Butterfly survey in 2021

in 2021 by Nick Jobson

Between April and September, the Washington local group undertook a butterfly survey, attempting to cover the whole of the Washington New Town area.

Each member was given a specified sector (or sectors) to cover, and a minimum requirement set of two visits over the six month period. We didn’t achieve the full coverage hoped for, but did record a total of 20 species, including the more unusual finds of dingy skipper and brimstone. The latter was recorded by a volunteer at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, who gave us some excellent detailed data covering all of the survey period. The observations have been recorded on the ERIC North-East database which we will be looking at and interrogating later. Poor weather in May meant a sluggish start to the survey, but good spells in June and July certainly helped. In 2020, the group conducted a small-scale butterfly survey covering the coast-to-coast (C2C) cycle path through Washington, about five miles in total. This survey produced 13 species which included large skipper. Unfortunately, this species eluded us in 2021, which was frustrating, but we were nevertheless pleased with our total of 20! Each participant was given a standard butterfly guide for identification purposes, with funding for the purchase provided via the ERIC Small Grant Award scheme.

It’s an exciting time for young people with a passion for wildlife. Two new Conservation Trainees will join the Trust, thanks to support from ALA Green Charitable Trust and the Government’s Kickstart scheme. The trainees will get hands-on work experience out on the reserves with the conservation team and volunteers, as well as completing accredited training. This generous support will help to train and inspire the next generation of conservationists, helping them to find employment in the environment sector. Thanks to a Large Community Grant from ‘believe housing’ more young people can now join the Nature Rangers and Young Rangers to make a difference for wildlife at Low Barns and in their local area around Crook, Willington, and Bishop Auckland. The Rangers have a go at practical conservation tasks and surveying wildlife, as well as meeting new people and having fun. Rainton Meadows Young Rangers have also had a funding boost with support from the Coalfield Healthy and Active Teens fund from Sunderland City Council. This means that there are sessions every fortnight at Rainton Meadows so more young people from the surrounding area can get out and discover local wildlife.

More than 40 members attended the 2021 Annual General Meeting of Durham Wildlife Trust in October, where they were given an overview on the performance of the Trust over the past year, plus updates from our conservation team, including details of new nature reserves which have been secured as part of our 50th anniversary campaign, and the latest from the Healing Nature project (more on that on page 6). There was also a special guest appearance from Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (the national body that represents all the Wildlife Trusts across the UK). Craig talked about how the Wildlife Trusts will be delivering nature’s recovery, locally and nationally, and how individual Trusts, as locally-based nature conservation charities, can play a vital role in addressing the climate and ecological emergencies through the 30 by 30 campaign.

Find out more: durhamwt.com/campaign/30-30