SuffolkWildlife News from Suffolk Wildlife Trust
January 2015
Living Landscapes Living Gardens Living Seas
P18 SuffolkWildlife January 2015
News from Suffolk Wildlife
Trust
On the cover Fallow deer Richard Costin FLPA
Living Landscapes
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Seas Living Gardens Living
TOM MARSHALL
P16
TOM MARSHALL
HELEN SMITH
P12
IAN BLOWFIEL D
P9
ARD STEVE AYLW
JANUARY 2015
YOUR MAGAZINE
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST
Suffolk Wildlife is published by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brooke House, Ashbocking IP6 9JY 01473 890089 info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org SWT CENTRES Bradfield Woods 01449 737996 Carlton Marshes 01502 564250 Foxburrow Farm 01394 380113 Knettishall Heath 07717 156601 Lackford Lakes 01284 728706 Redgrave & Lopham Fen 01379 688333 EDITOR Matt Gaw DESIGN & ARTWORK Clare Sheehan ADVERTISING Today Magazines, Framlingham 01728 622030 PRINTING Five Castles Press, Ipswich
PATRON Lord Tollemache PRESIDENT Lord Blakenham VICE PRESIDENTS David Barker MBE, Lord Deben, Bernard Tickner, Peter Wilson TRUSTEES Ian Brown (Chairman), Nigel Farthing (Vice Chairman), Robin Drayton (Treasurer), James Robinson (Hon Secretary), John Cousins, Dawn Girling, Denise Goldsmith, Pip Goodwin, Fred Goymour, Peter Holborn, Simon Roberts Suffolk Wildlife Trust is one of a national network of Wildlife Trusts dedicated to safeguarding the future of wildlife for the benefit of all Suffolk Wildlife Trust is a registered charity no 262777 and a company limited by guarantee no 695346
Welcome
DAISY HAWKINS
Derek Moore
We have to encourage more young people to take up birding or any other interest in the natural world Derek Moore
YOUR PRESIDENT
CC GOOGLE IMAGES
After 35 years of commitment to Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Lord Cranbrook retired as our President at the 2014 AGM. He was delighted to be presented with a pair of Suffolk black poplar saplings as a mark of our thanks. Lord Cranbrook
Derek Moore, the Trust’s chief executive for 14 years from 1985, will be well known to many of you. He was a towering figure in conservation, both in Suffolk and beyond, so news of his death overshadowed our AGM in November. Although the Trust has been robbed of an outstanding advocate and vice president, Derek’s legacy flourishes through the nature reserves and centres that he established in his time at the Trust. Amongst these are Suffolk’s first environmental Julian Roughton education centres at Foxburrow Farm and Carlton Chief executive Marshes. Derek’s autobiography relates a childhood which seems now to be from a different age. He explored the countryside by bike well beyond his home of Beccles – along the Waveney valley and as far as Blythburgh and Walberswick. And although drawn to the coastal nature reserves with their riches of avocets, shrikes and marsh harriers, like all young naturalists he also delighted in the everyday – enjoying watching goldfinches (or King Harrys as they were known locally) and catching great crested newts. But this patchwork world of tiny commons, ponds and fields alive with yellowhammers, grey partridges and turtle doves has sadly passed. Since the 1960s it is estimated that some 44 million birds have ‘disappeared’ as the countryside is more intensively managed. And alongside this opportunities for young people to discover nature have hugely reduced. In one recent study of a single family, the distance that children have been allowed to explore independently has shrunk over four generations from six miles to 300 metres. It is a sobering assessment as concerns about traffic and safety limit children’s independence and new technology offers an exciting world divorced from the outdoors. This ‘extinction of experience’ may result in children never developing a relationship with the natural environment. Our six education centres offer great opportunities for young people to experience the best of Suffolk’s wildlife but these special experiences can never be enough on their own. Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and a generous private donation we can now offer young people in Ipswich the chance to get closer to nature in the parks and open spaces around them. Derek’s autobiography recalls the vital role his teacher, Mr Benson, played in encouraging his interest in birds to blossom. With the help of expert mentors, like Derek’s Mr Birds: coping with an obsession (2013) Benson, we will nurture the enthusiasm of young people to create a lifelong love of nature. For it is not just children Published by New that need nature; nature needs children too. Holland
We welcomed Lord Blakenham as our new President. He has been a Trust member for 30 years.
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Closer to nature CONSERVATION NEWS
PETE CAIRNES NATUREPL.COM
Nowhere in the world has such a strong history of ‘citizen science’ as Britain. This tradition of amateur naturalists has added hugely to our knowledge and understanding of Suffolk’s natural heritage and has directed the Trust’s conservation efforts to safeguard sites and species. Indeed the Victorian natural history displays at Ipswich Museum are an indication of the county’s rich tradition of wildlife study. But where is the next generation of expert naturalists and where are they to learn their craft? Suffolk Wildlife Trust is by far the biggest nature educator in the county, and through our centres, in-school activities and Wildlife Watch clubs, our education team is leading efforts to inspire this new generation of naturalist recorders. Now, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the generosity of local benefactors, we are
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able to branch out into the historic parks and wildlife spaces around Ipswich, and to the Trust’s ancient woodland reserves. By providing activities for 10-16 year olds, we hope to reawaken young people's interest in natural history and then build their skills as they move through their teens, actively involving them in identifying and recording the species and habitats they experience, developing their expertise through wildlife courses and practical volunteering for teenagers. As Head of Education Judy Powell explains, “There is a mismatch between these fabulous habitats and the opportunities for young people who live nearby to learn about them. We aim to bridge this gap, by enabling young people to explore the wild places close to home with one of the Trust’s inspirational education rangers.”
Derek Moore, director of Suffolk Wildlife Trust from 1985-1999
It is with great affection that we reflect on the life of Derek Moore, Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Director from 1985-1999, who died in late October. Derek had been battling illness for some months. Derek was a larger than life character who transformed Suffolk Wildlife Trust in his 14 years as Director. His ambition to safeguard wildlife was boundless and he oversaw a period of rapid growth with new nature reserves, large-scale habitat restoration projects and the opening of Suffolk’s first education centre at Foxburrow Farm. Derek was a great ambassador for nature and raised the Trust’s profile hugely, as well as our membership and influence across the county. But his impact went well beyond Suffolk. He promoted the cause of environmental education in its very early days and led the way in opening up nature reserves to people at a time when many conservation organisations restricted access to permit holders. Above all he saw the vital importance of engaging farmers in conservation.
Derek received an OBE for his services to conservation and went on to be Director of Conservation for The Wildlife Trusts nationally and then Chief Executive of the South and West Wales Wildlife Trusts, where he oversaw the merger of these two Wildlife Trusts. A Suffolk boy at heart, Derek kept in close touch with the Trust and was thrilled to hear he was to be put forward as a Vice President of Suffolk Wildlife Trust at our 2014 AGM. Derek was passionate about wildlife – and his passion inspired many people working in conservation today. Suffolk’s wildlife has lost a great champion but he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of achievement. Reflecting in his autobiography, on the adults who nurtured his youthful interest in birds, Derek captures the spirit of the Trust’s commitment to nature education, “One thing that seems certain to me is that we have to encourage more young people to take up birding or any other interest in the natural world. I have not forgotten the profound inspiration that I got from those early encounters with adults.”
If you would enjoy sharing your natural history skills with young people in Ipswich, or to find out more, please call our Ipswich Education Ranger on 01473 890089 or email: ipswich.education@suffolkwildlifetrust.org To get involved in our ancient woodlands, please contact Joanne Atkins, Woodland Education Ranger on 01449 737996 or email: bradfield.education@suffolkwildlifetrust.org
AUDREY BOYLE
Derek promoted the cause of environmental education in its very early days
Derek Moore, with Bill Oddie, David Barker and Julian Roughton at the opening of Hen Reedbeds in 1999
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ARCHANT
Derek Moore OBE
CONSERVATION NEWS
RICHARD BROOKS FLPA
Black-winged stilt surprise
It was a great summer for spotting rare birds in the UK and Suffolk got its own share of the excitement with the first successful breeding of black-winged stilts. This exotic-looking bird is normally associated with shallow lagoons in Spain and southern France but in dry years they occasionally move north looking for suitable nest sites. It appears 2014 was such a year, with breeding pairs spotted in Kent, Sussex and west Suffolk. Despite their eye-catching looks, the first that was known of Suffolk’s
breeding pair was when they turned up with four recently fledged young on private land at Great Livermere. It was thought likely that this pair bred at Cavenham after unsuccessfully nesting in Cambridgeshire earlier in the summer. Suffolk’s only previous breeding attempt (sadly unsuccessful) was in 2005 on Orfordness; prior to that in 1987 a pair at Holme, Norfolk successfully raised two chicks. The six black-winged stilts finally left in mid August – an exciting breeding success.
The return of the water vole
Dredging to combat reserve erosion
Oystercatcher at Levington Creek
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DAVID KJAER
Trust staff and volunteers helped create a mesh of hazel faggots and coir matting on the saltmarsh itself to hold the dredgings in place. It’s hoped that over time, the sediment build-up will raise the level of the saltmarsh so specialist plant communities can re-establish. The project needed the commitment of an estuary wide partnership including Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Yacht Harbour, Suffolk Coast & Heaths AONB and the Stour & Orwell Estuaries Management Group, with the materials funded by The Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund.
TOM MARSHALL
STEVE AYLWARD
Instead of being washed away by the tide, this winter’s dredgings from Suffolk Yacht Harbour are being used to address the problem of saltmarsh erosion at Levington Creek on the Orwell Estuary. This innovative, yet intuitive approach will use the sediment from the winter dredging programme to feed the saltmarsh, year on year, for decades to come. Until now, mud dredged from the harbour was pumped out into the estuary and lost into the channel. But this summer large pipes were installed to send the mud from the Yacht Harbour’s dredger, across the reedbeds and to the creek, so it can be sprayed back onto the saltmarsh.
Mink control has had a positive effect on the recovery of water vole populations
CONSERVATION NEWS
Just ten years ago it was feared water vole could become extinct from Suffolk’s waterways by 2015 following a loss of habitat and predation by American mink. But now, after a concerted push by Suffolk Wildlife Trust, which has worked with communities to improve riverbank conditions and control mink populations, water vole are finally showing signs of a healthy recovery in Suffolk. Penny Hemphill, The Trust’s Water for Wildlife adviser, said when she first started on the water vole project in 2002 a survey of each river catchment showed further decline from a national survey in 1998. “We carried out water vole surveys on all the rivers and repeated the national water vole survey methodology which gave us some comparative data”, she said. “The results were appalling with further massive declines everywhere. There were no water vole at all on the River Alde and only fragmented populations hanging on in the tributaries of other rivers.”
Worryingly, mink, which had been only recorded in the county’s western rivers, were also spreading to the east. Penny said: “It was our responsibility to do something – so we set about working with landowners to ensure that riparian habitat was managed in the right way and began implementing mink control by lending out rafts and traps.” As well as meeting with landowners, open evenings were held in each catchment to talk about water vole conservation and mink control. “It soon became clear that mink were impacting on livelihoods too, with gamekeepers and people with wildfowl complaining of losses of birds and riparian landowners reporting a lack of wildlife on the river,” Penny said. “All these people were really keen to help and joined the project.” Gradually the effort to control the mink populations started to bear fruit. It was important to measure the results mink control was having on water vole, so surveys were repeated and within a year or two of trapping starting, water vole began to re-colonise every river. To
date more than 2,500 mink are known to have been trapped. Penny said: “This is an on-going project which has been running for twelve years. We know from experience that if mink control ceases, water vole will disappear within weeks. “We’re now finding water vole on rivers where habitat is poor and I wouldn’t actually expect to find them which is incredible. If I don’t find water vole the reason is likely to be mink, so we alert the nearest trapper or try and get more rafts out. We have relied wholly on the trappers and they deserve a massive thank you as their persistence in controlling mink is responsible for the success of this project.” Recent river restoration projects mean many more surveys have been carried out in 2014, all of which pointed to healthy water vole populations on main rivers such as the Little Ouse and River Gipping. Before and after surveys at Knettishall Heath and sections of the Little Ouse also show the restoration work has enhanced the habitat for the animals which have increased at each site. SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 7
CONSERVATION NEWS
Picture perfect
Thirsty squirrel Winner from the garden category by Trina Mills
Sarah Kilshaws’ Sea of fungi, Sean Crotty’s Polaris and Trina Mills’ Thirsty squirrel are just three of the outstanding winning photographs from our most recent photography competition. "I was sitting in the Abbey Gardens sensory garden on my day off watching the squirrels antics nearby and trying to capture some fun shots, when one thirsty chap came up and just started drinking right in front of me." Trina Mills. View all winners on our website and all entries on FlickR, typing Suffolk Wildlife Trust into the search feature. To take part in this years competition simply go to www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org for more details
Saving for Suffolk’s future This year the Trust is marking the eighth year of a special relationship with Ipswich Building Society’s We-Care Savings Account. The initiative, which is designed to increase the number of young people experiencing wildlife close to where they live, has already benefitted 800 children in Suffolk – youngsters who could become future wildlife guardians. On an annual basis Ipswich Building Society calculate an average of the total balance in all of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust We-Care accounts and pay an additional 1% bonus direct to the charity. 8 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
For more information about the We-Care account see www.ibs.co.uk call 0330 1230723 or visit your local IBS branch
Amy loves worms Winner from the children in nature category by Richard Ferris
Thank you 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 Audrey Andrews Lilian Bartrum Mrs Champion Alan Clement Dominic Davies Mandy Fox Rex Glover
JULIE NORMAN
Philip Harris Heather Maclean Bernard Markwell Derek Moore OBE Hazel Shore Barbara Ellice Williams Hazel Wombwell
CAPTAIN’S WOOD
The wood where time stands still
DAVID KAJER
It has been 10 years since the Trust purchased Captain's Wood. Steve Aylward looks at this timeless habitat and explains why it was so important to also secure the future of land adjacent to it
C
aptain’s Wood generates mixed emotions; it is an extraordinarily uplifting place with its dazzling displays of bluebells and rich autumn colours. Tragically though, it is also just a remnant of an important historic landscape now largely lost to modern agriculture. Therefore, when the opportunity came along to acquire a little more of this remarkable place, it was a chance the Trust had to take.
A generous legacy Captain’s Wood was bought by the Trust in 2005 with the support of our members, a generous legacy and a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It was a deal done over a cup of tea at the kitchen table of the then owner, Mel Glazer. Once purchased, we got to work
removing the large stands of rhododendron that were smothering some of the ancient oak trees, we planted a new generation of seedling oaks grown from acorns collected from the veteran trees and a trail was created that weaved through the fields and woodland. And that was pretty much it. Ever since we have endeavoured to be as ‘hands off’ as possible as this is a place that is best looked after by letting nature find its own balance. Today, grazing and browsing animals such as deer and hares continue to effectively maintain the more open habitats, creating ideal conditions for a broad range of species. In the intervening years we have learnt much more about Captain’s Wood. We now know for certain that it is one of just a handful of places in the UK where oak polypore fungus can be found and it SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 9
CAPTAIN’S WOOD is a stronghold for barbastelle bat and a locally important reptile population. It is also a place where time seems to stand still; trees grow slowly in the poor sandy soils, including the oak seedlings which have found conditions tough. Similarly, the wildlife hardly changes, it remains a consistently reliable place to see fallow deer, hares and at dawn and dusk, barn owls quartering the fields. Vast expanses of bluebells continue to create a stunning spectacle each spring and the great hulks of the very oldest trees are there to marvel at any time of year. Our growing population of Suffolk buzzards have certainly found this landscape to their liking and their mewing call accompanies most visits these days.
However, while the reserve has changed very little over the past 10 years, there has been great change all around Captain's Wood. New farm reservoirs have been built and farming practices have been continuously modernised. The large-scale growing of turf has been a particular issue as turf and wild deer are not a good mix. The deer inadvertently cause a lot of damage running across fields, their hooves punching small holes in the grass. Consequently, the fields around Captain's Wood have been fenced and this has had a major impact on the way that the herds of fallow deer move around the landscape. Whereas before large herds of deer would tend to move frequently between Captain's Wood and neighbouring areas of Forestry Commission land, this is now far more difficult. As a result, there tend to be smaller numbers of deer in Captain's Wood and it is now very unusual to see the 100 plus herds of the past.
STEVE AYLWARD
A changing landscape
Large herds of fallow deer move around and browse amongst the trees
An opportunity seized Earlier this year, we were made aware that a parcel of land adjoining Captain’s Wood was going to be sold at auction. This was a 17 acre block of small fields, scrub and a little area of woodland sitting between Captain’s Wood and the village of Sudbourne. A quick survey immediately confirmed that it would be vitally important to acquire the land both to protect its intrinsic wildlife interest and to safeguard another important remnant of historic landscape untouched by modern agriculture. The land had not been farmed for many years and had largely been left fallow, and as a result, has developed into a wonderful mosaic of rough grassland, scrub and woodland. Part of the land sits wet for much of the 10 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
It is an extraordinarily uplifting place with its dazzling displays of bluebells and rich autumn colours
Hares help to maintain the more open habitats creating ideal conditions for a broad range of species ANDREW PARKINSON NATUREPL.COM
year and this area still supports a few marsh orchids together with other wetland plants. The local herd of fallow deer has again played a crucial role in keeping this land open, much as they do in Captain’s Wood. Despite a nail-biting auction, the Trust ended up as the successful bidder and this exciting acquisition means the reserve now extends to 154 acres. One important piece of work will be to gather more information about the
DAVID KJAER JAMIE HALL
Our growing population of Suffolk buzzards have certainly found this landscape to their liking wildlife of the new land. It has all the attributes of good reptile habitat, (dry areas, damp areas, both long and short vegetation) so the expectation will be that surveys will find good numbers of slow worm and common lizard as well as grass snake. Of real interest will be whether adders are present. To date adders have never been recorded in Captain’s Wood despite a number of tantalisingly nearby records, including two unfortunate road casualties on School Road just to the south. Therefore adders will be a particular focus of future survey work. The local barn owls on the other hand are certainly using the expanses of rough grassland habitat which undoubtedly supports large numbers of field voles and other small rodents.
Looking to the future Over the coming months the main practical task, having acquired the land, will be to remove the derelict fencing and accumulated clutter. Otherwise the intention will be simply to adopt the same policy of allowing nature to do its own thing. In order that visitors can enjoy the reserve in full, the Captain’s Wood trail will also be extended to include a loop around the new land, which in turn will also provide access to parts of the original reserve that were previously inaccessible. Looking to the future, Captain’s Wood is likely to remain a wildlife oasis in a modern farming landscape as the current Common Agricultural Policy provides little incentive for farmers wanting to create or link important areas of wildlife
STEVE AYLWARD
The ancient oaks provide homes for bats
Buzzard, grass snake and oak polypore fungi have benefited from a woodland habitat that has stood still in time
habitat. However, its proximity to the Forestry Commission’s Tunstall Forest does mean that there are opportunities for species to move between areas of semi-natural habitat reducing the likelihood of complete isolation which can be the death knell for some animals such as the adder. In securing Captain’s Wood, the Trust has managed to preserve this hugely important ancient landscape for future generations and with it the special wildlife that depends on it. Thank you to our local supporters who responded to our urgent request to pledge funds, which enabled us to buy the additional land at Captain's Wood at auction. The purchase was completed with a generous donation in memory of George Ford
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PLANNING FOR NATURE’S FUTURE
MIKE LANE FLPA
Well designed, implemented and managed green spaces have a myriad of benefits for both people and wildlife
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Planning for nature’s future Successive Governments have set out the need for new houses to be built across the country. James Meyer explains how Suffolk Wildlife Trust is helping to bring about good developments while continuing to try and prevent proposals that could result in significant ecological harm
ollowing the recent Government commitment to the construction of new ‘garden cities’, the spotlight has once again fallen on the role that green spaces play in built development. There is a long history of developments providing new infrastructure as a benefit for local communities. But traditionally this provision has focused on new built facilities, such as replacement village halls, new play areas or upgraded schools, or has taken the form of financial contributions towards bigger projects in the wider area. This ‘grey infrastructure’ is often the most tangible community outcome from a new housing estate or supermarket and the need for and provision of such infrastructure is underpinned by both national and local planning policy and is carefully assessed by local planning authorities.
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The importance of green space Until relatively recently the inclusion of benefits beyond this ‘grey infrastructure’ in new development was often ad hoc and was based around the need for sports pitches and play areas. Green spaces were often confined to landscaping strips planted to screen the development, or were comprised
of close mown amenity grassland; great for kicking a football on but not so good for wildlife. In 2011 the Government’s Biodiversity White Paper (The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature) recognised the importance of high quality green space in developments and the value that these could have to both wildlife and the lives of the people living in the area. This is reflected in more recent national and local planning policy, which attempts to address discrepancies between the provision of ‘grey infrastructure’ and what is commonly termed ‘green infrastructure’ in new development and ensure that one doesn’t seek to take precedent over the other. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which forms the backbone of the national planning system, gives weight to planning strategically for the provision of green infrastructure through the Local Plans that each planning authority are required to produce and that guide how new development takes place in an area. This is in turn has been reflected in new Local Plans, which are identifying green networks across the county and enabling a more strategic approach to be taken to protecting and enhancing them. SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 13
PLANNING FOR NATURE’S FUTURE
CONSTRUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY ALAMY
From theory to practice Whilst the theory of high quality green spaces in new development is one that is relatively easily captured in a planning
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policy or an indicative site layout plan, translating this in to something meaningful in the finished development is often more tricky. In Suffolk much new development takes place on former arable fields which, whilst offering something of a blank canvas, can result in designers attempting to include unsuitable features or producing unworkable designs. In these situations Suffolk Wildlife Trust believes it is best to look to the wider landscape for inspiration on how to design a good development. This should include making use of existing features, such as trees and
PAUL HOBSON
DAVID TIPLING
From providing new nesting habitats for birds to allowing children to experience nature on their doorstep, well designed, implemented and managed green spaces have a myriad of benefits for both people and wildlife. Many species can thrive in an urban environment and new development offers opportunities to help enhance existing populations. The inclusion of features such as nest boxes in new buildings is something that is often carried out by developers and can be of benefit to a number of different species. For example, swifts in the UK almost solely rely on buildings for nesting opportunities and house sparrows are also heavily dependent on built structures for nesting. The conversion of old buildings, coupled with modern building regulation requirements, has resulted in the loss of suitable nest sites. The inclusion of specially designed nest boxes in new buildings can therefore offer a significant new nesting resource. However, it is important that such new nesting habitats are not provided in isolation. Nesting opportunities should be coupled with well-connected green spaces so that not only are there places for birds to nest, but there is also good habitat available for them to forage in. Studies are also being carried out into the human benefits of accessible green space in developments. Recent research, such as that undertaken by the University of Exeter, has shown that people moving to greener areas experience long term benefits to their mental health. A number of publications have now been produced to help developers and planning officers incorporate ecologically beneficial green spaces in to the design of new development. Planning for a healthy environment – good practice guidance for green infrastructure and biodiversity was published by the Town and Country Planning Association and The Wildlife Trusts and provides a demonstration of how green infrastructure can be used to enhance the natural environment.
DAVID J GREEN ALAMY
Benefiting people and wildlife
Green spaces were often comprised of close mown amenity grassland; great for kicking a football on but not so good for wildlife hedgerows, and looking to extend them through the site – creating corridors that species can move along. A good example of where this has occurred is at Grange Farm, Kesgrave, where the new residential development has retained and buffered the existing hedgerows, creating green corridors that can be utilised by wildlife and enjoyed by local residents.
What the future holds Providing it is suitably sited, well designed and implemented, new development doesn’t have to be detrimental to biodiversity. Many examples exist throughout the country of places where good design has resulted in benefits for both wildlife and the people who live in the area. Consideration of green infrastructure needs to be included in the design of new developments from the outset to ensure that high quality green spaces are delivered holistically and without detriment to the provision of other community benefits.
Many species, such as swifts thrive in urban areas, while people and animals benefit from green spaces and wildlife corridors
Successive Governments have set out the need for new development to take place across the country. Whilst Suffolk will not currently see the same levels of growth as those proposed for parts of the south east, planning authorities will still need to allocate land for thousands of new homes and opportunities for new businesses in the county. Suffolk Wildlife Trust will therefore continue to engage with the planning system to help facilitate good development, whilst continuing to try and prevent proposals which would result in significant ecological harm from taking place.
school supported a range of invertebrates, including several rare species of aculeate hymenoptera including the five-banded tailed digger wasp. Without careful consideration by the designers of the school and their ecological advisers it was likely that the habitats supporting these species would be lost. Therefore, as part of the planning consent for the school, an area was set aside to be managed to maintain habitat suitable for invertebrates. Subject to appropriate management this should help ensure that the area retains its wildlife value in the long term and helps contribute to the other areas of habitat present in the local area.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust will continue to engage with the planning system to try and help facilitate good development
DAVID TIPLING
CONSTRUCTION PHOTOGRAPHY ALAMY
It’s not just residential development which offers the opportunity to incorporate biodiversity into a scheme. Many ‘grey infrastructure’ benefits of new development, such as new schools or community facilities, offer the opportunity to contribute to green infrastructure provision. For example the design of the new primary school at Red Lodge, built as part of the wider residential development, included specific features aimed at maintaining populations of rare Breckland species in the area. The site had previously been arable land and was allocated as part of a wider masterplan for the village. Ecological surveys prior to development identified that the site for the
B&S DRAKER NATUREPL.COM
Grey can be green
House sparrows and swifts are heavily dependent on built structures for nesting Ravenswood housing estate Ipswich
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SUFFOLK’S RAFT SPIDER
Just a few years ago the survival of the fen raft spider seemed to be hanging by a thread. Helen Smith explains how the species has gone on to build sizeable populations in Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves
HELEN SMITH
Eightlegged wonder
E MITH EN S HEL
arly October, and the long breeding season for fen raft spiders is coming to an end. At the Trust’s Castle Marshes reserve on the lower Waveney the few surviving matriarchs are still defending their broods of tiny spiderlings, very literally to the last. The spiders have been producing their beautiful nursery webs – large tents of silk woven amongst stiff-leaved plants above the water – since mid-June. In just one 70m stretch of ditch, where a dense carpet of spiked rosettes of water soldier provides perfect conditions, over 400 nurseries were built this year. Although densities over most of the reserve are much lower, the spiders now breed successfully throughout the core of the site. Just downstream at Carlton Marshes this species is also widespread on the ditches in the heart of the reserve.
Spider pioneers The fen raft spiders of the lower Waveney marshes are not just abundant and thriving, they are remarkable pioneers.
STEVE AYLWARD
Female with egg sac
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Raft spiders for your coffee table Fen raft spiders are almost certainly the only spiders in the world to have their own artist in residence! You can now see the wonderful images from Sheila Tilmouth’s five year residency collected in a new book, covering the spiders’ natural history and conservation, with text by Helen Smith and foreword by Mark Cocker. On the margins – The fen raft spiders of Redgrave & Lopham Fen is published by Langford Press. For more information visit www.dolomedes.org.uk/artist.html
On t Marg he ins
£15
The spiders have made these reserves their home, building up populations that should be robust to the future challenges
HELEN SMITH
Densely pack ed nurseries in w ater soldier at Cast le Marshes ABOVE: Giving all to her final brood, this female’s
once immaculate body is now stained and gaunt
Until very recently these magnificent animals found fame through their extreme rarity and their precarious foothold in Britain. Recorded from just three far-flung sites they remain bestknown at the Trust’s Redgrave & Lopham Fen reserve where they were first discovered in Britain in 1956. Their story on the Fen mirrored that of the site itself – one of decline as the wetland habitat was desiccated by artesian abstraction. But it was their subsequent failure to recover when the Fen’s water supply was restored in 1999 that finally triggered radical action. Exactly four years ago over 2,000 tiny fen raft spiderlings – both locals from Redgrave & Lopham and travellers from the Pevensey Levels in East Sussex – were released at Castle Marshes. Despite their introduction to the rigours of a severe winter after months of careful cosseting in test tubes, it rapidly became clear that our assessment of the site as ideal habitat for the spider had been justified. Although superficially very unlike the sedge beds and turf ponds of Redgrave & Lopham Fen, Castle Marshes’ rich ditches
were almost identical to those on Pevensey Levels, which support the largest of Britain’s fen raft spider populations. Over the next two years another 5,000 spiderlings were released on the lower Waveney – at Carlton as well as Castle Marshes. Since then the spiders have made these reserves their home, building up populations that should be robust to the future challenges. It is difficult to see this as anything other than a homecoming. Although we know almost nothing of this species’ past distribution it is surely inconceivable that
and this also seems to be the norm at Redgrave & Lopham Fen. Food is most likely to be the key to this rapid growth, with the grazing marsh ditches yielding a much more copious supply than the nutrient-poor fen ponds. Of course, as well as benefiting from the richness of the new sites, the spiders themselves provide a copious new food supply – very few of the many thousands of spiderlings produced each year survives to maturity.
Here to stay
The population at Castle Marshes is now so dense in places that spiders there can be harvested to supply new sites. This makes the establishment of We can at last feel confident that our very new populations much simpler, cost effective and avoids special fen raft spiders more any further removal of spiders are here to stay from the natural populations. Work continues to secure the population at Redgrave & Lopham Fen they would not formerly have been but the spiders are now much easier to natives of these marshes, only 30 miles see on the lower Waveney. downstream from their last remaining For those of us who love Suffolk’s East Anglian foothold, at Redgrave & Lopham Fen. wildlife and landscape in all its richness and variety, we can at last feel confident Secret to spiders’ success that our very special fen raft spiders are So, what is the secret of the spider’s here to stay. Thanks to the wetland success on the lower Waveney? Research habitat restoration work by the Trust, and designed to answer this is still in progress, others around the country, this is a but it became clear at an early stage in species that no longer needs to be the translocation programme that some endangered. Saving species is not always of the spiders were able to complete their so simple but it seems that this one may life cycle in just one year on the new sites just have been waiting for a lift down the – in captivity they usually take two years road! Castle Marshes
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 17
Tracking down Suffolk’s Hedgehogs SUFFOLK’S HEDGEHOGS
18 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
The story so far Last year Suffolk Wildlife Trust launched a pioneering citizen science survey to locate the county’s hedgehog populations. Simone Bullion explains what we have learned so far and how you can still help
An amazing response
INCAMERASTOCK ALAMY
Imagine our surprise as records started to flood in! There is something about hedgehogs that seems to connect with many of us. Is it that we admire them as a primitive survivor of a once wild landscape, or the fact that they can be seen bumbling through our gardens, unfazed by our presence? Whatever the reason, we have had an amazing response from people completing the online recording form or by seeking us out at various seasonal events to tell us about
their hedgehog experiences. So what have we found out so far? Well, at the time of writing we have received over 5,000 records of both living and dead sightings. What is particularly notable is the broad distribution of the records (see map). As expected, the greatest concentrations are associated with the towns, particularly Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Woodbridge, Stowmarket and Lowestoft.
No absolute numbers In addition, about 85% of parishes across the county now have at least one record of a hedgehog, but there are still about 70 parishes where no record has been submitted. We are planning to extend the survey into 2015 to try to determine whether these reflect real gaps in distribution. However, it is very difficult to determine whether clusters of sightings relate to a single or several hedgehogs and of course there are more pairs of eyes in the towns, so at best, we will probably only be able to work out some form of relative abundance, rather than absolute numbers.
Hedgehog sightings: Red – live sighting Black – dead sighting
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 19
MAP REPRODUCED UNDER OS LICENCE NUMBER 10016410
T
hroughout the last year, the Trust has used our countywide survey to try to find out more about hedgehogs in Suffolk. Given that the national picture is of a species in severe decline, when we started we had no idea about what results our survey might yield. Records of hedgehog held by Suffolk Biological Records Centre for the previous ten years were infrequent and patchy, so as we launched the survey in April, we felt there was a real risk that responses were going to be heartbreakingly low.
SUFFOLK’S HEDGEHOGS Roads and hedgehogs
There is something about hedgehogs that seems to connect with many of us
TOM MARSHALL
Over the last one hundred years, hedgehogs have had to contend with the rise of the motor vehicle. However, we can make some use of the records of dead hedgehogs and because of their spines, they can remain visible by the side of the road for much longer than other species and are relatively easy to spot. Sadly there have been 1,488 records of this type reported in 2014, representing about 20% of all the records and this seems a very large number for just one year. There seems to be aggregations of records along A and B category roads, where traffic is frequent and travelling quickly, even at night, making it difficult for a hedgehog to cross safely. Road kills are likely to be directly linked to abundance, so frequent sightings of squashed hedgehogs implies that there are more animals in the locality compared with areas where there are very few records of this type. We will be looking at this in more detail to see if this can tell us anything useful about hedgehog ‘hotspots’. The online form allows contributors to include comments and there have been a number of reports where people have spotted hedgehogs when driving and managed to avoid them. Another resourceful person found a hedgehog in the street outside a park and put it in a hat to move it to safety! However, another recorder had been enjoying watching the same animal for months along their road, only to then witness it being hit by a car and being killed instantly.
Badgers
Seasonal variations in hedgehog road deaths 350 300 250 200 150
Seasonal differences in mortality
PAUL HOBSON
There are also likely to be seasonal differences in mortality. In Pat Morris’s excellent book about hedgehogs Pat Morris (2014) Hedgehogs. (British Natural History Collection: Volume 4) he reports that more hedgehogs are killed in AprilMay than in June and that two thirds of these are males. Radiotracking studies have shown that males move about more than females and in springtime there will be increased activity as they look for mates. If a male hedgehog is travelling 1-2
20 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
100 50 0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
miles a night, even via a circuitous route, this will inevitably lead to him crossing a road of some sort and potentially into the path of danger. Interestingly, in the autumn the roles are reversed and it is the females that amount to three quarters of the road deaths. This is likely to be due to females needing to forage more to increase their body weight after the rigours of raising young, before they retreat into hibernation. We have been able to analyse the number of hedgehog road deaths month by month and it appears that there is a spring peak as would be expected at the start of the breeding season. Although there is a peak in road deaths during May, this is balanced by the increased number of live sightings in that month. So overall, this infers that hedgehog activity is also at its peak.
The recent rise in the numbers of badgers has been considered to be one of the factors that may be contributing to the decline of the hedgehog. Badgers are the main natural predator of hedgehogs because their long claws and powerful limbs can get through the hedgehog’s spiny defences. However, the two species also eat much of the same food (worms and other invertebrates) so in ecological terms this is known as ‘intraguild predation’, where the impact of badgers is a combination of both predation and competition for food. In the light of this the Trust has tried to assess whether hedgehogs are scarcer in areas where badgers are more abundant. Whilst it appears that hedgehogs are most numerous in the towns where badgers are largely absent, in rural areas there appears to be no obvious negative correlation for areas where there are the highest badger densities. However, when we assessed the distribution of road casualties in rural areas, particularly in relation to proximity to a village, 80% of the records were associated with the settlement area. Whilst this implies that hedgehog
Views from the survey
DAVID PIKE NATUREPL.COM
One of the real joys of the survey was the insight into the county’s relationship with hedgehogs. Here are just a few of the comments that accompanied recordings sent to the Trust over the past year.
V websisit our 014 ite or c You c73 89008all 9 an your still log hog!
hedgehog in Found in the street outside park. Put ty safe a hat and moved back into park for materials. Seen early morning, collecting nest hedgehogs any see 't didn ; food and Given water in 2013 His name is Alfred. Haven't Yes, putting food out every night. g cat biscuits last night eatin was he seen him for a while but dle of the road so I stopped, It was curled up in a ball in the mid put it in the long grass. picked it up using my jacket then ght when I heard something Discovered it was in the garden toni 'hissing' at my dog d every night. Regularly see Have built 4 hedgehog houses. Fee
Road kills are linked to abundance, so sightings of squashed hedgehogs implies there are more in the locality numbers are greater where there are gardens, parks and play spaces, the potential for higher levels of predation affecting numbers in the open countryside cannot be ruled out.
The year ahead Obviously, there is still a lot more to find out so our plans for this year are to continue with the survey and focus on filling in the gaps. We will also be undertaking further analysis to see if we can highlight particular hedgehog hotspots. As well as getting an up-to-date picture of distribution, we also want to evaluate whether there has been a change in the hedgehog population in Suffolk, so we are particularly keen to hear from those of you who used to see hedgehogs but no longer do so.
Badgers are the main natural predator of hedgehogs because their long claws and powerful limbs can get through the hedgehog’s spiny defences
6 hedgehogs an adult and a baby but there I thought I only had 2 hedgehogs, one known adult – so exciting and are 4 baby hedgehogs in total ng daylight. Reported to Kane Five young found wandering duri came and found recently at Prickles Hedgehog Rescue who to his site to rear. Four back ng you deceased mother and took and released 22/09/2013 young survived and were returned of noise! Front garden – mating? Making a lot ng slugs and snails Outside back door late at night eati road. We see it every month. It was a hedgehog that crosses our from road, killed instantly) him I saw it get hit by a car (I removed around 22.30pm just The hedgehog was crossing the road it) miss to outside the village (we managed
Still time to log your hog There is still plenty of time to tell us about hedgehogs you see, used to see, or let the Trust know if you have never seen one where you live. All sightings appear on an online map that will help target our conservation work for hedgehogs in the coming years. Visit our website suffolkwildlifetrust.org or call 01473 890089
PAUL HOBSON
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 21
Green light for be
UK NEWS
no child stuck indoors
stephanie Hilborne obe Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts
That could be the verdict on the scottish Wildlife Trust’s five year beaver reintroduction programme. We’ll know next year t was the first official reintroduction trial in the UK. Five years on, beavers – a native British species until they were hunted to extinction in the 1500s – could return to the wild in Scotland. Four beaver families were released into 17 square miles of mixed forest and wetland in Knapdale, Argyll in 2009. “Three of the families bred, and all four built dams, though only one of those significantly expanded a body of water,” said Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Director of Conservation Simon Jones. Although SWT and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland managed the trial, Scottish National Heritage conducted the scientific study, which they will present to the Scottish Government in May 2015. A decision on the beavers’ fate is likely soon afterwards. The outcome is interesting because beavers have a unique ability to modify
I
wetland habitats through coppicing trees, eating bark and leaves, and building dams. This can help other wetland species by improving habitat diversity, and perhaps reduce flood risk by improving an area’s water-holding capacity. However some landowners are concerned about damage. “There have been a few trees felled across forest tracks, but these can be easily cleared up,” said Simon. “In three surveys since 1998, between 73 and 84% of people who responded were in favour of reintroduction.” The Government has also allowed an unlicensed beaver population (probably started by animals from private collections) to remain in Tayside, east Scotland. A study of this group will also inform its decision. scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/what-we-do/ scottish-beaver-trial/
The beavers will remain at Knapdale, at least until a Government decision next year
ROBIN CHITTENDEN/FLPA
Four generations ago children roamed, on average, six miles from their home on foot. Now children roam 300 yards and spend twice the time we did indoors. Four generations ago Britain had more than three million hectares of wildflower meadows. One generation ago we had only three per cent of this left and this is vanishing fast. So the chance today of a child stumbling across a wildflower meadow is almost non-existent. Yet we know our happiness is tightly bound up with experiencing the natural world. The UK’s children are the unhappiest in the Western world, Unicef reports. And the most overweight. And many parents wish their kids were outside more. I know I do. The reasons are clear. When I was a child the doors were open, the woods were nearer and there was a limit to how much entertainment could be found indoors, especially after a winter of board games and books. Now the doors protect us from strangers; the woods and meadows are further away and the garden, if there is one, may not entertain older children for very long. Meanwhile, indoors there is a constant and varied scene of entertainment. The solution is more wildlife places nearer where most of us live. It means forest schools being core to our learning. It means parents being more actively involved. And that’s no bad thing because whilst we may have been outside more we are ecologically illiterate compared to the generation before ours. Thanks to your support, your Trust is doing all it can to help change this. Let’s say it loud and clear: No Child Stuck Indoors!
HanTs
derbysHire
durHam
Leics & ruT
brecKnocK
‘Make a Wild Change’ is a new campaign by the Trust to help parents and educators ensure that children have every chance to connect with local wildlife and spend time outdoors as they grow up. wtru.st/wildchange
The Trust has recorded a county first, after the successful breeding of a pair of lesser black-backed gull – a declining species – on its Carr Vale Nature Reserve near Bolsover. wtru.st/ carrvalegulls
The Trust is taking over management of seven important wildlife sites from Gateshead Council. It is hoping to recruit local volunteers to manage them. Could you be one of them? More news at durhamwt.co.uk
In July HRH The Prince of Wales visited Rutland Water nature reserve to hear about a new Volunteer Training Centre being developed to foster heritage and countryside skills. wtru.st/HrHatrutland
2014 marks the 50th anniversary of Brecknock Wildlife Trust. The Trust is marking the milestone with a series of special events inc guided tours of its many beautiful reserves. wtru.st/breckevents
22 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
CAROLINE COLES
UK NEWS from aroUNd thE WildlifE trUStS
avers in Scotland?
L UK-w atest id and e new wild issues: s life org/ trusts. new s
SCOTTISH WILDLIFE TRUST
Part of the site at Knapdale, where a beaver family’s dam flooded the forest and increased the size of a natural loch
other Wildlife Trust beaver projects devon Wildlife Trust is studying how beavers in a 2.8ha private compound are modifying their habitat. The results will be published in 2016. Wildlife Trusts Wales lead the Welsh Beaver Project, which could reintroduce beavers to the wild next year.
barn owl
Kent Wildlife Trust hosts the The Ham Fen Beaver Project which, since 2001, has used beavers to manage the last fen in Kent. They are kept in by 2.35 miles of fence. north Wales Wildlife Trust is considering adding beavers to a fenced reserve to improve the habitat diversity.
northumberland Wildlife Trust has done a feasibility study on reintroducing beavers. radnorshire Wildlife Trust plans to introduce beavers to a fenced reserve when funds allow. montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is considering an enclosed reintroduction to a 30ha former bog since used for forestry.
suffoLK
London
radnor
sTaffs
surrey
2013 was a bad year for barn owls but more than 70 chicks were recorded on the Trust’s reserves this year. With the Suffolk Ornithologists Group, the Trust has put up more nest boxes. wtru.st/ barnowlbroods
A network of ten reservoirs in Walthamstow is set to be transformed into Europe’s largest public urban wetland, close to the Olympic Park. The Trust will play a leading role in its development. wtru.st/urbanwetland
Working with Llandrindod Wells Town Council, the Royal British Legion and others, the Trust planted wildflowers for WWI memorial events as a pollinatorfriendly alternative to traditional bedding. rwtwales.org
The appeal to raise £30,000 to repair eroded paths on the iconic Staffordshire Roaches has now received over £10,000. The Trust is seeking further funds to ensure full restoration. wtru.st/roachespaths
Dame Judi Dench is the Trust’s new Patron, supporting the Nower Wood New Build Project which aims to secure the wood’s future as a unique site for outdoor learning. wtru.st/surreypatron
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 23
“I wasn’t sure about joining in – but this is brilliant!”
PEOPLE & WILDLIFE
sheffield Wildlife Trust is one of many helping older people to rediscover the physical, mental and social benefits of being outdoors in nature. Karli drinkwater reports
an’s just made a joke about elderflower smelling like cat wee, and has got the whole group chuckling along with her. The laughter may well be triggered by Jan’s riotous giggle itself. She clearly knows how to work a crowd. Jan Flamank runs the Wild At Heart project for Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust. The idea is to connect older people to nature – and each other. The sessions take place in woods, parks and green spaces, and help participants learn about wildlife and the natural world. For an older person who may have restricted mobility and memory loss, getting involved can simply mean a
J
24 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
chance to get out and have a meaningful conversation. That might not sound much, but time spent in the natural environment benefits us physically and emotionally, according to Natural England research. And studies by Age UK show that activities that bring older people together to mingle can create a better quality of life. At 101, Vera Gratwick is proof that the research is true: she says coming to the Wild At Heart get-togethers makes her feel free. “I love that it gets me out and I hope I can always get out. I’ve looked at dandelions, daisies and buttercups for years. But they’ve just been flowers; now I think about them more. And being out and talking to other people about flowers,
birds and bees keeps me going.” Social isolation leading to poor health in older people is well documented and this project is all about reversing that trend. It flies a flag for an oft-forgotten part of society, bringing people out of their homes for the first time in years, in some cases. Some need a walking stick, or an arm to lean on, but their hearts are young and their minds are inquisitive. Mary Gallagher is 81 and comes for the tea and biscuits as much as the bees and the butterflies. Sporting floral-patterned nails with stuck-on gems, she epitomises the Wild At Heart member. “I wasn’t sure about joining in, but this is so easy. You get picked up and dropped off, so I don’t worry about having to walk too far. And
How other Wildlife Trusts bring nature to older people
mary Gallagher (left) and her friend Kitty fiddler at sheffield manor Lodge, an ancient site whose gardens and wildflower meadows are being restored
memories of the new Valley, beds, cambs, n’hants WT HLF-funded interviews to capture memories of outdoor play, wildlife, and quarrying at Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows reserve, resulting in a film and booklet. Growing Together, ulster Wildlife Brought together a senior audience and primary school children to talk about once common experiences and beliefs with wildflowers and meadows.
infectious laughter: Jan flamank is the ideal Wild at Heart guide
a View to the future, Herts & middx WT Improving older people’s health and wellbeing through access to local reserves.
fox club volunteers, cornwall WT Training older volunteers to run the Trust’s ‘Fox Club’ events for children.
Potted History, London WT Wildlife gardening and reminiscence to combat social isolation and poor mental health.
central scotland Volunteer Project, scottish WT Volunteering for retired people from disadvantaged communities to improve health through exercise, access to nature and a social group.
feed folly, avon WT Community gardening with Age UK to improve health, friendships, confidence, cookery and nutrition.
It takes us back. We used to go walking in Derbyshire for miles when we were younger when you’re here, it’s brilliant.” It’s easy to see why Jan is such a hit. You instantly warm to her quirky style and unmistakable laugh. She patently enjoys being with those taking part as much as they love listening to her. “It’s immensely rewarding to lead these sessions. The job is joyous and we have so much fun. We laugh an awful lot! “Introducing mature people to nature and sharing ideas, taking people out in a way that’s safe and comfortable, is the thinking behind Wild At Heart. I’ve been focusing on people who live in sheltered housing, because they’re often people
Many more examples on wildlifetrust.org/health
who have extra needs. They may be isolated or dealing with long-term health issues and I hope to introduce something new into their lives.” The trips might not be as go-getting as in years gone by, but just being part of the natural world gets them reminiscing and smiling. June Jones, 83, comes with her husband Thomas, 91. Visiting Ecclesall Woods in Sheffield makes her feel like a teenager again. “It takes us back. We used to go walking for miles in Derbyshire. We don’t get up there now, but doing a bit of walking with these groups reminds us of those times.” Being outdoors and enjoying the sunshine, sitting under a tree or listening to the buzz of a bee is helping everyone to open up. They’ve lived long and have stories to share – but will tell you they still have so much to learn. Wild At Heart: wildsheffield.com
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 25
Offshore treasures LIVING SEAS
The uK’s last wilderness is at risk from damaging activities. Please join our campaign to save it
Out of sight, out of mind. It’s been an apt description for some of our richest offshore areas. But these extraordinary habitats and their wildlife are the UK’s last true wilderness, and it’s about time we protected them. The UK sits on the western edge of the European continental shelf, in many places not far from the deep ocean. Our offshore waters are home to a huge variety of plant and animal life. Last year a handful of offshore sites around England and Wales were designated as Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). More recently Scotland gained 30 Marine Protected Areas. But more are needed if our seas are to recover from decades of over-exploitation. Research by the regional Marine Conservation Zone Projects has identified 13 offshore sites worthy of protection from damaging activities. Currently unprotected, they are part of a proposed network of 37 potential MCZs (the others are inshore) which Government will consider early in 2015. Please show your support for these offshore sites to become mcZs next year. sign up today to become a friend of marine conservation Zones – and help safeguard the uK’s last true wilderness. wildlifetrusts.org/mcZfriends
The 13 offshore sites
compass rose dominated by the hard rocky ground known as ‘Heartbreak ridge’, compass rose provides spawning and nursery grounds for sandeels, and for commercial species including herring, plaice, sole and sprat. it is an important feeding ground for dolphins and seals.
offshore brighton 1. south rigg 2. slieve na Griddle 3. north st George’s channel 4. mid st George’s channel 5. east of celtic deep 6. celtic deep 7. south of celtic deep 8. Greater Haig fras 9. north West of Jones bank 10. Western channel 11. offshore brighton 12. compass rose 13. fulmar
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This area is rich in biogenic reefs – rocky structures made by ross worms – and diverse gravel communities graced by dahlia anemones. These habitats provide a hunting ground for a wide range of species, including thornback and undulate rays.
celtic deep Here frontal systems caused by warm and cool waters coming together provide an abundance of copepods, essential food for the gigantic basking shark. The copepods also attract smaller fish, and thus become a draw for whales, dolphins, porpoises and other sharks. one of the largest known gatherings of fin whales (a species which grows up to 90 feet) was observed within celtic deep.
south rigg This place has a deep, muddy seafloor carpeted with invertebrates. among them are white striped anemones the colour of fried eggs, brittlestars which look like skeletal starfish, slender sea pens which jut up like feathers, heart urchins like bristly bedroom slippers and ocean quahogs – a kind of small clam
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 27
LIVING LANDSCAPES
The fisher king
I
f you were to be transported back to the days of Shakespeare, with a pair of binoculars at hand, you would have seen one of the UK’s most well-known and much-loved birds of prey just about anywhere in England and Wales. Shakespeare uses the osprey’s fishing prowess as a metaphor in The Tragedy of Coriolanus, knowing that most people who went to see his plays at that time would have been familiar with this most spectacular of fish-eating birds: He’ll be to Rome As is the osprey to the fish Who takes it by sovereignty of nature This and various historical documents indicate that ospreys were a common sight throughout much of southern Britain in the 1500s and 1600s. Fast forward a few centuries, though, and the osprey’s liking for fish had got it into trouble. Decades of persecution were taking its toll and by the late 1840s the only ospreys left in the UK were in Scotland. Fortunately we now live in more enlightened times and the osprey is making a comeback. Stroll beside a reservoir in central England or an estuary in Wales and you might well be treated to the sight that Shakespeare refers to. So what’s behind the return of the osprey to southern parts? Let’s go back to 1997. It is mid-July and eight young ospreys have just arrived at Rutland Water. Having been collected under special licence from nests in NorthEast Scotland by world-renowned osprey 28 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
expert Roy Dennis, they had been driven 450 miles south to England’s smallest county. The birds were placed in speciallydesigned release pens and left to settle in to their new home. At six weeks old they were still a fortnight away from their first flight and the pens would help them become acclimatised to their new surrounds before they were released. Each bird was fitted with a colour ring to enable the team at Rutland Water to monitor their progress. It was part of a pioneering project that aimed to restore ospreys to England for the first time in over 150 years. A year earlier the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust and Rutland Water’s owners, Anglian Water, had been granted a licence to translocate a small number of ospreys from the annually-increasing Scottish population to the reservoir in central England. Research in Scotland and elsewhere had shown that ospreys are highly site-faithful and so it was hoped that the translocated birds would recognise Rutland as home and return in future years to breed. In all a total of 64 young Scottish ospreys were relocated to the reservoir between 1996 and 2001. We didn’t know it at the time, but of the eight birds who arrived at Rutland Water in July 1997 there was one who would go on to have a profound effect on the future of ospreys in both England and Wales. 03(97) – 03 being the bird’s ring number and 1997 the year of release –
TIM MACKRILL
The return of ospreys to england and Wales is now a runaway success. and, as Tim mackrill, senior reserve officer at rutland Water nature reserve reports, one bird had more to do with it than any other
Of the eight birds who arrived at Rutland Water in 1997 there was one who would go on to have a profound effect on the future of ospreys in England and Wales
The majestic 03(97), also known as ‘mr rutland’, poses with a recently deceased trout at rutland water in august 2007. His genes have spread into most of the ospreys in england and Wales
SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 29
LIVING LANDSCAPES made his first flight just after 8pm on 27th July. He made a short but surprisingly competent two-minute flight before landing on a nearby dead tree. He spent the next six weeks growing in confidence and getting to know his adopted home. Then, 40 days after that first flight, he set off south on the perilous 3,000 mile journey to West Africa. He would have to negotiate at least two crossings of the Sahara before we stood a chance of seeing him again. Seventeen years later I’m standing at 03(97)’s nest close to Rutland Water as he flies in with a trout for his two newlyfledged juveniles. This year’s offspring – a male and a female – are the 31st and 32nd chicks he has fathered. Yes, you read that right. Over the past 14 years 03(97) – or Mr Rutland as he is nicknamed – has raised a total of 32 chicks at a nest that he built in the top of an oak tree in the summer of 2000. He bred successfully for the first time in 2001 and hasn’t looked back since. He’s reared young with three different females – including 14 with his latest unringed mate – all at the same nest in the top of the oak tree. It is a suitably regal setting for the most important osprey in the Rutland colony. Mortality among young ospreys is usually very high; as many as 70% of young birds fail to survive the first two years of their life. And yet 40% of 03(97)’s
Three generations of 03 (97) “mr rutland” ♂
orange: translocated birds blue: returned to rutland as adults black: birds from elsewhere Green: fledged, whereabouts unknown birds at the dyfi osprey Project
♀
maya
♀
29 (10)
♂
30 (10)
This family tree shows a small selection of mr rutland’s offspring
30 SUFFOLK WILDLIFE
♂
sr (04)
05 (00)
♀
08 (97)
sn (04)
♂
♀
♀
monty
31 (10)
♀
1r (13)
♀
03 (97)
12 (10)
♀
2r (13)
♂
♂
aW (06)
♂
11 (10)
♀
3K (13)
♀
♀
mr
♀
25 (10)
24 (10)
♀
5K (13)
4K (13)
♀
♂
23 (10)
01(97) and family in 2008, at the nest where he has bred successfully every year since 2001
ALAN MILLER
Osprey's are often spotted in Suffolk. alan miller explains how he has been working with some of the team from Rutland to turn flying visits into a breeding population
The blyth osprey Project
offspring who are old enough to have returned to the UK have made it back. Those 11 birds have, in turn, reared a total of 43 chicks between them, and, to date, four of those 43 have gone on to breed successfully. So aside from being a grandfather 43 times over, 03(97) is also a great grandfather to 15 young ospreys. This dynasty has ensured that there have been plenty of ospreys to populate the growing Rutland colony. This year’s five successful nests mean that a total of 87 young ospreys have fledged from nests in the area since 03(97) reared the first chick in 2001. It would be fitting if ‘Mr Rutland’ returns to rear the 100th chick next summer. In many ways, however, the Mr Rutland nickname is a bit of a misnomer. It suggests that his legacy is confined to England’s smallest county, but it goes a lot further than that. In 2011 ospreys returned to breed on the Dyfi Estuary in mid-Wales for the first time in four centuries. The nest, on Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s Cors Dyfi Reserve, attracted the attention
Back in 2009 I spent a day with the legendary Roy Dennis of osprey and sea eagle fame looking at the potential of the Suffolk coast for a sea eagle introduction. It was while we were looking at the Blyth estuary he said to me this would be a perfect area for ospreys to nest. We regularly get ospreys fishing on the Blyth as they pass through on spring and autumn migration but I thought no more of it until I had a conversation in 2012 with George Bachelor, the volunteer warden at Castle Marshes and also part of the Rutland team keeping watch on their ospreys through the breeding season. He told me of the continuing success of the Rutland birds and that Tim Mackrill, the Leicestershire and Rutland WT’s project manager, was keen to encourage the birds
This year’s five successful nests mean that 87 ospreys have fledged from nests in Rutland of the world through the BBC Springwatch cameras. Although the male was unringed, a white ring on the female’s right leg showed that she had fledged from 03(97)’s nest three years previously, in 2008. 03(08) – or Nora as she became known – raised four chicks over two successful summers on the Dyfi. When she failed to return in 2013 her place was taken by 03(97)’s granddaughter, 12(10).
to nest further afield. I invited Tim across to Suffolk to advise us and we chose three potential sites around the Blyth estuary to erect some nesting platforms. A large proportion of the UK’s osprey population nest on man made platforms and so any prospecting birds should recognise these potential nest sites and, if the habitat is right, choose to stay and breed. In 2013 some telegraph poles were donated and installed and steel platforms were placed on top of the poles ready for spring. Single ospreys were seen around the Blyth in 2013 and again in 2014, all we need is a pair! Tim is confident with the Rutland population almost at capacity we will have these fabulous birds breeding in Suffolk soon. When they decide the time is right we will be ready and waiting.
The nest on the Dyfi has become highly sought-after and 12(10) has had to fight off the aggressive advances of her cousin, 24(10) – another of 03(97)’s granddaughters – to keep hold of the nest. Events on the Dyfi not only show how the Rutland translocation has completely changed the distribution map of ospreys in the UK, but how one bird in particular has been integral to the spread of ospreys through southern Britain. Who would have thought that 17 years ago, on a balmy evening in Rutland, an osprey making its maiden flight would go on to have such a profound and lasting legacy on the osprey populations of England and Wales? SUFFOLK WILDLIFE 31
LESLEY WALDUCK STEVE AYLWARD
darsham marshes
darsham common
Darsham Marshes visit your Plan te spring for la e marsh as th ts into burs om blo
suffolkwildlifetrust.org/ darsham-marshes
Peter lawson was one of Suffolk's foremost botanists. over the years he contributed vast numbers of plant records to the county flora and brought his skills and encyclopaedic knowledge as Suffolk Wildlife trust’s conservation officer until his retirement in 2000. it is fitting then, that a gift in memory of Peter has enabled us to buy darsham Common, an intricate mix of lichen heath, heather, gorse, and thorn scrub, next to
darsham marshes nature reserve. Peter knew darsham marshes well and would, no doubt, have taken a close interest in the acid grassland of the adjoining Common, in the hope of finding rare clovers or early hair grass. With its flower-filled wet marshes, darsham marshes is a lovely piece of old Suffolk, but it is also somewhat of a hidden gem. Such a special place deserves to be enjoyed and the addition of the Common will make this possible, with a much improved reserve entrance from Westleton road.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brooke House Ashbocking, Ipswich IP6 9JY 01473 890089 info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org suffolkwildlifetrust.org Registered charity no 262777
suffolkwildlifetrust.org