Grebe The
Spring/Summer-2014
Cheshire
Cheshire
The magazine of Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Elephants and tigers also...
The garden moths that might just surprise you
Going with the flow – can nature help stop flooding? Wild walks in Cheshire’s Living Landscapes Off the hoof – grazing with a difference
ire
WELCOME “Living Landscapes are about ensuring nature’s services are protected… giving us a chance to limit the effects of extreme weather” Charlotte Harris
Chief Executive
Cheshire People taking action for wildlife Cheshire Wildlife Trust is the region’s leading independent conservation charity and has been working for wildlife across Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington and Wirral for over 50 years. Cheshire Wildlife Trust receives no direct Government funding and would not exist without the support of you, our members. To add your voice to over 12,000 others and show how much you value Cheshire’s wildlife, give us a call today or visit our website.
Cheshire Ecological Services CES is a member of the Association of Wildlife Trust Consultancies (AWTC) and is the ecological consultancy arm of Cheshire Wildlife Trust, with 20 years of industry experience. All profit revenues generated by CES go directly to supporting the work of Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
Who are the Wildlife Trusts? There are 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney. With over 800,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species.
As I write this, the sun is shining at Bickley Hall Farm and spring has definitely sprung. Most of our Hebridean lambs have now been born, birds are nesting in the hedgerows and a new generation of great crested newts fill our ponds. This spring, though, we’ll have another arrival to celebrate – our Bickley Learning Centre is nearing completion thanks to the generous donations made by you, our members, and a host of other funders. If you’d like a sneak preview at this brand new purposebuilt facility, join us on Open Farm Sunday on 8 June. As we look forward to summer, for many the first few months of 2014 will be memorable for all the wrong reasons following severe storms and floods. Here in Cheshire, we thankfully escaped largely unscathed with problems like blocked roads and woodlands scattered with fallen trees, in stark contrast to the dramatic scenes elsewhere in the UK. In the heart of the region, the Cheshire plain is criss-crossed with rivers whose floodplains were able to store and slow down the flow of water into towns and villages. It’s during extreme weather that we need to value the services we get from nature more than ever. Our Living Landscape schemes are not only about restoring and reconnecting nature, but also about ensuring that nature’s services to society are protected and valued – including a chance to limit the impacts of extreme weather. Find out more on page 26.
Grebe
Cheshire
@wildlifetrusts
The magazine of Cheshire
Cheshire
Wildlife Trust
TheWildlifeTrusts wildlifetrusts
Elephants and tigers
The garden moths that you might just surprise
also... Going with the flow – flooding? can nature help stop e’s Wild walks in Cheshir Living Landscapes Off the hoof – grazing a difference
THE GREBE SPRING 2014
with
Finally, a very warm welcome to all our new members and a big thank you to those of you who continue to support your local Wildlife Trust. Our membership has now topped 13,000 for the first time in our 52-year history, giving us more resources and influence to take action for local wildlife than ever before. I wish you all a long and enjoyable summer!
Charlotte Harris, Chief Executive
On the cover
Spring/summer-2014
The
I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who took time to fill out our recent survey. We had a superb response from hundreds of you, sharing interesting and enlightening views, and a summary of the results is on page 16. This information is vital to shaping our future work, in particular helping inform the Trust’s new strategy which we will share with you later in the year. We’ll be focusing on how we create more space for wildlife and how we inspire more people to value nature, particularly in local decision making. The run up to next year’s general election will be an important time to influence political pledges and the Wildlife Trusts are lobbying for a ‘Nature Bill’ that will secure not only the protection but also the restoration of nature for future generations.
On the front of this edition of The Grebe, you’ll find the impressive elephant hawk moth. This vibrant night time visitor to our gardens is one of thousands of species of moths – many with colours to rival our butterflies – you can enjoy with a little nature know-how. Find out about the amazing moths you could discover in your backyard and how to get a closer look on page 10. Picture: Tom Marshall/The Wildlife Trusts
In this issue Welcome With our Chief Executive Charlotte Harris
02 UK News The big wildlife issues from around the UK
04 Local News
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What’s happening on your doorstep plus badger and bTB update
“Some of our moths are beautiful enough to match their image-conscious cousins the butterflies”
10 Seeing the light
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Discover our garden moths this spring
12 Access all areas The UK’s most accessible nature reserves
14 A day in the life… We join Biodiversity Trainee Andy Perry
16 Your Trust, your views Hundreds of you respond to our supporter survey
18 Marine Protected Areas
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See our full-size map of the MPAs announced in 2013
20 Vanishing point A new campaign for our disappearing grasslands
22 Best foot forward New walks to enjoy in our Living Landscape
24 A good moove for nature Our nature-grazed beef heads to the table
26 Water, water everywhere A fresh approach to tackling flooding
28 Keeping history alive Paul Loughnane on 25 years as a volunteer
22 “In our Living Landscape, some of the work we’re doing might come as a surprise”
Your Magazine The next edition of The Grebe magazine will be published in September 2014. We welcome letters, comments, photographs and contributions to The Grebe. Please write to the editor at the address below or email: tmarshall@cheshirewt.org.uk All contributions including events to be featured in the Events Diary should reach the editor no later than 1 August 2014. Events listings in the Autumn edition will run from October 2014 to January 2015. The views expressed in The Grebe are not necessarily those of Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
Contents © Cheshire Wildlife Trust 2014. No part of this publication shall be reproduced without prior written consent. Advertising in The Grebe We invite enquiries for advertising in The Grebe magazine, with various packages available. Please contact the editor for our current rate card or an informal discussion. Allowing advertising in The Grebe lets us cover some of the costs of producing our members magazine, meaning we can spend more on conservation projects.
The Grebe Editor Tom Marshall, Communications Officer
Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Bickley Hall Farm, Malpas, Cheshire SY14 8EF
Patron The Duke of Westminster KG DL
Tel: 01948 820728
President Felicity Goodey CBE DL
email: info@cheshirewt.org.uk
Chairman Chris Koral
web: www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk Registered Charity No: 214927 A company Limited by Guarantee in England No: 736693
Chief Executive Charlotte Harris
@cheshirewt
Designed and Produced by Orchard Corporate Ltd
Cheshire Wildlife Trust CheshireWT Cheshirewildlifetrust
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 1
UK NEWS
Trusts call for more natural flood defences
Recent widespread flooding shows the Government must invest in wilder landscapes, say The Wildlife Trusts
“Natural defences could provide a key solution to help prevent flooding in future. Wilder landscapes act as giant sponges, absorbing and holding water,” said Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscapes. “There are already some excellent examples of restored landscapes, where, for example, overgrazing has been reduced
to allow heather and soils to regenerate, and in the process the risk of flooding downstream has been alleviated. This approach should be at the centre of our adaptation strategy.” Described by the Environment Agency as the most serious flood for 60 years, December’s two-metre tidal surge caused havoc in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Further tidal surges in January affected large parts of the southern and western coasts of England and Wales.
How did the floods affect wildlife? The December floods affected coastal nature reserves in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Some of these are salt marshes that can withstand coastal flooding.
But many freshwater habitats were also inundated with sea water and the long-term impact on wildlife is difficult to predict.
Visitor centres, bird hides, coastal paths and fences were damaged during the floods and our dedicated staff and volunteers are still working to repair visitor facilities and access routes.
WILTSHIRE WT
Following widespread flooding in December and January, The Wildlife Trusts are asking the Government to revise its flood defence strategy.
The Wildlife Trusts are calling on the Government to rebalance investment towards solutions which slow down water and reconnect rivers with their floodplains. Wildlife Trusts across the UK have been working on such schemes for years (see right). Highly cost-effective, natural schemes also provide benefits such as soil conservation, improved biodiversity and carbon storage.
ROBIN CHITTENDEN/FLPA
What’s happening here in Cheshire?
A bird hide at Norfolk WT’s Cley Marshes reserve in December
Although the Cheshire region thankfully has so far avoided flooding on the scale seen elsewhere in the UK - with the exception of storm surges affecting the Wirral coast - we still have a role to play in the protection of farmland and properties along our rivers like the Gowy. To see what we’re doing locally as part of our Living Landscape scheme, you can read more on page 26.
AROUND THE WILDLIFE TRUSTS AVON
CORNWALL
DERBYSHIRE
DEVON
DORSET WT
DURHAM
A Geoffroy’s bat visited the Trust’s Brown’s Folly reserve near Bath, where 13 of the UK’s 17 species have been recorded. It is only the second UK record for this forest specialist from mainland Europe. wtru.st/GeoffBat
After a public appeal, and helped by HLF, the Trust has two new reserves in west Penwith: Bostraze near Pendeen and Bartinney near Sennen. The sites are valuable heathland and wetland habitats. wtru.st/Penwith
The Trust and 15 other wildlife groups oppose Derby City Council’s plan to build a cycle track on the city’s first and only bird reserve. Skylark, snipe, stonechat, ring ouzel and wheatear have used the site. wtru.st/CycleTrack
The rare golden eye lichen has been found at Andrews Wood, near Kingsbridge. Until recently the lichen was thought to be extinct in the UK, with the last record in Devon dating from 1966 on Start Point. wtru.st/RareLichen
Brownsea Island, owned by The National Trust, has been named Britain’s favourite nature reserve by the BBC Countryfile awards. Dorset WT has leased and managed half of the island as a nature reserve for over 50 years. wtru.st/DorsetNews
New islands at Shibdon Pond reserve attracted 20-year record numbers of lapwing, golden plover, redshank and snipe. The work was funded by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership. wtru.st/Shibdon
2 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
Nature: our greatest ally Extreme weather across the UK last winter has brought home our fragility in the face of the awesome power of nature, and the real dangers of disrupting its balance. It reminds us that society’s most urgent and important task is to build our resilience, working with nature wherever possible, rather than against it. We all need to come to the best possible decisions for nature and people. To be genuinely committed to such decisions we need many more people to understand how nature works and to respect its complexity and fragility. We need to consign piecemeal erosion of our natural resources to history – and learn to live within its limits.
Flood water gathering in Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Langford Lakes reserve (left) may have spared nearby villages. More details on wtru.st/WiltsRiverBlog
Natural flood defences can take the pressure off NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
LANCS WT
FYLDE COAST LANCASHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST
ABBOTTS HALL FARM ESSEX WILDLIFE TRUST
Work by the Trust in February 2013 prevented erosion during the recent storms. Posts and old Christmas trees helped to form dunes and allow plants to grow, strengthening the structures. In January, other dunes receded by 8–10 metres. But where natural dune formation had been encouraged, the sands were held more securely.
Now 11 years old, this scheme has led the way in ‘managed realignment’. The seawall was removed in several places, allowing tidal water to recreate traditional Essex marshes. The natural relief of the land is now the flood defence. Though the surge of 2013 was very high it did not reach the arable areas. n More examples: wildlifetrusts.org/floods
ESSEX
HEREFORD
LONDON
MANX
With Epping Forest District Council and the Bat Conservation Trust, the Trust is developing mapping layers to alert councils and planners to potential bat roost sites and important foraging areas. wtru.st/BatPlans
Thanks to HLF the Trust and partners Ambios Ltd are developing WildTech, an ambitious digital technology training project to address UK-wide shortfalls in species ID and recording. wtru.st/WildTech
A new report by the Trust and Greenspace Information for Greater London suggests that protection measures for the city’s wildlife, developed over 30 years, may be failing. wtru.st/ LondonNature
In a project scheduled to last 30 years, the Trust is increasing woodland cover from 20% to 30% in the glens and woodlands between Ramsey and Sulby. wtru.st/ RamseyForest
The Wildlife Trusts are on the case. We are taking thousands of children out of the classroom so they can ‘get’ how nature works, why wildlife matters, how we grow our food and draw our water. We also take politicians, civil servants and businesspeople out on site to talk about this, and meet landowners and fishermen to advise on wildlife. Some progressive businesses are widening their environmental thinking beyond carbon to whole ecosystems. We need to encourage more to think like this and support those that do by helping them to interpret their impact on nature, just as a doctor helps us to interpret the impact of our own lifestyle on our health. The moral and financial support you give by being a member of your Trust is vital. It gives us the chance to inspire people to recognise nature is our greatest ally and to demonstrate that by working with it we can create a resilient society.
Stephanie Hilborne OBE Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts There are 47 Wildlife Trusts. With more than 800,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving all the UK’s habitats and species.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 3
LOCAL NEWS
Otterly fabulous We were delighted in January, when one of our infra-red cameras monitoring wildlife on the River Gowy – in our first Living Landscape scheme – picked up not one, but a family of three wild otters in the dead of night. Despite the usual black and white picture, three sets of piercing eyes shone through as the group of an adult and two smaller cubs made their way past the lens completely unaware of its presence. Although we’ve been using similar technology for the last few years to track the fortunes of otters and water voles – creatures where we typically rely on field signs like droppings and footprints – this was the first time that we had recorded three otters together. Amazingly, just a couple of weeks later, Nigel Markillie from Wynbunbury near Crewe also captured a similar scene which he sent to the Trust, after many unsuccessful earlier attempts to capture the rare mammals on film. The news further confirms the increasing health of our rivers and the otter’s resurgence across the UK, where it was only confirmed as being back in every county as recently as 2011. Our own Living Landscape scheme is benefitting otters, including work undertaken with the Environment Agency at Hockenhull Platts near Waverton and the introduction of otter ‘holts’ at other locations in recent years, along with our exchange with Dutch conservationists sharing otter knowledge in 2012. AMY LEWIS
SEE IT You can watch the film for yourself on our YouTube channel at CheshireWT
AUSTIN MORLEY
Little swift celebrated in Bird Report
Look carefully, the bittern is in there somewhere!
Bitterns are a big hit at Marbury We were thrilled once again when at least two bitterns were seen regularly at our Marbury Reedbed reserve at the eastern end of Budworth Mere in Marbury Country Park, Northwich, during the winter. The annual appearance of the birds has made the reserve one of the top places to go to see these very rare herons in Cheshire, along with the impressive autumn and winter starling murmurations which can be thousands strong. We also recently opened the reedbed boardwalk once again for the summer, which is now settling in nicely to its surroundings and able to give people an insight into the bittern’s world during the warmer months. We’re continuing with our habitat improvements to the reserve – which includes regular reed cutting to benefit the bitterns – thanks to the backing of local chemicals manufacturer INEOS Enterprises who have been a regular supporter of our work in Runcorn and Northwich. Other frequent sightings at Marbury have included water rails, kingfishers and lesser spotted woodpeckers. FIND OUT MORE cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/our-reserves
4 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
A visit from an extremely rare but confiding little swift to New Brighton is just one of many highlights in the Cheshire & Wirral Bird Report 2012, now available from the Cheshire & Wirral Ornithological Society (CAWOS). The striking cover features the usually elusive water rail, whilst a further 176 pages are complemented with 74 maps, graphs and tables, a dozen beautiful illustrations and, as always, a colour regional centre spread map. Stunning photographs capturing some of the highlights of the year top off the report. GET YOUR COPY The Bird Report is free to Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society members (ordinary membership costs £12), otherwise it costs £8 + £2 p&p and copies are available from: David Cogger, 113 Nantwich Road, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 9HD Tel: 01606 832517 Email: davidcogger@cawos.org
Gowy almost hits a century
Barn owls at Bickley Trust staff had a fantastic surprise in the New Year when a visit to install nesting boxes for barn owls on our 200-acre farm brought an unexpected result. Joe Pimblett and Matt Allmark from our reserves team were fixing the purpose-built home to a large oak tree when not one, but two of the ghostly nocturnal hunters flew out of a natural hole in the trunk of the very same tree. Realising the owls may already be considering nesting, the box was hastily repositioned nearby, and now with so many options to choose from, we hope the owls will find the farm to be the perfect ‘location, location, location’. We’ll report back later in the year on whether the owls have any house-hunting success!
Even more impressively, around one in ten of those species seen were new to the 165ha (400 acre) site of grazing meadow and pools near Ellesmere Port. Amongst 99 different bird species discovered during 2013, birds like the great white egret, pintail and yellow wagtail were just some of the nine new species recorded for the first time. Heavy rain and flooding during 2013 are thought to be the reason why a number of new wading birds like the common sandpiper, little ringed plover and the rarer wood sandpiper also made an appearance. The reserve is already a key location for threatened farmland birds like the snipe and skylark, whilst up to 900 lapwing were recorded during the Christmas period. The Trust’s Living Landscape Manager Richard Gardner added that the records show the value of working together with nature rather than trying to tame it. Richard said: “What we have at the Gowy is an opportunity to work with partners like the Environment Agency to let nature take its course during extreme weather events, instead of forcing the hand of our rivers. At the same time, managed flood situations can provide exactly the right habitats for birds that we want to attract like lapwing and snipe.” FIND OUT MORE cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/our-reserves ELLIOTT NEEP
RICHARD BOWLER
Earlier this year, local naturalist and bird recorder at our Gowy Meadows reserve, Steve Holmes, revealed that during 2013 he’d noted almost 100 species at our largest nature reserve.
TOM MARSHALL
FIND OUT MORE cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/bickleyhallfarm
Common sandpiper (above) and pintail (below) were new visitors to Gowy Meadows in 2013
Tales on the riverbank in Nantwich Following the Trust’s discovery of a healthy population of water voles on the Shropshire Union Canal in Nantwich through our Cheshire Water Vole Project, you can now read Ratty’s story for yourself at a new information point.
ELLIOTT NEEP
Located in the popular picnic area on the towpath at Nantwich Marina, the specially-commissioned oak display was developed in partnership with waterways managers the Canal & River Trust and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It’s hoped the new display will encourage visitors to look out for the rare mammals, which can often be very obliging in the area.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 5
TOM MARSHALL
LOCAL NEWS
New Bickley learning centre takes shape
Take a holiday, help local wildlife!
Work began in early March on a £120,000 transformation of one of the traditional cattle barns at our Bickley Hall Farm HQ into a purpose-built education centre.
Did you know you can raise money for the Trust whilst enjoying the spring flowers of Cyprus, birdwatching from your houseboat in the Romanian Danube Delta or enjoying a ‘trip of a lifetime’ in the Galapagos Islands? Wildlife Travel was set up in 1988 with the aim of supporting nature conservation by organising wildlife holidays in the UK, Europe and worldwide. All profits are donated to The Wildlife Trusts and the company also works with local conservation organisations in the countries they visit.
The project, which has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation, the Jean Jackson Charitable Trust, the Meres & Mosses Landscape Partnership, Urenco and a £25,000 members’ appeal, including a number of generous major donors, will see new all-weather classrooms, washroom facilities and a dedicated outdoor play and learning space developed for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit the farm each year. Once complete, it’s hoped the centre will also act as a wider community resource for training and adult learning. Additional improvements to the immediate outdoor space adjacent to the barn which includes the pond, wildflower meadows and orchard will provide further learning space and an attractive stop-off for those walking along the Sandstone Trail. KEEP UP TO DATE Follow the progress on Facebook and Twitter
These small group holidays are suitable for individuals, couples or friends, with destinations as varied as Norfolk, Scotland, Spain and Costa Rica, Chile and Australia. Flight-free holidays include the pre-Alpine valleys of the Vercors in France and the limestone of the Burren in Ireland, or you could enjoy the wildlife of Yorkshire, guided by staff and volunteers from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Wildlife Travel will make a donation if you mention Cheshire Wildlife Trust on booking, which could be up to £50 per person. FIND OUT MORE Contact Wildlife Travel on 01954 713575 or at www.wildlife-travel.co.uk
Earlier this year, the Trust began work on a Natural Englandapproved plan to improve coastal dune habitats within our Red Rocks nature reserve near West Kirby, aiming to reinstate the ‘favourable’ status of this important Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which the Trust now manages. Key parts of the project already completed include the creation of new breeding pools for natterjack toads – a rare amphibian found nowhere else in Cheshire & Wirral. Further habitat works such as sand dune regeneration will continue later in the year after the bird nesting season has finished.
6 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
ROSE MANBY
Habitat works at Red Rocks
Delamere update
Wildlife art on show
Work led by the Trust and the Forestry Commission to restore Delamere Forest’s nationally important mosses is well underway.
Where else will you find snow leopards, song thrushes and spider monkeys in the same room? At the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (NEWA), which rolls into town again this July and August – as always, based at the Gordale Garden Centre on the Wirral. This year sees the exhibition’s coming of age – its 21st year! Always eagerly anticipated by keen collectors, the garden centre will play host to one of the widest selections of world-class wildlife art and sculpture to purchase under one roof.
So far, 13 hectares of habitat – that’s around a dozen football pitches – have been improved by our team of volunteers, and another 35ha by contractors across three different peat ‘basins’. At just one location, Piersons – a stunning man-made mere – the south bank has been cleared of birch scrub which had grown up since the felling of the conifer trees a few years ago. The aim of this clearance is to encourage the smaller heather and bilberry plants, hidden beneath the scrub, to thrive across the bank. This in turn will hopefully attract species such the green hairstreak butterfly.
This year also sees the British Wildlife in Art Award, a prestigious new prize – themed ‘British wildlife in the environment’ for 2014 – with winners to be chosen by an independent panel of judges. As is the case every year, a proportion of the proceeds from the exhibition sales are donated to local and international charities, including the Wildlife Trusts. GET INVOLVED Friday 18 July to Sunday 3 August. View and buy online www.newa-uk.com
The Delamere Lost Mosses Project has been supported by WREN, The Forestry Commission, Natural England and Cheshire West & Chester Council. GET INVOLVED If you would be interested in volunteering for the project please contact Katie Piercy at kpiercy@cheshirewt.org.uk.
Open gardens This year we’re inviting people to share their little bit of Cheshire & Wirral to fundraise for the Trust by joining in with our ‘open gardens’ day. Whether you have palatial patch or a wildlife-friendly backyard for bees and butterflies, if you think people would love to see how you’re making a difference for nature then get in touch. Holding your open garden couldn’t be simpler, and we can support you by helping with publicity and fundraising ideas to make the very most out of your day. GET INVOLVED Contact Tracey Gibson on 01948 820728 or tgibson@cheshirewt.org.uk
TOM MARSHALL
Contractors have also been working hard for the project, with areas cleared on the edges of Great Blakemere and Linmere Moss. These clearings will bring more light to smothered bog species already on these sites, such as sphagnum moss and royal fern, a regional rarity.
JULIE VERNON
Norley Moss, an area already covered in heather and bilberry, as well as the county rarity bog myrtle, has also had a facelift, with some of its scrub regrowth being removed. By taking down this scrub we hope to allow the heathland to thrive across the whole of this site, and become a vital nectar source for our native bee populations – many of which are in steep decline. A group of volunteers from the Petty Pool Trust have also begun to clear the edge of Finney’s Moss, allowing the fen habitat here to thrive – a potential future habitat for the nationally rare white-face darter dragonfly, which the Trust is reintroducing.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 7
LOCAL NEWS
Generous legacy from Cecil Sharman We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the family of the late Mr Cecil Sharman, who recently left a generous legacy of almost £3,500 to the Trust. Cecil’s son Frank said his father was a member of the Trust for many years and a ‘keen supporter of all of your activities’, including supporting the setting up of our Hunter’s Wood nature reserve near Frodsham. A resident of Grappenhall near Warrington from the 1940s, Cecil and wife June regularly walked the footpaths of the local parishes with their Welsh collie, Heidi. A love of the Cheshire countryside continued with moves to Stockton Heath, High Legh and finally Chester. Trees remained a constant fascination for Cecil, and his ashes are scattered with June’s at the Woodland Trust’s Park Moss Wood at Arley. Legacies are an invaluable way of supporting the Trust’s work for wildlife, now and for the future. For a private and informal conversation about leaving a legacy to the Trust, call Charlotte Harris on 01948 820728 or email Charlotte on charris@cheshirewt.org.uk
Delamere’s dragons Last year, the Trust began the first phase in a new project to reintroduce a once iconic dragonfly back into the pools of Delamere Forest – the white-faced darter. We’re delighted to announce that thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, the scheme will now continue for a further three years, allowing us to translocate mature larvae from Natural England donor sites at Fenns & Whixall Moss and Chartley Moss into Delamere Forest. Our aim for the project is to develop a self-sustaining population of white-faced darters in the region once again, potentially for the first time since around 2003. The work has been backed up by a range of habitat improvements led by the Forestry Commission, including improving light levels around important dragonfly pools, and the Trust-led Delamere’s Lost Mosses project, which is restoring mossland habitats.
The Trust was saddened to hear of the death of Jim McHarry at the beginning of March. Jim, along with his wife Jane, moved from Carlisle to Knutsford in 1972 and, being outdoor people, immediately made the most of the Cheshire countryside. A lecture by Wildlife Trusts’ vice president Sir David Attenborough inspired Jim and Jane to join their local Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and they went on to form the Knutsford Natural History Group – which ran for two decades – along with Jim later taking the reigns as chair of the Trust’s Wilmslow Local Group. During the 1990s, Jim took on the job of Trust treasurer, a role he kept for five years until an expanding million pound-plus balance sheet meant Jim preferred to take a back seat as he, in his own words, ‘didn’t do computers’! Jim continued to explore the countryside both at home and abroad right up until this year, and remained a familiar face in the Knutsford community, from the Tatton Singers to Cycle Knutsford.
8 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
DANNY GREEN
In memory of Jim McHarry (1933-2014)
GET INVOLVED If you’d like to get involved as a volunteer with the project and help with surveying and monitoring work and other tasks, contact Dr Vicky Nall on vnall@cheshirewt.org.uk or 01948 820728.
Give a gift with a difference We’ve recently re-launched a range of animal adoption packs, exclusively designed for Cheshire Wildlife Trust, and the ideal gift for someone who seemingly has everything! From our tiniest wildlife in the shape of the dormouse, to our half-tonne heroes the longhorns, each delightfully presented gift pack tells you all you need to know about the wildlife you’ll be supporting – there’s even a cuddly toy too! For younger nature-lovers there’s special stickers and crafts as well. You can already choose from a badger, otter, dormouse and longhorn, and we hope to expand on the range throughout this year. FIND OUT MORE www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk
Badgers and TB - update UK cattle TB infection figures revised down ELLIOT NEEP
Official cull report highlights missed targets Cheshire roadkill badger TB survey launched Defra backs down on infection rate figures
Roadkill study to look at Cheshire TB strains
In February, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced that Defra figures on Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) livestock infection rates across the country had been ‘overstated’ since at least 2011, due to a computer error. The official correct figures eventually showed a drop of 3.4% in TB infection rates in UK cattle herds for 2012–13, in stark contrast to the Minister’s earlier claims of an 18% rise. In Wales, a combination of vaccination and strict movement controls resulted in a reduction in bTB infection rates of more than 24% in the same period.
During February, the Trust joined with other members of the Cheshire TB Eradication Group, including the NFU and AHVLA, to help launch a new study of roadkill badgers in Cheshire, the first of its kind for around a decade.
High costs and missed cull targets revealed Although the independent report into the Somerset and Gloucestershire badger cull trial had yet to be published as we went to print, charity Care for Wildlife released figures in January suggesting that the programme has resulted in costs in excess of £4,000 for each badger shot. Official figures on policing have already been published at more than £2m, or around £1,300 per badger.
the number of badgers killed fell well short of the target deemed necessary IEP
In February, a leaked copy of the final Independent Evaluation Panel (IEP) report seen by the BBC on the cull trials set up by government highlighted missed targets across both the effectiveness and the humaneness of the culling process, stating that ‘the number of badgers killed fell well short of the target deemed necessary’. The national badger sett survey was also released in January, noting an increase of around 100% in badger clans in the last 25 years. There are now an estimated 71,600 badger clans in England and Wales, up by 27,000 to 40,000 since the mid-1980s, with the biggest change seen in England. Numbers in Wales remained relatively consistent. The report’s authors, however, were keen to stress that sett numbers did not necessarily indicate an increase in individual badger numbers. The Wildlife Trusts have also said that the figures demonstrate the UK badger population beginning to rebalance in light of the greater protection brought in around 30 years ago, and is not an unexpected increase in numbers.
Carcases will be taken to the University of Liverpool Leahurst veterinary campus where they will be assessed for signs of TB. The study aims to give an indication of where bTB may be present geographically within the Cheshire badger population, and how many animals are potentially affected. A further key element of the project will be to help differentiate between strains of the disease within the region, to give a potential handle on where badgers may be playing a role in the spread of TB. It’s hoped the study will help to guide local strategy on how to tackle bTB in the region, which is currently classed as an ‘edge area’ within bTB spread in the UK, although the disease is now prevalent across large areas in the south of the county.
STOP PRESS Minister halts cull expansion and proposes ‘edge area’ badger vaccination As we went to print in early April, Environment Minister Owen Paterson confirmed that original plans for an expansion of up to 10 new cull zones in 2014 would be dropped. Mr Paterson also went on to propose that vaccination be ultilised as tool for tackling bTB in what are known as ‘edge areas’ on the outlying parts of the current spread of bTB in cattle herds. Cheshire, although currently experiencing a year-on-year increase in TB cases in cattle, is considered to be within the edge area at present. We would now like to see the government re-invest the resources proposed for the original cull zone expansion into areas such as Cheshire, where we believe there is an opportunity to create a bTB ‘firewall’ within the badger population by expanding vaccination in the region. We and all Wildlife Trusts however, remain opposed to culling in any area and we were disappointed to see that the independent assessment process undertaken during the 2013 cull trials in Somerset and Gloucestershire will not continue, raising ongoing concerns over the effectiveness and humaneness of the cull process.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 9
DISCOVER
Fly by night With their almost limitless colours, butterflies are among our best-loved wildlife, yet their close relatives the moths remain largely creatures of mystery. Sue Tatman dusts off the moth trap this spring to see if there’s more than meets the eye with these underrated insects. Moths really don’t have the best reputation. It could be their wardrobe dining habits, that fascination for the bedside lamp when you’re trying to finish that chapter in your book, or flying into you when you head into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Add to this that they mostly come out at night and aren’t usually brightly coloured, and they’re almost persona non grata. Until recently, too, there were few good field guides to even help you identify them. Yet examined closely with a little time and patience, some of our moths are stunningly beautiful with an attire to match even their most image-conscious cousins the butterflies.
Almost all moths fly at night, and the majority of these are attracted to artificial lights. No one fully understands why they do this, but it does make it much easier for us to study them. There are several types of dedicated ‘moth traps’ available which use a light to attract moths, which are then held within a box below until they can be examined. The trap is usually filled with cardboard egg boxes – as these have a rough surface the moths can hold on to – with lots of dark corners they can hide in as well. The catch can be inspected during the night itself or the following morning, with all the moths then being released alive. Commercial moth traps are ideal for serious moth enthusiasts, but they are expensive – up to £300 for a top quality model. Happily, it’s just as easy to attract plenty of moths without using complicated equipment. One of the easiest ways is to leave an outside light on and drape a white sheet against a lit wall or fence. An old rope soaked in molasses or red wine will also find them dropping in for a meal. The best times to check for moths are the first two hours of darkness, before you go to bed and very early in the morning.
TOM MARSHALL
EVENTS National Moth Night is 3 - 5 July 2014, with events across the country. Visit www.mothnight.info for further information
10 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
Another option is to leave a light on in a room with the windows open – bathrooms are good as there is generally less clutter for moths to hide amongst. Don’t forget to look outside for moths on the glass and surrounding wall as well. Low energy light bulbs generally are just as good at attracting moths as conventional light bulbs. Some moths are active almost all year round, but you will get the biggest numbers between April and September. A warm, windless night is best, as few moths fly when it is very cold, very wet or windy.
TOM MARSHALL
Finding moths
Identifying moths
How are our moths doing?
Avoid touching your moths; their wings are extremely delicate, easily damaged and critical to their survival. The wings themselves are covered with tiny scales, which are easily dislodged; indeed older specimens can look very bald and tatty.
We know far less about moths than we do about day-flying insects such as butterflies and bumblebees, but we believe many species are in decline. This means any records of moths are valuable – including those from your back garden. To be of use a record needs four bits of information: the species, the name of the person who saw it, the place it was seen (an address or an OS grid reference) and the date. Additional information such as the numbers seen, or a photo, is also useful. You can really do your bit by submitting your sightings to the Cheshire biological records centre at www.record-lrc.co.uk
It’s a really good idea to take photos of your moths, especially if you have a camera with a close-up or ‘macro’ setting. Most moths can be identified from a good photograph. Taking photos also means you can take your time working out what you’ve caught, and even send the photos to an expert to look at, long after the moths themselves have flown away.
What have I seen?
Attracting moths into your garden
www.ukmoths.org.uk is great if you think you know what you’ve seen, whilst www.ispotnature.org lets you post photos for other people to identify. Finally www.mothscount.org has lots of useful information about moths and how to see them, including pictures of the most common species you are likely to see.
Ordinary domestic gardens can be home to a surprising numbers of moths – over 100 species in some gardens. A few changes to your garden can make it a paradise for moths, as well as other invertebrates. Here are our top tips:
I’VE SEEN A HUMMINGBIRD, HAVEN’T I?
2. Moths and their caterpillars also use fallen leaves, old stems and other plant debris to hide in, and as places to spend the winter. If you can, delay cutting back old plants until the spring, rather than the autumn. If you want to keep your garden looking tidy, try leaving some old plant material behind the back of borders or in other places out of sight.
1. Long grasses, shrubs, trees and climbing plants all provide places for moths to rest during the day.
VICKY NALL
3. Moth caterpillars feed on a wide variety of native plants, many of which we consider weeds, so let a part of the garden go wild. Many caterpillars feed on native grasses, and native trees and shrubs are also food plants – hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, privet and willow are all good choices.
In some very special years, the UK is visited by good numbers of hummingbird hawk-moths. These fat-bodied, day-flying moths from the continent patrol garden flowers in search of nectar, hovering whilst they feed – leading to their name. Their size, grey body, black and white-tipped abdomen and orange wings are largely unmistakable.
4. Pesticides and herbicides can kill moths or harm the plants on which their caterpillars depend for food. Reducing the use of these chemicals will benefit a wide range of wildlife as well as moths. 5. Adult moths will take nectar from a wide range of flowers, including many garden varieties. They particularly like nightscented plants such as summer-flowering jasmine, honeysuckle, evening primrose, sweet rocket and night-scented stock.
Top 5 moths to look out for Barred fruit tree tortrix
One of many tiny insects collectively known as ‘micro moths’, close examination is needed to appreciate its beauty – the adult in less than 1cm long, smaller than your little fingernail.
Garden tiger
One of the largest and most brightly marked moths, and a frequent garden visitor. The hairy caterpillar, known as a ‘woolly bear’ is also a regular find.
Poplar hawk-moth
All the hawk-moths are large, spectacular insects; the poplar hawk-moth is the most common in gardens, although you may also see others.
Burnished brass
Buff-tip
The markings on many moths are actually marvellous camouflage. At rest the buff-tip looks remarkably like a broken
Relatively common, this moth is easily recognised by the metallic sheen which gives it its name.
silver birch twig.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 11
GREAT DAYS OUT
Ten great
Accessible reserves
Limited mobility needn’t mean missing out on nature. Here are ten reserves with excellent wheelchair access Bystock Pools Devon WT
Only a part is wheelchair-accessible – but it’s a really beautiful part, with lots of dragonflies and damselflies in summer. The boardwalk allows access for all around the beautiful freshwater pool where the air is filled with dragonflies in summer. Trees line the way, providing shelter from the sun for visitors and a place for birds to nest. devonwildlifetrust.org Where is it? Four miles N of Exmouth. Grid SY 030 849, OS Explorer 115. Postcode EX8 5EE.
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Joe’s Pond Durham WT
An old coal pit pond at its best in May and June, with records of more than 140 breeding birds. The north end boardwalk for wheelchairs and pushchairs has just been renewed, and there are disabled toilets at Rainton Meadows visitor centre next door. durhamwt.co.uk Where is it? A mile SW of Houghton-le-Spring. Look for Rainton Meadows visitor centre. Grid NZ 328 487, OS Explorer 308. Regular buses.
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Thurrock Thameside Nature Park Essex WT
G SWEETNAM
Built on a former landfill site, the park is particularly good for seeing and hearing skylarks and also important for invertebrates and reptiles. The views over the Thames Estuary, where there are thousands of wading
birds in winter, are spectacular. There are many easy-access paths, one hide and a superb visitor centre. Wheelchairs can even reach the roof by a spiral route around the outside. essexwt.org.uk Where is it? 2 miles S of Stanford-le-Hope. Grid TQ 696 806, OS Explorer 175. Postcode SS17 0RN.
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Testwood Lakes Hants & IOW WT
Winner of the New Forest ‘Access for all’ award, this grassland, wet woodland and lakeside reserve has surfaced paths, accessible hides, all-terrain wheelchairs and one tramper buggy for hire. There’s also a wheelchairfriendly sensory garden. hiwwt.org.uk Where is it? 1.5 miles from Totton, Southampton. OS Explorer OL22. Buses to Testwood Crescent. Postcode SO40 3WX.
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London Centre for Wildlife Gardening
London WT
An inspiring garden reserve on the site of an old council depot. The reserve does a great deal of work with local communities, including projects to improve the self-confidence and wellbeing of socially isolated older people. It’s accessible but please call first on 020 7252 9186. wildlondon.org.uk Where is it? 28 Marsden Road, SE15 4EE. Grid TQ 338 755, OS Explorer 161. Surrey Wildlife Trust’s tramper buggy. Hants and Lincs WTs hire out similar vehicles
DEVON WT
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Bystock Pools in Devon. Boardwalks are a great way for everyone to get really close to wetland wildlife
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Attenborough Nature Reserve Nottinghamshire WT
A huge complex of former gravel pits and islands, most of it wheelchair-accessible, including three hides. The award-winning Nature Centre has displays, a shop and café. nottinghamshirewildlife.org Where is it? Off A6005. Grid SK 515 339, OS Explorer 245. Postcode NG9 6DY.
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Wigg Island Visitor Centre Cheshire Wildlife Trust
The Trust manages the accessible centre here which has refreshments and displays to view during the summer, whilst the wider community park has accessible paths taking you to viewing screens which overlook the adjacent Mersey estuary. Check beforehand for opening times. cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk Where is it? North of Runcorn, across the Manchester Ship Canal. Take the A533 Bridgewater Expressway in Runcorn and follow the brown signs onto Astmoor Road.
12 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
Before you go
Even the smoothest path or boardwalk can be rendered impassable by floods or a fallen tree, so it’s a good idea to check with the local Wildlife Trust.
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Brockholes Lancashire WT
This multi award-winning floating visitor ‘village’ which opened in 2012, gives accessible views across wetlands while you shop, enjoy your lunch or learn more about local wildlife. Two additional accessible nature trails allow those who are feeling adventurous to explore more of the reserve. Where is it? Just east of Preston off J31 of the M6, on the A59, follow the brown Wildlife Trust tourist signs. PR5 0AG.
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Whisby Nature Park Lincs WT
120ha (300 acres) of marshy wetland. Visitor centre, parking (£2) and wheelchair-friendly facilities, including a lift to the lower floor exhibition, and six bird hides. Thorpe, Coot and Grebe lakes have wheelchair-friendly paths, and mobility scooters can be hired for £2 (free to members). To book, ring 01522 688868. lincstrust.org.uk
Where is it? W of Lincoln relief road A46. OS Explorer 121, Grid SK 911 661.
Welsh Wildlife Centre 10 The WT of South and West Wales This wildlife gem on the banks of the Teifi river at Cilgerran has full disabled access: parking, toilets, a lift and an easy, wheelchair-accessible path around the site. There are frequent guided tours and activities, and a newly planted willow maze. You may see water buffalo and otters in the marsh and, in spring and summer, ospreys overhead. welshwildlife.org Where is it? Cilgerran, Pembrokeshire. OS Explorer 145. Postcode SA43 2TB.
FIND MORE SITES LIKE THESE AT WILDLIFETRUSTS.ORG/ ACCESSIBLERESERVES
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SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 13
DAY IN THE LIFE
A day in the life... For the past three years, the Trust has welcomed Skills For The Future trainees each year, as part of a Heritage Lottery-funded project in partnership with Chester Zoo and the Cheshire Region Biological Records Centre. Andy Perry from the 2013/14 team tells us more about what the year-long placement involves.
Tra in e e? W h at is a Biodivealirsficitatyion may tick the first box
onmental qu the shortlisting Having an envir lp you through he or , rm e fo n you meet all th on an applicatio job, but how do st fir ial uc er cr sw at been the an process for th s traditionally Volunteering ha lly can ? ria ite cr r he se ot ur lf financia supporting yo at th e id g ns w nisations takin but has the do addition, orga In . ng gi ets en all dg g on limited bu be extremely ch arities operatin ch lly ra ne ge volunteers are themselves. the Heritage , however, from s been at hand ha lp he on promising 11, ke 20 Since nisations to ta ga or les ab en which plicants Lottery Fund, vation skills. Ap develop conser to g in ineeship nt tra wa ’s s trainee p over a year tes who develo ua ad gr with a e lly nc ca pi rie are ty an. Be it expe ual Learning Pl vid di n to each In w an do h is throug out wildlife, it ab n re ild ch aching ribute to the chainsaw or te need and cont rtunities they po op d fin ! to id trainee s, it really is pa sation. And ye ni ga or e th of work
Talking about water voles
My ba ck g rou n d…er passion thanks to the British Trust
my true care initially joined I first realised TCV) whom I Volunteers (now n tio va er on to study ns nt for Co spaces. I we ing local green ov pr im s sidential ay re nd a on Su g my keep as iversity, earnin un at n y feeling all tio tu va conser before even nal Trust estate tio Na nted a wa on r lly ee ea volunt ervation. I id first job in cons y m g and le in ck ey ta rv to su ready ill lacked the reserve, but I st overed re tu sc di na I a ly, on te a role quired. Fortuna re s st po e g es ills th life Trust. Bein monitoring sk o and the Wild Zo r te es Ch ith sts w needed, and the trainee po rds the skills I traineeship towa e th r ilo ta rious partner va to able able from the ail av s tie ni rtu oppo od to miss. the wealth of rtunity too go ade it an oppo m , ns tio sa ni orga
On th e re co rd…
the traineeship fered a place on of be to ed e ht I was delig es Laura, Clair fellow candidat ith w ng alo ith 13 w ement in May 20 ock of the plac ent the first bl for Cheshire. and Kerry. I sp re nt ce ogical record ol bi l ca lo e th ping Record – nity for develo aluable opportu s em st This was an inv Sy n io Informat Geographical tat bi Ha 1 e our skills with as Ph use digitising to t pu we ch life (GIS) whi view of the wild first-stage over and s te Si Assessments (a e lif ild W site) for Local a on d rd un fo habitats e in to the reco eries that cam qu r he ot ith a w at ting assisting s dirty tree plan o got our boot ter Zoo, es centre. We als Ch by d ing develope be e rv se re re new natu newt surveys. great creasted ith w on snd ha and got
Small mammal surveying
14 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
Andy Perry, Biodiversity Trainee Ba ck in bla ck…
LOTTERY F
UNDED
Learning how biological reco rds are collect and what the ed and stored data can tell us , , formed an impo my placement rtant part of with Record, es pecially around poplar. This st the rare black unning tree (Po pu lus nigra subsp is one of our lar . betulifolia) gest and rarest native trees an potentially be d could extinct in the UK within 30 year has largely be s. Th is decline en attributed to a loss of its na floodplain habi tu ra l lo wland tat through dr ainage, crossintroduced sp po llin at io n with ecimens, and a curious result nature (male an of its di oe cious d female catkin s being on sepa in that 90% of rate trees) remaining Briti sh trees are m however, buck ale. Cheshire, s this trend with many of the co plus specimen unty’s 300s being female . Chester Zoo ha s been striving to save this va through a loca luable species l Biodiversity Ac tio n Plan (BAP), monitoring an recording, d planting trees around the co the traineeship unty. During , we have help ed with importi information on ng detailed the location, se x and condition black poplars of Cheshire’s onto RODIS, th e wildlife inform for the region. at ion database These records have already pr as we were ab ov ed useful le to plot trees that had not pr genetically test eviously been ed and plan a route for colle samples. Putti cting new ng the informat io n to the test, we some of these located trees in the fie ld and took cu trees which ha ttings of severa ve since been l sent off for ge will hopefully netic analysis contribute to th and e conservation programme.
Isle of Man cabbage conservation on the Wirral
De lv in g into th e d ra g on
’s d e n…
The period of my placement with the Ches Trust saw me hire Wildlife in the field len ding a hand on darter dragon the white-face fly reintroduct d ion project, ba programme an dger vaccinatio d various spec n ies and habita trainees also te t surveys. The amed up to pl an and deliver recording day a wildlife with the zoo an d a Living Seas to mark Natio themed event nal Marine Wee k, held at Leas on the Wirral. owe Lighthouse My final stint at the zoo saw m the Discovery e working with & Learning team on the recently BUGS! Exhibitio opened n
T h e futu re…
The year-long scheme is certa inly an intense training, but I period of have enjoyed every day and hear that last am heartened year ’s trainees to both went on within the indu to secure jobs stry – one for an ecology consul other with a W tancy, the ildlife Trust. My learning plan alr plenty of boxe eady has s checked off, which hopefully more boxes on means ticking future applica tion forms!
FIND OUT MOR E
Applications fo r the 2014/15 se ason have now if you are inte closed, but rested in beco m in g a biodiversity would like mor trainee or e information on the project contact Sarah ge ne rally please Bennett on sb ennett@cheshi rewt.org.uk
white-faced Helping with the tion uc od ntr rei darter
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 15
SUPPORTER SURVEY
Your Wildlife Trust, In the January edition of The Grebe, we asked for your views on Cheshire Wildlife Trust and where you think we should be focusing our work in the future. We had a fantastic response to the survey, and the results, along with your comments, will now inform our thinking around a new strategy for the Trust, which we hope to share in The Grebe magazine later this year.
About the survey Although we’re lucky enough to meet hundreds of Trust supporters and members every year at our events, there are still more than 13,000 of you across Cheshire and Wirral, and sometimes even further afield! As your local Wildlife Trust acting as a voice for nature and representing you, our supporters, it’s important we understand the issues and concerns that mean the most to you.
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Choose the top three areas of our work you consider most important:
60%
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How important is it that your Wildlife Trust campaigns to get the best deal for wildlife on these issues?
Influencing planning/development and political decision making
58% 47%
This year, we were delighted to receive more than 400 responses to the survey, both from the form included in the New Year edition of The Grebe, and those who filled out the survey online. This represents almost a two-fold increase since our last survey undertaken in 2012. Our congratulations also go to Mr Brian Williams who was picked out of the hat of our survey responses and enjoyed two free tickets to see Iolo Williams in March – and even got the chance to meet the man himself!
78% 78% of you said local council plans on development and the environment were very important
Looking after nature reserves
68% Saving threatened local wildlife
68% of you said it was very important we campaigned on agricultural policy
63%
To make more space for nature, the Trust should:
66% 78% of you strongly agreed we should work with landowners where there is potential benefit for wildlife
52% of you agreed we should acquire suitable land where we can create new wildlife habitats
of you strongly agreed we should work with developers and businesses where there is potential benefit for wildlife
39%
of you disagreed we should only acquire land which is currently of high wildlife value
60%
16 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
of you agreed we should increase the size or number of our nature reserves
63% of you said direct species protection was very important
52% 52% of you said it was important we campaigned on transport and infrastructure
60% 60% of you said marine conservation was very important
WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN As the questions in the survey had the option to provide multiple answers, here we’ve shown the most popular choices from our results, showing the percentage of you that chose each option.
To see the full results, visit cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/yourviews
your views 4
FIND OUT MORE
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How can your Trust help you do your bit for wildlife?
35% Provide a wildlife enquiries hotline
76%
What do you see as being the greatest threat to wildlife in your area? Below are the top three answers and how many votes each received.
162
32
Provide advice and ideas online
20%
29
Offer a wide range of wildlife products to buy from the Trust
76% Hold ‘how to’ workshops sharing expertise on how to do more for wildlife
34 % Help you connect with other wildlife Trust members in your area
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Agricultural practices
General ignorance/lack of knowledge
Your views Cheshire has been massively overdeveloped in the last 25 years and this has had huge consequences for wildlife…we must try and protect it as much as possible
How do you think we should improve our presence in the region?
43%
Mrs Sharples, Warrington
By creating a purpose-built visitor centre to share nature with the public
41% By acquiring one or more large flagship nature reserves
74% By working in partnership to create a presence at other non-Trust locations
81% By working with groups and communities, and being active in local green spaces
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Development (housing/roads etc)
In which ways should we work with people and communities?
I would like to see much more contact between the big conservation groups… together we are stronger! Mr Abercrombie, Macclesfield
Your magazine is always a good read Mrs Kingston, Warrington
The Trust has the commitment, energy and knowledge to inspire us to make this a better place for future generations Mrs Lomax
There’s not enough going on in Chester… please set up a local group for people in the area
64% Nature-based training and work experience
Mrs Mulligan, Chester
51% Improve health and wellbeing through nature-based activities
81% Encourage a wider range of people to access nature reserves and green space
40% Deliver activities targeted at helping minority groups to access nature
Economic considerations nearly always trump wildlife…most people have little affinity with nature Mr Carter, Chester
Our wildlife needs all the help it can get, and you provide it Mrs Stark
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 17
here is now widespread agreement that the best way to reverse the decline of our seas is an ecologically coherent network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – enough safe areas for marine habitats and species to thrive. Slowly the first parts of this network are starting to fall into place. In recent months the Government has finally begun to stop damaging fishing activity in England’s Europeandesignated Marine Sites (pale blue on the map). This major breakthrough is long overdue. We hope the other countries will quickly follow suit. There is also progress on nationallydesignated sites (yellow). In November 2013 27 sites in English waters (out of a recommended 127) became Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). In Scotland, 33 sites under consultation will, we hope, be designated in 2014. Northern Ireland’s recent Marine Act has produced its first MCZ in Strangford Lough, and paved the way for more. However, the Welsh Government’s plans for marine sites have stalled. All UK Governments have a deadline of 2020 to create a network of MPAs that works for wildlife. Two further tranches of English MCZs are scheduled for designation in 2015-16 and 2016-17 but right now we’re still a long way off. We will continue to put pressure on all Governments – and you can help too (see below).
T Scottish candidate sites There are 33 potential Marine Protected Areas under consultation. We hope they will be designated in 2014.
It’s slow progress, but here’s where we are – and where we need to be to save marine wildlife
Marine Protected Areas
European Marine Sites n Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are designated at a European level. For the first time, the UK Government is managing fishing activity within English sites. We hope the devolved Governments will follow suit.
n English MCZs English Marine Protected Areas are called Marine Conservation Zones. 27 were designated in November 2013. This means that appropriate management measures will now be brought in.
■ Missing Even if all the Scottish and European sites are fully protected, there are still large gaps in our seas which will need more Marine Protected Areas. We are determined to fill these gaps and create a UK network that works for wildlife
There are also three large European sites west of Scotland
Too big for the main map
Sign up to our marine campaigning group at wildlifetrusts.org/ mczfriends. We’ll keep you up to date on progress and ask you to help us with calling for Marine Protected Areas to save our seas.
What you can do
Thank you to everyone who has supported our Marine Network campaign. We’ll be counting on your help again!
HABITATS
Going, going, gone? Cheshire cheese is known around the world, but this famous export would be nothing without the pasture the region’s cattle need to graze on. These same grasslands are also a haven for rare wildlife, which is why their ongoing disappearance is the focus of a new Wildlife Trusts campaign, as Dr Rachel Giles reports. Lowland Cheshire’s warm, wet summers and mild winters are perfectly suited to growing grass. Where grass grows fast, cattle produce a lot of milk, so by the 12th century Cheshire had become one of the main dairy regions of England. Five hundred years later and Cheshire cheese was considered the best in England - its pleasing taste attributed to the high quality of the grass and fodder in the county.
L MAIDEN
Although still made in Cheshire, the cheese we now enjoy is very different. The red and white Shorthorn cattle of old have long been replaced with the familiar black and white Holstein – Friesians. The grass and fodder, which was considered so remarkable, would be unrecognisable to those first cheeemakers. Today, dairy cattle in the region are largely fed on rye grass, often in the form of silage and their diets supplemented with soya or cereal based cattle pellets. Just 70 years ago, cattle were largely being grazed on permanent pastures that probably contained at least four species of grass and an array of herbs such as red clover, birds-foot trefoil, field woodrush and black knapweed.
20 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
This was traditional pastoral farming, a process which relied on natural processes to build soil fertility. Areas of permanent pasture tended to be located on clay or other land difficult to plough. The lighter soils produced cereal and winter fodder crops in rotation with a year or more laid to grass which returned nutrients to the soil. It was a self-sustaining, pastoral ecosystem. Sadly, these traditional farming practices which lasted almost a millennia, disappeared in less than a generation with the advent of industrialised farming, chemical fertilisers and sprays. The pace of change was only increased by government-funded farm subsidies rewarding intensification. Traditional pastoral farming became no match for the levels of milk production attained by planting monocultures of fast-growing ryegrass stimulated by large quantities of fertilisers.
Between 1997-2010, sites home to species-rich grassland in Cheshire fell by almost a third
WILDLIFE UNDER THREAT IN OUR DISAPPEARING GRASSLANDS
24-spot ladybird
Skylark
Lapwing
Vanishing point Cheshire may be able to produce more milk nowadays, but this has come at a very high price to our countryside. The species-rich pastures and hay meadows that our parents and grandparents knew, now cling on in a few relict areas largely confined to the hilly far east of the region. For a while some remnants also persisted on steep inaccessible stream banks in lowland Cheshire, but many of these have now scrubbed over with bramble, gorse and hawthorn as modern dairy cattle don’t like rough grazing. The result is that traditional pastoral ecosystems have virtually gone from lowland Cheshire along with their wildflowers and slow-growing grasses. Disappearing fast are the species these ecosystems supported, from beetles and butterflies, to grasshoppers and millipedes. Whilst these smaller residents of our grasslands are easily overlooked, we become acutely aware when the impact hits those species that rely on this varied insect menu like yellow wagtails, lapwings and skylarks – the iconic species of our rural landscape. But we can’t blame farmers for these losses. At the end of the day, every farm is a business needing to turn a profit like any other enterprise. We also need to understand that we can’t turn the clock back to a bygone era whilst we have a growing population that needs feeding. That’s why the Wildlife Trusts want to see farmers supported for doing their do their bit for the environment, however small. Unfortunately, this support is currently unfocussed and inadequate, which may be why uncompetitive traditional family farms are still going out of business and areas of species-rich and semi-improved grasslands are still being lost.
Quaking grass
The Wildlife Trusts Vanishing Grasslands campaign Between 1997 – 2010 in Cheshire alone, sites home to species-rich grasslands fell by almost a third. This worrying picture is being reflected across the country which is why we’re now asking the government to think about the following key changes: The Wildlife Trusts are calling for a full review of existing protection for environmentally important grasslands and asking the Government to:
1
Improve existing laws and policies and effectively enforce them – Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) Regulations strengthened and grasslands given better protection through planning policy.
2
Support wildlife-rich grasslands on farmland – Farmers should be fully rewarded for managing important grasslands (e.g. through farmland conservation schemes) and attach stronger requirements for protection to the direct payments farmers receive for managing land.
3
Award statutory protection to more grassland sites that deserve it Species-rich grassland sites that qualify should become protected SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) as quickly as possible.
4
Set up a national grassland inventory – A new national inventory of important grasslands in England (similar to that for ancient woodland) should be established with sustained monitoring of sites in the future.
GIVE YOUR SUPPORT You can also help by signing the e-petition aimed at Environment Secretary, Owen Paterson at wildlifetrusts.org This is an important opportunity to influence the government, please support our campaign.
Yellow wagtail
5
Restore more wildlife-rich grasslands – Grassland restoration projects delivered in partnership with landowners by local Wildlife Trusts, Plantlife and others should be encouraged and sustained.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 21
WILD WALKS
Inside a Living Lands Across Cheshire, we’re standing on the edge of our nature reserves and looking out into the wider countryside, exploring the best ways to link up the habitat jigsaw. But what’s really going on inside a Living Landscape? Ben Gregory takes us on a new range of walks designed to help us discover just that. If you ask people ‘what does Cheshire Wildlife Trust do?’ you’ll most likely get a range of answers depending on that person’s experiences with the Trust. Whether it’s commenting on a planning application that could be a bad deal for local wildlife, organising an event for families over the summer or maintaining our network of nature reserves, the work we do can often seem high profile. However, if you were walking through the countryside and noticed a hedgerow had been coppiced and replanted to provide a wildlife super-highway, or that a farmer’s field had been restored for lapwings and snipe by having shallow ditches dug into it, you might not expect this to be the work of the Trust. With our first Living Landscape project now well underway in the River Gowy corridor, some of the work we’re doing may just come as a surprise. Now though, thanks to a new series of self-guided walks, you can get into the heart of our Living Landscape and see our work for yourself at first hand. There are currently two walks to enjoy, with another one in the pipeline, guiding you through some of the work we’ve been busy with over the past two years as part of the Gowy Connect project. Both are user-friendly circular walks, each of which takes in different areas of the project. On the way you can get close to a variety of habitats including newly restored hedgerows, floodplain grazing meadow and wet woodland to name a few, and with a chance spot some of the wildlife winners from our Living Landscape scheme, including, if you’re very lucky, water voles(below) and even otters.
Walk 1 - Plemstall and Mickle Trafford Walk one starts and ends in Plemstall near to the village of Mickle Trafford and highlights work across two farms within the Gowy Connect project. With a total length of 3.3 miles on flat land, in most weathers it will be suitable for a good range of abilities and age groups. Following the route notes which accompany the map, you’ll be able to spot some of the hedgerow restoration work we’ve been doing, including one hedgerow which has examples of three different hedgerow restoration techniques in one length. You may also be able to see the puffing chimneys of our charcoal kiln in the gardens of The Conservation Volunteers’ Trafford Mill, which makes good use of the wood that has been harvested through the project; turning it into locally produced, sustainable charcoal. Combine this with a chance to seek out some of the birds we’ve recorded on the route, including yellowhammer, whitethroat and reed bunting, and you’ve got a great way to while away an afternoon out in the Cheshire countryside.
Walk 2 - Tiverton Walk two starts and ends a little further upstream at the Shady Oak public house in Tiverton. This walk totalling 3.6 miles gets you right in amongst our Living Landscape. With stunning views of both Beeston and Peckforton castles and a section of the walk along the Shropshire Union canal, you can explore the ‘mosaic’ of habitats that make this area so special. There are meadows being restored with our own ‘living lawnmowers’, half-tonne longhorn cattle, grazing peacefully alongside the river bordered by ancient species-rich hedgerows which provide fantastic habitat for birds such as bullfinch, redwing and fieldfare, all of which have been recorded on the route.
TOM MARSHALL
On this trail you’ll also walk along the river Gowy itself where if you’re very lucky you may see water voles and otters, which we know are active on this section thanks to infra-red, nightvision camera footage that has been recorded over the past couple of years.
With two walks completed work has now begun on a third walk which explores a different area of the project. The third walk will be a little longer and will include one of our nature reserves on the Gowy which is a hotspot for dragonflies. Look out for the third walk becoming available on the Living Walks part of the CWT website, where you can download all the walk route maps along with walk instructions which give you a flavour of what you can see along the way.
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DON’T FORGET All Living Walks are on public footpaths some of which cross private land. Please stick to the footpath and adhere to the Countryside Code which is available to download from Natural England’s website www.naturalengland.org.uk
MIKE SNELLE
TOM MARSHALL
scape – wild walks
To download the map and guided trail visit cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/livingwalks
Fieldfare
To download the map and guided trail visit cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/livingwalks
WILD WALKS There are Wild Walks you can enjoy across Living Landscapes throughout the UK. Visit www.wild-walks.org to find out more and share your own wildlife sightings!
Banded demoiselle
TOM MARSHALL
RICHARD BOWLER
Charcoal burning at Mickle Trafford
Longhorn
Our Gowy & Mersey Washlands Living Landscape scheme and Gowy Connect project are supported by the Environment Agency, WREN and United Utilities.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 23
CONSERVATION GRAZING
From field to fork In August 2012, the Trust embarked on an exciting new project – aiming to bring high-quality, nature-grazed beef and lamb from our conservation grazing herds to local communities across Cheshire. The Trust’s Joe Pimblett updates us. From the Trust’s base at Bickley Hall Farm, we manage an impressive 500head of livestock; including 250 Hebridean and Shropshire sheep, Dexter cattle, and one of the largest native English longhorn herds in the country. These hardy, traditional breeds are also known as our ‘living lawnmowers’ and form the basis of our conservation grazing programme working to maintain and enhance wildlife habitats across Cheshire, from our largest nature reserve to some of our smallest. The Wild About Conservation Meat (WACM) project, funded by the Big Lottery through the Local Food initiative, has been supported by a Development Officer, Heather Hulse, and myself as project assistant, allowing us to get stuck into securing a route to market for our meat and working with local butchers and restaurants to get our produce on the table. The principle aim of the project has been to secure a long-term, sustainable income for the conservation grazing scheme that already underpins a great deal of the Trust’s work, not least in managing around a dozen of our nature reserves, many of which are also in our flagship Living Landscape scheme.
TOM MARSHALL
Spring last year saw the start of an exciting marketing campaign with the project team hitting the road and attending countless food fairs, agricultural shows and open days across the county. We had a simple yet bold aspiration: to get the Trust’s conservation-grazed beef and lamb onto the dinner plates of Cheshire’s residents.
24 THE GREBE SPRING 2014
In the year since we have already made great progress, with five butchers and restaurants with our meat on the menu or in the window, along with sales to an expanding retail market, with ‘beef boxes’ and half lambs proving particularly popular.
Case study: Phillip Arden, Bosley
The next generation Our educational programme also kicked off in the autumn of 2012, with 10 primary schools visiting our Wigg Island visitor centre in Runcorn to both come face-to-face with the source of our meat – a half-tonne longhorn – and also to get valuable healthy eating cooking skills with the lean, high in Omega 3 beef, through simple recipes. This first phase of the scheme focused around the Halton and Warrington districts and enabled us to take Bill, our Longhorn bull, into the heart of the urban community. An unexpected and unusual distraction for passers-by, Bill remains a striking but friendly physical presence and a reminder of where our food comes from.
As we began to establish a reliable market for the Trust’s beef and lamb, the project could then enter the next phase, which was to create links with local farmers who could also benefit. In January last year the ‘Meat Producer Scheme’ was trialled to facilitate this. “The market research we have completed as part of the project has been made possible by the grant funding. Many farmers simply don’t have the spare time to undertake this and as a result may not be fully aware of the demand for their produce,” says Joe. Local beef farmer Phillip Arden has been supplying the WACM market with his exceptional quality beef for over a year. Phillip and his wife Janet farm a suckler herd of 80 Aberdeen Angus cattle on the foothills of the Cloud in Bosley. The couple’s farm is a flagship for environmental stewardship with the local wildlife really benefitting from both the scheme and Phillip’s genuine passion for sustainable farming. The cattle are grazed outdoors during the spring and summer and are finished on a grass-based diet year round. Well-managed cattle grazing on their farm has contributed to the farm’s mosaic of wildflower - rich pasture and semi-natural woodland alongside the more commercially managed land that produces the winter fodder.
Coming face-to-face with the longhorns is an important experience for the children As the project progressed we realised that in order for the children to really get to grips with the full story, a visit to a farm setting would be hugely beneficial. To support this, local farmer and enthusiastic conservationist, Rosie Lee, kindly offered her farm and facilities for us to use. The morning walks around Rosie’s wildlifefriendly farm went on to prove a big hit with the youngsters. Following this the children had the opportunity to make their own conservation-grazed beef burgers using our mince. These were later cooked on the BBQ for the children’s lunch. In total, more than 400 children from a dozen different schools have been involved in the project over the past year.
“Beef farmers need various outlets for their meat and working with the Trust’s conservation meat project has been great for getting my beef sold locally here in Cheshire. Some of my smaller cattle do not meet the increasingly difficult specifications of the commercial market but have proved very popular with the Trust’s butchers and restaurants,” says Phillip.
On a shelf near you! Despite its original 18-month trial period, far from winding up the project we’ll now be applying everything we’ve learned into a new venture: products from reserves. Heather will now be stepping into the role of Development Officer working to establish a retail market for even more exciting Cheshire Wildlife Trust products. Some of the items we expect to go on sale this year are ecofriendly charcoal, timber and Hebridean wool, so watch this space! If you would like further information on these products please contact Heather Hulse at hhulse@cheshirewt.org.uk or keep an eye on the shop pages of our website.
GET INVOLVED Keeping an eye on our half-tonne heroes
A group of youg chefs get ready to make healthy burgers from our nature-grazed beef
A side project arising from the WACM initiative was the recruitment of a volunteer group to help keep an eye on our livestock while they are grazing the reserves. Volunteers are actively helping support our grazing programme by reducing the Trust’s costs associated with checking the livestock. If you would like further information on this please contact Joe Pimblett at jpimblett@cheshirewt.org.uk
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 25
FLOODING 2014
Flooding - is it time to Earlier this year, the UK witnessed unprecedented weather and associated flooding that hasn’t been seen for decades. As a political storm to rival those that caused the widespread damage continues, should we be looking at nature for the solution, rather than battling against it?
In many places, a greater volume of water is now reaching the floodplain more quickly because of the loss of these natural habitats as efficient agricultural drainage systems have been constructed over many years. In some areas, farming practices can also lead to vast quantities of soil being washed off the land into watercourses and the sea. Although dredging rose high on the political agenda in Somerset, it remains just one part of the wider issue of how we manage run-off and flow capacity.
For weeks at the beginning of 2014, large parts of Britain’s south west, Thames Valley and Midlands lay underwater, at the mercy of a relentless period of low pressure weather systems that saw river records broken and groundwater levels at their highest for a century.
Perhaps surprisingly, the issue of flooding in our urban areas can owe more to what happens further upstream, long before high streets and road networks fall victim to rising waters. Those upland ‘sponges’ like peat bogs can do much to help those living further down the river – all the more reason to ensure these habitats are maintained in the healthiest possible condition.
From the rural Somerset Levels to the outskirts of London and the centre of Worcester, several feet of floodwater brought misery to thousands and generated an often heated political debate that pitched ministers against government environment departments operating on recently reduced budgets. However, as the issue of relief funding and on-the-ground support took centre stage in the media, the wider science behind what led to the floods was often overlooked.
Have we added to the problem? Since World War II, our agricultural landscape has radically altered. Fewer hedgerows, degraded habitats and more intensive farming mean our countryside is less able to store water now than 100 years ago. Historically, natural ‘sponges’ in the landscape like peat bogs, reedbeds, broadleaved woodlands, wetlands and species-rich grasslands would have made an effective difference to the level and intensity of water hitting our river systems.
Another well-publicised impact that has exacerbated urban flooding is the development of our floodplains. This increased coverage of impermeable surfaces over areas that would traditionally be ‘sacrificial’ during flood events means that large volumes of water that would have otherwise been stored before being allowed to flow into the river at a reduced pace are now entering the system almost immediately. Even small changes like the loss of gardens in favour of driveways as car ownership has increased have also had a cumulative effect.
Letting nature takes its course Reinstating the original river course In partnership with the Environment Agency, at our Hockenhull Platts nature reserve near Waverton an overspill sluice allows water from the River Gowy to flow into newly created wetlands during times of flood that follow the original, more meandering course of the river. In doing so, a proportion of water can be stored in this rural location away from properties and farmland, and in turn helps to introduce fresh water into the wetlands which act as feeding and refuge areas for otters and water voles, along with breeding amphibians and dragonflies during the summer months.
SCOTT PETREK
The south and south west experienced some of the worst flooding for decades earlier this year
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stop twisting nature’s arm? Nature’s flood defences At our largest nature reserve, the 165-hectare Gowy Meadows near Ellesmere Port, floodplain grazing marshes are managed in partnership with Essar (formerly Shell) for a wide range of farmland birds. In times of flood, these marshes can be allowed to accept large quantities of water to limit the effects on industry to the north including the Stanlow Refinery. This periodical flooding allows water into scrapes and wetlands that host hundreds of wildflowl over winter, and birds like snipe and lapwing during the summer.
ADRIAN WALMSLEY
The Wildlife Trusts’ 5 point plan to tackling flood management 1. Fix our broken ecosystems We need to restore our natural habitat ‘sponges’ across the whole landscape to make them more robust and able to retain water and reduce surface run-off. This could be achieved by making payments to farmers linked to measures that will protect these valuable habitats. National strategies must also move away from a focus on dredging and unsustainable land drainage.
2. Take an integrated approach Current flood-risk management is too fragmented and too heavily focussed on the old ways of managing the problem, which can have negative impacts elsewhere. The restoration of nature must be at the heart of this approach if it is to work. The authorities and agencies responsible for managing flood and coastal erosion risks should prioritise natural and sustainable solutions in rural and urban areas, and along our coasts.
3. Stop development on floodplains Planning policy must rigorously prevail against urban floodplain development. Where local authorities see no alternative, priority must be given to minimising impact through techniques like sustainable urban drainage systems (SUD), green roofs and integrating nature reserves as flood alleviation.
JARGON BUSTER Ecosystem Services – nature’s own processes that we rely on for our everyday needs and wellbeing; such as water, soils, nutrients and species we need like pollinators for our food. Groundwater – water sitting in aquifers and other underground natural stores. When this reaches full capacity and ground is saturated, new rainfall has nowhere else to go.
Floodplain – typically large, flat areas adjacent to rivers. Often very fertile as a result of silt and nutrients previously deposited there by overspilled floodwaters. Run-off – the process of water leaving hard surfaces or saturated soft surfaces and entering into rivers, ditches and streams either directly or via drains. Green roofs – grass, succulents or wildflowers are grown in place of standard roof coverings, helping to both store and slow down the speed at which run-off enters drainage systems.
4. Give flood agencies the resources needed Positive action can only be achieved by funding appropriate levels of resources and staffing within the Environment Agency and Natural England. The Treasury needs to recognise that the economic benefits provided by these government agencies working at their full potential far outweigh the enormous costs of flood damage, severe drought and the hidden costs of species decline.
5. We can all do our bit Create a green roof, whether on our home or on top of the garden shed – planted roofs help to slow the flow of water run-off in bad weather and help stop flooding. Consider reverting paved areas of your garden back to greenspace or creating wetland habitats in your garden – whether it’s a pond or beautiful bog garden, these habitats all help absorb water and are wonderful for wildlife. See a Living Landscape in action at our nature reserves along the River Gowy. Find out more at www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk
Peat bog – found both in uplands and sometimes lowland areas, these are habitats dominated by sphagnum, a plant capable of storing many times its dry weight in water.
A Living Landscape – the Wildlife Trusts’ strategy for landscape-scale management of our countryside, putting traditional methods of looking after land next to natural corridors like rivers at the heart of creating space for nature.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 27
VOLUNTEERING
‘I hope I’m still hedge laying at 86!’ Paul Loughnane from our Wirral Local Group (Wirral Wildlife) has been volunteering for wildlife for more than a quarter of a century, and his dedication was recognised with a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s New Year honours. We caught up with Paul as the news sank in. What was your first reaction when the letter announcing your British Empire Medal dropped through the door? I was absolutely amazed. It was tinged with some embarrassment too as I couldn’t think why I should be picked as I know so many others who have inspired me who I would have expected to be given the award before me. Without the support and camaraderie of fellow volunteers I would be a voice in the wilderness and probably have long given up by now. It’s absolutely amazing that work with billhook and scythe to improve habitats for wildlife and people in Wirral has been recognised, especially the great success of one small part of the Empire, New Ferry Butterfly Park! I’ve learned a lot from those who have inspired me and shared their knowledge, including John Magee who introduced me to hedge laying, Mel Roberts, the founder of New Ferry Butterfly Park, who had a dream which is now flourishing, and Jack Dunning who taught me about hedge laying Cheshire style. I hope I’m still laying hedges like he is at 86. Hilary Ash remains a font of botanical knowledge and a great person to bounce ideas off. Can you remember your first ever connection with nature? One of my earliest memories was the intense blue of a bluebell carpet at Eastham Country Park on the banks of the Mersey. Forty years later and I am involved in recreating this experience on a smaller scale at New Ferry Butterfly Park and on a larger scale at Thornton Wood. This blue sea of flowers is a truly British phenomenon.
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You’ve been volunteering regularly now for more than 25 years. What is it about the experience that still gets you out of bed and grabbing your billhook on even the coldest, wettest days? Quite simply you have to. You cannot let other volunteers down. The list of events has to be a cast-iron currency so cannot be devalued by a ‘no show’. With our programme being spread over a dozen sites, sometimes it is the only time that season we are visiting. On days when some volunteers have wanted to cancel, you can still go to the meeting point and there will be other tenacious volunteers raring to go. Often the worst days weather-wise turn out to be great days in the field. Being part of a volunteer team is a very different experience than going to work, too. There’s often a rush in the morning heading to the equipment store,
looking after nature takes patience and is all about the long game
Scything as a seasonal cutting technique for wildflower grasslands is just one rural skill Paul is keeping alive on the Wirral
remembering everything and getting the broad array of tools, brew kit, kindling and baked potatoes ready. When you get up and go to work in an office, your gear for the day is already there waiting for you! It can be stressful, but once the event’s got going you can relax and know it is all going well and all worth it. Looking after nature takes patience and is all about the long game. Cutting a meadow or coppicing trees brings a small initial gain. It’s only when these practices are repeated over time that the positive effects for wildlife become apparent. You’ve spent hundreds of hours at the New Ferry Butterfly Park, are butterflies at the top of your wildlife list? Butterflies are certainly top of my list – they are a flagship, the icing on the cake of a healthy flower-rich grassland. Each butterfly tells a different story; high
something to see, even after 20 years. Recently I spied mistletoe growing on a hawthorn for the first time at the park, above one of the paths. Being just five minute’s walk from where I live, even the dullest of winter days can be freshened up with a walk round. New Ferry is an urban area but in the park, with the enclosing hedgerows, gentle rumble of Merseyrail trains sauntering by and the peal of the bells of Christ Church at Port Sunlight on Sundays, you could be in the deepest rural countryside. You have the keys to No. 10 for the day – what’s the first item for change on the agenda?
After a quarter of a century, New Ferry Butterfly Park remains Paul’s favourite spot
numbers of common blues reflect a great yellow carpet of bird’s-foot trefoil, while the presence of fritillaries completes the picture of an ancient woodland with open rides and delicate and diminutive purple violets.
Butterflies are the icing on the cake of a healthy, flower-rich grassland Butterflies at the park have been recorded intensely for 12 years now so it is one of our yardsticks to how the conservation work is progressing. I always eagerly await Barry Shaw’s annual report of Cheshire butterflies to see how the populations at the park are faring compared with other sites in Cheshire. The annual fluctuation in numbers of butterflies still remains something of a mystery, but the figures provide an early warning on what species need special attention. You’re a big advocate of countryside skills like hedge laying. Do you still prefer to use the traditional tools of the trade instead of the latest technology? Chainsaws have their place. They can take the heavy slog off some projects, but they are exclusive and limited to those who are trained and can be easily overused. Following a chainsaw operator moving through a woodland at speed can be disheartening for volunteers as almost insurmountable piles of brash build up faster than even the most enthusiastic team can clear them. Somehow the constant buzz of a chainsaw or strimmer seems to take away from the natural sounds around you too, and conversation and banter amongst the team can be easily lost – along with birdsong in the trees above.
When hedge laying, the stools and pleachers (the remaining parts of the tree left to generate new growth) always shine better when cut with a traditional axe. I think it’s important to build confidence in the use of hand tools, and it’s amazing what can be tackled with them. There’s something very satisfying about using an axe or billhook and the clean, finished, cut wood which is as smooth as if cut with a plane. Another downside to chainsaws creeping into events like local hedging matches is that hedges chosen can become bigger and it can close the door for novices. Chainsaw training and all the necessary safety gear will leave you little change out of £1,500. There is something slightly magical about your own hand tools, like your own Excalibur, but it’s the skills behind the cutter that really count. Hedge laying is almost like going into battle with all that armoury, with the prize being a well-laid living fence with both utility and beauty. Scythes, when you know how to handle them, are faster than strimmers and come without the noise, expense and carbon footprint, and everyone can have a go.
There’s something slightly magical about having hand tools… like your own Excalibur Do you have a favourite spot for getting close to nature? The Butterfly Park has to be my favourite place. It is the site I am most familiar with and I have been involved with it since its creation. I am there so often and enjoy watching changes, plus there’s always
I don’t envy anyone in number 10, but one item I would want to put on the ‘to do’ list would be the control of bovine TB and where the nation is heading in tackling the disease. We should be supportive of farmers whose cattle have TB, help their biosecurity and take up the vaccination challenge which the Cheshire Wildlife Trust has pioneered for badgers. In my view, a cull would be a waste of public money as it doesn’t really work and may spread disease by perturbation. It’s a bizarre situation that it’s a criminal offence to disturb a badger sett, yet in other areas government programmes are eliminating them! What is really required is a bovine TB vaccine for cattle which can be distinguished from naturally occurring TB infection. What would be your top tip for someone wanting to encourage wildlife in their backyard for the first time? Plant a lavender bush. It’s a fragrant perennial which attracts bumblebees and butterflies. It’s low maintenance, just requiring an end of season haircut. Just cut back to green wood as older brown wood stems do not re-sprout.
INFORMATION You can find out more about New Ferry Butterfly Park on our website at www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk and the work of our Wirral Local Group at www.wirralwildlife.org.uk The Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside will be the guest of honour on the park’s open day, Sunday May 4th, when Dame Lorna Muirhead DBE will also unveil a new accolade for the site.
SPRING 2014 THE GREBE 29
Wildlife Trust Binoculars
Bring nature closer - with the Wildlife Trusts’ new range of binoculars. Every time you purchase Opticron Oregon Wildlife Trust binoculars, you’ll be helping to protect the wildlife right before your eyes.
New for 2014, the Wildlife Trust range of binoculars includes a compact 8x21 and four full-size models suitable for use by children and adults for all types of wildlife watching.
Oregon DLS2 8x21
Oregon 4 LE WP 8x32
Oregon 4 LE WP 8/10x42
Oregon 4 LE WP 10x50
Prices start from £29.95 To celebrate the launch of the Wildlife Trust range of binoculars with Opticron, you’ll receive free postage with any binocular order made on the Cheshire Wildlife Trust website throughout May 2014. www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk You can also order by calling the Trust on 01948 820728. The full range of Opticron equipment can be tried, tested and purchased at good optical retailers nationwide. www.opticron.co.uk Follow Cheshire Wildlife Trust on Facebook and Twitter for information on optics days near you this summer.