The Grebe Magazine Winter 2013/14

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.

ELLO

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Accentuate the positive


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


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


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.


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

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Gannet

Guillemot

Janet Ward of

INEOS (left) and Dr Vicky Nall


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


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.

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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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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


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…

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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’.


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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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


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


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


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


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


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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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

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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


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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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


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.

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Harvest mice are a good indicator of the general health of our countryside


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


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’!

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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

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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

The Grebe Magazine Winter 2013/14

Documents

Transcript of The Grebe Magazine Winter 2013/14