
s a young conservationist living in Oxford, I used to drink in the Marsh Harrier pub. Found in a slightly grittier part of the city and despite serving one of the best pints around (Brakspear, if you were wondering), it was considerably less famous than some of the other pubs frequented by Tolkien and others in years gone by. A bit like its namesake pub, the marsh harrier strikes me as being rather overlooked compared to some other birds of prey. The dance of the marsh harrier is captivating. Rising into the air, the male turns swiftly before plunging and tumbling at speed. The female rises and in a moment of pure wildlife theatre, she locks talons with the male, spinning as they fall. It is one of the most exhilarating sights in nature. Often mistaken at distance for a buzzard, marsh harriers lack the glamour of larger raptors like golden eagles. It
doesn’t have the Terminator-like fascination of the goshawk or the media driven coverage of the sadly beleaguered hen harrier. It’s never been swept into public consciousness by famous and successful reintroductions like the red kite. Yet the marsh harrier is a beautiful bird and one of the true conservation successes of recent decades. It’s a story of decline followed by a meteoric rise, and only now are we beginning to see the extent of its success. Understated beauty They are the largest of the harriers, heavier than the hen harrier with a wingspan of up to 130cm. Typical of many raptors, the female is larger; she can weigh up to 800g compared to 650g for a male. Buzzards are much heavier, with the largest females occasionally reaching 1300g. The sexes display classic dimorphic plumage; the males have a brown body, lighter tail with black tips
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HAUNTING THE MARSHES on greyish/brown wings. The females are darker with a distinct cream head and dark eye stripe. Most experts consider the Western (or Eurasian) marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus is one of six marsh harrier species found worldwide; those breeding in the UK are one of two sub-species, the other a North African resident. Across Eastern Europe and Asia, some eastern birds winter in the Indian subcontinent whilst others prefer Africa, from Senegal and The Gambia across to Tanzania. In the UK they are generally resident, although some winter along the south coast and they are a summer visitor to the Highlands of Scotland. They are an ambush predator, flying low over reeds and scrub. Their long legs are brilliant at snatching prey from the ground and shallow water, including coot, moorhen, frogs and toads, small fish and even insects. As such, they are a good indicator of healthy wetland habitat. Fall and rise The Marsh Harrier, written by the late Dr Roger Clarke, describes their grisly decline. At the beginning of the 1900s marsh harriers were hunted to extinction, driven by a cultural tradition to eliminate anything with curved beak and hooked claw. After 1911 they made a cautious return starting in Norfolk, until in the 1950s and 1960s, they were struck by the menace of the pesticide DDT. Eloquently described in Rachel Carson’s landmark book Silent Spring, DDT accumulated in the body and eggs of birds of prey. So
rapid was the decline of the marsh harrier that by 1971 there was only a single pair in the country, at RSPB Minsmere, here in Suffolk. Since then, there has been a sustained gradual recovery. DDT was mercifully banned. Protection came under the Wildlife and Countryside Act in 1981 and whilst not halting persecution entirely, helped reduce it significantly. Importantly, this gave the species an opportunity to bounce back. Thanks to the ongoing work of conservation organisations like Suffolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Natural England, management of key reedbed sites helped the marsh harrier recolonise much of Suffolk. Suffolk success Marsh harrier colonisation of our reserves over recent years has been remarkable. Through hard work we have created ideal reedbed habitat and their response has been amazing. Perhaps most striking has been their spread from traditional coastal strongholds to reserves further inland. Providing this space is critical to their long-term survival in the face of threats such as
FLEDGLING SUCCESS Between 2015 and 2021, numbers of marsh harriers fledging from Lackford Lakes, Carlton Marshes and Redgrave & Lopham Fen have climbed from two to 15.
Marsh harriers were hunted to extinction and then badly impacted by pesticides like DDT.
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MARSH HARRIER: ALAMY
Marsh harriers are one of the species at stake due to the proposed development at Sizewell C.
Marsh harrier colonisation of our reserves over recent years has been remarkable
ADOBE STCOK /CHICKS: ISTOCK / ALAMY
Sizewell C and coastal change. At Lackford Lakes near Bury St Edmunds, they first colonised as recently as last year when they successfully fledged two chicks. At Redgrave & Lopham Fen, they started breeding in 2015 and this year was their best season so far, with five young fledged. The marsh harrier is no average bird, nor even an average bird of prey. A bit like my Oxford pub, it’s an undiscovered gem: unlike the pub, this one can be found in Suffolk.
Marsh harriers are ambush predators, diving on to prey from above.
Where to see marsh harriers suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ nature-reserves
For many years, EDF (the developer of the proposed nuclear power station next to Sizewell Belts SSSI and RSPB Minsmere), took some convincing that the breeding marsh harriers at Minsmere used the SSSI, managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, for regular feeding. Then one day, on a site visit to the reserve with RSPB, Natural England and EDF, a majestic female marsh harrier flew over Goose Hills before descending to the marshes to forage. Since then, we’ve worked closely with EDF
and RSPB to get the proper compensation in place and EDF now accept that the development will block the route of marsh harrier to feed in the SSSI. In the UK, marsh harrier are strongly associated with phragmites reedbed and wetlands, whereas EDF’s current proposals largely revolve around the creation of dry habitat. Although closer to the Minsmere reedbed than the lost area of SSSI, there remains a huge doubt whether this will compensate for the loss. We will continue to work with EDF to monitor the compensation areas to find solutions if an overall impact does occur.
Find out what we're doing suffolkwildlife trust.org
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MARSH HARRIER: ALAMY / CHICKS: ISTOCK: SIZEWELL: STEVE AYLWARD
SIZEWELL C: MARSH HARRIERS AT STAKE
Rebugging our homes
Do you shudder to think of the creatures secretly sharing your home, or do you embrace and encourage them? Author Vicki Hird is on a mission to share her love of the creepy crawlies we can all help, right on (and inside!) our doorsteps.
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’ve always loved bugs, from the ants in my garden to the huge rhinocerous beetles that wander our woodlands. Concerned by their alarming signs of decline, I’ve tried to share my love and encourage everyone to do what they can to help save them. We can all benefit – humans and bugs alike – by rebugging our lives and homes; starting with how we think and view bugs, to how we eat, garden, what we buy and even how we talk about them. Wildlife is all around us: it’s not just out in the countryside, in woodlands or other remote wild places. It’s in our towns, our gardens and even our homes! Here I explore – and celebrate – some of the tiniest housemates that have moved in with us, either permanently or just for a short stay (and that you might not even know about)…
Several species of spider thrive in houses.
RIGHT: Snails are a sign of a healthy garden. 32
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
REBUGGING OUR HOMES EIGHT-LEGGED LODGERS
SHARING YOUR SPACE Your home and garden can be wonderful places, and not just for you. Thousands of creatures, visible and hidden share these spaces with you. From the fly catching spiders sheltering in the corners of your bedroom, to the worms wriggling through your garden soil, the teeny pollinating wasps in your window box, and the cavitynesting tree bumblebees tucked into a gap in your eaves. Not only do these creatures live peacefully and often unnoticed around you, but they also contribute much to your life. They are gardeners that help your flowers flourish, farmers that lend a hand with your home-grown veg, and bouncers that get rid of other less welcome house guests.
THE HIDDEN UNDERWORLD Your garden soil is home to many more critters than worms. The soil, in which we grow most of our food, is created largely by the guts and jaws of worms, mites, springtails, termites, beetles and many more. If you can imagine the soil as a cooking recipe, the bugs basically do all the cutting, grating, mashing, grinding and, given their role in moving fungus and microbes about, they ensure fermentation happens too. They also help draw down air, water and nutrients; your flowers, grass and spuds would not grow without the huge array of hard-working hidden beasts beneath your feet.
Globular springtail.
Brown centipede.
Cellar spider.
NOOKS FOR NATURE The cracks and crevices around our houses are hugely important for our bugs. They serve as everything from a nesting place for bees and wasps, to a lurking space for others. One species that may move in is a centipede. Centipedes, whilst harmless to us, use their huge jaws to feast on other bugs you won’t want around like silverfish, carpet beetle larvae, and cockroaches. They will hide in cracks around your house, in drains and damp dark spaces. If you spot a centipede scurrying from its hiding place, take a close look as they are fascinating to watch.
VICKI HIRD
has been working on environment, food and farming issues for over 25 years. She explores more insect stories in her new book, Rebugging the Planet: The Remarkable Things that Insects (and Other Invertebrates) Do – And Why We Need to Love Them More.
SPIDER: ALAMY; SNAIL: ALAMY; TREE BUBLEBEE: ALAMY; CELLAR SPIDER: ALAMY; SPRINGTAIL: ADOBE STOCK; CETIPEDE: ALEX HYDE NATUREPL.COM, EARWIGS: ALAMY
Tree bumblebee.
Do you shudder with fear when you see a spider? It’s worth giving that reaction a rethink, as these wonderfully diverse and useful creatures are very unlikely to harm you. You are a far bigger threat to them and if you can resist the urge to hurt them, that’s a great start. Your home and garden provide cosy spaces for these handy housemates. Spiders make great neighbours as they munch through huge volumes each year including ants, mosquitoes, cockroaches, aphids, flies, and even fleas. They are food too for your garden birds. Welcome the spiders with open arms (even if it is at arm’s length)!
Action for insects suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ action-insects-0
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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PHOTOS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
Starling murmuration at Hen Reedbeds. Up close with nature aged three. A small patch of woodland close to home.
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
wild self
REWILDING YOUR LIFE
Your
Rewilding your life
Wilding can be just as much about letting nature into your heart, body and lifestyle as much as bringing wildlife back to landscapes. Before we can truly change our actions, we have to change our mindsets.
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
PHOTOS: NEIL RATTENBURY, SARAH'S MUM, SARAH GROVES
BY SARAH GROVES
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REWILDING YOUR LIFE
M
y parents told me that my first spoken word was ‘garden’. Apparently, I was lying on my tummy on the carpet looking through a picture window out towards our small garden. I think in all actuality, it was probably ‘ga-ga’, but the sentiment was clearly there, and Mum was convinced. I feel grateful that I’ve had a deep connection with wildlife and the natural world ever since I can remember, but recent research by Natural England suggests a decline in the proportion of children spending time outside, particularly independently of adults. For most children, their main experience of the natural environment is close to home, in greenspaces within towns and cities. Wild at home Over the past few years, I’ve been wilding my house and garden so that it provides a small, calm and precious patch of beauty and vitality for me, and a home and natural food resource for wildlife. I’ve left areas of grass unmown, dazzling with ox-eye daisies in the spring and chirping with crickets and grasshoppers in the autumn. These little wild patches are home to ants, too, who are left free to build palatial nests within the mini meadow. I’ve had grass snakes visit my tiny wildlife pond, where dragonflies lay their eggs and leave their exoskeletons attached to the rushes as delicate prizes to find. The sight of freshly laid frogspawn never fails to excite in early spring. It’s fun to keep an eye on social media to see where and when nature lovers have spotted their first signs of these little marbles of joy. The outside of the house is festooned with bird boxes, which shelter generations of blue and great tits, and a shrew has taken up residence in the roof of my conservatory. Wildflowers attract an array of butterflies and moths; the most remarkable for me was an all-toobrief visit by a stunning green hairstreak which decided to ignore the wildflowers to feast upon a pot of dianthus instead. Wasps have a safe nest in my roof cavity 36
Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
Sarah on Hen Reedbeds near Southwold, her local nature reserve.
REWILD YOURSELF
1
CONSIDER NATURE IN EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE Whether you’re shopping, gardening, cleaning, cooking, commuting or going on holiday, think about nature and how your decisions will have an impact.
2
CREATE MINI-HABITATS WHERE YOU LIVE A window box of herbs, a mini meadow, a pond made from a washing up bowl: micro-habitats can join to create wildlife corridors.
3
READ BOOKS BY WRITERS INSPIRED BY NATURE Get the double benefit of a relaxing bedtime read with some wellearned me-time, combined with experiencing a wild place.
Sarah's garden is wild for nature, with tamer patches for homegrown veg.
Serenity at Hen Reedbeds.
REWILDING YOUR LIFE
REWILD YOURSELF
WILDFLOWERS Wildflowers are magnets for insects, like stunning thick-legged flower beetles.
BUG HOTELS Build your own bug hotel, buy one readymade or include 'bee bricks' in new builds.
BUTTERFLIES Providing a variety of nectar sources throughout the year attracts lovely butterflies like this comma.
WILDLIFE POND Even a tiny pond can provide freshwater and burst with life, including frogspawn in early spring.
MOTH MAGIC Ragwort, with its bright yellow flowers, provides the food source for cinnabar moth caterpillars.
COMPOST Compost bins provide nutrients for the veg as well as homes for invertebrates and worms.
"No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced" and even hedgehogs visit. I never take these fleeting wild gifts for granted. Everything is cherished and I feel grateful that I can provide some space to share with nature. I do wonder if the neighbours think I’m neglectful with my long, unkempt grass and wild, fruit-laden hedges, but they haven’t complained – yet! Wild every day Research by the University of Derby revealed the success of The Wildlife Trust’s 30 Days Wild campaign in bringing health benefits – both mental and physical – to people of all ages by simply getting outside and getting closer to nature. For me, nature brings a sense
of perspective, of natural change, and the sheer wonder of life in its many forms. Wilding your life can happen inside your home, too. Using natural cleaning products and being willing to share your space with the odd spider or two is a small step towards living more mindfully. Reducing single-use plastic where I can, growing vegetables in my small garden and making sure that little food is wasted all adds up to living more sustainably. I think a lot more about consumption and how much ‘stuff’ I really need. I find myself questioning whether I can make do with what I have or if I can buy things second-hand (new wildlife books are my nemesis, though).
Sir David Attenborough is a champion for providing accessible and welcoming wild spaces to help everyone, everywhere connect with nature.
Little steps, big difference Everyone’s journey towards a wilder, more natural life will be different. That’s what’s so exciting. It’s not about being perfect! It’s taking little steps and learning more each day, to appreciate the magic in small things all around us; to do our best to make our precious world better for everyone and everything. Life can, and will, throw many things at us but, for me, nature is the solace that keeps me grounded and never ceases to cause me wonder. Take action for wildlife today Be part of Team Wilder suffolkwildlifetrust.org/team-wilder Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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TEAM WILDER
l i w m a te Suffolk Wildlife Trust wants young people to have a say about how the environment can be protected, feel empowered to make a difference, be involved in important decision making and governance, and help with our ongoing commitment to a more diverse and inclusive culture at Suffolk Wildlife Trust. So, in 2021, our Youth Board was formed. We reached out to young people across the county and are delighted to have recruited nine members. Each has a unique vision for a Wilder Suffolk, but they are united in shaping our future nature. Here are their visions for Suffolk’s wildlife. By LUCY SHEPHERD
Team
Wilder
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Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
M eet
Lucy is Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Wild Learning Officer in Ipswich.
DOMINIC 16
Let’s reclaim grey land for new housing rather than developing green sites. We need more affordable housing that’s carbon neutral after completion and accessible by public transport. Designs should include cycle lanes, wildlife corridors and work around mature trees and hedgerows.
ANELIE 13
CHARLI
E 10
When h ouses a re built trees sh , more o uld be p scrapes lanted, and po an n ds crea can sho ted. Cam d w peop p le the v aigns Wildlife aluable Trusts d work th o fo e r our lo environ cal ment, w hich wil others t l encou o get in rage volved the way o r c h a they liv nge e.
Create protected areas where insects have somewhere to be safe and encourage farmers to plant hedgerows. We can show local people little things they can do that help a lot and assist in supporting bigger communities as one.
lder our young wildlife heroes
ROWAN 19
When I look for a future vision I look to the past, wheth er this is historic bird surveys, old maps or even descri ptions from books and poetry, to g ive an indic ation of the potenti al. Suffolk m ust be wilder and I would like to improve up on this historical st andard.
LEO 12
ffolk tizens of Su All of the ci ture, access to na should have ys and rience the jo e xp e n ca y so the in heavily ople living r benefits. Pe have any (o reas do not d urbanized a n a re ccess to natu very little) a ess to a cc a e ould hav sh e n o ry ve e . greenspace
THOMAS 20
We need a Suffolk where people are passionate about conserving nature and one which is litter-free. Throughout the landscape, habitats should be teeming with wildlife and wildlife-friendly farming actively encouraged. Rivers should be restored, and sewage overflow prevented.
MOLLY 15
Although many environ mental issues seem too colossal , if people collectively ma ke changes to their lifestyles, major positive impacts can follow. My goal is to have a positive im pact on our natural world, an d to influence people to be more ecologically mindful.
MEGAN 17
Children in primary schools should be taught about the importance of nature, so our reserves and habitats remain protected in the future. Wild spaces are set aside in every garden, farmers’ fields have areas set aside and meadows are once again covered by wildflowers.
NATHAN 17
I would like to see our local councils planting verges and roadsides with n wildflowers. The roadside is a gree d coul it but space that is often overlooked, we are be used to provide a habitat that otherwise lacking.
Find out what our Youth Board will be working on suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ youth-board Wild Suffolk | Winter 2021/22
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A wilder future for Market Weston Fen
L
arger nature reserves offer a more secure future for the wildlife they support. Seizing the chance to buy land alongside our reserves and create bigger areas of interconnected habitat is always a priority. When that opportunity is alongside an internationally important fen, it is unmissable!
To find out how a gift in your Will could help Suffolk's wildlife, please contact Amy Rushton 01473 890089
Thank you suffolkwildlifetrust.org
BULLFINCH: ALAMY
Thanks to the generosity of Rosemary Wilson in remembering Suffolk Wildlife Trust in her Will, and kind donations from hundreds of Trust members, we are buying the fields along the fen edge. Over the coming years, as nature takes over, those fields along the margins of this extraordinary wetland will become a haven for dry fen edge species to flourish.
