WildSuffolk The membership magazine for Suffolk Wildlife Trust
Autumn 2021
URBAN NATURE
Wild about towns Can Suffolk’s towns help change the fate of local wildlife?
NIGHT RIDERS
Venture into the secret world of Suffolk’s bats
TEAM WILDER
Together we can bring back Suffolk’s wildlife
Enchanted forest
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One of the great strengths of being a local charity is the speed at which we can make decisions and act. Just as your spring magazine was being delivered, we were alerted to the opportunity to buy an enchanting fragment of ancient woodland, Rowley Grove. Nestled into the southern edge of Arger Fen & Spouse’s Grove it was a missing piece of the reserve – and I am thrilled to let you know this lovely woodland with its small-leaved limes and carpet of bluebells is now in our protective ownership. With celebrations of the Trust’s 60th anniversary this summer, 1961 has been uppermost in our minds, and so the publication of The Royal Meteorological Society’s ‘State of the UK Climate’ report tracking climate change since 1961 had a particular resonance. Average annual temperatures in East Anglia have risen by more than 1°C in the 30 years since 1991, compared to the preceding 30 years. Nature is already responding to the changes, with both spring and autumn starting earlier. Well connected, wildlife-rich landscapes are vital if the natural world is to be able to adapt and survive. Our approach over the last decade of creating larger nature reserves and connecting them into the wider landscape will help give this resilience. Rowley Grove is the latest piece in this jigsaw.
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 Flickr.com/photos/suffolkwildlifetrust
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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YEARS
NATTERER'S BAT: KIM TAYLOR NATUREPL.COM
SUFFO L
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UST TR
Welcome
ILDLIF E KW
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: Hedgehog Ben Andrew
Suffolk Wildlife Trust is one of a national network of Wildlife Trusts dedicated to safeguarding the future of wildlife for the benefit of all.
Contents
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28
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LITTERPICK: ISTOCK; BURY ST EDMUNDS: ALAMY
4 Your wild autumn
Share in the best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it nearby.
10 Our nature reserves
Wild places to discover this autumn.
13 Wild thoughts
Cel Spellman on his passion for campaigning to save wildlife.
14 Gardening for wildlife
Team up with neighbours to create community wildlife havens.
16 Wild news
Read what’s happening for Suffolk’s wildlife and around the UK.
21 Focus on waders
Celebrating our wild wetland successes!
22 Wild about towns
Steve Aylward shares the story of the changing fate of wildlife in our towns and urban spaces.
26 Our vision for urban wildlife
How Suffolk’s towns could become safe spaces for wildlife.
28 Explore our wild towns
Meet the unexpected wildlife making a home in urban Suffolk and discover the towns where nature is thriving.
34 Join Team Wilder KESTRELS: ALAMY
Can you join Team Wilder and make a difference for nature in Suffolk?
36 Night riders
Swoop into the secret world of Suffolk’s bats.
6 ways to get involved with Suffolk Wildlife Trust Visit a reserve Our nature
Wildlife Watch Bring the
whole family closer to nature by signing up children, friends and young relatives to the wildest kid’s club in the UK! wildlifewatch.org.uk
Carry out a bake sale, do a sponsored run or get crafty and sell your treasures – every penny you raise supports local wildlife. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/donate
Volunteer Donating your skills,
Tell your friends Introduce
Events Discover courses, activities,
reserves change with every season. Enjoy an autumn amble round your nearest or discover somewhere new. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves
time and knowledge to wildlife can leave you feeling happier, healthier and more connected to local nature. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/volunteer
someone you know to the Trust and share our beautiful landscapes and wildlife. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ places-visit
Fundraise
badger watches, birthday parties, walks and talks, all designed to bring you and your family closer to nature. suffolkwildlifetrust.org/whatson
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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Your wild autumn The best of the season’s wildlife and where to enjoy it in Suffolk.
From ancient woodlands to grasslands to heaths, our nature reserves flourish with hundreds of species of fungi like this porcelain fungus in the autumn.
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 | Autumn 2021
Ta k e o n ly p h ot o s
Fungi play a vital role in our wild ecosyste ms, and as such we do no t allow foraging for fungi on any of our nature rese rves. Thank you!
AUTUMN SPECTACLE
Find fabulous fungi With more than 15,000 species in the UK, fungi make up a magical, enigmatic kingdom of their own. Not plant, not animal, their lifecycles, adaptations and biology are alien to our own, yet still they occupy a special place in our folklore, cultures and even kitchens for their beauty, mystery, sometimes flavour and occasionally danger. Their diversity is enormous, and we adorn fungi with magical qualities and onomatopoeic names. Most of us will recognise a fairy ring, a parasol mushroom or a fly agaric, but what about the beautiful and delicate green elfcup, found growing on dead wood in Bradfield Woods, the elegant porcelain fungus (also called the poached egg fungus!) which favours beech woods, or tiny and intricate bird’s nest fungus? Autumn is the best time to explore this little-visited world: you may well be surprised at how many you come across!
ALEX HYDE NATUREPL.COM
SEE THEM THIS AUTUMN Bradfield Woods is an ancient working woodland, under coppice management since 1252. This creates the perfect conditions for autumn fungi. Knettishall Heath has a mosaic of habitats where different fungi can thrive. Look for huge parasol mushrooms in open areas. Captain's Wood is home to veteran oak trees which support several species of fungi. Notably the fungus 'oak polypore' is only known from six other sites in Britain. Reserve info & maps suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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YOUR WILD AUTUMN
Ivy bees look similar to honeybees, with a ginger, hairy thorax and distinctive yellow and black stripes on the abdomen.
Ivy bees The ivy bee was first recorded in the UK in 2001 and has now been found in much of Southern England, Wales and the Channel Islands. Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy their gentle buzzing; ivy flowers between September and November and can come alive with these little insects. Although they are solitary bees, nesting in loose, light soil on southfacing banks, there may be thousands of nests in one area. Females emerge in early autumn, causing the males to compete ferociously; in some cases, many males will attempt to mate with the same female and become entangled in a ‘mating ball’. SEE THEM THIS AUTUMN Lackford Lakes is a great place to enjoy autumn invertebrates, including ivy bees. Darsham Marshes and the neighbouring Darsham Common provide diverse habitats for pollinators.
FIELDCRAFT
Hang out with a hedgehog
ISTOCK
Help us make our towns hedgehog-friendly suffolkwildlifetrust.org/hedgehogs-action
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
Hedgehogs may be the nation’s favourite mammal but being nocturnal and with their numbers in national decline, they are tricky to spot. Hedgehogs range over a surprisingly large area and in a single night can travel over two kilometres in search of food, which is why ‘hedgehog highways’ through our gardens are so important. They are common in town gardens but use edge habitats and hedgerows in rural areas. Autumn is a good time to spot them as they forage to fatten up ahead of their winter hibernation.
How to SPOT A HEDGEHOG
Explore Investigate local nature
reserves, gardens, churchyards, parks and woodlands around dusk to spot a hedgehog waking up for the night. Look You can see hedgehog droppings on paths and in gardens. They are sausage-like and may be tapered at one end. Black in colour, droppings may contain shiny fragments from beetles and seeds. Help Creating small holes in fences and walls will allow hedgehogs to forage freely, and add a ramp to your pond to allow them to climb out if they fall in.
SEE THIS
Witness autumn migration in action as hirundines, warblers and ospreys head south for the winter, whilst many ducks, geese and thrushes arrive.
TASTE THIS
We all know the tongue-tingling anticipation as we pop a fresh blackberry in our mouths: will it be sweet or sour? Remember to leave plenty for the birds.
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT
LISTEN Wings beat so fast that they hum.
WINGSPAN Measures 5–5.8cm.
Dazzling day-flyers Hummingbird hawk-moths stand out from the crowd for COLOURS many reasons, and you’d be Wings appear forgiven for not immediately orange in flight, recognising this species as a with black and moth. First, unlike many HOVERS white ‘tail’. moths, they are active in the Distinct flight daytime, flitting from makes this species easy to flower-to-flower to feed on identify. nectar with their long proboscis. They hover expertly on rapid wingbeats, manoeuvring almost like weather, some species – like painted drones, with a flight style mimicking lady and silver y – undertake epic that of hummingbirds found in migrations to head for warmer the Americas. When perched climates. Hummingbird hawkwith their wings closed, they moths found in the UK are part look largish, grey and of an epic migration from the unassuming; only when they FLIGHT They use the same Mediterranean that takes take flight do you see the flight strategy as thousands of individuals from contrasting orange, black hummingbirds. Southern to Northern Europe to and white, chunky body and breed, and there is evidence that furry ‘tail’. many will make the return journey in the Striking Sphingidae mid-to-late autumn. Hawk-moths, of the family Sphingidae, are one of the largest and most ornate families of LOOK FOR THEM THIS AUTUMN moths, looking completely exotic whilst Gunton Warren One of our Lowestoft being surprisingly common. Globally, there 'gems', this fragment of wonderful wildlife are over 1,400 species, 18 of which breed in the habitat is on the town’s doorstep, so check in UK, with just nine overwintering. local gardens, too. Hummingbird hawk-moths are relatively Bromeswell Green An abundance of small in this family when compared to privet bright wildflowers and plants attract an array hawk-moths (the largest UK moth). They lay of invertebrates, including moths and their eggs on lady’s bedstraw, hedge bedstraw, butterflies. wild madder and red valerian; honeysuckle Lackford Lakes Keep an eye on the will attract them to your garden in years buddleia near the viewing platform: where they are abundant. hummingbird hawk-moths were seen here last year. Moth migration Whilst most butterflies and moths go Reserve info & maps suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves dormant over the winter to avoid the coldest
SPECIES TO SPOT Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth Resemble bee-flies, but bigger with clubbed antennae and dark wing bands.
Elephant hawk-moth A funky hawk-moth, bright pink and green in colour. Named for the caterpillars, which have ‘trunks’.
Silver Y The most common migrant moth in the UK. Each forewing has an obvious metallic silver Y-mark.
ALAMY
CUT OUT: RICHARD BOWLER
ROD WILLIAMS NATUREPL.COM
Enjoy this master of deception flitting amongst the flowers.
ALAMY
Hummingbird hawk-moth
Top tips THREE
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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HEAR THIS
Listen to the cacophony of calls that comes from a flock of waders as they gather in the autumn on the mudflats.
SMELL THIS
Be wary when sniffing near the stinkhorn fungus; this distinctly phallic fungus smells intensely like rotting meat.
NOT JUST FOR KIDS
Seven ways to enjoy nature this autumn Get close to nature with some top tips for nature lovers of any age to enjoy.
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ALAMY
ENJOY THE TASTE OF AUTUMN Autumn is when many wild fruits and berries are at their best. Leaving plenty for the birds, you can collect small numbers of damsons, sloes or crab apples to use in homebrews or cooking.
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BLACKTHORN SLOES: NICK UPTON ALAMY
COUNT THE NESTS IN A ROOKERY As the leaves drop off the trees, the twiggy nests of rooks begin to emerge. Look in the tops of tall trees near villages and towns, along roads or on woodland edges to count the nests.
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SPOT A SECRET SMEUSE A little ‘smeuse’ will often go unnoticed by human eyes, but these holes in hedges and walls are highways for small mammals.
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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GO WILD FOR GALLS Galls are the benign little growths that stick out of branches and leaves and trees, caused by insects, fungi, mites and bacteria, which create the gall as sort of home, for example for larvae to grow and feed. Try spotting the gall of the oak marble gall wasp on oak trees.
Three oak marble galls, caused by a parasitic wasp of the same name.
ALAMY
WOOD MOUSE: ALEX FIELDHOUSE ALAMY
CLEAN OUT THE HEDGEHOG HOUSE In early autumn, well ahead of hibernation season, make sure that your hedgehog house is cleared of last years’ debris. Hedgehogs like to build nests from scratch using moss, grass, leaves and garden debris.
ALAMY
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YOUR WILD AUTUMN
10 autumn & winter events
FERGUS COONEY ALAMY
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HARVESTMAN OR SPIDER? In the autumn, spiders seem to appear in every corner of every room. But is it a spider or a humble harvestman? Although superficially similar, harvestmen have tiny bodies, long skinny legs (which can fall off if threatened!) and don’t spin webs.
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Look out for our seasonal activities and events restarting, subject to prevailing covid-19 guidance. 1 Help hedgehogs 25 Sept 10am-3pm Foxburrow Farm, Melton Join Paula Baker from Suffolk Prickles Hedgehog Rescue and learn the basic skills to help hedgehogs.
MAKE YOUR OWN COMPOST We’re encouraging everyone to stop using compost made from peat, which is destroying fragile habitats. Instead, here’s our guide to making your own… wildlifewatch.org.uk/how-makecompost
N at u re cra ft
YOU WILL NEED l A damp, shady spot outside l Old bricks l Long sticks l Manure or soil l Gardening fork l Old carpet
1 Build your base with a
layer of old bricks and then a layer of sticks
2 Cover with compostable
ingredients, like tea leaves, raw fruit/veg, dead leaves and mown grass.
6 Fungi identification 16 Oct 10:30am-12:30pm Bradfield Woods Join a walk & talk with local fungi expert, Jonathan Revett.
2 Young Naturalists 9 Oct 1.30pm-3.30pm Redgrave & Lopham Fen Hone your seasonal wildlife ID skills while meeting new friends at our new monthly group for 11-16-year olds.
7 Teen Careers fair 13 Nov 11am-3pm Venue TBC Find out more about a career in the environmental sector from staff and volunteers working in the field. See website for details.
3 Apple Day family event 10 Oct 12 noon-4pm Foxburrow Farm, Melton Join guided walks, take part in games and get creative with apple-themed crafts.
8 Wild and Well 3 Dec 10am-2pm Bradfield Woods Connect with nature, explore mindfulness techniques and enjoy lunch round the fire.
4 Monthly social stroll 25 Oct 10am-12 noon Redgrave & Lopham Fen Join a monthly walk round the Fen.
9 Festive Lackford Lakes 12 Dec 11am-1pm & 2pm-4pm Lackford Lakes Meet Father Christmas and share lanterns, carols and mince pies at 4pm.
5 Halloween on the heath 29 & 30 Oct 5.30pm-7pm Knettishall Heath Join us for an evening of spooky surprises. Bookable timed slots available between 5.30 and 7pm.
10 Winter bird photography 22 Jan 11am-sunset Lackford Lakes Hone your bird photography skills with photographer and tutor, Kevin Sawford.
Browse our events page for the latest news suffolkwildlifetrust.org/events
Ready to use when dark and crumbly.
3 Add a layer of soil and put
JOHN FERGUSON
ILLUSTRATIONS: CORINNE WELCH
the carpet on top. Add more ingredients as needed and turn with fork after three months. Find out more suffolkwildlife trust.org/go-peat-free
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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Discover Church Farm Mars
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
The shape of the valley at Church Farm Marshes makes it the perfect place to witness the full beauty of the changing seasons. Looking across the valley from the entrance, you can enjoy the picturesque fiery colours as the deciduous trees shed their leaves, turning the area golden. The name of this nature reserve doesn’t do justice to the jigsaw of habitats that sit side-by-side in this special area of the Blyth Valley. The original farm was gifted to us by natureloving farmer Philip Elsey in 2003 and extended thanks to a gift in his Will in 2009, when we bought the adjoining flower-rich meadows. Further generous donations have allowed the reserve to grow, buying a further 14 acres of marsh in 2016. At the valley bottom, the marshes burst with botanical richness. Estuarine soils sit below peat and silt, offering a
historical timeline to the changing nature of the area. A tributary to the Blyth passes through the reserve, and we can deduce that at some point huge tidal surges would have travelled this far up the river. This changing ebb and flow of the landscape now gives rise to the abundance and diversity we see today, bringing varied species to the meadows which thrive in the summer including southern marsh orchid, ragged robin,
Water voles live in the dykes.
ALAMY
Church Farm Marshes was left to Suffolk Wildlife Trust by Philip Elsey, who farmed here for more than forty years. Woodland, valley, dry grassland and heath add diversity to the marshes, making it a great spot for exploring this autumn.
OUR BEST AUTUMN RESERVES
T h a n k y ou
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Your support as a member helps us care for Church Farm M arshes and all our nature reserves.
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Church Farm Marshes
hes marsh valerian and marsh marigold. In the autumn, as the tributary floods and water levels rise, flocks of tiny teal and whistling wigeon gather, whilst snipe forage in the mud. Water voles and otters use the dykes regularly. Barn owls might be seen quartering over the marsh as the sun sets. As well as marshland, woodland gives a home to birds like finches, with flocks of chaffinch and greenfinch building later in the year. In autumn, the
DID YOU KNOW This is a great
place to see conservation grazing in action. In the autumn, we move our herd of British white cattle on to the marshes for winter grazing, whilst in the summer they act as conservation managers on Hen Reedbeds. This breed has direct links with the ancient indigenous wild white cattle of Great Britain.
The ebb and flow of the Blyth gives rise to the abundance and diversity we see today woodland floor is scattered with fungi, notably parasol and fly agaric. Dense hedgerows surround the reserve, providing year-round homes for species like yellowhammer, bullfinch and linnet, which are joined in the spring by breeding migrants like nightingale and, in some years, turtle dove. Winter thrush flocks including fieldfare, redwing, song thrush and mistle thrush pick their way through the grassland in search of food. For those wanting a longer walk, Merton Wood is a community-managed woodland adjoined to the nature reserve. You can also stroll directly onto Black Heath Common, which we manage on behalf of Suffolk County Council in partnership with the Wenhaston Commons Group. When we were gifted the farm almost twenty years ago, many of the meadows were a patchwork of marsh and scrub lightly grazed by cattle. The upland fields were cropped with cereal and the woodlands were unmanaged. We were therefore delighted to ensure that Philip, an ardent nature lover who had farmed the area for 40 years, had his wishes fulfilled with the area bursting with wildlife once more.
Location: Thorington, Halesworth IP19 9JG. How to get there: From the A12 roughly halfway between Yoxford and Blythburgh (about four miles), turn north west towards Thorington. Nature reserve is just opposite Thorington Church on the right. Car parking available in large layby at the entrance. Opening times: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Access: Difficult access for those with poor mobility. Uneven and wet ground with steep slopes and areas of open water. Phone for information: 01473 890089. Email: info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org Website: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ churchfarmmarshes TOP WILDLIFE TO SPOT Water vole: This charismatic mammal makes the most of the dyke system. Look for their droppings, neat lawns and listen for the ‘plop’ as they enter the water. Fieldfare: From mid-autumn, listen for the ‘chack-chack’ of this handsome thrush as they arrive in flocks for the winter. Fly agaric: The quintessential toadstool, fly agarics are the most recognisable of our fungi in the UK: red capped with white spots. THINGS TO DO NEARBY Relax at the Star Inn in Wenhaston, an old English country pub serving homecooked food and drinks, a 30-40 minute walk away. The Dunwich Museum (IP17 3DT) tells the story of how a medieval port disappeared and became a tiny coastal village. The beautiful Hen Reedbeds nature reserve is just four miles away if you’d like to experience a completely different habitat, with reedbeds, fens and pools.
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
FLY AGARIC, FIELDFARE: ALAMY
Black Heath Common, managed alongside Church Farm Marshes, comes alive with heather in the autumn.
STEVE AYLWARD
Greenfinches feast on autumnal seeds.
ALA MY
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
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OUR BEST AUTUMN RESERVES
More Suffolk Wildlife Trust nature reserves for a great autumn day out Nature reserves
Larger reserves
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Larger reserves with refreshments & toilets
Lowestoft BROADS NATIONAL PARK
2 A1065 A11
THE BRECKS
Mildenhall
Diss A134
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Halesworth A143
Eye
A146
Southwold
Ixworth A140 A14
Newmarket
A12
Bury St Edmunds
Saxmundham A14
Stowmarket
Needham Market
Aldeburgh
A134
Lavenham
Woodbridge
Haverhill Hadleigh
Sudbury
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DEDHAM VALE AONB
A12
SUFFOLK COAST & HEATHS AONB
Ipswich
A14
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Arger Fen & Spouse's Vale
Why now? The perfect spot to soak up the last rays of summer before autumn sets in, making the most of late butterflies in the glades, foraging bats and common lizards. Know before you go Location: Near Assington, Sudbury CO8 5BN. Open: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Wildlife to spot: Siskin, speckled wood, wild cherry, buzzard, barbastelle bat, common lizard. Find out more: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ arger-fen
Felixstowe
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Knettishall Heath
Why now? This juxtaposition of habitats makes it a beautiful spot in the autumn: deep purple heather and fiery, red-orange-ochre-bronze colours in the woodlands. Enjoy buzzards circling overhead and grab some refreshments from our new catering van in the car park, too. Know before you go Location: Thetford IP22 2TQ. Open: Open all year, dawn to dusk. Car parking charges apply. Wildlife to spot: Buzzard, heather, fly agaric, collared earthstar, birch polypore, jelly ear. Find out more: suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ knettishallheath
STEVE AYLWARD
Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy the mist rising above the Heath.
The lowdown At over 174ha (430 acres), Knettishall Heath makes up an important part of the diverse and nationally important Breckland. Of the more than 12,500 species living in the Brecks, 30% are nationally rare. The open landscape created by our Bronze Age ancestors 4,000 years ago changed very little until the 20th century when forestry and modern farming transformed large parts of The Brecks. On some of our autumn walks, our wardens have found around 70 species of fungi, including earthballs, puffballs, boletes, milkcaps and waxcaps, as well as the onomatopoeic poison pie, stinkhorn, deathcap and skullcap dapperling.
STEVE AYLWARD
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The lowdown Ancient coppice woodland meets new naturally regenerating woodland and wet meadows to create a fascinating mixture of habitats, home to a variety of native trees; this is one of only a few ancient woodlands in Suffolk with wild cherry. Mounds of freshly excavated sand suggest that there is a healthy badger population, whilst common lizards and grass snakes bask in the last of the summer sun. In winter, flocks of siskin might be spotted feeding on alder seeds. Arger Fen & Spouse's Vale benefited from gifts in the Wills of Frances and Edith Vale, Gerald Ford, Anthony Wheeler and Douglas Maule. Info & maps for all reserves suffolkwildlifetrust.org/naturereserves
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
WILD THOUGHTS
Cel Spellman @celspellman
ILLUSTRATION: DAWN COOPER; PHOTO: GREAT CRESTED NEWT © SHUTTERSTOCK
Raise your voice I’m proud to be part of an organisation with a rich history of driving change. As a supporter of The Wildlife Trusts, I know I’m part of a community that stands up and uses its collective voice for nature. Together, we’ve achieved crucial changes, from reintroducing wildlife like the beaver, to protecting our seas – a huge carbon store – with the Marine Act. All of this plays a massive part in turning the tide against nature’s loss and climate change and would not have been possible without people coming together and speaking up. However, a question that often seems to present itself is, ‘Does protesting actually work?’. For me, the answer is simple – a resounding yes! But there are numerous ways to do this. We tend to think of protests as big rallies and marches, which is often the case and can absolutely work. I was privileged to be involved with the Time is Now march in 2019 for urgent climate change action; the hope and positivity in the air was palpable. It’s moments like these that help you feel like you’re not alone and that change can and will come. The School Climate Strikes also provides a shining example. Young people making their voices, thoughts and feelings clear. For me, these strikes have been one of the biggest reasons we’ve seen a shift in mindset and conversation around climate over the last few years. Young people’s voices are some of the most powerful and they never cease to blow me away with how aware they are, and the absolute drive they have for making the
world a better, fairer, greener place. But marches aren’t the only way to make our voices heard. Signing petitions, sharing something we see online, having those difficult, important conversations with friends, or writing to our MP or a business can also have a big impact. 10-year-old Skye from Gwynedd is an inspiration to me; she campaigned for magazines to stop giving away disposable plastic toys. In response, Waitrose said they’ll no longer sell children’s magazines containing disposable plastic toys, a move single-handedly inspired by Skye, and I’ve no doubt other businesses will follow suit. That is the power of our voice. We can also protest with our wallets. Money talks, and by choosing where we spend ours, who we invest in, who we bank with, we can express our beliefs and support businesses or individuals that share them. It’s about putting pressure on those that need the pressure applying. However this is done, you really can make a difference for the environment, for nature, for our wonderful wildlife and in turn, for ourselves and our future. I’ve no doubt that together we can and will change the world. To quote Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator, ‘You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure…’ To tackle the climate and nature emergency we face, our natural world needs advocates on its side. Find out more at wildlifetrusts.org/emergency
SHOUT FOR WILDLIFE
Join over 100,000 people speaking up with The Wildlife Trusts on everything from better laws for wildlife to banning the sale of peat compost. Together our voices can make a difference. You can sign up to our campaigns mailing list to be the first to hear when new campaigns are launching so that you can take your stand for nature’s recovery. To register, visit wildlifetrusts.org/ campaigns
Cel Spellman is an actor and presenter, an ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, and an ardent advocate for nature, wildlife and the need to address the climate crisis.
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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Community
Gardening Come together with your community to make more space for nature. Add bird boxes and bee hotels Help wildlife move into your shared garden by providing homes! Find that DIY expert in your community and get building.
Set up a community compost heap These work really well, helping to reduce waste incinerated in the energy from waste plant, as well as provide a home for wildlife and compost for mulching.
Plant native trees Many parks and shared spaces have room for a few trees and people love planting them. Set up a crowdfunder to buy a few and plant them together with your neighbours.
Grow plants for bees Make a small pond A source of water is really important for wildlife, for drinking and bathing. People will be drawn there too if you pop in a bench.
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Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
Everyone knows bees are in trouble and wants to help them. Grow herbs like lavender, oregano, rosemary and chives.
Twice a year, I meet up with other members of my local community to plant up and tidy the planters on my local high street. While we work we chat, discuss planting methods and the best plants for bees. Some of us take clippings home to compost. Many of us end up in the pub afterwards. It’s a lovely thing to do, both for the community, the local wildlife and ourselves. Thanks to Covid we missed a session last year, but we have a date in the diary for summer and I’m looking forward to getting back to work. Community gardens and gardening help bring communities together. They can be on virtually any patch of land, from large planters on a main road like the ones I tend, to a park or church grounds (or a section of them) – I’ve even seen community gardens set up in raised beds on a little corner of pavement. The space doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts. Whether you grow veg, flowers
or focus on wildlife gardening there’s plenty of reward to reap from your efforts. You’ll learn more about planting for nature, and can then pass this knowledge on to other members of your community, young and old. As a result, you’ll bring more nature to your and others’ doorsteps. If you want to start gardening with your local community then start with your local park. There may already be a ‘Friends of’ group set up that you can join, but if there isn’t then set one up yourself – other ‘Friends of’ groups should be able to help you. You’ll be amazed how many people in your community want to come out and help improve the area, and you’ll make new friends, too!
Kate Bradbury is passionate about wildlifefriendly gardening and the author of Wildlife Gardening for Everyone and Everything in association with The Wildlife Trusts.
For more tips on how to make green spaces wilder, visit: wildlifetrusts.org/ take-action-insects
Grow vegetables Many people want to grow veg but lack the confidence. Start with courgettes, beans and strawberries. Teach people how to sow seeds and raise crops themselves.
Garden organically Use a combination of companion planting and wildlife gardening to move away from using chemicals, helping your community to learn how to garden in a wildlife-friendly way.
Create mini habitats Make log, leaf and stick piles for wildlife to live in, and leave seedheads and long grass over winter. Children will love making (and exploring!) homes for wildlife.
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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WILD NEWS Highlights from Suffolk and national news from The Wildlife Trusts
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to protect wildlife.
.
SARAH GROVES
Staff and volunteers working at Hazlewood Marshes to undertake small fish surveys.
Fishy business Thanks to recent training opportunities, new research at Hazlewood Marshes will help shape wider conservation efforts across the Alde and Ore estuaries, as well as further afield in Suffolk. Human impacts on estuaries and saltmarshes are as yet poorly understood, with little data on small fish in these habitats. However, recent training will allow citizen scientists at Hazlewood Marshes to survey the area for juvenile fish species, adding vital information to our understanding on how these ecosystems act as nurseries for species like sole, flounder and sea bass, as well as working as flood defences, nutrient traps and sequestering carbon. Prior to the seawall breach caused by a storm surge in 2013, this nature reserve was a freshwater grazing marsh. The inundated fields have now become
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diverse intertidal mudflat and saltmarsh and now, with a full tidal range, the marshes are an important breeding ground for a wide range of fish species, including grey mullet, gobies, flounders and sand smelt. Adult grey mullet live in deeper pools and channels and are a favourite food for passing ospreys. The training was undertaken by Steve Colclough representing the Institute of Fisheries Management, SWT South East Reserves Sites Manager Andrew Excell and Eastern IFCA and made possible through funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for The Wildlife Trusts North Sea project.
Visit Hazlewood Marshes suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ hazlewoodmarshes
Ospreys feed on the grey mullet at Hazlewood Marshes.
PET ER CAIR NES
HAZLEWOOD MARSHES
We hope our plans to restore breeding osprey to the Blyth Estuary will be able to take off next year. We won’t know for certain until the adults return to Rutland Water next spring and will update you then. Our thanks to everyone who has been part of the project so far.
NEWS
Together
we’re stronger
ILDLIF E KW
SUFFO L SARAH GROVES
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CARLTON MARSHES
UST TR
60 YEARS
61-2 0 21
HRH The Princess Royal talks with Keith Haslett from Essex & Suffolk Water and Christine Luxton.
Royal visit to celebrate our 60th birthday In May 2021, HRH The Princess Royal visited Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve to celebrate the Trust’s 60th year and to mark the opening of the new visitor centre, viewpoints and trails on the 1,000-acre reserve near Lowestoft. Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s 60th anniversary and met some of the key funders, staff and volunteers who have turned the ambitious vision for Carlton Marshes to become the southern gateway to the Broads National Park into reality. Christine Luxton, CEO said: “I am delighted that HRH The Princess Royal has joined us to mark the opening of our new visitor centre and this fabulous
nature reserve to commemorate the Trust’s 60th anniversary. With the challenges of coronavirus, it wasn’t possible to open last year as planned, so we are overjoyed to be at a point now where we will soon be able to throw our doors fully open and welcome people in. Throughout the pandemic, Carlton Marshes has been a place where local people have been able to walk and escape into nature. Few nature reserves have a town as large as Lowestoft on their doorstep, and we know from our visitors that it has been a welcome sanctuary for them over the past year.” Visit Carlton Marshes suffolkwildlifetrust.org/carlton
We were delighted to welcome an exotic visitor from continental Europe to the Lackford and Icklingham area in late June: a European roller. Rollers are famed for their colourful beauty and striking appearance. Hundreds of people visited to see the bird, which stayed for over a week and was the first record of the species in Suffolk for ten years. Other recent records have included a one-day bird in 2011 at Upper Hollesley and one at Orfordness in 1991, with only a handful of additional records since the 1950s.
LACKFORD LAKES
9
young people
have been recruited to our Youth Board which provides a platform for young people’s voices to be heard and acted on.
900 dunlin,
240 black-tailed godwit and 290 redshank seen at Hazlewood Marshes last year.
Thank
you!
1,400 volunteers
regularly give their time to help the Trust.
2,000+
ALA N REY NOL DS
Life is a roller(coaster)
Here are some of the ways your membership is helping to protect local wildlife.
residents took part in 30 Days Wild this year!
Two blackwinged stilts paid a visit to Trimley Marshes this spring.
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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UK NEWS UK UPDATE
W
e are facing two inextricably linked crises – nature’s loss and climate change. We cannot solve one without tackling the other and therefore, our efforts to make progress must recognise and reflect their connection, including in our seas. Healthy seas are critical to tackling both climate change and achieving nature’s recovery. It is widely supported that dramatically reducing our carbon emissions, particularly from burning fossil fuels, is a critical step to tackle climate change. Transitioning to alternative energy sources, including marine renewables (renewable energy sources based in our seas), will be part of this package. Offshore wind farms are often put forward as the best solution. However, in reality offshore wind farm development cannot be considered truly green, as it does have a damaging impact on the environment. It can cause loss of important marine habitats where fish, such as sandeel, live, which fuel the food web for other fish, birds, porpoises, whales and dolphins. The blades of turbines also pose a collision risk to
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OFFSHORE TURBINES: ERNIE JANES NATUREPL.COM
The trouble with wind
Turbines harness wind for renewable energy, but what is the cost to our wildlife?
many bird species. As a result of these to climate change cannot make the impacts, we are already seeing the ecological crisis worse. We must consider decline of wildlife in some of our how we can reduce our energy demands precious Marine Protected Areas. so that less offshore wind is required. The scale of ambition for the The Wildlife Trusts supports the development of new offshore wind sustainable development of marine farms by 2050 is staggering, with renewable energy and is working up to 140GW of offshore wind closely with Government and Underwa power currently projected: industry to find solutions to ter noise ge an incredible 14-fold achieve net zero by 2050 nerated during in stallation increase on the 10GW of and enable nature’s can prevent species s offshore wind we have in recovery. However, this uch as harbour porpoise place today. While The can only be done by from using im portant Wildlife Trusts recognise everyone working feeding a reas. that offshore wind will together to find creative contribute to the UK and innovative solutions achieving net zero carbon – this may mean that more emissions by 2050, the blinkers must research and development work is come off if we are to avoid needed by industry to find new ways of industrialisation of our seas at the building offshore wind farms that expense of the marine environment. benefit marine ecosystems. If we can put The marine environment has been man on the moon, there is certainly hope impacted by human activities for that we can find sustainable solutions to decades. Given a chance to recover, it can offshore wind farm development. and will play a leading role in tackling climate change; absorbing and locking Find out more about The away huge amounts of carbon from the Wildlife Trusts’ work on offshore atmosphere for centuries and beyond. development at: wildlifetrusts.org/ Now is the time for balance – solutions development-sea
NEWS
UK HIGHLIGHTS
UK UPDATE
New ambassadors for nature Collectively, Wildlife Trusts have already raised almost £8 million towards our UK 30 by 30 ambition to kickstart nature’s recovery across 30% of our land and seas by 2030. These vital funds will support projects to make new homes for wildlife, join up wild places and promote natural solutions to the climate crisis. This spring, Trusts unveiled ten new projects that will help nature fight back. The new projects include
reviving ice-age ponds in Norfolk, transforming a 42-acre former Carlisle golf course into an urban bee and butterfly oasis, and quadrupling a Wiltshire nature reserve to help the rare marsh fritillary butterfly thrive. Of the £8 million UK total raised so far, over £900,000 has been given by members of the public. Thank you to everyone who has already got behind our campaign to bring nature back. Find out more and support the campaign at: wildlifetrusts.org/30-30-30
Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK
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1 Help for kelp
2 1
A new byelaw now makes it illegal to trawl with bottom-towed fishing gear within an area off the Sussex coast. This landmark decision will give Sussex’s important kelp forests the chance to recover, providing a home for a wide range of wildlife. Find out more at wtru.st/help-kelp
WATER VOLE © TERRY WHITTAKER; PEAT EXTRACTION © MATTHEW ROBERTS; MARSH FRITILLARY © VAUGHN MATTHEWS
2 Fishing friends
Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust is working with anglers in the Colne Valley to improve wetlands for wildlife, including water voles. Fisheries look after many lakes and rivers, and by offering training and support, the Wildlife Trust and their partner, the Colne Valley Fisheries Consultative, are helping them further enhance these habitats for wildlife as well as people. For more info go to wtru.st/hmwt-angling
Peat extraction is devastating peatlands across the world, yet many retailers are continuing to sell peat-based products.
Promise for peat The Government has announced plans to phase out the use of peat in horticulture, including a consultation on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament. Ten years ago, the Government set a voluntary target for the horticulture sector to end sales to gardeners by 2020. This deadline was missed, and a
recent Wildlife Trust survey revealed that only one of 20 leading garden retailers contacted planned to eliminate peat from its shelves this year. Whilst the Government’s announcement is welcome news, it must be backed by action and lead to a ban of peat sales. See the announcement in full at wtru.st/gov-speech
3 Seagrass saviours
A new partnership launched by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust aims to restore the Solent’s seagrass beds. As well as providing a home for wildlife, seagrass protects coasts from erosion and absorbs carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. See more at wtru.st/solent-seagrass
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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We bet you didn’t know...
‘Toadstool’ is a colloquialism from the 14th Century for a fungus that has a cap, stalk and is poisonous. ‘Toadstool’ means just that: toads were once considered poisonous and the fungus looks like a stool!
SWT AGM & Conservation Day DIARY DATE
ISTOCK
Not sure about this picture
The year for wildlife? June 2021 saw the third successive Queen’s Speech promising to pass an Environment Bill, which must put in law the Government’s commitment to turn around nature’s decline by 2030. A clear, legally-binding target to reverse the loss of nature within a decade would ensure every part of Government takes urgent action to help bring nature back. Whilst much focus has been on plans for tree planting, species reintroduction and peatland restoration, there is a real danger of ‘building back’ just as before, for example investing in damaging road building and destructive developments such as HS2 rail and Sizewell C.
Botanical beauty Suffolk Wildlife Trust is offering a unique opportunity to study for a quality endorsed Level 4 in botanical drawing and painting with artist and English Gardening School graduate, Ruth Wharrier. Students will learn observational drawing, pen and ink and watercolour techniques. It will run for 36 weeks (term-time) from the 10th January, 10am-3pm, at
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ENVIRONMENT BILL Suffolk Wildlife Trust is supporting: l The national call for a Nature Recovery Network; l A planning system that does not jeopardise nature, including ‘Wildbelt’ designation to protect land; l Highly Protected Marine Areas across at least 30% of our seas’ protected network; l A ban on selling peat in compost before November and peatland restoration; l And a Tree Action Plan creating natural, joined-up woods and other habitats, led by natural processes and colonisation. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/news
ART Carlton Marshes. Nature writer Richard Mabey is patron of the course and said: “Ruth Wharrier’s adventurous course encourage intimate attention to plants, which is the key to understanding and respecting them.’’ Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ courses
Our 60th AGM will be on Saturday 23rd October 2021. The morning talks will be at Norton Village Hall, followed by an afternoon visit to Black Bourn Valley nature reserve, to see the rewilding of the former arable fields. The AGM will be at 12 noon and will include a vote to adopt the charity’s new Articles of Association. Further information suffolkwildlifetrust.org/howwe-are-governed
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. Margaret Metson Joyce Ager Mary Morris Robert Atkinson Jean Parton Ted Barnes Gerry Parton Caroline Brown Peter Rogerson Margaret Dawkins Neville Rudland Olive Dunnett Sylvia Small Jethro Free Anne Walton Martin Jackson David Wild Jack Last Cyril Matthews
REDWING: ALAMY; LITTLE OWLS: ISTOCK
Caption caption caption .
WADERS
FOCUS ON Waders in Suffolk
Thank you
Thanks to your support we have seen record numbers of waders breeding successfully at Carlton Marshes.
Wild wetland successes!
ALAMY
Black-tailed godwits gather in huge flocks at Carlton Marshes.
Waders and ducks flourish Despite Covid-19 restricting our monitoring last year, some of our wetlands recorded excellent numbers of waders and ducks, and we’ve seen big wildlife successes across many nature reserves. At Alde Mudflats, whilst some species counts were lower than normal (reflecting reduced migration numbers to our shores in another mild winter year), one count observed a flock of 200 wigeon, the highest recorded count in a decade. This reserve is at risk of disturbance from
ALAMY
Ruff are amongst the many birds that are regular visitors to Carlton Marshes.
ever increasing numbers of rental canoes and paddleboarders, and we are working hard to persuade the council and Natural England to restrict activities so close to the reserve.
We've seen big wildlife successes across many reserves New habitat creation Hazlewood Marshes continues to develop following the seawall breach in 2013. The reserve had eight pairs of avocets with eight successful fledglings in 2020. Peak wader counts included 900 dunlin, 240 black-tailed godwit and 290 redshank. There were thousands of wigeon and teal, and the reserve is now an important fish nursery for bass, mullet and many other species. Our new habitat creation at Carlton Marshes, supported by the Heritage Fund, is an incredible boon for wildlife. Bird records include lapwing, redshank, avocet, oystercatcher, little-ringed plover, bar- and black-tailed godwit, snipe and
ruff, as well as rarer avian visitors including buff-breasted sandpiper, great white egret, cattle egret, common crane, hoopoe, purple heron and white-tailed eagle. There is a thriving water vole population, otters visit regularly, and it is one of the most diverse sites in the UK for dragonfly and damselflies. Suffolk Wader Strategy It's through partnership working that we will see the greatest gains for wildlife. The Suffolk Wader Strategy is an example of how individuals and organisations can work together to ensure wetlands are restored and managed for long-term wader recovery. Suffolk Wildlife Trust, RSPB, National Trust, Natural England and private landowners are working together to create and protect new habitats over successive years, boosting biodiversity as well as breeding success.
Enjoy our wetland nature reserves this autumn and winter: keep an eye out for migrant birds, waders and wildfowl suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
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Wild about
towns Over the past 60 years, Suffolk’s towns have undergone periods of enormous growth and development. Whilst there have been some tragic losses of important wildlife habitats, there have also been new opportunities. The future for our urban wildlife might even look promising. BY STEVE AYLWARD
B
y national standards, our Suffolk towns are relatively modest in size and typically reflect in their character the rural nature of the county. Most are blessed with numerous parks, allotments, street trees and often large remnants of semi-natural habitat that for one reason or another were unsuitable for development. Good-sized gardens were common in many post-war developments, but open spaces were rarely left, and transport infrastructure was designed around the car. Newer developments have typically crammed more houses into each development site, hence smaller gardens are now the norm. Larger developments have usually made some provision for open space in the form of mini-parks, greens and cycleways, so the combined area of garden and open space has not been reduced too much overall.
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However, infill development has resulted in the loss of many large and often mature gardens that offered wildlife a home. The trend for paving front gardens has further eroded ‘green cover’. The use of close-board fences to replace hedges and enclose new gardens has made it much more difficult for some species to move around, including hedgehogs, which have felt the impact on their ability to forage in gardens and frogs or toads, which might find the route back to their breeding pond blocked. ‘Hedgehog Highways’ are a simple remedy – small holes in the bottom of fences that allow small animals to move freely around rows of back gardens. The late 1970s and 1980s saw rapid housing expansion, especially on the eastern fringe of Ipswich with big developments in Martlesham Heath and Warren Heath. The names say it all.
PETER LEWES NATUREPL.COM
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STAG BEETLE: ALAMY; PARK: TERRY WHITTAKER
WICKHAM MARKET ALLOMENTS: STEVE AYLWARD
Allotments provide sanctuary for people and wildlife.
These were some of the few remaining heaths that had escaped the plough only to disappear under hundreds of new homes. Heathlands no longer had agricultural value and their wildlife, cultural and landscape value was little understood, so these areas were labelled as perfect for development. There was a token attempt to relocate a part of Warren Heath where turves of heather were dug up and transported to a new location, but this was a pointless exercise as lowland heath is an entire ecosystem and you cannot simply relocate an ‘ecosystem’. Habitats reimagined Lowestoft must be one of the most habitat-diverse towns in England. Along the coastal fringe are sand dunes, vegetated shingle and soft cliffs capped by heathland, while on the western side are fens, reedbeds and broads. North Lowestoft has pockets of ancient woodland and orchid-rich grasslands while south of Lake Lothing are small wetlands and remnant areas of heath: a remarkable assemblage of habitats. There have been losses over the past 60 years though, and the development of a large supermarket on extensive greenwinged orchid meadows was amongst the worst. The future for our urban wildlife looks much more promising today with many great initiatives. The Ipswich Parks team 24
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
Stag beetles will quickly take advantage of deadwood piles in gardens.
have been amongst those leading the way with changes in management to benefit wildlife through the creation of meadow areas and wetlands, while Ipswich Golf Club has brilliantly integrated the natural heathland habitat into the courses at Purdis and Bixley. In Lowestoft and elsewhere, East Suffolk Council has stopped mowing grassland on wide road verges during the summer to create wonderful flower-lined routes through the town. This will benefit pollinating insects and could bring more kestrels into built-up areas again, demonstrating that even relatively small changes in the way we manage land can make a huge difference for wildlife. Wild gardens Town gardens are a potentially huge wildlife resource. With more and more people bringing wildlife into their gardens there is an exponential benefit as the number of wildlife-friendly gardens
grows. Neighbouring garden-wildlife ponds effectively become a single entity sharing frogs, toads, dragonflies and other creatures. This enables populations of species to build and creates resilience by reducing dependency on a single pond or wildflower patch. Flying insects such as stag beetles, white-tailed bumblebees and speckled wood butterflies will quickly take advantage of deadwood piles, nectar-rich wildflowers and patches of unmown grass. There are several big new developments in the pipeline around Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds with the Ipswich ‘Garden Suburb’ amongst the biggest. This is an opportunity for bold and ambitious town planning to drive the
Bold planning could create large wildliferich spaces on the doorstep of new homes
WILD TOWNS
HELPING TOWN WILDLIFE
HEDGEHOG HIGHWAYS A 13x13cm hole at the base of the fence is all you need.
MESSY MEADOWS Leave areas of your lawn unmown in the summer. Nature is adapting to our towns in unexpected ways, with rural species filling new ecological niches.
LET IT ROT Piles of deadwood in your garden create microhabitats.
Steve Aylward is Head of Property & Projects for Suffolk Wildlife Trust, working on many urban wildlife sites.
creation of large wildlife-rich green spaces on the doorstep of new homes, in turn enhancing the mental and physical health of generations of future residents. There is only one opportunity to get it right and it must be taken now. The next 10 years are a wonderful chance to bring our towns to life by building on the progress of recent years. Less mowing, less pesticides, more thoughtful and sensitive management of open spaces and more urban tree planting could radically transform our towns. As electric cars become the norm, air quality will significantly improve benefitting both ourselves and the wildlife we share our towns with. Lots of people dream of escaping to the country, but why when our towns could be every bit as wildlife rich as the countryside? Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/urbanvision
PERFECT PONDS Installing a pond of any size can help wildlife.
KESTREL: DREW BUCKLEY ALAMY; TOWN WILDLIFE: ALAMY
Messier verges with more voles will bring kestrels back to built-up areas.
TEAM UP WITH NEIGHBOURS Find out about community wildlife gardening on p14.
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Bringing nature We have a vision of a Wilder Suffolk, where nature in our towns and urban areas is encouraged to thrive and everyone has access to wildlife and green spaces.
WILD GARDENS AND ALLOTMENTS
PHOTOMONTAGE: DAN HILLIARD
No food miles, no plastic and great for positive mental health. Allotments and shared green spaces connect people with nature and provide habitats for wildlife.
ABUNDANCE
Once familiar species such as house sparrows and starlings are in decline. We can bring back abundance and diversity by creating more space for nature.
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back
WILD TOWNS
GREEN ENERGY AND TRANSPORT
Safely commuting on foot and by bike uses peoplepowered, carbon-free energy, making it sustainable.
PEOPLE
Wildlife can be part of everyone’s lives, every day, cherished at home and at work, constantly.
NATURAL DEFENCES
Wild areas soak up rain water reducing flooding in towns, and mitigate against drought in dry weather.
WILD AREAS
Allowing more areas to grow wild will help insects and everything that depends on them, including us!
WATER
Find out more about our vision for the countryside and for our towns suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ urbanvision
Clean water in our urban spaces creates homes for insects and attracts a host of other wildlife, too.
Wild Suffolk | Spring / Summer 2021
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BERTIE GREGORY NATUREPL.COM
Peregrine falcons are replacing cliff nest sites with buildings, moving into towns like Ipswich.
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WILD TOWNS
Explore our
wild towns Suffolk is home to some really wild towns. As we lose more of our countryside to urban sprawl, nature is finding a home right alongside us, in our gardens, parks, churchyards, pavement cracks, street trees and buildings. We’ve spoken to the people living in Suffolk’s towns to find out what makes their urban wildlife special, and learn more about the communities and projects work.
ANNA SALTMARSH SWT Trustee, botanist and volunteer
JOHN GRANT Birder & environmental journalist
JOHN THOMPSON Stowmarket Wildlife Group
LUCY SHEPHERD SWT Wild Learning Officer in Ipswich
ELLIE ZANTBOER Bird ringer and naturalist
JIM BURGESS Digiscoping expert and birder
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Hundreds of pied wagtails roost outside the Nutshell pub in the centre of Bury St Edmunds.
Bury St Edmunds by Anna Saltmarsh
B
ury St. Edmunds offers a trove of wildlife delights throughout the year, from swifts screaming through the town centre streets and sky-dancing overhead in the summer months, to the erratic but enchanting sight and sound of pied wagtails chattering and jostling as they settle down to roost in the plane tree outside the Nutshell pub on winter evenings. Left to grow through summer, even the smallest patches of pavement verge in Bury’s residential areas offer up botanical treats to observant plant hunters. Look carefully and you can find tiny lilac-flowered field madder, parasitic broomrapes, sweet-scented calamint and the occasional bee or pyramidal orchid. Along the Lark and Linnet rivers and adjoining spaces, the Bury Water Meadows Group organises regular work parties, now supported by a team of scythe-wielding volunteers, sensitively cutting back summer growth, clearing litter and working to encourage and monitor Bury’s wild diversity.
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WILD TOWNS
Stowmarket
by John Thompson
S
Leiston has a proud industrial past that gives it a functional grittiness, unique in Suffolk.
Leiston
by John Grant
I
PIED WAGTAIL: NATUREPL.COM; LEISTON:, ALAMY; BURY ST EDMUNDS: ISTOCK; OTTER: ALAMY; COMBS WOOD: STEVE AYLWARD
t's an uncommon place, Leiston Common. A stone's throw from the distinctly quirky, defiantly different town of Leiston, the common feels somehow quirky and different, too. Unlike many Suffolk communities with an agricultural heritage, Leiston has a proud industrial past that gives it a functional grittiness that precludes any pretence of trendiness or grandeur. There are precious few habitats like this that still survive on the Suffolk coast. With its characteristic flintiness, it feels more like an outcrop of the Brecks grafted onto the edge of town. Oak and birch woodland, together with vestigial heath, fringe the site and its occasional grazing by Exmoor ponies is augmented by the work of a rabbit army whose burrows collapse to form labyrinths of ruts, runs and craters. The common affords panoramic views perfect to track visual bird migration in spring and autumn. Many species call in, including passage thrushes like ring ouzel, and flyovers feature a host of raptors. Nightingale and woodlark are occasional breeders. At the foot of the common's northern slopes are Sizewell Marshes and, to the east, Sizewell A and B glower on the skyline.
towmarket is fortunate to have a wealth of wildlife in its midst. Two rivers traverse the town. The River Gipping crossing from the northern outskirts meets its tributary the River Rattlesden near Pikes Meadow, which in turn meanders from the east along Tinkler’s Meadow, past Danecroft and the 75 acres of open countryside of the Museum of East Anglian Life. There is an abundance of wildlife along these corridors including buzzards, kestrels, little egrets, kingfishers and otters. Swifts are seen around St Mary’s Church and Combs Ford. On the outskirts of the town lie Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Combs Wood Reserve, Church Meadow Local Nature Reserve and Green’s Meadow, a small wet meadow designated a county wildlife site. With the ever-increasing urbanisation of the town it is comforting that we are still able to enjoy the tranquillity of our wildlife havens.
Q&A
How can we make Suffolk's towns greener and richer in wildlife?
I
would like to see a lot less litter. Experts could lead litter picking walks and teach people how litter harms nature. It would be great to have zero waste towns. During the lockdowns nature and wildlife were able to flourish. If our towns reduced the amount of car and lorry traffic and we had safe bicycle paths for cargo bikes and other eco types of transport, there would be less pollution and we would slow down enough to enjoy our surroundings. Also, it would be great to see lots of houses with solar panels. Why not have green gardens on roofs, and fill messy places with free fruit and vegetable gardens for communities? We need to work with nature, not fight against it. Annabelle, 11, Saxmundam
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Ipswich
by Lucy Shepherd
W
alk along the sandy lanes of Purdis Heath, Ipswich in the summer and you’ll be treated to hundreds of gentle green mini disco lights given off by female glow worms who compete with the distant lights of the town. Head towards ancient oak lined green spaces such as Bridge Wood and Pipers Vale to see male stag beetles flying with their antlers held high or head down to Ipswich Marina and enter the peregrine falcons hunting grounds and watch them bombard the local pigeon population in an impressive deadly display. Choose one thing that makes Ipswich special for wildlife? For me, that’s impossible: there’s just so many.
Foxes have adapted to a life on the town. BELOW LEFT: River Orwell looking towards
the Ipswich Waterfront marina buildings.
Q&A
How can we encourage Suffolk's town communities to value wildlife?
I
think in lot of ways we are really lucky with the wildlife in our towns in Suffolk, but it can be hard to know where to look for it. Helping people see the wildlife that is already in our communities feels important to me. Making our towns greener is something we can all play a part in, but it’s easy to feel like your little bit is so small it doesn’t make much difference. What if all the Scout and Guide groups, churches, schools and community centres each planted one buddleia tree or lavender bush for bees and butterflies though, imagine the difference we could make together! Genevieve, 11, Framlingham
Safe footpaths and cycleways are crucial to connecting towns with wild spaces.
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Wild Suffolk | Spring / Summer 2021
FOX: NATUREPL.COM; IPSWICH: ALAMY, TRIMLEY: STEVE AYLWARD; BEARDED TIT: KEVIN SAWFORD; SWALLOW: RICHARD BOWLER
Felixstowe
by Ellie Zantboer
M
y favourite place in Felixstowe to watch wildlife is Trimley Marshes, a personmade wetland site to compensate for the loss of habitat from the Port of Felixstowe expansion. Three mud-flat lagoons provide a sanctuary for scarce breeding birds during the summer, such as avocets and lapwings. The crack of dawn in the summer is my favourite time to listen to the cacophony of bearded tits pinging, grasshopper warblers reeling and nightingales singing in the rich habitat. People can help nature by just taking a minute to step outside and listen to the myriad of bird calls and songs around them. Walk or cycle where you can, pick up a piece of discarded litter and place it into the nearest bin and encourage the growth of bee-friendly flowers in your gardens. One small step for nature can go a long way.
Find out how you can bring nature back where you live: suffolk wildlifetrust.org /urbanvision
Q&A
Bearded tits rise early at Trimley Marshes.
Swallows nest in buildings.
Beccles
by Jim Burgess
M
y favourite months in Beccles are probably April and May, when we see an arrival of swallows, swifts and house martins. Beccles and the surrounding areas have breeding colonies for these summer migrants and it’s not uncommon to see all three species sharing the same air space, showing off their aerobatic skills hawking for flying insects. Swifts can be heard screaming above Beccles town centre they favour feeding high and nesting on high sides of buildings. Swallows hawk low over the nearby marshes typically nesting in redundant farm buildings or suitable outbuildings; and house martins nest on the outskirts of the towns and in neighbouring villages under the soffits and facias of houses within easy reach of fields and meadows. These habitats are changing through residential development or human intervention and their traditional nesting sites are being affected. We need to encourage them back to breed each year by installing swift boxes, putting up house martin pre-cast nests or providing outbuildings for swallows.
How can we create towns in Suffolk that thrive for wildlife?
M
y vision is for a patchwork of habitats in people’s gardens driven by campaigns on social media with the local councils changing the way they manage our green spaces. Have bare patches seeded with wildflowers to give them a chance to thrive with different heights and habitats, hedgerows, tall planting and low meadows to create routes for native wildlife to
thrive. Planners creating new builds would have to develop wildlife friendly estates instead of sterile housing development. Gaps in fencing for hedgehogs, stag beetle log habitats and signage all help people to understand and see wildlife, which motivates them to do more for it. Mason, 12, Felixstowe
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WELCOME TO
r e d l i W e r u t a n m r o f e a c i Te a lou der vo The decade leading up to 2030 must be the one in which we reimagine a Wilder Future for our county. Together, we can put nature on a path to recovery at the scale and pace that is needed. With the clock ticking, we need to get many more people on nature’s side.
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esearch shows that if just one person in every four takes up a cause, this can be enough to change the minds and behaviour of the majority. Imagine what we could achieve if that cause was nature: if a quarter of people in Suffolk created more space for wildlife to bring back what we’ve lost. That’s our goal: to harness the collective energy and talents of our county and bring everyone together into a bigger, bolder movement for nature’s recovery. We’re calling this Team Wilder. Over the next few months we will be growing Team Wilder into a Suffolk-wide movement, recruiting wilder champions,
developing training and an online toolkit, building an interactive map to celebrate each gain for nature and put communities in touch with each other; sharing ideas, capturing the collective efforts of the county; inspiring new and more action for wildlife. By joining the Trust you’re already part of Team Wilder, but can you do more for Suffolk’s wildlife? Will you help us step up to the challenge to get one in four people on nature’s side? Recruit your friends, inspire your neighbours, talk to work colleagues, share on social media. We need help to address the biodiversity crisis with the urgency it needs. Be part of our movement for nature’s recovery.
INSPIRE YOUR NEIGHBOURS Our gardens have become increasingly important to us over the past 18 months. Gardens can be havens for wildlife and these wildlife champions have been transforming theirs for nature. Colnet Conservation are a family including three inspiring brothers, Henry, Arthur and Edward, from near to Eye; they manage 90% of their land with nature in mind. They have a regular nature slot in their local parish magazine, inspire classmates in their school, organise their own litter picks and update their own noticeboard with wildlife news, advice and pictures.
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TEAM WILDER
GET THE WHOLE TOWN INVOLVED Community partnerships link up people across a whole town or beyond. Save our Suffolk Swifts group (SOS Swifts) is a brilliant example of a community partnership between Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk Bird Group. From visiting local schools, putting up swift boxes and calling systems on to community buildings, to building over 23,000 swift boxes to distribute across Suffolk, this passionate group of swift lovers are supporting this much-loved, declining migratory species. Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/swifts
BRING YOUR STREET TOGETHER Getting together with your immediate community can bring creative solutions to the threats facing wildlife. In 2016, we launched a two-year project with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and British Hedgehog Preservation Society to make Ipswich the most hedgehog-friendly town in the UK. Hedgehog Champions were trained to support action for hedgehogs, encouraging neighbours to create hedgehog highways, offering gardening advice, writing letters, designing posters and running hedgehog activities for youth groups. Over 750 new hedgehog sightings were recorded in Ipswich, making a real difference for hedgehog conservation in Suffolk.
Team
Wilder
SARAH COLNET, SWIFTS: NATUREPLCOM, JOHN FERGUSON
LADYBIRD: ALAMY
Find out more suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ hedgehogs-action
These are three of our favourite stories from Suffolk where individuals and communities are taking action for wildlife. Can you get involved, doing something similar or setting up your own project?
Together, we are #TeamWilder
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ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Daubenton's bat hunting over water.
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YOUR LOCAL NIGHT WILDLIFE RIDERS
Night
RIDER A shadowy flight into the twilight world of Suffolk’s bats. BY CATHY SMITH
S Cathy Smith is Suffolk Wildlife Trust's Community Wildlife Advisor, including working in Suffolk's churchyards for bats.
ummer nights may be shorter, but they’re alive with activity as a host of nocturnal creatures make the most of the hours of darkness. Tawny owls listen for rodents rustling across woodland floors, moths flicker around night-scented flowers, and bats swoop through the air, hunting the insects that swarm in the night. There are 17 species of bat that breed in the UK, from Natterer’s bats that snatch spiders from their webs, to Daubenton’s bats that fish insects from the surface of lakes and rivers. The most widespread and frequently seen are the common and soprano pipistrelles, zigzagging through the air as they feast on up to 3,000 insects a night. Their nocturnal nature can make bats a challenge to watch, but there are few
moments as magical as seeing these shadowy silhouettes sweep across a darkening sky. Gentle giants Of the 17 bat species found in the UK, 13 have been recorded in Suffolk. Both Britain's smallest bat, the common pipistrelle at 5g, and the biggest bat, the noctule, the size of your palm are resident in the county. Noctules forage over wide distances, up to 10km above open habitats like wetlands, pastures and open woodlands. One of the largest known populations in Suffolk was recorded in a white poplar on Purdis Heath golf course near Ipswich, where over 50 animals were seen emerging in August 2000. Another large bat with a wingspan of
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30cm, the serotine turned up in Holywells Park in Ipswich during a Suffolk Bat Group guided walk, whilst Daubenton’s bats delighted attendees of a bat walk in Christchurch Park in 2018. Also known as the ‘water bat’, Daubenton’s feed over waterways and lakes, using their large feet to trawl aquatic invertebrates. Safe havens The brown long-eared bat is widespread; their nursery colonies readily use lofts where the bats cluster along the ridge board and are loyal to their preferred residence. They readily use bat boxes and some 65 animals were discovered in one Thetford box a few years ago! Along with other broad winged slow flying bats, brown long-eared are particularly susceptible to light pollution. Drawing a curtain after dark and smarter external lighting is an easy way to help them: only light up where needed, illuminate only when used and to the levels that just
The most frequently seen bats are the common and soprano pipistrelles 38
Wild Suffolk | Autumn 2021
enhance visibility, at lower heights. Historic churches are attractive to bats because of their many entry points. Nooks and crannies to roost in are often surrounded by a species-rich churchyard. In many churches, bats are unnoticed or welcomed, whilst in a few the numbers of bats are more of an issue. St Mary Virgin Church, Wetherden is home to five species including a colony of natterers bats roosting in the magnificent hammer beam roof. The Heritage funded ‘Bats in Churches’ project is undertaking intensive surveys and working with stakeholders to come up with novel solutions to safeguard the bat roosts whilst reducing their impact. Boosting the roosts Common and soprano pipistrelle bats are the most abundant bats in the UK and are by far the most frequently encountered in Suffolk. Both are usually associated with buildings, particularly in the summer. Most roosts are found whilst following up Natural England enquiries where the animals are likely to be disturbed by building works, the size of the colonies ranging from 50 to over 400 animals. Although associated with buildings, they are very often found near broadleaved woodland, with over 90% of
roosts found less than 400m from a woodland patch. Woodlands and veteran trees reveal some of our rarer bats such as the barbastelle. In 2019, Suffolk Bat Group discovered barbastelle and six additional species in Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Bonny Wood near Needham Market and with funding from Suffolk Biological Record Office, 30 bat boxes have been installed to support them.
Suffolk Bat Group is a specialist group within Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Find out more on their Facebook page or visit suffolkwildlife trust.org/suffolkbatgroup
ALAMY, MATTHEW ROBERTS, ADOBE STOCK, LAURIE CAMPBELL
Brown long-eared bat. Bats live in a variety of roosts, both natural and manmade, where they return each year.
Bat detectors come in a range of prices and complexities and may take a bit of practice to use.
BAT WATCHING TIPS
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USE A BAT DETECTOR The easiest way to find and identify bats is with the help of a bat detector. This device picks up the high-pitched echolocation calls of bats and makes them audible to humans. Different species echolocate at different frequencies, so we can work out which bat we’re hearing.
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STUDY THE FLIGHT Bats have different flight patterns, which can give you an idea of the species you’re watching. Pipistrelles fly erratically, noctules have a direct flight with sudden swoops, and brown long-eared bats have a slow, hovering flight.
Ancient trees in parks and woodlands provide roosting and foraging sites.
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WATCH THE WEATHER It’s harder for bats to hunt on damp or windy nights, so choose a dry, still evening for your bat watching expedition. A sheltered spot will attract bats if there is a bit of wind.
Noctule bats roosting in a bat box.
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ARRIVE BEFORE SUNSET Bats are easiest to spot around dusk, when they emerge to feed and there’s still enough light to see them. Our largest bat, the noctule, is often the first to emerge, sometimes before the sun has set. Children and some adults can often hear these without a detector!
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WAIT BY WATER Just like other animals, bats need to drink, so they’re often found around waterways. Stretches of sheltered, still or slow-moving water also attract clouds of insects that they can hunt. You may even see a Daubenton’s bat hunting low across the water.
Churches are attractive to bats like these pipistrelles because of their many entry points and nooks and crannies.
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GO WHERE INSECTS ARE Bats are found in a range of habitats, from farmland to forests to gardens. They can often be seen hunting around features that attract insects, like trees, hedges and woodland edges.
Common pipistrelle is Britain's smallest bat.
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Anne’s gift buys ancient woodland Anne Walton
interest. On moving to Suffolk, she walked miles with her Labrador dogs, enjoying the plants and wildlife. It was then that she did her best thinking, she said. Anne had a deepseated feather phobia, which she carried into adulthood. It took time, but thanks to the sparrows in her hedge, the call of the geese over her roof, the sight of an owl hunting, sitting in a bird hide with friends, she gradually overcame her phobia. Rowley Grove is a beautiful tribute to her, and to our many members and supporters who have also generously contributed to securing its future.
To find out how a gift in your Will could help Suffolk's wildlife, please contact Amy Rushton 01473 890089
Thank you suffolkwildlifetrust.org
DORMOUSE: ALAMY
W
hen Rowley Grove, a pocket of ancient woodland adjoining Arger Fen & Spouse’s Vale nature reserve came up for sale this spring we needed to act quickly to secure its future as part of the nature reserve. Thanks to Anne Walton and others who remembered Suffolk Wildlife Trust in their Will, we were able to do just that. Anne was a distinguished chemist, university teacher and researcher. As a student she had taken zoology alongside her chemistry and this remained a lifelong
