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The magazine of the Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Citation preview
We are looking for walk organisers to lead guided tours on a selection of our European parcs. The position would suit individuals, couples or why not make it a family affair.
You will work on a voluntary basis for at least two weeks or even longer if you’re available. Full training is provided along with parc accommodation and travel expenses.
If you would like to apply for this position or would like further information please contact
[email protected] or call 01606 787522
Walking,nature &
outdoors?a love of t
he
Do you have a keen interest in
EC14_Walking_Wildlife_Ad.indd 1 19/12/2013 13:41
Cheshire CheshireGrebeThe Winter 2013-2014
TOP GUNS
also...
Your Trust, Your views
Don’t miss our best aerial
hunters this winter
Supporter survey
The magazine of Cheshire Wildlife Trust
How to reconnect ourchildren with nature
Badgers, the cull andvaccination – one year on
What lies beneath – gettingour nature reserves right
@wildlifetrusts
TheWildlifeTrusts
wildlifetrusts
THE GREBE WINTER 2013
Cheshire CheshireGrebeThe Winter 2013-2014
TOP GUNS
also...
Your Trust, Your views
Don’t miss
our best aerial
hunters this winter
Supporter survey
The magazine of Cheshire Wildlife Trust
How to reconnect our
children with nature
Badgers, the cull and
vaccination - one year on
What lies beneath - getting
our nature reserves right
On the coverThis edition’s cover features the piercing stare of a kestrel,
taken by Jon Hawkins (surreyhillsphotography.co.uk).
Once the bird of prey everyone recognised, the kestrel
could be slowly disappearing from our roadside verges.
Find out how to spot kestrels and more on page 14.
WELCOME
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.
Cheshire Cheshire
People taking action for wildlife
Protection for our marine environment has always been at the forefront of the Wildlife Trusts’ vision for nature’s recovery. In November, the Government made its long-awaited announcement on marine protected areas, announcing that 27 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) would be designated; the first time our seas could be protected as we safeguard nature reserves on land.
A little over a year ago, 127 MCZs
were identified as part of a two-year
stakeholder process in which the
Wildlife Trusts played a lead role. This
announcement is a significant step in
the right direction, with a commitment
to designate further sites over the
next two years. However, there is still
a long way to go before the Irish Sea
is afforded the protection it deserves.
Over half of the recently designated
MCZs are in southern waters, with just
two in the Irish Sea making the list.
The proposal to include Hilbre Island
in the Dee estuary was dropped in the
November announcement (see page 7).
We hope that the North West will not
be overlooked in future rounds of MCZ
designation.
We’d love to hear from you
Inside this edition of The Grebe, you’ll
find a quick five-minute survey to
complete. Here at the Trust we’d like to
hear your views on the future direction
of our work protecting local wildlife
and how we should inspire the next
generation to do the same (see more
on page 12). This is your chance to shape
your local Wildlife Trust, and if you return
the survey in the FREEPOST envelope
provided or complete it online, we’ll put
you into a draw to win two free tickets to
see Iolo Williams near Chester this March
– good luck!
Back on dry land, I’m delighted to
announce that the creation of our new
education centre at Bickley Hall Farm
will very soon be underway. We received
planning permission in early November
and we have now raised most of the
funds we need to complete the work–
thanks to the generosity of you, our
supporters, and our grant funders (see
page 4). We hope to have the centre
complete and open by Summer 2014.
In tandem with our new facility at the
farm, we hope our Natural Futures
programme will increase the number and
diversity of people meeting the Trust
as well as provide better support to our
existing and hugely valued volunteers.
After a year of hard work, our bid to the
Heritage Lottery Fund to support a four-
year project has been submitted, and we
hope to find out the result very soon. I
would like to take this opportunity to
thank all of the volunteers and members
who have helped shape the project and
we look forward to it bearing fruit for
everyone involved with the Trust.
Charlotte Harris, Chief Executive
“There is still a long way to go before the Irish Sea is afforded
the protection it deserves.”
Chief ExecutiveCharlotte Harris
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 1
In this issue
Your MagazineThe next edition of The Grebe magazine will be published in April 2014. We welcome letters, comments, photographs and contributions to The Grebe. Please write to the editor at the address below or email: [email protected]
All contributions including events to be featured in the Events Diary should reach the editor no later than 17 February 2013. Events listings in the Autumn edition will run from May 2014 to October 2014. 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
Patron The Duke of Westminster KG DL
President Felicity Goodey CBE DL
Chairman Chris Koral
Chief Executive Charlotte Harris
Designed and Produced by Orchard Corporate Ltd
Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Bickley Hall Farm, Malpas, Cheshire SY14 8EF
Tel: 01948 820728
web: www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk
email: [email protected]
Registered Charity No: 214927 A company Limited by Guarantee in England No: 736693
@cheshirewt
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
CheshireWT
Cheshirewildlifetrust
Welcome
With our Chief Executive Charlotte Harris
2 UK News
The big wildlife issues from around the UK
4 Local News
What’s happening on your doorstep
8 Badgers and bTB
An update on our vaccination scheme
12 Project Wild Thing
An inspirational new film to get our young
people connected with nature
14 Your guide to… winter birds of prey
Get out and track down our top aerial hunters
16 What’s in your garden?
Our new springtime survey for your garden
18 Surveying on reserves
How do we know we’re getting it right for
wildlife?
20 A day in the life…
We join the Trust’s Matt Allmark
22 On the lookout… harvest mice
Are harvest mice making a home near you?
24 A wild word… Felicity Goodey CBE
We catch up with Trust president Felicity
12 “we have a lost generation disconnected from nature”
18
8
22“you could forgive the harvest mouse for feeling a little jealous”
Critical areas for water voles
2 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
UK NEWS
New maps produced by the National
UK Water Vole Database and Mapping
Project last autumn have shown that this
charismatic mammal’s range may have
shrunk by up to 22% between 2007–2011
compared to the previous survey period
ending in 2008.
Here in Cheshire, funded water vole
monitoring projects have been running since
the last UK survey five years ago, with their
combined surveying efforts identifying a
number of ‘hotspots’ in the region. Initially,
the North West Lowlands Water Vole
Project – run in partnership with Lancashire
Wildlife Trust and funded by the SITA Trust -
found good water vole populations in parts
of Halton and Warrington and across to
Frodsham marshes, extending down along
the River Gowy.
Following this, the Cheshire Water Vole
Project was initiated to fill in the knowledge
gaps of vole locations between these
northerly populations and a known
water vole stronghold over the border in
Whitchurch, Shropshire. The project,
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund,
Chester Zoo, The Environment Agency
and the Canal and River Trust, went on to
discover further water vole strongholds as
well as a few isolated populations in need
of reconnection.
In one example, the River Gowy population
has now spread out along numerous
tributaries and down towards Bunbury,
creating a water vole stronghold in the
west of the county. Additional favourable
areas were identified around Crewe and
Nantwich, with populations on brooks and
ditches as well as the Shropshire Union and
Llangollan canals and the River Weaver. A
few small populations also hold on in areas
like Northwich and Wilmslow.
“It seems that Cheshire does provide a good
home for Ratty,” says the Trust’s Water Vole
Officer Dr Vicky Nall, “but habitats are in
drastic need of restoration and extension
in parts.” To allow these stable water vole
populations to expand and reconnect in the
future, the Trust hopes to secure funding
for a project aimed at restoring, enhancing
and creating new water vole habitat in areas
where it is most needed, including working
alongside local landowners to control
American mink.
“The apparent loss of one in five of our water
voles across the UK is a worrying sign,” adds
Dr Nall. “However, here in Cheshire we’ve
been fortunate to maintain a level of funding
support that is missing elsewhere in the UK,
and we hope that this will continue here
in the North West, so we can build on the
positive work of the last few years.”
It’s thought that a drop in funding for water
vole research in other parts of the country
may also have affected the latest UK figures
due to reduced survey efforts.
The water vole’s long-term decline has been
linked to habitat loss, extreme weather –
including the 2012 drought – and predation
from non-native American mink. The Wildlife
Trusts and the Environment Agency are now
calling for a national water vole monitoring
programme to be established, with annual
recording in all key areas to track the
fortunes of water voles more accurately.
One in five water voles lost since 2008Cheshire could offer hope for fastest declining mammal as numbers drop in just five years
AROUND THE WILDLIFE TRUSTSAVONEndangered white clawed-crayfish have been moved to a new safe haven in Dorset. It’s part of the South West Crayfish Project, led by Avon Wildlife Trust, with Buglife and the Environment Agency. wtru.st/AvonCrayfish
BCN The Trust has launched an appeal to secure another huge piece of the Great Fen Project by unlocking a £1.9m HLF grant. This would increase the area of traditional fen habitat by almost a fifth.wtru.st/FenJigsaw
BBOWTThousands of people raised £270,000 to save Meadow Farm, 28ha of irreplaceable wildflower meadows on the River Ray, where true fox sedge survives in the medieval ridge and furrow fields. wtru.st/MeadowFarm
B’HAM & BCNew audio walks, developed in collaboration with Birmingham Rep, will help visitors to discover the history and wildlife value of Moseley Bog nature reserve.wtru.st/AudioWalks
CUMBRIAA 15-year project to restore 300ha of peat bog at Foulshaw Moss is complete. Conifers have been removed and miles of drains blocked to bring water levels back to their natural state. wtru.st/FoulshawRestored
DERBYSHIREThe Trust’s Woodside Farm meat box scheme is raising funds for wildlife. The meat comes from the Highland cattle and rare breed Jacob sheep that graze the nature reserve.wtru.st/DerbysMeatBox
1 South EastDespite records across the South East of
England, there are no viable long-term populations. Kent Wildlife Trust aims to find isolated populations and reconnect them, allowing populations to expand.
2 River Ock and Ginge BrookBBOWT’s Water Vole Recovery Project
has focused on survey and mink trapping for many years, allowing water vole populations to expand in some areas.
3 Devon and CornwallWater voles are now extinct in the South
West due to predation by American mink. Habitat restoration on the River Tale in east Devon should allow a future reintroduction.
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Accentuate the positive
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 3
The Wildlife Trusts are
promoting a positive
vision for the future of
these beautiful islands –
Living Landscapes and
Living Seas. In many
places local people are
getting involved with the work their Trust
is doing, and this vision has also inspired
decision-makers to embrace the idea of
restoring wildlife across the UK.
Far from being harbingers of doom,
Trusts are routinely upbeat. We know
we can help wildlife to return in greater
abundance and diversity for us, our
children and grandchildren to enjoy. Our
progress is thanks to members who
provide Trusts with the confidence and
funds to make a difference.
Reversing wildlife decline goes hand in
hand with improving our mental and
physical health. Both are possible as
long as we don’t lose any more of what
we have left – our remaining flower-rich
meadows, purple heaths, romantic woods
and wetlands and beautiful seas.
Unfortunately, we rarely value what we
have until people threaten to take it away.
There were bleak messages in The State
of Nature report launched in May (and
featured in the last issue), but it reminded
people how much our wildlife needs us,
and how much we need nature. RSPB led
this initiative and The Wildlife Trusts were
grateful to play our part, feeding in our
extensive knowledge and experience and
using our spokespeople to promote it.
I am delighted that in recent years
cooperation between the main wildlife
charities has deepened, and that social
charities such as Mind are recognising
the value of nature to their missions.
Together we can create real momentum
for change.
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.
4 Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing MarshA complex system of drainage ditches
make this farming landscape surprisingly good habitat for water voles. Continuous survey effort and support by land managers mean the population is also well documented.
5 Lancashire and CheshireFarm ditch systems in Lancashire and
canals in Cheshire remain important North West strongholds, but sensitive management in needed to maintain these populations.
6 UplandsHeadstreams in the Peak District and
Pennines, Snowdonia and the Cairngorms are important strongholds, although mink remain a threat even at high altitudes.
DORSETRecord numbers of rare silver-studded blue butterflies have appeared at Upton Heath reserve. The species only lives on heathland, limestone grassland and dunes. Dark green fritillaries also did very well.wtru.st/RareSilvers
DURHAM A survey of otters on the county’s streams and rivers has found a population in good health. Of the more than 500 sites surveyed in April, 42% were found to show signs of otter activity.wtru.st/DurhamOtters
GWENTThe Trust opposes plans for the Circuit of Wales which would see a 350ha MotoGP circuit built in Blaenau Gwent. The development threatens heathland, marshy grassland and peat bog. wtru.st/GwentMotoGP
KENTA moth previously unrecorded in Kent has been discovered at the Trust’s Holborough Marshes reserve. Harpella forficella has only been found in the UK four times before. wtru.st/HolbroMoth
Habitat showing signs of water voles is disappearing at a frightening rate. This is the 2007–11 map of water vole presence
4 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
LOCAL NEWS
The Trust held its 51st Members’ Day & AGM in October at the National
Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port, where a packed room heard about
our amazing anniversary year, our latest projects and our recent badger
vaccination scheme success. Hands-on displays gave members a chance
to learn more about water voles, white-faced darter dragonflies and our
Forest School scheme amongst other aspects of our work across the
Cheshire region, and there was also a free boat trip!
The event also gave us the opportunity to express our thanks to some of
Cheshire’s leading naturalists and supporters of the Trust, including Peter
Young, who recently stepped down after steering our finance committee
for more than a decade, and Stephen Ross, a fellow trustee from our
Wirral Local Group. Peter joined Dr Mike Tynen, Mathilde Baker-Schommer
and Stu Burnett in receiving a coveted Eric Thurstaston Award – a limited
edition Roger Stephens print of peregrine falcons above Beeston Castle –
in recognition of their work.
Dr Mike has been the Trust’s aquatic invertebrate expert for a number of
years, including helping to train dozens of trainees and interns in survey
techniques, whilst Mathilde and Stu have been at the heart of wildlife
recording across their respective stomping grounds. Congratulations to all
of the award winners!
First ever ‘Merefest’ gets a big thumbs-upThe Cholmondeley Estate was the venue for the first ever ‘Merefest’ in
September, a celebration of the Meres & Mosses landscape across Cheshire,
Staffordshire and Shropshire, including one of the UK’s first Nature
Improvement Areas (NIA). More than 1,300 people headed through the
gates to sample local food, go ‘dry bog snorkelling’, kayaking and come
face-to-face with local wildlife, amongst other activities.
The Meres & Mosses Landscape
Partnership, who organised the
festival, are working to help restore
and raise the profile of these unique
wetland landscapes which were
formed during the last Ice Age.
Projects include enhancements to
Prees Heath near Whitchurch, with
its rare silver-studded blue butterfly
population, supporting local schools
in their John Muir outdoors awards
in Cheshire, and access projects
including at Bickley Hall Farm, where
visitors now have an uninterrupted
view of Bare Mere as part of a new
self-guided trail around the farm.
GET INVOLVED: See what the Meres
& Mosses Project can do for you at
www.themeresandmosses.co.uk
50/50 appeal project on trackAs we went to print (December 2013), we had received
more than £100,000 towards our £120,000 target to
convert an old cattle shed at Bickley Hall Farm into a
fantastic outdoor education and community facility.
With more than 1,000 children visiting the farm each
year, but no permanent washroom facilities or warm,
wet-weather teaching rooms, the new centre will allow
our People & Wildlife Team to inspire young people
whatever Mother Nature throws at us! To ensure the
centre can look after itself in the long run, we’ll also
be using eco-friendly ways to heat and service the
building, and wildlife that currently uses the barn,
like swallows and bats, will be well looked after in an
adapted roof space.
We’d like to express our sincere thanks to the Garfield
Weston Foundation, the Jean Jackson Foundation and
the Heritage Lottery Fund (through the Meres & Mosses
Landscape Partnership) who have given generously
to support the project, along with a number of private
donors. We would also like to thank the many dozens
of you, our members, who have donated more than
£23,000 towards our ambitious target.
GET INVOLVED: You can help us make the last few
steps to our total by donating today at
www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/5050appeal
or by calling us on 01948 820728.
Members’ Day celebrates dedication
Peter Young (left),
Felicity Goodey
and Stu Burnett
Dry bog snorkelling at Merefest
Stephen Ross and
Felicity Goodey
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 5
A year at the Trust on the small screenWith footage gathered throughout our
50th anniversary year, and dozens of
your favourite Cheshire species caught
on camera, our new five-minute film
gives a snapshot of what we do every
day for wildlife and communities as your
local Wildlife Trust. From checking the
health of the region’s only population
of dormice and monitoring voles in our
farm hedgerows, to pond-dipping with
youngsters and restoring habitats, you
can see all the action – and the creatures
that benefit.
Visit our YouTube channel – CheshireWT
or the website to take a look.
Welsh favourite Iolo returns to ChesterAfter his inspirational sell-out visit to Chester
in November 2012, the Trust is thrilled to
be bringing Wales’ best wildlife export, Iolo
Williams, to Eaton Hall near Chester on 6th
March at 7pm for another of our popular
‘evening with’ events. Rarely off our screens
and radios as a regular guest host and live
presenter on Springwatch and Autumnwatch,
Iolo will once again be bringing his relentless
and infectious passion for nature to what is
sure to be a packed venue.
Tickets are priced at £15 (plus booking fee)
and can be ordered by calling
01948 820728 or visiting:
cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/iolowilliams
Hebridean hotspot offer with the Wildlife TrustsThis summer, members of the Wildlife Trusts can enjoy an
exclusive 5% discount off the Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust’s
(HWDT) hugely popular cetacean research trips to study dolphins,
whales and basking sharks of Scotland’s stunning west coast.
This is one of the richest marine areas in the UK for minke whales,
occasional fin whales, common and bottlenose dolphins and one
of our largest fish – the basking shark – and HWDT are the most
experienced operators and research groups in the area. You can
spend between 7 & 12 days living and working aboard the ketch
Silurian, as her professional sailing and scientific crew survey
off Scotland’s west coast, searching for and studying wildlife by
day and passing the nights in some idyllic anchorages amid the
Western Isles.
To learn more about the work of HWDT and life aboard Silurian
visit www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk and quote CWT and your
membership number when booking. A 5% donation on each
booking will be made to the Trust by HWDT.
Bluebells back at Poors WoodHundreds of bluebell bulbs have been
planted at our Poors Wood nature reserve
as part of a project to improve the
reserve for people in the local community
with support from INEOS ChlorVinyls.
The Trust has been working with the
Cheshire Bluebell Recovery Project since
the 1990s, and in the years since, tens of
thousands of bluebells have been planted
in new and established woodlands
across the region, helping to reinstate
the range of this quintessential native
flower that has suffered from habitat
loss, picking and cross-breeding with the
non-native Spanish bluebell. The work at
Poors Wood also includes new trails and
sections of boardwalk.
6 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
LOCAL NEWS
Water voles celebrated in Runcorn The Trust unveiled a brand new information board at Manor
Park in Runcorn in November, celebrating work on the ‘Routes
for Ratty’ project that had been undertaken in partnership
with Halton Borough Council, with the generous support of
chemicals manufacturer INEOS ChlorVinyls. The project saw the
rejuvenation of wetland areas for water voles last developed
more than ten years ago, and at the day of the launch the team
even saw a kingfisher! The board can be found along Blackheath
Lane overlooking one of the recently improved ditches.
SEE MORE:
Read more on how the region’s water voles are faring on page 2
The Wildlife Trusts have joined other conservation groups in welcoming swift action to
ban the discharge of polyisobutylene (PIB) from shipping, just months after thousands
of seabirds fell victim to a release of the chemical along the south coast of England.
The International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) move bans ships across the world from
discharging all forms of high-viscosity PIB into the sea during tank cleaning operations.
The seabird tragedy – which occurred just before the 2013 breeding season – was the
largest marine pollution incident of its kind in the southern region since Torrey Canyon,
and affected guillemots, razorbills and gannets amongst other species.
The IMO’s working group on the Evaluation of Safety and Pollution Hazards of Chemicals
(ESPH) decided to change the classification of high-viscosity PIBs to require full tank
prewash and disposal of all residues at port and prohibit any discharge at sea from this
year. This will also apply to new ‘highly-reactive’ forms of PIB, which are currently being
transported unassessed.
The recommendation had been made by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) on
behalf of the UK Government, following vigorous campaigning by wildlife charities and
the public.
Joan Edwards, Head of Living Seas for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “The thousands of dead
and dying seabirds witnessed last year were the most visible victims of mismanagement.
Impacts on other parts of marine life support systems may have been just as widespread,
and more serious. Not to mention the impacts on tourism of dead seabirds on the beach
- particularly pressing in south-west counties which rely so heavily on summer visitors.”
Seabird tragedy chemical ban welcomed
A whoolly good ideaIf you love knitting to while
away the dark winter nights
then look no further than
our new range of exclusive
Hebridean DK wool, from
right here in Cheshire! Our
250-strong flock of black
‘Hebbies’ help to keep
unwanted plants like purple
moor grass at bay on our
heathland and peat bog reserves, allowing more fragile and
rarer plants to thrive. This year for the first time we’ve been
able to produce a limited edition run of 250 bundles of pure DK
wool from the flock, which has a rich dark brown, almost black
colour and a rustic feel – great for hats, or maybe even a knitted
sheep! Each 50 gram ball is just £4.50, with around 50% of the
cost going directly back to supporting our industry-leading
conservation grazing project. Grab yours today at
www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/wildwool
GET INVOLVED:
Why not Facebook or Tweet your ‘Wild Wool’ masterpieces to us
and we’ll share them in a future edition of The Grebe.
TO
M M
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Gannet
Guillemot
Janet Ward of
INEOS (left) and Dr Vicky Nall
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 7
Coronation Meadow for the Dane ValleyFollowing the launch of the Coronation Meadows project last
year in celebration of the Queen’s jubilee, Cheshire now has its
first two Coronation Meadows in the Dane Valley at Shaw Pasture
and Chadkirk Meadows near Stockport. A partnership between
Plantlife, the Wildlife Trusts and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust,
the project aims to showcase the finest examples of traditional
hay meadows in each county – crucial as around nine out of
ten of our species-rich hay meadows have now been lost. It’s
hoped that Shaw Pasture will be put forward as a Local Wildlife
Site (LWS) this year after being surveyed by Cheshire Wildlife
Trust volunteers, further safeguarding its future. We are also
investigating the option of using seeds from the pasture to help
‘re-seed’ our own nature reserve at Swettenham Meadows – a
fitting tribute and legacy from our first Coronation Meadow!
SEE MORE: www.coronationmeadows.org.uk
Park now fit for a king thanks to Prince’s Trust
New Ferry Butterfly Park benefitted from a Prince’s Trust-backed
scheme in the Autumn which saw young people help to give the park
a makeover. The teams set about tasks that included clearing non-
native two-flowered honeysuckle which had overwhelmed a stretch
of the railway cutting, and removing birch saplings and turf that had
begun to smother former ballast areas that are home to bird’s-foot
trefoil – a key plant for common blue butterflies and burnet moths.
Other jobs polished off included trimming willow to improve access
and removing the reedmace from the brick pit so that people have a
better view of the pond.
Paul Loughnane from the Trust’s Local Group ‘Wirral Wildlife’, who
look after the park, said: “These jobs have been on our ‘to do list’ for
some time so the extra pairs of hands were a really big help.” We
would like to thank The Prince’s Trust Team 124 and Jodie and Susie
for keeping everyone going despite the weather! To mark the end of
all the hard work, primroses were ceremoniously planted, before the
families of those who had helped were given a guided tour.
Back in November, the Trust called the designation of 27 Marine
Conservation Zones (MCZs) by the Government a ‘step in the
right direction’ for the protection of our seas, but expressed
disappointment that an expected confirmation of Hilbre Islands
as an MCZ was dropped.
The Hilbre group of islands were initially targeted by the
Government as a proposed Marine Conservation Zone in
December 2012 after a lengthy multi-million pound consultation
with marine users.
However, the islands were one of four sites to be dropped
by the Government in its first round of 31 designations in
November. The Wildlife Trusts have campaigned for 127 MCZs
around the UK, saying that a ‘scattered’ approach will not
achieve the benefits of a coherent and larger range of sites.
“Whilst we welcome this first tranche of MCZs, it represents
just one in five of the overall list of 127 sites that we would
like to see recognised, not least including Hilbre Island here in
the North West,” said Cheshire Wildlife Trust chief executive,
Charlotte Harris.
“With more than half of the designated MCZs along England’s
south coast, it does appear that North West waters have been
overlooked this time around. We may not have seahorses or
coral reefs; however, our seas have no boundaries and the Irish
Sea remains as important as any part of our oceans.
“Basking sharks, leatherback turtles, thousands of seabirds
and seals all make a home in the Irish Sea – many of the same
species that can be found in the holiday waters of Devon and
Cornwall.”
The Trust also points to the fact that just 2 of a possible 19
MCZs have been recognised in this first tranche of designations
in the Irish Sea area. The Government has said that financial
reasons and existing protection designations were behind its
decision to cut Hilbre Island from the MCZ list.
More than 350,000 people signed a petition earlier this year
calling for more effective protection for the UK’s offshore areas,
of which just 2% are currently afforded protection similar to
those nature reserves found inland.
Wirral – Hilbre Island ‘dropped’ from national marine reserve list
8 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
BADGER VACCINATION
Badgers, vaccination and tackling bTB – one year on A year ago in The Grebe, we reported as the Trust embarked on the first badger vaccination
programme against the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in the North West. After a year that
included the Government’s controversial cull trials and passionate campaigning across the country,
we look at what we’ve learned about the biggest issue currently affecting our countryside.
When Wildlife Trusts’ president Simon King OBE launched our
badger vaccination appeal near Manchester almost a year and
a half ago, we couldn’t have foreseen that the issue of tackling
bTB in badgers would become one of the Trust’s biggest ever
campaigns and find us on the front line of the UK’s most topical
rural debate.
Fast-forward 12 months and we have seen one of our most
successful ever appeals – now more than £20,000 - and the
Trust’s profile on the issue of tackling bTB reaching the seats of
Westminster. With the debate sometimes seeing almost daily
developments, the Trust has kept pace with this ever-evolving
issue through social media and the press, helping our supporters
and others to understand all the facts in what is a complex and
constantly evolving situation.
By the end of November 2013, the Trust had vaccinated badgers
against bTB across more than 1,000 hectares of Cheshire
countryside, with 77 individual badgers trapped, treated and
released.
Not only did this include our own 85ha farm near Malpas, but also
five additional private dairy and beef farms. This represented
a small but significant step in our goal to help build a ‘firewall’
against the spread of bTB through Cheshire into new areas in
northern England.
PIC
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WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 9
TIMELINE
As we concluded our season of vaccination deployments in
November, the Government’s cull trails were still continuing. Far
from the success Environment Minister Owen Paterson had hoped
for, both the Somerset and Gloucestershire trials were besieged by
setbacks, including disturbance and security breaches, but most
worryingly the fact that targets set by Defra and Natural England
were missed significantly, in some cases by almost half on initial
population estimates.
After the initial six-week window of the Gloucester trial passed
in October, monitors had to concede that just 40% of a required
70% minimum of badgers had been culled. Although cull teams
had fared slightly better in Somerset in the weeks before, both
schemes required significant extensions which the Wildlife Trusts
later described as ‘unjustified’, labelling the trails as a ‘total failure’.
Responding to the poor results, Minister Paterson suggested that
a lower than expected badger population was the reason for the
reduced figures, despite those figures having been estimated just
months earlier.
At the time of writing, infra-red cameras and cage trapping had
also been deployed – despite the trial being instigated to test free-
shoot culling – and ministers had also begun consulting on gassing
as an option for meeting final targets.
The failures of the South West trials were also borne out in a
document sourced by the Badger Trust in November, which
showed that in the minutes of a Natural England meeting on the
decision to extend the Gloucestershire cull, almost half of the board
of experts had expressed concern and even suggested that the cull
programme would offer ‘no worthwhile benefit to farmers’.
September 2012
- Wildlife Trusts’ president
Simon King OBE launches
a £20,000 badger
vaccination appeal for
Cheshire, led by the Trust.
October 2012
- The Trust begins a five-year badger vaccination
programme at Bickley Hall Farm, in partnership
with Shropshire Wildlife Trust - 12 badgers are
successfully vaccinated on the farm in the first
two-day deployment.
- The Government announces that a proposed
cull trial set for the autumn will be postponed
until summer 2013.
- The Government is defeated by 147 votes to 28
in a non-binding Commons vote on stopping
the cull trials in favour of vaccination. The Trust
is mentioned extensively during the debate by
a number of MPs. The debate is triggered by
a Brian May-led ‘e-petition’ that receives more
than 160,000 signatures.
December 2012
- A study confirms that vaccination
can reduce the severity and
progression of experimentally-
induced TB in captive badgers. There
was an even greater reduction in risk
to cubs - 79 per cent - when more
than a third of their social group had
been vaccinated.
A ‘wicket’ is used to restrict the badger whilst the vaccine is administered
The ‘live’ BCG vaccine is prepared in the field
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10 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
BADGER VACCINATION
February 2013
- Despite strong public
opposition, the
Government confirms a
trial badger cull will take
place in Somerset and
Gloucestershire during
the summer.
June 2013
- A formal Commons vote
sees a ‘no cull’ motion
defeated, in a widely
expected result following
a Government three-line
whip.
- The ‘Team Badger’ Brian
May-led e-petition reaches
250,000 signatures – the
biggest response to an
official online petition since
the process was launched.
July 2013
- The Trust joins a new
regional bTB action group
consisting of the NFU,
farmers, vets, auctioneers,
industry bodies and
local authorities to look
at a multi-stakeholder
approach.
- The Trust secures a
pledge of up to £25,000
from Defra to expand
vaccination across a
potential 4,000 acres in
south Cheshire allowing
farmers to subsidise their
vaccination by up to 50%.
August 2013
- After weeks of speculation,
it is confirmed that
badger culling has begun
in Somerset, amid tight
security.
Going forward in 2014Last year was our demonstration year, which saw us taking our
vaccination service and delivering it on private farms. This year,
taking a lead from the Natural Environment White Paper, is all
about ‘more, bigger, better and joined’. So in 2014, we hope to
be working over large areas on neighbouring farms to create a
‘firewall’ preventing the relentless northern creep of bTB.
We are under no illusion about the scale of the task, however,
and by working closely with the Wirral and Cheshire Badger
Group – who have an army of dedicated volunteers – we believe
we can make huge steps to achieving a firewall. Colleagues at
the Government veterinary service and the NFU will be crucial in
steering where the priority areas are, to help us target promoting
vaccination as a safe and effective option in tackling bTB. Early
indications (as of December 2013) are that we will be working
together on large areas in north Cheshire.
Local councils will also be key to the decision-making around any
future roll-out of either badger cull or vaccination programmes. A
number of online petitions have been set up to express your views
on the badger cull in your area, so visit our website to see what
your local council is doing and have your say.
Our work in Cheshire has been recognised nationally as an
exemplary scheme which allows us to have a strong voice at the
top tables. This year and beyond we will continue to represent your
voice, challenging officials to abandon plans for badger culls and
instead promote vaccination, but perhaps more importantly, to stick
to their deadlines in trialling and licensing a cattle vaccine alongside
the continued development of an oral bait vaccine for badgers.
TIMELINE
Our work in Cheshire has been recognised as an exemplary scheme
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Other charities will be joining the Trust in vaccinating from 2014
Despite the poor results of the South West cull trails, the
farming press (Farmers Guardian, December 2013) reported
that Environment Minister Owen Paterson is looking to roll
out a further 10 cull areas across the UK in 2014. It was also
reported that the National Farmers Union (NFU) have asked
the Minister to consider the use of gassing and snaring as
additional or alternative methods of culling to the free-shoot
strategy employed in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
STOP PRESS
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 11
October 2013
- The Trust speaks at a Cheshire West &
Chester council debate on a proposal to
ban future culling on CWaC land, which
is then sent to scrutiny committee for
further analysis.
- Hazel Grove MP Andrew Stunell visits
a Cheshire farm with the Trust to see
vaccination in action.
- The first cull trial in Somerset achieves
just 40% of the Government-set target,
leading Minister Owen Paterson to
suggest that extensions to the six-week
trials may be needed.
November 2013
- A further 19 badgers are vaccinated at our Bickley
Hall Farm HQ as we conclude the 2013 season.
- Despite extensions, both South West cull trials
miss their original 70% targets – and indeed those
revised lower targets set after the initial six week
culling period. In the Somerset cull, just 850
badgers are removed, representing just over 58%
of the revised estimated population of 1,450. After
the initial cull period in Gloucestershire, just 30%
of the target had been reached.
- On the 30 November, Natural England revokes an
eight week extension to the Gloucestershire cull
licence three weeks before its completion date,
stating there is ‘no realistic chance’ that the cull
targets will be met.
Vaccination in Cheshire in numbers
South West cull trial in numbers
75% 5
6 £1m
77
11
1,000 ha of land
average vaccination success rate on each site
private farms with vaccinated badgers
weeks – the original licenced trial length
39% of estimated badger population culled in Gloucestershire
estimated policing cost for first six weeks of cull trial
badgers vaccinated
weeks of culling in Gloucestershire
“Hopefully, these vaccinated animals will help
protect their sets from the spread of TB and
also the cattle that graze alongside them… the
farmers and the charity both want to see this
project succeed.”
Steve Leonard,
Cheshire vet with Leonard Brothers in Nantwich
“Successfully tackling bovine TB in the badger
population is a key element in our strategy to
rid England of this disease within 25 years. It
is this broad strategy, of which badger control
is one component”
Owen Paterson,
Secretary of State for the Environment
“It is crucial that Government should have
the benefit of constructive challenge from
non-departmental bodies that are sufficiently
well-resourced and independent to give the
highest calibre of advice.”
Prof David MacDonald,
Natural England advisor
Views…
JON
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September 2013
- Following on from
the Somerset launch,
badger culling begins in
Gloucestershire.
- A silent protest is held
at Environment Minister
Owen Paterson’s surgery
in Whitchurch, Shropshire,
with the Minister refusing
to speak to the whole
group over ‘security fears’.
12 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
PROJECT WILD THING
My four children and I had just come back from a Sunday afternoon
walk across the muddy fields of the Cheshire countryside when I sat
them down to watch David Bond’s film Project Wild Thing.
‘This film is about how children are losing their connection with
nature and spending too much time in front of the TV,’ I told them.
‘I want you to sit down and watch it and tell me whether you think
what he says is true.’
Project Wild Thing explores the impact of an emerging issue in
kids coined ‘nature deficit disorder’. By strapping a camera to his
daughter’s head to monitor what she does during the day, the film’s
maker David Bond discovers that his children spend more time in
the car than they do outside. Like city kids everywhere, they spend
too much time indoors. According to Bond, the generational shift
into the house has been strongly linked to a decline in children’s
health, leaving his own children’s generation as the first in human
history to have a lower life expectancy than their parents.
Today, just one in five children regularly experience the outdoors. A generation
ago, three quarters of us were making mud pies and climbing trees day in,
day out. Martin Varley from the Trust took his young family to see a new film
that’s helping us to discover what’s happened in the years in between.
Selling natureto a newgeneration
Martin’s children (l to r) Luke, Rowan and Iona
buck the trend for most youngsters in 2014,
few of which get outdoors regularly
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WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 13
So he sets off on a quest to do something about it.
Bond is convinced that nature is losing out to other activities
because they have more powerful brands and that if he could only
sell it better he could get more children outside. Compelled by
this argument he gives himself two months to create a marketing
campaign for the great outdoors. The film follows him as he seeks
to develop a brand for nature and persuade people to buy into it.
Along the journey Bond discovers much about human nature and
how it shapes our relationship with the great outdoors.
‘Do you need risk of death for something to be considered fun?’ he
asks a group of boys at a London primary school. ‘Yes’, comes the
unanimous reply.
‘Skills development and risk are challenges children need to grow.’
says the founder of Monkey-Do, a non-profit social enterprise
specialising in free wild play activities for children in parks and
woodlands. ‘Adults put barriers between children and the outdoors
because they are afraid of risk, they are worried about cars and
crimes, but keeping kids at home brings its own set of problems’.
Bond builds his nature brand by bringing in a team of experts. His
campaign includes an image of his daughter licking a frog splashed
across London billboards. It is not to everyone’s taste.
‘There’s no way you’re gonna get me to touch a frog,’ a inner city
teenage girl says in disgust during a focus group session before the
poster’s launch.
Other creative types come up with a list of ten products promoting
nature which Bond uses to promote his brand: a wild thing app for
mobile phones, out and about packs for new mums saying why
their kids need nature, and a pledge scheme for people to commit
to spending time outdoors. The film has moments of comedy as we
see Bond dealing with a bout of stage fright during the campaign
launch at a music festival and touring London with a loud hailer
petitioning customers at the Apple Store to stop buying iPods and
spend more time outside.
Ultimately Bond’s star rises and falls very quickly. Soon his posters
are replaced and his frog-licking daughter disappears behind an
advert for a BMW. Nature is never going to be able to compete with
brands that have multi-million pound marketing departments behind
them. How we as parents show children nature will have a bigger
impact on how our children connect with nature than a poster in a
shopping centre. The film finishes with Bond himself concluding that
he would be better off just getting outside with his kids.
Project Wild Thing is a pioneering film highlighting the increasing
gulf between children and nature. It delivers what could have been
a dry and soporific documentary in a light-hearted and thought-
provoking, story-led way. But like all films the measure of its success
is in its impact on the audience.
An image of a girl licking a frog is splashed across London billboards. It’s not to everyone’s taste
nature is never going to be able to compete with multi-million pound brands
You have more freedom outside…there are fewer rules
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You can see more about Project Wild Thing at
www.projectwildthing.com or keep an eye on our Events
Guide for a special Trust screening of the film during 2014.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
‘What did you make of that then, would you rather be outside than
indoors on the computer?’ I asked my kids as the credits rolled.
‘I would probably go outside longer than playing on the computer if
there was something to do,’ says Jacob, my eldest son.
‘What do you like to do outside?’ I ask.
‘Have adventures, camping, walking, talking to friends. When it’s
dangerous it’s more fun.’
‘You have more freedom outside, you can do what you want, get
wet and muddy. There are fewer rules outside. You can’t get muddy
inside,’ adds my thirteen-year-old daughter.
So it seems as if the outdoors is about anarchy and danger; no
wonder parents don’t want their children to go there.
Bond’s film may not create a mass exodus to the wild, but neither
is it end of Project Wild Thing. The film is backed up by a Wild
Network of 300 charities and a collaboration of organisations
committed to tackling the issues raised in the film, including the
Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds. Individuals can join the network too. The film is
showing at selected venues across the country, or, like we did, you
can download
it and watch it
at home.
Filmmaker David Bond realised his kids were getting too much screen time instead of wild time
14 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
SPECIES FOCUS
Let us preyOften elusive in their sharped-eyed hunting tactics during the
summer months, winter finds our falcons, harriers and owls
make their way to the coast, where our own eagle-eyes have
a better chance of glimpsing these impressive birds of prey.
Tom Marshall picks just a few to look out for.
MerlinSmall, fast-paced and agile, the male merlin is little bigger than a
mistle thrush. No wonder, perhaps, that this pocket-rocket lent its
name to the Spitfire’s Rolls Royce engine. Choosing to approach
with speed and surprise at ground level (unlike the larger peregrine
from above) merlins often have pipits, twite and other small finches
at the top of the menu, bursting with surprise into flocks on coastal
saltmarshes. Scanning fenceposts and boulders may also bring
rewards if you blink and miss our smallest falcon in flight.
Where?
Saltmarshes like Frodsham, Parkgate, Inner Marsh Farm and Wigg
Island, along with coastal wading bird roosts at Hoylake.
PeregrineNo longer the rarity that was on the brink during the 1960s,
peregrines are now almost guaranteed to make an appearance
above our autumn and winter wader flocks. Scan the skies as
soon as knot, dunlin and sanderling appear nervous, looking
out for the stocky, sickle-shaped wings. Once in a stooping
dive, it may be just seconds from 200ft to picking a likely
target on the tideline. Peregrines have even been bold enough
to dive for purple sandpipers on the jetty at New Brighton’s
marine lake. Watching a peregrine parting a thousand-strong
starling murmuration remains an unforgettable sight.
Where? Almost anywhere where large numbers of birds gather along
our coastline, particularly Hoylake, New Brighton and Parkgate.
Starling murmurations gather at Marbury Country Park and
Runcorn Bridge amongst other locations.
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Peregrine
Merlin
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 15
Short-eared owlPerhaps the easiest of our owls to encounter, ‘shorties’ call the
region’s saltmarshes home from October, after a summer hunting
in the heather of our uplands. Preying on small mammals well
beyond our own eyesight in the grasses, their almost nonchalant
flight and pale wings are unmistakeable. Routinely perching on
fenceposts, the owls will show off their piercing yellow stare if
you’re lucky to be close enough.
Where?
Any saltmarsh or large, undisturbed rough grassland may attract
short-eared owls, but particular hotspots are Parkgate, Inner
Marsh Farm and Wigg Island. Larger grazing marshes like Gowy
Meadows or Frodsham may also prove productive.
Hen harrierPerhaps the most sought-after of winter birds of prey, the ghost-
like male hen harrier and the darker ‘ringtail’ female can make
regular appearances along the Wirral coastline in winter. Easily
confused with a gull at first glance, the male harrier hugs the reed
tops as it ‘quarters’ for a range of prey, before suddenly dropping
into the long grass. Early evening may see a number of harriers
gather together, as they prepare to roost close to the marsh.
Similar in colour to a buzzard, the female harrier has a much longer
tail and distinctive white band, hence the name ‘ringtail’.
Where?
The saltmarshes of Parkgate, Denhall Quay and Inner Marsh Farm
are top places to try for hen harriers during the winter months.
KestrelOnce considered almost ubiquitous, the kestrel has tumbled down
the list of our birds of prey, and is now thought to be experiencing
a decline in numbers. Although traditionally known as the
‘motorway falcon’, the rich pickings of winter saltmarshes see
kestrels arrive in numbers. The kestrel’s unmistakable still-air hover
sets it apart from most other species, but be careful not to confuse
them with peregrines or a merlin in level flight. A longer tail usually
gives the kestrel away.
Where?
Still likely to be seen in most habitats including coastal saltmarshes
and grazing meadows like Gowy Meadows.
And you never know…
The success of reintroduction schemes and our proximity to Wales
mean that red kites are increasingly being spotted in the region’s
skies. Second only to Scotland’s eagles, the kites’, with their classic
fork-shaped tail, 5ft wingspan and deep, flapping flight are one
to look out for. Add to this marsh harriers and perhaps even an
inquisitive white-tailed eagle, and anything may be possible!
A high-tide bonanza for birds
The most exceptional high tides (those close to 10 metres)
coupled with a strong northwesterly wind can produce a
remarkable phenomenon at Parkgate Marsh, when the Dee’s
rushing waters force small mammals and birds like skylarks and
water rails to run for cover. This bounty of sudden easy pickings
does not go unnoticed by local birds of prey, who fly in from
across the coast to reap the benefits of an easy meal.
Not sure what you’ve seen? Check out: www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/species-a-z
HAVE A GO
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Kestrel
Hen harrier
Short-eared owl
16 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
SPRING SURVEY
Although it sometimes feels as though it will never come, spring
is just around the corner. Popular TV shows like Springwatch have
helped bring people closer to wildlife. Here at Cheshire Wildlife
Trust we want to get more people interested in watching the
awakening of seasons. That’s why in 2014 we are inviting you to
take part in your own ‘Springwatch’ and then share with us what
you discover.
We’ve chosen 14 common indicators of spring. It might be the first
leaf on a tree, the first sight of a flower or the sound of the first bird
song. This is what we’d like you to record for our signs of spring in
Cheshire. Take a picture or make a note of when and where you saw
it, then send it in to us at Cheshire Wildlife Trust. You can Tweet it,
put up a post on our Facebook page, enter your findings on our
website or sent us a letter. Whatever method you chose, just let us
know about your encounters with spring.
As well as celebrating wildlife by sharing your experiences we will
use your sightings to map spring’s arrival in Cheshire and then share
this with you in The Grebe magazine later on in the year. We hope
to make this survey an annual event, and collect information which
we hope will help to shape our work
and inform our understanding of
how climate change is impacting the
county’s wildlife.
If you want to know more about
studying the arrival of spring, or
phenology as scientists call it, then
visit the Nature’s Calendar website
(www.naturescalendar.org.uk). The
nature’s calendar project has been
recording spring’s arrival for more
than a decade and is full of great
resources to help you study spring.
We have chosen some of the early arriving plants and animals of
our gardens and local countryside to act as indicators of the arrival
of spring. These are shown on the right, along with which month
you might expect to see them. You can find more information
about what each one looks like on the dedicated web page at
www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/signsofspring
Taking part in our survey is easy. We simply want you to look
out for signs of the arrival of spring and then let us know what
you have seen and where you are.
1. Have a look at the wildlife indicators for spring listed right
or online: www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/signsofspring
2. Look out for first flower, first leaf, or first sight or sound of
the plants and animals.
3. Let us know when you noticed the signs of spring and where
you were, either with a grid reference, or the name of the
place where you saw it.
You can join our survey in four ways
1. Put a posting up on our Facebook page (include a
photograph if you like)
2. Send a tweet using the hashtag #signsofspring and
@CheshireWT
3. Email us at [email protected]
4. Fill in your form online (see website above) or download
a form from the website and return to us at: Bickley Hall
Farm, Bickley Lane, Malpas, Cheshire SY14 8EF
The last few years have a seen a boom in
so-called ‘citizen science’ – those of us who
like to track the changing seasons and how
it’s affecting the wildlife in our backyard –
with a chance to make a real difference to
environmental research. Our Director of
Conservation, Martin Varley explains how
you can help us this spring with our own
study right here in Cheshire.
Signs ofspring
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WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
HOW TO TAKE PART
Blackthorn Elder Song Thrush Lesser Celandine
Lawn cutting
Snowdrops
7-spot ladybird
Swallow Hazel
Comma butterflyFrogspawn
Brimstone butterfly
Bluebell
Swift
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 17
Blackthorn F irst f lowerElder F irst leafHazel F irst f lowerSnowdrop F irst f lowerBluebell F irst f lowerLawn F irst cutLesser Celandine F irst f lowerSong Thrush F irst heard/seenSwallow F irst heard/seenSwift F irst heard/seen7-spot ladybird F irst seenBrimstone butterf ly F irst seenComma butterf ly F irst seenFrogspawn F irst seen
January February March April May
18 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
SURVEYING
Beneath the bootsLooking after wildlife on our nature reserves has been at the heart of what the Trust does since
the very beginning, but to help rare or threatened species we first need to make sure the habitats
we look after are just right. Sue Tatman updates us on this often unsung part of our work.
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WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 19
It might be less glamorous than looking at butterflies
or birds, but the backbone of the vital survey work we
undertake every year isn’t gazing into the skies above, but
beneath our boots. Looking closely at the vegetation on
our reserves and the habitats it forms is vitally important;
if the habitat is doing well, the animals that live there will
usually thrive too.
To successfully monitor a habitat we must first look for the most
important plants associated with that habitat, and check they
are growing in the numbers and variety we expect. Some plants
have very specialised requirements, so they can tell us a lot about
the health of a site. For example, sphagnum mosses only grow
in very nutrient-poor, wet places. If we find sphagnum thriving
on our lowland bog nature reserves such as Danes Moss near
Macclesfield and Holcroft Moss near Warrington, then we know
things are going well there and we’re getting things right.
We also look out for potential problems, like if too much woody
scrub is growing on a nature reserve. Birch trees spread their seed
prolifically, and a crop of seemingly harmless birch seedlings can
rapidly take over a heathland – which should in fact have plenty
of bare areas and heather – if our reserves management team
don’t take action to control it. Nipping these issues in the bud
early on can save a huge amount of time and resources; after all,
a small seeding is easily pulled-up by hand, whereas a decade-old
established tree is a completely different matter.
Vegetation monitoring is a huge task, so the job of keeping an
eye on our largest heathland at Cleaver Heath near Heswall has
found a dedicated band of volunteers from the Trust’s local group
‘Wirral Wildlife’ taking the reins. Every autumn they walk transects
– a defined point-to-point route that remains consistent on each
visit – across the heath, stopping at regular intervals to record
details of the vegetation. This information is then analysed to give
us an overall assessment of the state of the heath.
In general, Cleaver Heath is doing well. Part of the site was
burnt in a large fire in 2010 and the monitoring shows that the
heather has recovered very well from this, with new plants
germinating in the ashes the year after and now forming a carpet
of healthy young plants. Unfortunately, a small part of the heath
is dominated by bracken which can smother the smaller heather,
so we plan to remove this and monitoring will show how the
heathland vegetation regenerates. Heathlands in particular are
home to reptiles, and the team are able to track their numbers by
using metal sheets which retain the warmth of the sun – and in
turn the cold-blooded reptiles like the common lizard. Butterflies
and birds are also recorded during the transects.
Strictly for the birds… thanks to you
Earlier this year we appealed to our supporters for volunteers to
carry out bird surveys on a number of our reserves. We had an
amazing response and have since been able to undertake bird
surveys at a number of our woodland reserves. In all, 11 nature
reserves were surveyed and an impressive total of 68 species
of birds were recorded. Among these, 14 are on the Birds of
Conservation Concern (BoCC) ‘Amber’ list and 6 on the ‘Red’ list –
those under most threat. These species – some of which may come
as a surprise – include the cuckoo, grasshopper warbler, starling
and song thrush – the last found in all but one of our woodlands.
These particular surveys take place in spring, during the
nesting season, with the aim of finding out which birds are
breeding on our reserves. This is not always easy, as most birds
understandably conceal their nests and chicks to avoid predators.
However, to the trained eye their behaviour gives us the clues.
Singing is the most obvious – the male bird will sing to claim
a territory and attract a female – so this generally shows an
intention to breed. Nest building, sitting on a nest or taking food
to the nest are other good indications for the teams to look out
for. Most birds of course sing their best at dawn, so our surveyors
had to be out very early in the morning!
If you’d like to know more about how to help us with monitoring
our nature reserves, contact Sue Tatman on 01948 820728 or
e-mail [email protected]
GET INVOLVED
668
11 ‘Red List’ species of birds found
14 ‘Amber List’ species of birds found species
recorded
nature reserves surveyed for birds
plants can tell us a lot about the health of a site
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Checking metal sheeting at Cleaver Heath for basking reptiles
Matt with Stan (left) and Poppy
20 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
Matt joined the Trust after completing our Biodiversity
Trainee scheme in 2012 and now looks after our network of
46 nature reserves along with Sam Bright and Jacki Hulse.
We join Matt for a day on one of his recent projects.
8.00am
Like quite a few of the reserves team, I tend get into the farm a
bit earlier than people who are based ‘indoors’! This is especially
useful in winter when the days are short so you really have to
make the most of it. Of course, the most important job of the
day though is to make a brew, catch up with everyone and fill the
flask before we head out. It’s great to have the big farmhouse
kitchen at Bickley as the social centre of the office; there’s not
many workplaces you can say that about. It’s also the best time
to sort out any problems with tools and vehicles and arrange
who gets the exciting stuff like the chainsaw! Stan, my non-stop
spaniel, is usually raring to go as well. His enthusiasm is great in
January when it’s pitch dark when you get out of bed.
8.30am
By now the farmyard is usually busy with activity; the tractor
taking feed out to the Longhorns and the rest of us sorting
out 4x4s and the other vehicles in the Trust fleet depending
on what jobs we need to do. Today, I’m working at a reserve in
Northwich so there’s lots of materials to take along: boardwalk
spans and steps, saws and power tools and fence posts. On the
latest reserve access projects, we’ve started to use a special kind
of recycled plastic for the boardwalks; it has a natural non-slip
surface, is almost totally fire resistant and the manufacturers
suggest it could last for up to 50 years. Although that means
I hopefully won’t have to replace things any time soon, it’s not
exactly light…
9.30am
Many hands make light work and as I arrive at the reserve our
group of volunteers are turning up too. Today they’re from
community team ‘Train’d Up’, which help people from a wide
range of ages and backgrounds learn new practical skills to
earn a vocational diploma. It’s about making sure they feel
like the contribution they make is recognised and respected,
but it should be a fun experience too. Under the shelter of
the van doors, I get the camp-stove kettle on ready for that
all-important cuppa that everyone needs before a big DIY job!
Over a hot cup of ‘builders’, I run through the day’s plan, make
sure everyone feels happy with the tools they’re using, explain
the reasons behind today’s task, then it’s straight into action.
Many of our reserves are close to residential areas, and today
a local homeowner comes across to ask why there’s a dozen
young men with power tools heading off into their favourite
dog-walking woodland. After a chat, I’m able to explain that
we’re hoping to improve access for everyone – these face-to-
face meetings are always important when you’re working on
people’s doorsteps.
10.00am
We’re constructing a boardwalk through the woodland, so
it’s muddy work but in the end satisfying when people will be
able to stroll through bluebells in spring, once our squelchy
footprints are long gone. I always try to understand what
different volunteers want to get out of helping the Trust;
some are just happy to muck in shifting materials around,
others prefer the detail work of measuring and laying-
up the boardwalk panels, and everyone enjoys the good
humour and conversation – whatever the weather. It’s
nice to set a focus for the day and look back after a few
hours with a well-earned biscuit and be able to say ‘we
did that’. We’re currently working through a number of
our nature reserves improving access in this way, and
have installed hundreds of metres of new pathways over
the last couple of years.
A day in the life... Matt Allmark, reserves officer
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DAY IN THE LIFE
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WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 21
3:00pmDuring these short winter days and when you’re working in a woodland with saws and power tools you certainly can’t continue when the light begins to fade. It’s great to look back on what’s been achieved in just a few hours; however, the weary trek back up the hill with the generators, wheelbarrows and unused struts makes everything seem that bit heavier. Even Stan’s boundless enthusiasm starts to wain by this time, although at least he gets the chance to have a snooze on the way back to the office!
3:30pmI’m now back at my desk and with a wet Stan making a good foot-rest, it’s down to the e-mails and phone calls. Most afternoons I’ll need to arrange the upcoming days’ tasks with volunteers or community groups, perhaps speak
with contractors for some of the larger jobs or go through maps to see what’s coming up. This is also a good time to make sure all the tools are in good shape – there’s nothing worse than getting down the valley to find something doesn’t work anymore! We’re also constantly planning future projects, so I might be working on a new bid to work with partners like WREN or the Heritage Lottery Fund. As it gets close to teatime and with Stan’s tummy rumbling we’re off home, ready to do it all again tomorrow.
With thanksMatt began his work at the Trust on the Biodiversity Trainee scheme, run in partnership with Chester Zoo, the Cheshire Region Biological Records Centre (RECORD) and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A day in the life... Matt Allmark, reserves officer
You’ll soon be able to enjoy the marsh
marigolds without getting wet feet
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As part of a year-long project at Poors Wood near Kingsmead, Northwich, supported by INEOS ChlorVinyls, we’ve been installing dozens of metres of boardwalks, steps and trails to allow people to access this beautiful native woodland next to the River Weaver much more easily. Once complete, you’ll be able to walk amongst a rejuvenated wildflower meadow, willow carr, marsh marigolds, bluebells and of course the stunning oak and beech canopy with its golden autumn carpet.
NEAR YOU
The team from Train’d Up get stuck
in at Poors Wood in Northwich
22 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
DISCOVER
You could forgive the harvest mouse for feeling a little jealous. It
has the furry attire, the whiskers and even the big black eyes, but
thanks to the sleepy habits of the dormouse – including being
watched snoring away in perfect slumber by five million people
on YouTube – the harvest mouse hasn’t quite reached the same
celebrity status.
As its scientific name Micromys minutus suggests, the harvest
mouse is our smallest rodent, and although like many of our small
mammals it is seldom seen, it is even less conspicuous at just
5–6 centimetres in length, with perhaps another 5 centimetres of
tail. It is also highly agile with a prehensile tail that acts like a fifth
limb – something more often seen in primates – and is the only
British species to have this feature. This flexibility allows the harvest
mouse to move effortlessly through grass stalks and crops in
search of seed heads, reducing the amount of time spent at
ground level – a dangerous place for any creature when there
are predators around.
Harvest mice weigh in at as little as 4–6 grams – perhaps a quarter
of the weight of the more familiar dormouse – even before the
latter enjoys a pre-hibernation feast when it might double its
weight. One of our most adaptable species, the harvest mouse
exploits habitats as varied as hedgerows, reedbeds, crops and
ditches. Seeds, berries and insects are most often on the harvest
mouse menu, although moss, roots and fungi may also be taken.
When taking grain from cereal heads, they leave characteristic
sickle-shaped leftovers.
Along with many small mammals, the population change during
the seasons can be dramatic, with nine out of ten harvest mice
lost over the winter period. To compensate for this, they will have
several broods of young each year, sometimes well into December
if the weather remains mild.
In the UK, harvest mice are found from around Yorkshire
southwards, and although they have been found further north,
these may be captive-bred harvest mice that have been introduced
into the wild. It’s also thought that the preference for dry stone
walls over hedgerows in Scotland probably limits harvest mouse
presence north of the border. As their traditional habitats have
been lost, surprising new areas have become important for harvest
mice, including roadside verges which offer the tall grassy habitats
they prefer. In one survey alone in southern England, almost three-
quarters of harvest mice nests were discovered in roadside habitats.
Why do we want to know how harvest mice are getting on?
Harvest mice are highly vulnerable to some of the changes in our
agricultural systems and their presence is a good overall indicator
of the general health of the countryside. Alterations to their habitat,
like the loss of hedgerows, differing crop sowing regimes and
increased tidiness and mechanisation across our farmland, mean the
harvest mouse is having to adapt to change.
In Cheshire, a captive breeding and release programme has been
based at Chester Zoo since the 1980s, however we can do more to
help harvest mice if we know where they are in the wild. The harvest
mouse is listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) and the
local Cheshire Region BAP. Over the last year we’ve found harvest
mice nests at Bar Mere at Bickley Hall Farm, and our Bagmere
nature reserve near Congleton, but where else are these diminutive
self-builders living?
On the lookout… harvest miceIn a new feature for The Grebe magazine, we’ll be telling the story of some of Cheshire’s more secretive species – and how you can help to track them down where you live. This time, we delve into the life of the harvest mouse.
AM
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Harvest mice are a good indicator of the general health of our countryside
WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 23
Your turn…You’d be very lucky to catch a glimpse of a harvest mouse.
However, you can get a peek into their lifestyle by tracking
down harvest mice nests.
Harvest mice are very fussy homeowners, choosing to
build not only breeding nests but also ‘shelter’ nests, both
of which are quite different.
Breeding nests
These high-rise des res are generally built quite high above
ground, intricately woven from grasses into a distinctive ball
shape with an entrance hole. They can be anything from a
foot above ground to more than a metre in dense reedbeds.
A breeding nest can be up to 10cm (4in in diameter).
Shelter nests
Generally smaller (perhaps just 5cm (2in) in diameter),
these are likely to be closer to the ground and not quite
up to the same building standards as they are more
likely to be temporary.
You could find a harvest mouse nest almost anywhere,
including grasslands, field, reedbeds, brambles
and open fields. Their small size is usually the best
indicator, with the nests of warblers in reeds only to
be found in summer, and similar ball-shaped nests of
long-tailed tits likely to be larger and covered with
moss and lichen. Please look for harvest mice nests
during the winter when birds are not likely to be
nesting in the same areas and harvest mice are no
longer breeding. Always leave the area as you find it.
If you think you’ve seen a harvest mouse nest, the
best possible thing you can do is take a photograph
and make a detailed note of the location. You can
contact Sue Tatman at the Trust with your reports on
01948 820728 or [email protected]
On the lookout… harvest mice
WHERE TO LOOK
24 THE GREBE WINTER 2013
It’s almost two years now since you took on the role of president
of the Trust – how would you reflect on what you’ve seen over
that time?
I have been astounded by the range and quality of the projects
undertaken by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust. I have always known that
the Trust played an important role in caring for the environment but
until I became President I had no idea just how critical the Trust and
its members are to ensuring that Cheshire continues to nurture one
of the most diverse and beautiful habitats in England.
It is thanks, of course, not only to the highly skilled people we
employ but also to the enormous membership who make that
possible. We are blessed with members in every corner of the region
who not only support the Trust’s professional work financially, but
also contribute huge amounts of energy and expertise through
volunteering. I have also had the huge privilege of getting to know
our magnificent rare breed herds of gentle Longhorns and those
naughty Dexters, not to mention the orphan lamb from our flock of
Hebridean sheep who now thinks it is one of the staff!
Many of our readers will know you from your North West Tonight
days behind the desk, others for your work in regeneration, the
health sector and Salford’s Media City, but has nature also played
a role in your life?
I was lucky enough to grow up on the edge of Dartmoor. I had
a wonderful childhood, roamed free with all my friends, most of
whom were farmers’ children, and was very much aware of the
glories of landscape and how lucky I was to be able to grow up
enjoying the riches of nature. At my little village school we spent
almost as much time out of the classroom as inside; nature walks
were a daily part of life. No one had television in those days but
there was a ‘famous’ local naturalist, H.G. Hurrell, and he would
bring all his latest films to show us on a very simple cine machine.
So I grew up with a love of wild landscapes, an appreciation of
the diversity and interdependencies of the natural world and a
continuing sense of wonder as the seasons change. I look forward
to each one, even winter.
Many, many years ago I was co-opted to a national body which
was probably way ahead of its time, called ‘Going for Green.’ We
were trying to persuade people that reducing man’s increasingly
adverse impact on the environment was probably one of the
most important things that any citizen of this or any country can
and should do. Despite having people far more distinguished
than me on the panel, like Sir David Attenborough, few people
wanted to listen or join forces with us at the time. But one of
my guiding principles is ‘never take no for an answer’! If you
believe passionately that something is right, you should fight for it
whenever the opportunity arises.
I was delighted when as part of the project to build The Lowry,
The International Arts & Theatre Complex Centre on Salford Quays
and a major regeneration initiative, I had an opportunity to broker
a deal to help clean up the head waters of the Manchester Ship
Canal. When I first saw it back in the early 1970s this was the most
polluted waterway in Europe. Thanks to a number of determined
people, not least the Mersey Basin Campaign, Peel Holdings, United
Utilities and Salford City Council, plus some brilliant science from
APEM at Manchester University, we now have a healthy waterway
and inner dock basins full of fish. This is a great example of how
public, private and voluntary bodies working together can really
make a difference.
We’ve probably seen the toughest period financially for the
charity sector for many years. Do you think people should still
dig deep when pressures remain in our daily lives?
It’s very hard for voluntary organisations, hard to keep getting
the money in and it requires an enormous amount of hard work
and determination by a lot of people. But I also think it’s really
important that if you care about something in your area then it is
local people that should take responsibility for it. We can’t all be
Former BBC journalist and North West
regeneration leader Felicity Goodey CBE
has been the Trust’s President since January
2011. We caught up with Felicity after a
busy two years in the Trust’s history.
A wild word with…Felicity Goodey CBE
one of my guiding principles is ‘never take no for an answer’!
INTERVIEWT
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WINTER 2013 THE GREBE 25
activists, we haven’t all got the time. Those who do volunteer are
fantastic and do an amazing job, but those who can’t afford the
time, then perhaps they can afford a few pounds every month.
There are all sorts of good causes out there, and many of us support
a range of good causes, but our local environment is irreplaceable.
We are only the present day guardians. I believe we have a duty to
leave it as healthy, if not healthier, than when we found it.
Man, like every other living organism, relies on the environment
to live, for food, for heating and other energy, for shelter and for
medicine. But ‘modern’ man has got greedy. We want more than
just basic life support. We can have more but we have to recognise
that it comes at a cost. If we care about those who will come after
us, we have to recognise that climate change aside, man is having
an increasingly adverse impact on the environment in many ways
from which it is finding it harder and harder to recover. I don’t want
to leave an ugly, exhausted wasteland to my grandchildren.
We can’t solve global warming on our own but we can safeguard
and enhance our local environment and that is what the Cheshire
Wildlife Trust does. By bringing together the thousands of people
who are now members and asking them to give a little money or
time, often both, together we are making a big difference. We’re
helping the water vole back from the verge of extinction on our
rivers and canals; the dormouse is beginning to repopulate its
natural woodland habitat; and so much more. Cheshire people are
reversing years of man’s ill treatment and once more nurturing the
environment in which we all live. At our Annual General Meeting
recently the huge variety and impact of the many Trust projects
across the county was clear. At a time when most membership
organisations are struggling for members, we continue to grow,
which shows just how much Cheshire people really care.
We’ve seen with the recent release of David Bond’s film Project
Wild Thing (see page 12) that just one in five youngsters now
have access to nature and the outdoors. As someone with the
health agenda close to your heart does this worry you?
It’s a national disaster. As parents we have been taught to be
terrified of letting our children out on their own but we are mostly
too busy to go out with them. So they sit in front of a screen living
in an artificial world and often eating junk. We don’t mean to be
unkind, often we are just trying to be protective, but the physical
and mental health impacts of this kind of lifestyle are appalling.
Childhood obesity is leading to major adult health problems and I
would hazard a guess that the big rise in mental health problems
among youngsters, young men in particular, has a lot to do with
the fact that they can’t let off steam in the countryside, let their
imaginations rip and feel the joy of wind in their hair and grass
under their feet. Tees Valley Wildlife Trust are piloting a terrific
project. Retired people, students and people with mental health
problems are all taking part in a project to build a wildlife reserve
on Teeside. The mental and physical health benefits are being
closely monitored and the results are fantastic. Volunteering
I don’t want to leave an ugly, exhausted wasteland to my grandchildren
outdoors is seriously good for you which is why Cheshire Wildlife
Trust has been helping to pilot a ‘natural health service’ in Cheshire,
working with Mersey Forest and others.
The popularity of programmes like Springwatch and
Autumnwatch can have hardened conservationists’ eyes rolling
with accusations of ‘dumbing down’ nature, but as a former
journalist do you think keeping things simple is the way into
people’s living rooms or do we need the ‘tough facts’ too?
Popular programmes like this are great for raising general
awareness and, hopefully, giving more people an appetite to get
out into the countryside to experience it for themselves.
But in programme making, we need tough facts, too. In my
experience if you give people the pros and cons of a situation in
good plain English with examples and evidence, then in ninety-
nine cases out of a hundred people will come to a sane conclusion.
There is no room in nature for sentimentality and misplaced
emotion. Nice little furry foxes do not rescue poor little rabbits
from the big bad badger, as featured in Farthing Wood – they eat
them. If misplaced emotion had not released the non-native mink
into the wild, we would not have nearly lost our native water vole.
Of course we have to plant and then cut down trees. But do we
need to exhaust and virtually sterilise vast swathes of the land
by planting acres of quick-growing fir or even cereals to provide
biomass fuel or electricity?
You’ve mentioned your early years in Dartmoor, but with your
feet firmly under the table in Cheshire now, where and how
would be the perfect way to experience Cheshire’s countryside
on a crisp winter’s weekend?
Every weekend when we are at home my husband and I get out
for a long walk somewhere. I love the little rolling valleys and all
my favourite walks feature a babbling brook. We walk all over the
county and I have too many favourites to mention, though I do
have a particular soft spot for the Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s herd of
Longhorn cattle overwintering
on our headquarters in Bickley
Hall Farm.
One of the great glories of this
country is the freedom with
which we can explore
our countryside. It is a
privilege, and it’s good to see
how carefully most people
these days close gates and
respect the farmers’ crops
and animals. And to warm up
afterwards, there are so many
wonderful Cheshire pubs!
Need I say more?!
There’s no room in nature for sentimentality and misplaced emotion
TO
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Felicity tree planting with youngsters near Macclesfield
We are looking for walk organisers to lead guided tours on a selection of our European parcs. The position would suit individuals, couples or why not make it a family affair.
You will work on a voluntary basis for at least two weeks or even longer if you’re available. Full training is provided along with parc accommodation and travel expenses.
If you would like to apply for this position or would like further information please contact
[email protected] or call 01606 787522
Walking,nature &
outdoors?a love of t
he
Do you have a keen interest in
EC14_Walking_Wildlife_Ad.indd 1 19/12/2013 13:41