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The Friends of the River Walk is a group ofpeople who feel passionately about the con-dition and future of the River Walk, the Whet-mead Nature Reserve, the James CookeWood and the closed churchyard in Witham.
The Friends are committed to:-promoting and being involved actively inthe appearance, preservation, restoration,improvement and well-being of the RiverWalk, the Whetmead Nature Reserve, theJames Cooke Wood and the closedchurchyard in Witham for the benefit of alllocal residents and users.providing facilities for recreation in theseareas with the object of improving theconditions of life for all the inhabitants ofWitham.raising public awareness of these areasand reflecting the wider concerns of localresidents.liasing with all appropriate organisationsto achieve the group’s objectives.
Join the Friends of the River Walk bycontacting Witham Town Council.
IN THIS EDITION . . . .
Friends First meeting . . . . . .
Tree Planting Event . . . . . . .
Dawn Duck Patrol . . . . . . . . .
Be Nice to Nettles. . . . . . . . .
Ash die-back disease . . . . . .
Backwater channel update .
A rare visitor to Witham. . . .
Something to Say? . . . . .
Friends of the River Walk
Winter 2012
Witham Town CouncilThe Town Hall61 Newland StreetWithamEssex CM8 2FETel: 01376-520627
Email:[email protected]
The first meeting of the “Friends of the River Walk” took place onWednesday, 19th September, in the Public Hall. The meeting was organisedby Witham Town Council to increase local interest in protecting and lookingafter the various areas of open space in Witham, such as the River Walk, theWhetmead Nature Reserve, James Cooke Community Wood and the closedchurchyard. A display, including photographs of these areas, and videofootage shot by Sue Manning of local wildlife such as otters and munkjackdeer was also enjoyed.
Councillor Corinne Thompson, Chairman of the River Walk and WhetmeadWorking Group welcomed some 75 local residents to the meeting, and spokeabout the council’s commitment to these areas and how it is hoped theFriends Group will develop. Barry Fleet outlined how the River Walk hasdeveloped over the years, and the steps taken to protect it, such as theproduction of the Management Plan to 2021, which provides the council witha blueprint for its maintenance works. John Palombi from the Witham andCountryside Society spoke about the River Walk today and highlighted areasof tension where the balance between nature and amenity use is tested.
Although some people experienced difficulties hearing the discussionsarising from the varied questions that were raised, many of those presentfound it an interesting evening. It is hoped thatin time The Friends will become a self support-ing community group organising its ownevents and maybe even competitions centredaround a shared enjoyment and enhancementof Witham’s Open Spaces.
Friends of the River Walk
First meeting
You are invited to come along and take part in this event,organised by the Essex Wildlife Trust, to plant 30 trees toreplace those moved during the work on the backwaterchannel and provide some extra cover along the channeland the new pond. Meet at the backwater channel, justdown from Bridge Street at 10.30 am - please dressappropriately.
Come and help plant a treeSunday, 25th November
@ 10.30 am
DAWN DUCK PATROL
There have been reports recently of ducks being chased andcaught near the duckpond. One incident even involved ourswan. If you notice anything strange on the River Walk, pleasereport it straightaway to either the RSPCA (0300 1234 999) orto the local police (07791 398227). Killing or injuring wild birdsis an offence, and offenders can be prosecuted. If the policecan build up a pattern of when and where this is happening,they can patrol at the appropriate times and stop it happening.
The stinging nettle is one of theUK’s most important native plantsfor wildlife. It supports more than40 species of insect includingsome of our most colourful butter-flies. The long, whitish catkins ofmale and female flowers are bornon separate plants from June untilSeptember. A nettle patch har-bours plenty of insects and inverte-brates and is a magnet for birdsand other insect-eaters. In latesummer the huge quantity ofseeds produced provide a foodsource for many of our seed-eatingbirds, such a house sparrows,chaffinches and bullfinches.
The most notable nettle patch in-habitants are the small tortoise-shell and peacock butterfly larvaewhich feed in large groups hidden
in silken tents at the top of thenettle stems.Many nettle patches hold overwin-tering aphids which swarm aroundthe fresh spring growth and pro-vide an early food source for lady-birds. These same aphids areeaten in large numbers by blue titsand other woodland birds agileenough to dart around the stems.
Nettles are also a magnet for otherinsect-eaters like hedgehogs,shrews, frogs and toads, and slow-worms at all times of the year.
Butterflies of the nettle patchButterflies like the Red Admiralare a common sight on nettles,together with the Small Tortoise-shell, distinctive Peacock andComma.
Be Nice to Nettles!
Red Admiral Small Tortoiseshell Peacock Comma
Moths are often just as beautifuland often more fascinating thanbutterflies.The moths below canbe found in patches of nettles:But while these creatures maybenefit, many wild flowers and low-growing plants are now threatenedby extensive nettle growth andthere is a fear that in the next 50years, we may lose everything at-tractive and just be left with cowparsley and nettles?
Ash dieback disease(Chalara fraxinea)Caused by a fungus, This diseasecauses leaf loss and crown die-back in affected trees, and canlead to tree death. In October2012, scientists confirmed a smallnumber of cases in East Anglia.
Burnished Brass The Spectacle Beautiful Golden Y
Diseased saplings typically displaydead tops and/or side shoots. Le-sions can often be found at thebase of dead side shoots, and cangirdle the branch or stem, causingwilting of the foliage above.
C. fraxinea is being treated as aquarantine pest under nationalemergency measures, and sus-pected cases should be reportedto the Forest Research TreeHealth Diagnostic and AdvisoryService tel: 01420 23000; Email:[email protected]
Our Annual Tree Survey is beingdone soon, but if you see any treesyou think might be infected, pleaselet the council know.
One of the concerns raised at the recent “Friends” meeting, was aboutthe potential risks to youngsters arising from the newly dug pond onthe island which has been created following the recent restoration ofthe backwater channel.
The idea of having the pond is to create an undisturbed habitat as asanctuary for wildlife, such as frogs, toads and newts, who need stillwater. Protected on both sides by water channels, it is hoped that itremain quiet once the vegetation has had a chance to grow back. Inthe meantime, to prevent any mishaps befalling adventurous young-sters, the Town Council has installed warning signs and a life preserv-er. Ways of making the pond safer, perhaps by introducing shelvingsides are being investigated.
Darren Tansley from the Essex Wildlife Trust who is responsible fortaking the project from the drawing board to the river, is delighted withthe way things are progressing. Already a common sandpiper hasbeen spotted in the area, which is a new record for this area, and fishand water beetles have also been seen in the back channel. At themoment, he is designing two interpreta-tive boards which will be put in the vicin-ity of the backwater channel, explainingthe reasons behind the project, andwhat we hope to achieve through it.
BACKWATER CHANNELRESTORATION UPDATE
A Rare Visitor to WhetmeadWillow Emerald Damselfly (Lestes viridis)
Generally found across southern and central Europe, this damselfly is a rarevagrant in the UK. Here in Witham, we can report it is now a new colonist.There are very few twentieth century records, but it was recorded in numbers insoutheast Suffolk during 2009, with outlying sites in southeast Norfolk and northEssex. In 2010 it was again present in these areas, with additional records fromsouth Essex and north Kent, and now in 2012 it has been seen in the Whet-mead Nature Reserve in Witham.
This damselfly is metallic green, with no blue pruinescence on the male. At rest,the Emerald damselflies all spread their wings at an angle to the body, unlikeother damselflies. The pterostigma is pale brown with a black border, and thesides of the thorax show a spur-shaped marking. The male upper appendagesare distinctively pale cream with dark tips. They usually live near ponds, canalsor other still water with overhanging trees and lay their eggs into the bark ofwillow or alder..Generally seen from August to October, mature males defend vertical territoriesin marginal shrubs and small trees where they find and mate with females in thenormal damselfly manner forming the wheel position. Egg laying occurs with thepair in tandem, the eggs being laid into incisions in the bark of overhangingbranches, not into submerged vegetation, as is the case in many damselflies.Egg laying can result in distinct oval galls forming in the shrub's bark. The eggsdevelop rapidly for a few weeks and then overwinter until the following springwhen the eggs hatch, the larvae drop into the water and start to develop.Growth is rapid and adults can emerge in a couple of months. After emergingthe adults move away from water to mature.
Anyone is welcome to contribute to the Friends’ Newsletter; perhapsyou’ve noticed something unusual or interesting, or you’re simplycurious about something. Have you got any good photos you’d like toshare?
Email your contributions to the Deputy Town Clerk [email protected], or drop a paper copy into the InformationCentre in the Town Hall.
Find The River Walk, Witham on Facebook, and share your commentsand photos. Tell us what sort of activities you’d be interested in for thefuture. Some options which have been suggested are:-
○Litter picking
○Nettle pulling
○Tree planting
○Surveying plants, birds, reptiles or wildlife
○Guided Walks
○Photography competition
○Wildflower plug planting
○Bug hunts and river dipping
○Talks from local experts
Something to say?
