Local Action for
Suffolk’s Wildlife
A step-by-step guide to surveying habitats, recording widlife and taking action Local action for Suffolk's wildlife
Suffolk Wildlife Trust Brooke House, Ashbocking, Ipswich IP6 9JY Tel: 01473 890089 info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org suffolkwildlifetrust.org A company limited by guarantee no 695346 Registered charity no 262777 This publication is based on Suffolk Wildlife Trust's 2004 Local Action Pack, produced with support from Natural England. The original text was by Rowbottom Parker, 24 The Green, Henham, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 8AJ. This updated version was published in 2015 with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The original publication was edited by Dorothy Casey and Tracey Housley. Original design and artwork by Clare Sheehan. 2015 edition created and edited by Kerry Stranix, Tracey Housley, Sara Holman, Angela Jones and Leonie Washington. Front cover photo: Orange tip butterfly by Darin Smith Grateful thanks also to all those who helped in the original production: To Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust for permission to use ideas from their ‘Putting Wildlife on the Map’ To all the groups and individuals who have worked with Suffolk Wildlife Trust on this project and who were willing to share their experiences To Richard Rafe and Alison Collins at English Nature, Guy Ackers and Wilf Garford at Suffolk Coastal District Council and Martin Sanford at Suffolk Biological Records Centre To proof readers Celia Rhodes, Anna Cordon, Simone Bullion, Louise Davey and Audrey Boyle To Christine Luxton, Steve Aylward, Clare Sheehan, Juliet Hawkins, Peter Lawson, John Harrold, Gary Mowert, T Whittaker, A Beaumont, Martin Smith, Jason Gillingham, Wenhaston Commons Group and Stanton Wildlife Action Group for use of photographs To Richard Mabey for his valuable contribution and support To Bill Stevenson for the use of his wildlife drawings.
Finally, our warm thanks go to all those who contribute to the conservation projects which feature in this book and to all those who actively support Suffolk's wildlife in their local patch.
Foreword
There are days when autumn gales are driving the auks in close to shore, or when the oxlips are blooming in the boulder-clay woods, when recording is the last thing on your mind. This is a moment for celebration, you feel; don't let filling in a score-sheet ruin it. Yet I wonder if that is a false contrast, on a par with believing that learning the grammar of music may in some way spoil your sensuous enjoyment of it. As that 450-year-old account of the sea pea demonstrates, records can enhance our feelings for nature as well as our scientific understanding. They link nature and culture, past and present. They narrate the fragile but persistent continuity of life. They are, in their way, small poems of survival.
And the web they weave between natural and human life underlines the importance of local surveys. The sites and moments you are being invited to log in this project are the grassroots of wildlife's existence in our islands. The newts in the village pond, the cowslips in the churchyard, the barn owl returned to the riverside meadows - these, even more perhaps than the rare species of specialised reserves, are the wild things in our everyday lives, the indicators whose fortunes reflect how well we are forging a common ground with nature.
So do help with these local surveys, and enjoy the work. The results will help us know how our fellow creatures stand, and how we stand too. And wherever there is the chance - remember the sea pea and add those telling details: the weather, the local names, the little fragments of history, even, God preserve us, the course of the next Suffolk famine! In this way our generation's working documents, coloured by our lives and needs, become the next generation's fascinating archives. As the American nature poet Gary Snyder wrote: This present moment That lives on To become Long ago
Richard Mabey 2004
3
Foreword
Richard Mabey
It is the very first Suffolk wildlife record, and probably the most tantalising. During a local famine in 1555 the people on the coast between Aldeburgh and Orford supported themselves with the seeds of sea pea, which grew in abundance on the dunes. "It had not been noticed by the inhabitants before" wrote C P Johnson in 1862, "and its supposed sudden growth was very generally regarded by them as a miraculous interposition of Providence, though some attributed it to the wreck of a vessel laden with peas on that coast during the previous year, an origin equally improbable, as the sea pea is nowhere cultivated for food." The sea pea is, miraculously, still there and more enthralling because of this teasing record. Who first wrote it down, you want desperately to know? Where? Why was there a famine?
Local Action for Suffolk’s Wildlife Action for local wildlife, led by local people has always been Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s great strength. Creating a Living Landscape for Suffolk is a 21st century approach to nature conservation, firmly grounded in our ethos of enabling people to take action for wildlife where they live. This information in this ebook has been developed to help you: undertake baseline ecological surveys of your site and submit species records use records to look at trends - are particular species increasing or getting rarer? identify wild areas and species that need help most These ecological aims sit alongside community benefits. Local wildlife initiatives can bring communities together, broaden collective knowledge and inspire enthusiasm for the natural world. Use these resources as a guide to get you started and at any point along the way you need extra support – do not hesitate to get in touch.
Preston St Mary Church
4
Contents Page no
Getting started
10
Collecting background data
11
Meeting and making decisions
12
Planning your surveys
13
Getting the things you need
15
The surveys
18
What to do with the results
32
What next?
33
Resources
38
l Getting other people interested l Maps and previous survey information l What do you want to achieve? l Which places or habitats or species do you want to look at? l Who is going to do what? l Choosing the best time of year l Health and safety l People to help l How to cope with grid references and help with wildlife identification l Other resources and grants l Detailed planning l Habitat notes l Sharing your results with Suffolk Wildlife Trust l Sharing your results with the rest of the community l Asking for further help with the next stage l Ideas for further things to do
5
Contents
6
Introduction
Introduction For wildlife, the whole really is much greater than the sum of the individual parts… so a village green, next to a churchyard, alongside a community orchard, linking into a species rich County Wildlife Site meadow has much greater value for wildlife than each site on its own.
Help where it's most needed Human activities have dramatically altered the Suffolk landscape, especially over the last 50 years. But we still have some of the best wildlife and wild habitats in the country, and it isn't all in nature reserves. Plants and animals find footholds all around us: in gardens and hedges, village greens, local parks, woods and ponds.
Introduction
For many years now, the Trust has talked about landscape scale conservation and our drive to restore, recreate and reconnect habitat into networks of rich, linked up countryside. But in terms of the on-theground delivery of these swathes of wildlife rich habitat in our towns, villages and countryside, for the Trust ‘thinking big’ starts with supporting very local micronetworks of habitat that underpin these landscape ambitions. The expertise of our conservation advisers in enabling people to take action for wildlife close to home means that change on a landscape scale is an achievable goal.
Brown hare
Suffolk's wildlife certainly needs help; and to be most useful that help needs to be in the right place, at the right time. That's why Suffolk Wildlife Trust wants to help you discover the wildlife in your local area and give you ideas for genuinely useful local projects. We want to hear about what you find and what you decide to do and we can provide support and advice.
Discovering and recording Suffolk's wildlife In many places in Suffolk there are wild treasures hidden away and not yet recorded. Many animals and plants lose their homes when habitats are destroyed by people who don't even know they are there. This information will help you find and record local wildlife species and habitats to help you make the best possible start for practical conservation projects - great or small.
Ross Dean
"The great successes in this village have been the planting of more than 2km of hedging and a good many trees, creating wildlife corridors for animals and birds." Michael Woods – Layham.
Tree planting Levington
6
Your decisions have long term effects
SWT
The county has a growing human population. Every year there are more of us wanting to live, work and travel about in Suffolk. This means more pressure on wild places but it also means more hands and eyes and hearts which can decide to take action to help.
Bredfield Jubilee Meadow
Living Landscapes
In the last few decades Suffolk's landscape has changed enormously. Intensive farming, forestry, commerce and house building has swallowed up vast areas of what was once wild countryside.
Although there are patches of good habitat scattered throughout the county, the wildlife-friendly corners of gardens, village greens and churchyards offer valuable refuges for wildlife. Many of our wild species, for example great crested newt, stag beetle, water vole and song thrush have all become much rarer. They all need very particular conditions to live in - and they now depend on us to help them survive.
We know a lot about rare species and habitats but not nearly enough about common wildlife, some of which is getting rarer. Your records will become part of this giant data-gathering and planning process.
Countywide effort We want to weave the conservation of local biodiversity in to the heart of communities throughout Suffolk. With an ambitious aim of action for wildlife in every parish in the county, our conservation advisers can work with you to create bridges of habitat and encourage broad support from local people.
Stag beetle
Whenever you need advice with your project, contact us at Suffolk Wildlife Trust on 01473 890089. The advice directory on our website has a wealth of information including habitat management advice and species information - suffolkwildlifetrust.org/advice
7
Introduction
Why should we bother with local wild patches?
When Britain signed the International Convention on Biodiversity in 1992, the government made a commitment to support conservation through national Biodiversity Action Plans. At a local level, in Suffolk, conservation organisations and Local Authorities are working together to monitor the state of the county's biodiversity and to plan for its future conservation. These plans are called local Biodiversity Action Plans.
Grassland
Habitats and species to concentrate on
The best grasslands for wildlife tend to be those with a long history of unchanging management. These include wet pastures and marshes as well as the remaining fragments of flower-rich meadows which are some of the county's most colourful habitats.
These subjects for survey have been chosen because they are crucial habitats and groups of animals in Suffolk. The more we know about where they occur, the better we will be able to help look after them.
Large numbers of these grasslands have been lost to the plough and to development, but many parishes still have wildlife-rich grassy areas in churchyards, village greens and gardens and even along roadside verges. Rough grassland can also be useful to wildlife - providing food and cover for small mammals and invertebrates; and some of it could be even richer in plants and other species if it was managed with wildlife in mind.
Hundreds of woods are scattered across the county and Bramble they are some of the richest wildlife habitats and the most popular places for people to go for a walk. But Suffolk is one of the UK's least wooded counties and has lost twice as much ancient woodland since 1930 as, for example, Norfolk. Newer woodlands and scrub areas can also be great for wildlife but they have been studied less.
Ponds There used to be more ponds per square mile in north Suffolk (and south Norfolk) than anywhere else in the whole country, but lack of use has meant that hundreds have disappeared. Ponds are fantastic places for wild animals and plants, home to some dramatic wildlife such as great crested newt, water vole, dragonflies, water-plantain and yellow iris.
Hedgerows Hedges can be extraordinary treasure houses of wildlife and can form important routes for animals to move through an otherwise bare, arable landscape. They often contain historic features such as veteran pollarded trees.
New and restored ponds are quickly colonised and they are enormous fun to explore. They are also among our most vulnerable wild places: easily polluted, liable to silt up and get overgrown and therefore in regular need of human help.
In recent years a co-ordinated survey of hedgerows, started in the Suffolk Coastal District area, has been taken up enthusiastically by many parishes across the county. Results indicate that speciesrich and ancient hedgerows are spread, without any discernible pattern, among other less valuable but still important hedges. There isn't a parish in the county that doesn't have hedges, but in many places they need care to help them reach their true potential as rich wildlife habitats.
S Aylward
Introduction
Woodland
Great crested newt
8
coast have what is left of the Sandlings. These heathy areas are rare jewels to be treasured.
Rivers and streams Five main rivers and many smaller ones flow through the county. Historically their management concentrated on draining the land to increase food production. In the 1960s and 1970s powerful machinery was brought in to create straight, steep-sided channels and in the process destroyed the diverse features of riverbed and bank. In the early 1990s, a revolution in river management began to consider the needs of wildlife and conservation. Rivers and streams provide an excellent focus for enhancing the wildlife of your local area.
Almost all of Suffolk's long, varied and beautiful coastline is important to wildlife and is a dynamic system constantly changing with the action of the sea. The intertidal mud of the estuaries gives food to migrating flocks of birds. Avocet and redshank frequently nest on the salt marshes and shingle beaches provide a toehold for nationally rare plants such as sea pea and yellow horned-poppy. Citizen science surveys - such as Suffolk Wildlife Trust's hedgehog survey provide valuable information allowing conservation efforts for threatened species to be directed to where they are most needed.
"We designed our own hedgehog leaflet and logo which was posted to every resident in the village along with the Trust's promotional material."
Hedgehog
Linda Wilkins, Waldringfield Wildlife Group
Gardens In an intensively farmed landscape, gardens form real refuges for many species. In winter, the heads of teasels and thistles are shaken by flocks of goldfinches; in summer, robins, flycatchers and tits make use of nest boxes; frogs, toads and hedgehogs feast on slugs and bats hunt over garden ponds. Studying wildlife in the garden is an attractive option for many people and can involve those who can’t get to more remote places.
Robin
Heathland Heathland is a real speciality of Suffolk and there are many fragments (and some large tracts) scattered in two regions of the county. Parishes in the north west corner have the remains of the Brecks and those in the strip inland from the
9
Introduction
Coast
Getting started l Publicise the idea in your community
If you want to maximise the impact you have - and if you want to share the work and double the fun, get a group of people to tackle the project together.
newspaper, through social media, your local school newsletter and village website.
l Ask if you can put up a poster in the shop/school/church/pub/village hall.
Getting Started
l Invite members of existing groups to join in.
l The local media are often eager for good stories, they can help you reach a lot of people.
“Holly Brooks, 10 years old, told the survey coordinator where there were common lizards."
Sharing the work doubles the fun!
Peter Ling, Felixstowe Ferry
Tell people about the idea and invite them to get involved. Make it clear that they don't have to be expert at anything. If they have the time and the interest in helping they will learn as they go along. The group will need a wide variety of skills and knowledge, so don't turn anyone away. Computer and photography skills are very valuable and so is knowledge of local history. The more people you have in the group, the more you can do.
Common lizard
Let people know about it through any means of communication you have, for example:
l Talk to your local Parish Council about
the project. This will let more people know about what you're planning. If you decide to tackle practical projects, or run events, you may need insurance. The Parish Council may be able to arrange this for you.
l Call an open meeting for everyone
who is interested and make it friendly.
10
Collecting background data
Aerial photos Suffolk Wildlife Trust may be able to help with providing aerial photos for your group's working use (not for publication).
Current maps l Your Local Authority may be able to provide you with maps.
l Your local library may be able to print out A4 sized maps for you, centred on the feature you want to survey.
l OS Explorer maps at a scale of 1:25,000
S Aylward
are probably best. They show the relevant details you need such as rights of way, parish boundaries and field boundaries. The Ordnance Survey run a service (for which they charge) which prints tailor-made maps. There are details about this on their website:https:// www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/ custom-made-maps.html?q=suffolk
The finished product. An information map for visitors to Kings Pightle nature reserve in Bildeston
Previous surveys l Before you start collecting new
l Photocopying shops have to charge a
information, find out if any surveys have been done in the past. Contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk Biological Records Centre and ask people in the village.
fee to copy OS maps. This is to cover the cost of their licence.
"Most of the surveyors were just people who had a love of the area .... all were amateurs."
l If you live in an area covered by one
Peter Ling, Felixstowe Ferry
of Suffolk's countryside projects, contact them to see what records they have.
Old maps l Old Ordnance Survey (OS) maps and
Enclosure Award maps 1880 - 1915 can give you a lot of helpful information. Suffolk Record Offices hold copies of these and for a small fee they will supply you with a pack of information on your parish including a historic map. Stickleback
11
Collecting background data
l The OS also sells historic maps.
You will need to find out what information already exists so that you can target your efforts most effectively. The clearest way to keep your information together is by putting it onto a map or maps. You will need to create a blank base map and make some copies for scribbling on.
Before you get too far, you need to get a clear idea of what your activities are going to focus on.
Examples of possible approaches l Putting together a broad picture of the parish - mapping all the blocks of different land use and habitats in the parish.
l Take along the ideas from this book
l Surveying a specific habitat (eg the
and ask for other people's ideas and see what support there is.
woodlands, grasslands or ponds) throughout the parish or in a smaller area.
l If you need to use a title for yourself try using "project co-ordinator", not "group leader".
l Surveying a specific group or species (eg birds, butterflies, dormouse or water vole) throughout the parish or in a smaller area.
l Work out what you, as a group, are
most interested in and what's achievable. It's much better to aim for something small, which you can actually do, than aim for something big and not achieve it.
l Surveying all the habitats within one area (eg the hedges, grassland and ponds on the village common or the rivers and hedges on a particular farm).
"Involving someone in the community who has a head start and some experience in galvanising the locals is a great help."
At an open meeting, Wenhaston villagers came up with a host of ideas for local biodiversity action on their patch including a hedgerow survey, birdbox project, pond project, walks and talks. Already actively managing important heathlands, they stress the importance of the social side of activities including providing cakes for volunteers - another way people can contribute. They also hope to involve computer enthusiasts to help manage the data they gather from surveys.
12
Wenhaston Commons Group
David Cobbold, Belstead
Wenhaston Commons Group
Meeting and making decisions
Meeting and making decisions
Planning your surveys Timing it right You can start planning your survey at any time. Almost all habitats are attractive and interesting all year round, but some things are best studied at particular times. You will also need to check when management work such as mowing is planned - you don't want to arrive at a churchyard to survey the wildflowers just after the grass has been cut. Here is a rough guide for the best times to survey each habitat. Spring
Summer
Autumn
Woodland
Yes
Yes
Yes (fungi, fruit and nuts)
Hedgerows
Yes
Yes
Yes (fungi, fruit and nuts)
Grassland
Yes
Yes
Ponds/Rivers
Yes (frogs and toads) Yes
Yes (wildfowl)
Gardens
Yes
Yes
Yes
Heathland
Yes
Yes
Yes
Coast
Yes
Yes
Yes
Winter
Yes (birds)
Yes
You will need to plan more than one visit to an area during this time to see (or hear) different species. You may want to plan a follow-up survey in a year or two.
Keeping on the right side
Sharing out the work
It is important to check out local public rights of way as many of the areas you wish to survey can be seen from roads and footpaths. You can use the 1:25,000 OS maps for this or ask the Parish Council or County Council if in doubt. However, if you need access to privately owned land you must get permission from the owner first - never enter land without permission. Please respect people's privacy around houses.
Once you have decided what you are surveying and where, it is best to divide into groups to tackle specific habitats, species or sites. You may like to have a practice run as a group before you split up so that everyone uses the same methods. Survey co-ordinators should note who is doing what and where and keep in touch to record progress.
Store and label maps and photographs carefully and make sure people know where they are kept.
As the year progressed it became apparent that this was a rich area indeed and much more complex than any of us had expected."
Carrying out a survey
Peter Ling, Felixstowe Ferry
13
Planning your surveys
Common frog
Once you have decided on the focus of your survey, more detailed planning can begin.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust's nature scrapbooks are a good way to share a summary of your survey results.
Sheila
a
Rose Dave
a
a
a
Sue
a
a a
a
Send results to SWT and SBRC
a a
Write short report and get it into local media
Go to training course on pond wildlife
Survey - especially plants
a a a
Survey - especially birds
Survey - insects
Get pond dipping gear, ID books and keys
a a
Link with Parish Council
John
Get permission
Ponds in Well Field and Brick Field (the Brights' farm) Copy survey sheets
Who
Collate results
A good and simple way of spreading the work between people is to make a table, during a meeting, with names down one side and what each person is going to do. It also helps everyone to remember who is doing what.
Get maps
Planning your surveys
Make sure someone takes on the task of keeping the records and to help make posters and reports. A short summary report at the end of the survey phase is incredibly useful. It can be just brief notes of what you did and what you found out and what you would like to do next. Having this ready makes it very easy to keep others informed - through local newsletters and the press. Organisations which give out grants very often require a short written report.
a
If you're visiting private land, when you ask the landowner's permission, ask also about any particular hazards they know about on the land (eg deep mud or overgrown and hard-to-see ditches).
Staying safe For health and safety reasons, and because two heads are better than one when identifying species, it is much better to work in groups or at least pairs. Safety is largely common sense, but the risks of a minor incident becoming more serious are increased if you are on your own.
Some surveys may require very slow walking and close attention to detail others may be perfectly possible to do while walking the dog.
There can be risks when you go out in the countryside but if you are prepared in advance they are much less of a problem.
"On our walk around the 'big field' on the way to Chelsworth, .... I see the river in all its moods, the floods, and the badger and rabbit holes."
Your group may like to carry out a risk assessment exercise as a way of raising everyone's safety awareness. A copy of the completed risk assessment can be given out with survey sheets.
Monks Eleigh Wildlife Group
Blue-tailed damselfly
lDo your surveys in pairs
lTake a mobile phone and let people know where you'll be
lUse a risk assessment exercise as a way of raising everyone’s safety awareness
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Getting the things you need The essential ingredients of survey projects are people, knowledge, other resources and grants.
What on earth is it? Among the group you will need some wildlife identification skills, but you really do not need to be an expert. You can learn as you go along. There may be wildlife experts in the village, willing to share their knowledge (if you don't know them or can't find them, Suffolk Wildlife Trust may be able to put you in touch with them).
Bumble bee
In section 2: 'Getting started' we gave ideas for inviting people to help, but it is worth asking again when the planning stage is complete. Some people may have been wary of getting involved in organising but are happy to take part. Parcelling up specific jobs or areas to be covered gives volunteers a clear view of what is expected of them and what they are committing themselves to do. Inviting people to a guided walk can be a good way to stimulate interest.
You can also contact the Trust or visit our website or Facebook page for help with identification or to find out about the regular courses we run. We may be able to arrange a course specially for your parish, or at least tell you when the next course will be happening. Websites like iSpot are very useful for ID questions too.
Where on earth are we? To fill in a survey properly you will need to be able to read and write grid references. All grid references start with two letters, for example TM or TL. All published OS based maps are clearly marked with these. They are followed by either four or six numbers.
TM 90
91
92
93
Everyone can get involved
l
Existing volunteer groups in the village may be interested to help with specific events or specific jobs. Local Scout groups may be looking for projects to get involved in, since the environment is a special focus for them.
The first two numbers (if there are four in total) or three (if there are six in total) are the numbers that run left to right across a map and are called the Eastings. These are printed along the top and bottom of the map.
Ask around to find out if there are any young people working for their Duke of Edinburgh Award. They are often looking for chances to help in the community, especially if the exercise is practical and fun.
You can subdivide the intervals by judgement to pinpoint a feature more accurately. The l is at Easting 915.
15
Getting the things you need
People
Knowledge
TM 90
Getting the things you need
26
91
92
If you decide to take on practical projects you will probably need tools, protective gloves and so on. The cost of these can quickly mount up.
93
l
25 Recording
Unless your Parish Council is able information to cover the costs, you will probably want to apply for a grant. It is perfectly possible to apply for most grants in stages, so you do not need to think of everything in one go. Some sources of grants are given later. These change frequently so contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust for up-to-date advice.
The next two (or three) numbers represent the numbers that run up the sides of a map, called the Northings. The l is at Northing 255.
So .... the six-figure grid reference for the l is TM 915255. The order is always the same: the numbers along before the numbers up. (Remember - "along the hall then up the stairs").
To apply for a grant you will have to estimate the costs of some items such as:
l Maps, books, identification guides l Clipboards, pens l Photocopying
l Laminating (to protect photos, maps or identification guides)
l Hire of hall for meetings and exhibitions
Refreshments for meetings and exhibitions
l Child care costs for volunteers with
Carrying out a survey
children
“Be patient and tenacious and you will reap the rewards. When people start to see what’s happening, you’d be surprised at the number of people who want to be involved.” Alan Sawyer, Acton
l Postage, phone calls
l Camera, batteries, printing
of posters and photographs
l Production of an attractive, easy-toread report.
Other resources and grants Record sheets can be downloaded ready for the survey team, or you can enter your records directly into an online system. You are likely to need some other resources such as reference books and perhaps survey equipment. Some of this can be borrowed from Suffolk Wildlife Trust. You will also need some funds for maps and photocopies, hire of meeting places,
Ladybird
refreshments and volunteer expenses.
16
Parish pack from County Record Office
£5 - £10
Maps: OS Landranger 1:50,000 (= 2cm to 1km)
£5 - £10 each.
OS Explorer 1:25,000 (= 4cm to 1km)
£8 - £10 each. The OS website also has digital resources and their paper maps include a mobile download
Photocopies of maps
£1 per A3 sheet 50p per A4 sheet
SWT training courses
£10 - £40 per person + travel
Volunteer expenses, travel etc
40p per car mile or actual fares
Pond dipping nets
£20 - £30 each
Trays
£3 - £5 each
Hand lenses
£5 - £20 each
Bat detectors
£45 - £300 each
Insurance if not covered (eg by Parish Council), try TCV: http://courses.tcv.org.uk/ pdfs/insurance/2015_Insurance_Guide.pdf
Costs vary. In the region of £150/year.
"All volunteers work on their stomachs - making cakes for vols is another contribution. Have a Christmas dinner in the pub. We have Christmas work parties with bonfire food, mulled wine etc."
Each grant-making organisation will supply guidance on applications. Read this thoroughly to check you and your project are eligible - this is the most common reason for grant applications failing. Follow the guidance carefully and don't assume that the grant-giving organisation knows what you are doing and why. You may be asked to list the outputs or outcomes of your project. Outputs are things like the number of people involved as volunteers, or the number of awareness raising events. Outcomes may be raised awareness and better understanding of local wildlife, There may also be increased participation in conservation, contributing to the future local and county conservation effort.
Michael Gasper, Wenhaston
Wolf spider
We keep a funding opportunity factsheet on our website. But grant schemes are always changing. Always check before you apply that the funding stream is current.
“Getting funding for projects . . . focuses the mind and gives another sector something useful to contribute.”
Michael Gasper, Wenhaston
17
Getting the things you need
Here are some examples of costs which might be useful:
The surveys Summary of what to do
Dormouse
l Use aerial photographs to find and
mark the location of your target places on your base map. (Remember if you are looking for ponds they may not be visible from above if they are covered in green vegetation).
It is essential that the surveyors comply with any restrictions the landowner puts on access - avoiding no-go areas, nesting pheasants, crop spraying, harvesting etc.
The surveys
l Look at old maps to establish the history of the places you plan to survey.
l Write to thank landowners after the survey.
l Focus initial field work on the longer
l Take photographs from fixed points
established patches of habitat (especially woodland, hedges, ponds).
or features you think may change, so that you can compare them over the seasons and from year to year.
l Number the places you plan to
survey on your base map and use the corresponding numbers on your record sheets.
l Think about publicising your
results locally. This could be through a SWT online nature scrapbook or on a village website or in a parish magazine. You could even set up a blog or use social media channels such as a Facebook page to share findings.
l If you have decided on surveying
gardens, distribute an invitation to take part and a record sheet to every household. ď Ź
l Ask permission from the landowners
before visiting any private land. Ask their advice about the time/season of your visit and any particular things (positive or negative) you should look out for.
The Suffolk Biological Records Centre's online recording system lets you record as a group for a site. Records can then be downloaded and added to the above channels for the wider community to view.
Use the survey forms to get you started and then go online to the SBRC recording system to submit your records: http://www.suffolkbrc.org.uk/SuffolkBRO
Brent geese
18
Ancient semi-natural woodland
Suffolk is in one of the least wooded counties in the UK, but we have patches of woodland scattered all over the county and there is still plenty to discover.
This is a term applied to sites that have been continuously wooded since the year 1600 AD, or earlier. They are made up of native trees that have usually grown up naturally on the site and have not been planted.
As a wildlife habitat, woods can be wonderfully complex. They offer food and shelter at ground level, or among low growing plants, within shrubs and bushes
These ancient semi-natural woodlands tend to support the greatest diversity of wildlife as a result of their long history. Some plants are associated with ancient woodland because they are unable to grow in more open conditions and are very slow at colonising new areas. These include herb-Paris, oxlip, nettle-leaved bellflower and spurge-laurel. Such plants are known as 'indicator species'.
S Aylward
The presence of ancient woodland indicator species does not prove conclusively that a woodland is ancient, but it gives good evidence to support other clues to a woodland's history. On the other hand, the absence of these indicator species does not necessarily mean that the wood is not ancient. There are ancient woods in Suffolk with a low diversity of indicator plants. In some cases this is because the wood has at some time been cleared and planted with conifers, in others it can be because of the underlying soil type (there are several such sites in the Sandlings).
Ground flora in a coppiced woodland
and among the branches of the tallest trees.
Even when left unmanaged, woodlands are not static systems. The growth and fall of leaves changes the amount of light reaching the woodland floor and gives an annual crop of nutrients to the organisms adapted to using it. Trees grow, mature and die - they may even fall over, leaving a sudden clearing for other plants to colonise. There are several major types of woodland that it is possible, with a little practice, to identify.
Andrew Bennett
Acorn
There are horizontal surfaces, vertical surfaces - and even upside down surfaces. There are dense, impenetrable areas within many woodlands but also lighter, open areas in clearings and along paths and rides. Many butterflies, hoverflies, bees and dragonflies haunt the edges of rides and the volume and variety of a spring dawn chorus in the most wildlife-rich woodland is not equalled by any other habitat.
Oxlips
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The surveys
Woodland
l A number of ancient woodland
Locating ancient semi-natural woodland
indicator plants may grow there (see woodland record sheet).
Secondary woodland and scrub Secondary woodlands are those which have grown up naturally on land that was previously unwooded. Some of them may date back hundreds of years. Although ancient woodlands tend to support a greater range of plants and animals, some secondary woodlands and areas of scrub are very rich in wildlife and can be important habitats, especially where they represent the only type of tree cover remaining in an area. Particularly useful to wildlife is the scrub, often associated with the edge of secondary woodland.
Features which indicate woods may be secondary
S Aylward
The surveys
In 1992 English Nature compiled an Ancient Woodland Inventory, which identifies all ancient woodlands over two hectares in size. In Suffolk it listed 440 woods. This inventory can still be found in the National Archives, Kew: http:// discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/ r/C11525041 and may be a good place to start your hunt for the ancient woodlands in your area. However, remnants of ancient woodland under two hectares in area will not have been included in the study and may provide your group with an exciting find.
l They may have straighter boundaries.
Bluebell
l Their borders often conform
The local Natural England office holds maps for the ancient woodlands identified. Suffolk Wildlife Trust also holds information. Suffolk Biological Records Centre's website has a map of where the ancient woodlands are in Suffolk, which may get you started
to the surrounding field pattern and they may be well away from the parish boundary.
l Names such as covert, spinney,
plantation, brake, common, field or warren.
l Look out for features which indicate
that the land was previously used for farming, for example internal field walls and remains of old fences or hedges.
Features which indicate woods may be ancient l Irregular boundaries that do not match the surrounding field pattern.
l They are often on or near parish
Plantation
boundaries.
Plantations are woodlands that have been deliberately planted. They may be broadleaved, coniferous or mixed. Some, like the county's two largest blocks of plantation - Thetford Forest in the west and Aldewood Forest in the east - were planted for timber production, others were planted as wind breaks, as cover for game or for recreational use.
l They are sometimes next to commons or in stream valleys.
l Names such as wood, grove, copse or coppice.
l They may contain raised boundary banks, ditches, overgrown coppice, pollarded trees and old kilns.
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Lime leaves
Wet woodland
When to survey
Wet, swampy woodland, known as "carr", grows up in the very waterlogged conditions along waterways and around old ponds and lakes. Alder and willow dominate, being the trees which can cope best with the wet soils.
Spring is the best time to survey the flowers of the woodland floor, since most plants are shaded out in summer when the trees' leaves form a dense canopy. It is also a good time for hearing birdsong, which is the best way of identifying woodland birds. However, trees and mammals can be studied later in the summer. Autumn provides a good time to organise a 'nut hunt' in search of nutshells left behind by wood mouse, bank vole and dormouse. Suffolk Wildlife Trust can provide you with advice on identification of mammals from nutshell remains.
Marsh marigold
"This year was our best yet with a good variety of flora and clouds of butterflies .... It's been a gradual process but our efforts are beginning to bear fruit,"
What to look for The structure of a woodland, as well as the species mix and age of the trees, are very significant in determining the value for wildlife. In a nutshell, the more varied the wood is in structure, the more wildlife species can live there.
Sue Marszal, Kettlebaston
Coppice or Pollard?
S Aylward
S Aylward
Wooden poles were enormously useful in the past - for tool handles, building, fencing or firewood. Trees were managed in a way which produced plenty of them.
Coppicing involves cutting the tree just above ground level to stimulate new growth, giving a crop of straight poles
Pollarding a tree keeps the new shoots above the level at which grazing animals can eat the new growth
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The surveys
Be very careful if you want to explore - the mud can be very dangerous. The trees are held up by their roots, but humans can drop straight through and quickly find themselves up to their armpits in liquid mud.
Concern over hedgerow loss has increased in recent years and regulations are now in place to protect hedgerows that are considered to be of historic, wildlife or landscape importance. More information on this can be found here on the Defra website: https://www.gov.uk/countrysidehedgerows-regulation-and-management
Hedgerows Hedgerows are one of Suffolk's most traditional landscape features. Every one of our hedges is linked to the history of agriculture and land ownership, going back to a time when farmers needed to mark boundaries between land holdings, particularly when keeping livestock.
The surveys
Surveying hedgerows Hedgerows planted in the last 250 years will probably support just one or two species of tree or shrub. There are some exceptions because some very new hedgerows have been planted with a mixture of different species. In general, the more species-rich a hedge is, the better it is for wildlife. But the physical structure of a hedgerow is also an important factor. Birds need dense hedges for nesting and mammals and amphibians will only use hedges that provide plenty of cover at ground level.
Planting a new hedge
Some hedgerows are remnants of ancient woodlands that have since been lost. Many others were established between 1750 and 1850 during the enclosure of large fields and commons.
The Suffolk Hedgerow Survey finished in 2012 and is a good source of information about hedgerows in the county. The report can be found here: http:// www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/assets/ Documents/District/Green-issues/ Greenprint/ SuffolkHedgerowSurvey1998-2012web.pdf
Traditional agriculture led to a patchwork of these hedges, which, as well as being marks of ownership and providing stockproof barriers, provide a vitally important habitat for wildflowers, birds, mammals, insects and other wildlife. They also act as corridors allowing wildlife to move between isolated and fragmented areas of woodland, grassland and wetland.
Many hedges contain very old pollarded trees - irreplaceable treasure houses of wildlife and history. In 2000, Suffolk County Council, with support from the Local Authorities, organised a county-wide Veteran Tree Survey, to get a clear picture of their condition and location.
NIghtingale
We made bird nest boxes at our craft/drop in club - it's good fun gets DIY people involved." Michael Gasper, Wenhaston
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Spindle
Old maps, OS maps, aerial photographs, deeds and Enclosure Award maps can all be helpful in locating hedgerows in your area and finding out something of their history. There are several clues that can help you to distinguish between old and new hedgerows.
Crab apple
The Suffolk Hedgerow Survey Before you start work. check what has already been done in your area through the Suffolk Hedgerow Survey. The hedgerow survey for your parish may have been done. You can find out here: http:// www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/assets/ Documents/District/Green-issues/ Greenprint/ SuffolkHedgerowSurvey1998-2012web.pdf
Newer hedgerows by straight hedges are strongly indicative of the enclosure pattern of 1750-1850, when large tracts of open land (large arable fields or common land, greens, heaths, fens and marshes) were parcelled up into hedged fields. This pattern is dominant in Breckland, the chalk downland around Newmarket and in the north east corner of the county.
l Hedgerows planted at this time are
normally dominated by just one or two species.
J Harrold
When to survey The best time to survey hedgerows is in the spring and summer when plant identification is easiest. However, take great care not to disturb nesting birds.
Blackthorn blossom
Ancient hedgerows
Autumn is a good time to identify species by berries and nuts and to look for fungi. Even if you are unable to identify all the hedgerow plants, you can still record very useful information about the structure of the hedge and the number of different plant species it supports.
l On maps, old hedgerows often appear as wavy boundaries.
l They are sometimes associated with parish boundaries, green lanes, banks or ditches.
l Ancient hedgerows often support a
rich variety of tree and shrub species.
l Sometimes the base of an old hedge
l They may contain veteran pollarded trees.
G Mowert
contains ancient woodland indicator plants
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Many parishes, like Horringer, have set up a Wildlife Group as a result of a Parish Audit or Plan which revealed a lot of interest in wildlife. At Shotley a survey group was set up and has surveyed their local hedgerows.
The surveys
l On maps, rectangular fields bordered
Neutral grassland
S Aylward
Neutral grasslands (not acid and not alkaline) can be found scattered in parishes all across the county on the clay soils. They typically consist of perennial grasses and wildflowers growing very close together with almost no bare ground.
Mickfield meadow
These fertile fields on clay soils are attractive for agricultural improvement. Therefore very few examples now remain of the species-rich grassland, unploughed and untreated with chemicals, which thrives when the only management is grazing or mowing for hay. Where they do survive, they are among the most colourful habitats in the county. In places there may be as many as 40 different species of flowering plant in every four square metres. Typical wildflowers are common bird's-foot-trefoil, common knapweed, cowslip, oxeye daisy and green-winged orchid.
The surveys
Grassland Meadows and pastures exist largely because of human activity. Most were originally formed by woodland clearance or wetland drainage for farming. The types of plant that are found in grasslands depend on the way the sites have been cut or grazed.
During the last few decades, grasslands have been managed much more intensively for agriculture. Drainage, fertilisers, herbicides, ploughing and reseeding with rye grass have all been used to 'improve' grasslands to make them more productive. 'Improved grasslands' support very few species of plants because of the vigorous and competitive grass species that are encouraged and they look much the same whatever the underlying soil type.
Rough grassland The most common kind of semi-natural grassland in Suffolk is the familiar tall, tussocky grassland which grows on railway embankments, roadside verges and neglected meadows. Typically there are very few species of plants in it and it is dominated by false oat-grass.
Agricultural improvement of grassland, along with other factors, has contributed to the loss of over 95% of flower-rich 'unimproved' meadows in Britain in the last 50 years. This bleak picture is mirrored in Suffolk. Only 1% of the county's area is now unimproved grassland.
In early summer, cow parsley is common and later, hogweed. Even species-rich grassland will soon look like this if mowing or grazing stops. After a few years with no management, the tall rough grassland may revert to scrub. A mosaic of scrub and grassland can in fact be more valuable than rough grassland on its own.
Oxeye daisy
Grassland types The nature of unimproved grassland is determined broadly by the underlying soils. In Suffolk they are of three main types: neutral, chalk and acid. However, of course, the interaction of soil, water levels and management make the situation much more complicated.
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Wet meadow or marsh
Unimproved grasslands tend to be:
Areas of wet grassland that have not been treated with agricultural chemicals or drained, are a scarce and shrinking resource in Suffolk. Typical wildflowers associated with these wet pastures include
l Varied green and brown in colour l Quite variable in wetness and
structure, eg with tussocks and anthills
l Often associated with land that has
cuckooflower, ragged-Robin, Redshank
yellow iris and marsh
not been intensively farmed or cultivated, eg wet places, steep hillsides, village greens and commons, churchyards, road verges and archaeological sites.
marigold. Even when they have been reseeded and are no longer botanically interesting. If the water level is breeding grounds for redshank,
In contrast, improved grasslands are: l Often brighter green and all one
snipe and lapwing and wintering places for wigeon, teal and mallard.
colour
l Much more uniform in character
Breck grassland The area between Bury St Edmunds and Thetford, known as the Brecks, lies on a very complex patchwork of sand overlying chalk. This has resulted in a mosaic of alternating acidic and chalk grassland. Intensive rabbit activity on some sites keeps the vegetation very short and allows annuals to flower and spread. Some of these plants such as shepherd’s cress and sand catchfly are nationally rare.
l Dominated by a limited number of
grasses, in particular rye grass, and with few flowering plants. White clover and chickweed are commonly present.
How is your grassland being managed? The plants you find in a grassland will depend partly on the way it is being managed. Inappropriate management, for
S Aylward
Pyramidal orchid
and small patches in the Brecks. Under optimum conditions it can support a phenomenal diversity of plants. If you have some in your parish, look out for quaking-grass, crested hair-grass, dwarf thistle, yellow-wort and pyramidal orchid.
L esley Walduck
Chalk grassland This is a very scarce habitat in Suffolk, restricted to a few sites in the extreme west of the county, in the Gipping valley
Ragged-Robin
example overgrazing, or no management at all, can lead to loss of some plant species. Therefore it is a good idea to record how the area is managed.
If the grassland is unimproved and species-rich it is important to keep it in that state. If it is neglected, but was unimproved and species-rich it would be good to try to reverse the neglect and restore it. If however it has turned into a mixture of rough grass and scrub then that may actually be better for wildlife.
Acid grassland Acid grassland is generally species-poor and often occurs as a mosaic with other heathland habitats. As well as in the Brecks, it can be found in patches along the River Stour and along the coastal strip stretching from Ipswich to Lowestoft, known as the Sandlings.
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The surveys
high, they can still be vital
One way of monitoring the changes in a grassland over time is to take photographs from the same point in successive years, to see if there is a change in the amount of scrub or perhaps the height of the vegetation. Aerial photographs can also be useful in showing historical changes in the structure of a grassland.
Ponds, streams and rivers Wetland habitats are vitally important for a whole range of wildlife. In addition to water-loving plants, there are many animal species which spend all or part of their lifecycle in water. Some predators such as heron, grass snake and Daubenton's bat, hunt either in or near water.
The surveys
Where to survey Focus your initial fieldwork on any areas of grassland that you think may be unimproved. It is worth carrying out a survey of your churchyard and any green lanes, commons and village greens in the parish, since they may have escaped ploughing and the effects of chemicals. Your survey may bring to light some patches of grassland which could be much more diverse in plant life if the management was changed slightly. You
A pond in the village of Clopton
may be able to make suggestions to the Local Authority or landowner regarding relevant grazing or cutting regimes. Please ask Suffolk Wildlife Trust if you want more advice.
Wildlife and habitat advice was given by Suffolk Wildlife Trust conservation advisers to help local residents maximise this habitat for wildlife and involve the community more widely. Highlighting key wildlife spots to the local community can help ensure it is cared for in the long-term.
The vegetation surrounding a pond or stream is also very important. It gives vital cover to amphibians when they are hibernating and when they approach and leave the water for breeding.
Bumblebee on thistle
“ .... and we especially encourage children to come to Kiln Meadow to discover nature for themselves. Cubs and brownies are regular visitors.�
Yellow iris
The nature of a water body is influenced by the geology of underlying land and by human activities. Ponds can be natural or artificially created and there may be some in your area with an interesting history. Unfortunately, 75% of ponds in the British countryside have been lost in the last hundred years due to infilling, pollution, drainage and neglect.
Mary Feeney, Elmswell
When to survey Grasslands are best surveyed between May and July, depending on the types of plants that are there. Making two or three visits between spring and late summer is ideal, to take account of the different flowering times of grassland plants. It is important to do your survey before any cutting takes place, otherwise identification is very difficult!
Rivers and streams can form important wildlife corridors through both rural and urban areas. Other wetland habitats worth considering in your survey include dykes (ditches), canals, lakes and flooded gravel pits.
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Ponds l The animal and plant life present in a
B Lewis
pond will depend on the depth, geology, surrounding habitat, degree of shading and whether or not the pond holds water all year round. Although shaded ponds and temporary ones, in general, support less wildlife, they are important for some specialised species.
Water vole
l Old fish ponds are associated with
l Old ponds may have accumulated a
medieval manors and are usually in a
complex plant and animal community during their existence. However, new ponds are quick to develop into a valuable habitat for amphibians and other wildlife.
series, sometimes along a stream.
been introduced into the countryside create serious problems in ponds and rivers and are difficult to eradicate. Underwater examples include: water fern, Canadian pondweed, parrot's feather and swamp stonecrop and, on the banks: Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed.
l Look for historical evidence relating to ponds in your area. In the past, most villages would have had ponds and some of these still exist, even if the villages have now expanded into larger built-up areas. Consult Bogbean the Suffolk Pond Survey (information from Natural England and Suffolk Wildlife Trust) to see where the ponds have been recorded in your parish. Check to see which still exist and which have disappeared.
Streams and rivers Streams and rivers are constantly changing as the water level falls and rises and the flow of water erodes the banks, altering the water's course over time.
l There are more than 850 moats in the
They have a variety of habitats along their length including riffles (exposed gravel deposits), reedy fringes, muddy margins and steep banks. In the parts near to the sea they become tidal, muddy and slightly salty (brackish). Each of these areas is home to a different set of species. Sections of the river which have been left wild will be sinuous, the banks supporting a number of flowering plants. Sections which have been re-engineered or deep-dredged will tend to support fewer species and may be straighter and even reinforced with metal or concrete.
county, the majority at least 700 years old. Most of them have been managed fairly consistently to keep them as open water.
l Ducks and fish can have a detrimental
effect on other pondlife since they eat pond plants, frogspawn, tadpoles and insects and their droppings enrich the water.
l Ponds with vegetation in and around them are likely to support more species than ponds which have large expanses of open water.
l Ponds surrounded by a 'buffer zone'
Look out for signs of water vole and otter along river banks. For more information about these species visit our website.
of long vegetation are more attractive to wildlife than ponds bordered by concrete or closely-mown grass.
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The surveys
l Some alien species of plants that have
The surveys
Where to survey
Gardens
It is worth investigating as many ponds as you can. If a river or stream flows through your area, then try to walk along as much of it as possible. It is best to survey rivers and streams in manageable sections.
Gardens can be extremely valuable wildlife habitats providing vital food and shelter, not only in urban areas where there may be few other green spaces, but also in intensively arable areas where the countryside can be an unwelcoming place for wildlife. Winter food put out for birds in gardens helps to replace the food sources which have disappeared from the farmed landscape. Nest boxes supplement or replace the crevices and holes lost where old standing dead trees
Different parts of a river or pond will be home to a different range of plants and animals. When surveying for underwater life, try sweeping a fine net through the different habitat types and tipping your catch into a white bowl filled with clean water from the pond or river. If you cannot identify all the plants and animals you find, then simply note down the number of species of each type (see pond record sheet). It is a good idea to take a measuring stick with you so that you can record the depth of the water.
are no longer available.
Song thrush Frog spawn
Individual gardens may be small, but taken together they form a considerable area. Looked at from above, an area of mature gardens looks very much like open woodland. It is therefore no surprise that many birds, historically associated with woodlands, flourish in gardens.
Only record what you can see or find out from the water's edge - never wade into a river or pond unless you know that it is shallow and safe. The currents may be strong or the silt deeper than it looks. Some ponds are very deep even near the edges.
Results from a Suffolk Wildlife Trust garden survey showed
When to survey
that many Suffolk gardeners actively encourage wildlife into their garden by providing log piles, nest boxes, nectar-rich plants for butterflies, bird feeders and compost heaps. Results also showed that it is not only the large gardens that are important for wildlife - great crested newt, song thrush and grass snake were recorded in some of the smallest gardens too.
Some ponds and stretches of river dry out in the summer, so it is a good idea to make a visit during this time of year to record water levels. For wetland plants it is best to make two visits - early and late summer. Invertebrates also need two visits - early spring and summer. Amphibians are best spotted in the spring when adult frogs and toads are in the ponds and spawn or tadpoles are present. Frog spawn is laid in jelly-like clumps whilst toad spawn is wrapped around plants in strings. Newts may be present in a pond throughout the summer. They are best observed at night, when they swim just under the surface of the water.
Where to survey All the gardens in the parish are part of the picture and it is a survey which almost everyone can take part in. It is easy for families to do together and people who can't get out and about can do a lot, even from indoors.
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production and much was lost to housing developments and golf courses. Over 80% of both the Brecks and the Sandlings
Heathland Lowland heaths (as found in Suffolk) are typically dominated by dwarf shrubs and heather. They are found on sandy, freedraining, nutrient-poor soils and are globally rare, in fact, confined to western Europe. In Suffolk there are two important regions of heath: the Sandlings along the coastal strip and the Brecks in the north west corner. Meadow
heaths was lost in just 50 years.
brown caterpilar
J Gairns
Heathland in Suffolk is an ancient landscape. It was on these light soils that Stone Age farmers first made clearings in the forest. They grew cereals here and kept pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and horses. When their crops had exhausted the thin soil, typical heathland plants took over. Grazing animals prevented the trees regenerating and the open landscape was maintained in the same way in many places up until modern times. Sheep and rabbits were the chief grazers from the Middle Ages. Rabbits were originally imported from Europe in the early 1100s, to be farmed in what were called warrens. Their feeding and burrowing helped maintain a habitat of sparse turf with extensive disturbed ground.
Already actively managing important heathlands, Wenhaston villagers stress the importance of the social side of activities including providing cakes for volunteers - another way people can contribute. They also hope to involve computer enthusiasts to help manage the data they gather from surveys.
S New
Constant vigilance and active management of the remaining fragments is needed to prevent further loss, colonisation by trees or invasion by bracken.
Dartford warbler
When to survey Many heathland plants are evergreen and visible at all times of the year and you can certainly find the bright shout of yellow gorse flowers all year round. But if you want to enjoy the purple of the heathers then make sure you survey them in late summer.
During the last century, the area of heathland in both the Brecks and the Sandlings shrank alarmingly. Sheep farming declined, large new forests were planted, rabbits were decimated by myxomatosis, new irrigation methods put vast areas of these dry acres into arable
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The surveys
As a general rule, the number of different plant and animal species on heathland is low, but some of the ones who do live there are rare. A number of uncommon birds breed on heathland, including nightjar, woodlark, Dartford warbler and stone curlew. Other rare specialities of the Sandlings are silver-studded blue butterfly, ant-lion and adder.
Coast and estuary
Sand dunes There is much more shingle than sand along the Suffolk coast, but there are small dune systems around Lowestoft, Walberswick, Minsmere and Sizewell. The dominant species responsible for the creation of most dunes in Suffolk is marram grass, whose growth is actually stimulated by being buried in sand. Other
Around 50 of Suffolk's parishes have direct access to the coast or estuaries. In a global wildlife context, Suffolk’s vegetated shingle areas, brackish lagoons and estuaries are particularly important. In a national and regional context, however, virtually the entire Suffolk coastline has some kind of designation for wildlife
dune specialists to look for include sea holly and sea bindweed.
conservation.
Mud flats East Suffolk is dissected by five long, shallow, meandering estuaries, each with large areas of rich, intertidal mud, fringed by saltmarsh. Obvious advantages for animals living in the mud are the relatively sheltered conditions and the regular supply of nutrients from both the river and the sea. Big problems, though, are caused by the changes in salinity and water levels. There aren't many kinds of animals which have adapted to these difficult conditions, but the ones that do live there occur in staggeringly large numbers.
The mobile nature of the shingle and sand and the force of the sea and wind has created a constantly shifting coastline which is by no means fixed today. Human activities too have created and destroyed coastal habitats: as early as 1169, sea walls were built around Orford Castle to reclaim saltmarsh and keep the sea out. But the majority of such walls were built in the 16th and 17th centuries. Estimates suggest that there used to be more than twice as much intertidal mud in Suffolk as there is today - 10,800 hectares of intertidal mud and saltmarsh which our ancestors enclosed with sea and river walls and turned into farmland.
One obvious indicator of just how biologically productive this mud can be is the vast flocks of waders and wildfowl which spend every low-tide moment from September to April feasting on invertebrates. Britain feeds about 40% of the total population of overwintering waders in western Europe.
Habitats Sea-kale
Shingle Above high tide, where the shingle is relatively stable, certain tough and highly specialised plants thrive. Salt, wind and spray and lack of water and nutrients, make life difficult, but once pioneer plants have established themselves, humus builds up and other plants can follow. Sea pea, sea kale and yellow horned-poppy are the principal pioneers with stonecrops, plovers and bur medick coming along behind. Breeding birds include little tern, blackbacked and herring gulls and ringed plover. Suffolk has more than a fifth of all the vegetated shingle in Britain.
S Aylward
The surveys
Oystercatcher
Sea pea
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In autumn and spring, migrating flocks of waders will pass through to refuel on their way north from or to their breeding grounds. Winter is when the flocks of wildfowl and waders are drawn to feed and roost on Suffolk's estuaries and coastal marshes.
Saltmarshes These develop where the mudflats are high enough to become colonised by salttolerant plants which can cope with fairly frequent submersion in water. The pioneer plants here tend to be glasswort and sea aster. These trap silt, stabilise the surface and give a toehold for sea purslane and sea lavender. Saltmarshes are valuable habitats too for breeding birds. Redshank and avocet breed on them as do oystercatcher, black-headed gull, skylark and meadow pipit.
Mobile species
Be extremely careful when you go surveying on saltmarshes. You can actually see a lot through binoculars without having to explore very far. There are deep creeks running through the saltmarsh which aren't well shown on the maps. Make sure you do the surveying in pairs and that someone else knows where you are going and when you are due back.
Mobile species can be fun to survey and will add detail to the picture you build up of wildlife in your parish. Gatekeeper
One good survey method for butterflies, dragonflies and birds is to work out a route for a walk and then do the same walk two or three times in the appropriate season, noting down the species and where you see them, as you go. It is a good idea to have one person collecting the data. They can keep a
When to survey Many of the tough coastal plants are visible all year round, but late spring and early summer are the best times to catch the flowering of plants on shingle. Sand dune plants tend to flower in high summer and saltmarsh plants in late summer and early autumn.
Spring and early summer is also a good time to look for breeding birds, but be very careful not to disturb them. In these open habitats you are visible from a great distance and most ground-nesting birds are very nervous. In the cold weather and short days of winter it is particularly important not to disturb the birds, so that they do not have to waste time and energy flying about.
running list of all the species recorded.
Avocet
There are many existing surveys you can take part in. Here are a few to get you started: Garden birds - RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, butterflies Butterfly Conservation's annual survey, dragonflies, contact the British Dragonfly Society. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is running a hedgehog, barn owl and reptile survey. Through Suffolk Biological Recording Online you can contribute to a stag beetle and swift survey.
"Birds became the main focus for many, but .... others looked out for things that walked, ran or slithered." David Cobbold, Belstead
Remember that gathering data isn't as important as giving the birds the peace they need.
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The surveys
Local (and visiting) birdwatchers will probably already know the best places to watch and count high tide roosts. Ask them to add their data to your survey.
Your findings are important, not only to your team and your community but to help build up a better picture of wildlife in the county. Adding your results to an online recording system will ensure Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the local records centre can access them. Suffolk Biological Records Centre hold all records and share them nationally through NBN Gateway.
D Richardson
What to do with the results
What to do with the results
In this way your survey results will contribute to conservation locally and more widely, in Suffolk and the UK, by giving accurate information on which decisions and priorities can be based.
Looking at grassland
of the group could give talks to local schools or clubs or lead guided walks, or make a video or audio-tape nature trail. Photo quizzes and natural treasure hunts are popular for local events.
Data protection: for verification purposes, surveyors' names and contact details must be included with records. Please make sure everyone agrees to this information being stored before you start. Refer any queries to Suffolk Biological Records Centre.
Section 9 (‘What next?’) has lots of ideas to take your project further. If you need help and advice choosing appropriate projects or planning and carrying them out, contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust. We may be able to put you in touch with other groups who have tackled something similar.
Wildlife surveys may take a year or two to complete depending on how much information you are collecting and what area you are planning to cover. It is worth sending your results in batches as you go along rather than waiting until the end.
"For some, the garden wildlife survey was an introduction to a fascinating world .... on our own doorstep."
When your survey is completed, you will have a lot more local knowledge and expertise than when you started. Sharing this with your community will help raise awareness and spread enthusiasm. You can do this by a one-off event or publication or by regular reports in the parish or community newspaper. The local press and radio may also be interested in featuring your survey, but be sensible about publicising news of any rare or protected species. If in doubt, consult
David Cobbold, Belstead
Four-spotted chaser
Suffolk Wildlife Trust. Members
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What next? Taking a closer look at your surroundings may be a springboard for future action. Many parishes in Suffolk have started with surveys and moved on to practical environmental improvements and events. Some have been able to use their data to make swift responses to developments which posed a threat to wildlife.
Tawny owl
l Make sure that the Parish Council
l Collect seed from local trees and grow
them on in a tree nursery to plant for the benefit of the community: for gardens, new developments, hedges or commemorative occasions.
l Volunteer to help with conservation tasks in local woods.
l Buy and promote charcoal, bean poles, pea sticks and firewood from local, sustainably-managed woods.
R Dean
l Start a hedge management group to
replace lost stretches of hedge. Plant new stretches and improve old, gappy ones. Grants are available to help with the creation of new hedges and the restoration of existing ones. Contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust for more information.
Tree planting in Levington
Get some more advice and go a stage further. Here are some ideas:
Practical action for trees, hedges or woods
l If there is an appropriate site, start a
l Use survey results to produce a local
community woodland group to create a new woodland.
tree trail leaflet or hold a tree-dressing event to celebrate local trees (coincide with Tree Dressing Day in December).
A piece of land which was once the village tip is now being improved for wildlife and the local community. We are very grateful to Geoff Sinclair (advisor working on behalf o f SWT) for his expert advice. Kit Bird, Chelsworth
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What next?
knows about any special trees in the village and monitor planning applications to check they don't threaten them.
Suffolk Wildlife Trust's online advice directory has simple, easy-to-follow advice on how best to manage, restore and create various habitats for wildlife. These may inspire your group to tackle an area of your parish which could be made even better.
Practical action for grassland and wildflowers
Practical action for ponds l Form a pond group or become a pond
l Make a conservation plan for your
warden to oversee the restoration or maintenance of ponds and record pond wildlife each year.
churchyard, cemetery, common or village green and persuade your friends to help with the conservation work. Suffolk Wildlife Trust can advise.
l Look for opportunities to create new
wildlife ponds - and encourage local gardeners, schools and businesses to do this.
Practical action for bats, birds and other beasts and are an integral part of, habitats. To care for animals we must care for the whole habitat. You could be really adventurous and create a new neighbourhood park combining play areas and wildlife areas.
l Re-focus your project on
species surveying and tackle a different group each year, perhaps something more unusual such as fungi or moths or lichens.
L Washington
l Identify places where frogs
Bug hotel in a wildlife garden
or toads migrate across roads and register the site with the Suffolk Amphibian and Reptile Group.
l Encourage the sowing of appropriate wildflower meadow mixes in people's gardens.
Pipistrelle bat
l Encourage people to leave safe dead
l Look for opportunities to make new
trees standing so that bats and birds can use them as feeding, nesting and roosting sites.
species-rich meadows - perhaps in the grounds of schools or village halls. Visit a local meadow nature reserve to find out what flourishes locally and use seed of local origin (Suffolk Wildlife Trust can advise).
l Attend a training course or contact the warden of a local meadow nature reserve to find out how to maintain a meadow.
A Jones
What next?
l Remember that all animals depend on,
l Use wildflowers or plants that are
Shotley Heritage Park Not only have this group, through the Parish Council, bought seven acres of woodland for wildlife, they have put up bird and bat boxes and created an outdoor classroom
useful for insects and birds in amenity planting plans, even in hanging baskets and window boxes.
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l Hold discussion evenings on
environmental topics, perhaps with a guest speaker.
l Make and display a parish map in any medium.
l Celebrate local wildlife or landscapes in photographs or drawings and use them for an exhibition or
T Housley
booklets.
Apple day at Beyton Old Orchard
Contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust or English Nature so they can be protected as part of any planning decisions.
Barn owl
l Start a community bird feeding station in a local park.
l Produce a record of local wildlife and
l Make and put up bat and bird boxes
landscape in video, perhaps as a video nature trail for people who are unable to get out and about.
around your area.
l Leave piles of dead wood for stag
l Make a scrapbook or small display
beetles and rough grass for slow-worms.
about what you did and what you found. Put it on show in the church, village hall or pub.
l Find out about national or
Action for celebration and raising awareness
L Washington
l Encourage local children
to join Wildlife Watch (contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust) or start a new local group.
Bird box building
international themed days/weeks. (There are lots and lots of them eg Tree Week and Environment Week). Try to find several, spaced out throughout the year, and organise events to coincide with them.
l Run a parish-wide
l For your posters, use designs based on
survey of wildlife in gardens or open some gardens for people to visit.
locally characteristic wildlife.
l Organise a photographic or art
competition to celebrate local wildlife and exhibit the results. You could use the best examples for postcards, greetings cards, calendars or church
l Organise themed
walks or cycle tours eg farming, ancient routes or hedges, trees, wildflowers,
kneeler designs.
l Hold unusual family activities such as fungus forays, dawn chorus and breakfast meetings, bat/moth and barbecue evenings, pond dipping or tree dressing events.
butterflies or birds.
Cowslip
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What next?
l Look out for places where bats roost.
l Ensure that people in the village, water crowfoot web R Titchiner
especially newcomers, know about local footpath networks.
l Encourage recreational use of cycles
by defining special routes, creating secure parking facilities or producing trail leaflets highlighting interesting features.
l Encourage people to grow food organically in their gardens or allotments.
l Start a community composting scheme.
"Wildwatch Bungay aims to take wildlife sighting one step further for those who are interested in recording and understanding more about all aspects of the wildlife, habitats and ecology in and around Bungay."
l Hold an environmental treasure hunt or pub quiz.
l Have drama productions, indoors or outdoors, with a 'natural' theme.
l Write an environmental column for your community newspaper.
Rose Titchiner, Bungay
Practical action for access and health
l Make opportunities for people to
experience the benefit of outdoor physical activity (a survey walk or a practical conservation task) on their mental and physical health.
l Form a rights of way group to keep an
eye on local footpaths and act as a focus
for improvements.
l Encourage footpath use by having
J Gillingham
What next?
Wildwatch Bungay record species in and around Bungay. With funding from Suffolk Wildlife Trust they have created a wildife reference library in a cafe for group members and the public.
guided walks with a theme such as local history, wildflowers or
The Bramford Open Spaces Group manage an area of water meadows alongside the River Gipping. The site is well known and used by the local community and the group have run a number of events with local schools and the community
birds - or have fun with environmental treasure hunts.
"One pond has been created in an area where its location is vital for the breeding great crested newt, other ponds having been filled in nearby."
Sparrowhawk
Rosie Norton, Sibton
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"In November the recorders met to have a celebratory drink at the pub to toast our success."
Stowmarket Old Cemetary have made a commitment to managing their local cemetery for wildlife.
"A heron drops in at all the garden ponds in turn to see if they have been restocked since his last visit." David Cobbold, Belstead
What next?
Peacock butterfly D Smith
M Marshall
Peter Ling, Felixstowe Ferry
In 2013 the Friends of Fen Meadow in Woodbridge decided to find out more about the wildlife on site. They set up a number of specialist species surveys and began using iRecord to record the results.
"Our residents recorded butterflies and beetles and anything with four legs but there are few details of common insects."
Grey heron
David Cobbold Belstead
S Bird
SWT
Many parishes, like Horringer, have set up a Wildlife Group as a result of a Parish Audit or Plan which revealed a lot of interest in wildlife. At Shotley a survey group was set up and has surveyed their local hedgerows and dormice.
We met with community conservation adviser Leonie Washington and she gave advice about managing the allotment in a wildlife friendly way and creating habitats for the benefit of key species such as reptiles, amphibians, hedgehogs and pollinators.
Shield bug
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Resources Contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust 01473 890089 for advice and information on resources, equipment and training. suffolkwildlifetrust.org is a good place to start. Grant information This changes frequently, so contact Suffolk Wildlife Trust for up-to-date advice Suffolk Wildlife Trust The Wildlife Trusts
Resources
Community Action Suffolk Suffolk County Council TCV Heritage Lottery Fund National Lottery Awards for All Big Lottery
www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org www.wildlifetrusts.org www.communityactionsuffolk.org.uk www.suffolkcc.gov.uk www.tcv.org.uk www.hlf.org.uk www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk www.awardsforall.org.uk www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Suffolk Wildlife Trust's grant factsheet: http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/sites/default/files/ funding_sources_for_community_groups_and_conservation_projects.pdf Please note that the information on this factsheet is subject to change. Please check with the grant provider before beginning an application.
Books and keys l
Suffolk's Changing Countryside by Charles Beardall and Dorothy Casey (published by Suffolk Wildlife Trust)
l
The Field Studies Council's series of identification keys (to various groups and habitats) are very good, easy to use and inexpensive: http://www.field-studies-council.org/publications/ wildlife-packs.aspx
ď ŹThe Natural History Book Service has a comprehensive list of popular conservation reference books: https:// www.nhbs.com/browse/subject/614
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J Harrold
Jason Gairn
Wenhaston Commons Group
Networking Nature is supported by
Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Brooke House Ashbocking, Ipswich IP6 9JY 01473 890089 info@suffolkwildlifetrust.org suffolkwildlifetrust.org Registered charity no 262777
suffolkwildlifetrust.org