Wild Magazine Winter 2020

Discover Wildlife Explore Nature in Essex

Page 34

The unsung heroes of our

coastline

Saltmarshes are a key part of Essex’s landscape – its history, its wildlife and its heritage

Page 42

The magazine for Essex Wildlife Trust members Issue 113 | WINTER 2020

What’s on this winter

Page 14

WILDER ESSEX

How to make your garden wildlife friendly this winter Page 30

12th highest performing prep school in England Sunday Times Parent Power listing 2020

Arrange a visit to find out more about St Mary’s Kindergarten and Lower School www.stmaryscolchester.org.uk

Welcome

Issue 113 | WINTER 2020

‘Nature isn’t just nice to look at; it forms the solid and essential foundations of a functioning community’

Welcome

A

t the start of the year, no-one could have predicted the challenges that we have all faced. Emotions have certainly become frayed at the edges at times and there were many days over the summer when it was hard to see a way forward. But everyone associated with the Trust has really pulled together and we are now a stronger organisation as a consequence.

That collective spirit really defines our conservation ethos and it reaches far beyond just the staff and volunteers. As a local Wildlife Trust we will always act as an ambassador for wildlife and we will lead, lobby and demonstrate best practice at every opportunity.

But the stark reality is that we cannot achieve the protection of wildlife in Essex on our own – we need everyone to play their part.

This pandemic has clearly demonstrated the inherent value of access to green space. Nature isn’t just nice to look at; it forms the solid and essential foundations of a functioning community.

In the coming months, the Trust will therefore be asking more of every resident in Essex who cares about nature and encouraging them to stand alongside us, to fight for the protection of our natural heritage.

Discover us and join the conversation: Essex Wildlife Trust @essexwildlifetrust @EssexWildlife EssexWildlife www.essexwt.org.uk

We need

your

help!

How to get involved...

Transform your garden

We’ve compiled a list of actions and guides you can undertake to help wildlife, from mini ponds to hibernaculums. Take action today at www.essexwt.org.uk/actions.

How to get involved...

Stay in touch

Andrew Impey

As a member of the Trust you will receive regular WildNews straight to your inbox.

Let us know if you’re not receiving these at membership@essexwt.org.uk.

Chief Executive Officer

Tell your friends WILD is the magazine of Essex Wildlife Trust and is published four times a year: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

The Trust is a corporate member of The Wildlife Trusts

MEET THE WILD TEAM

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Trustees of Essex Wildlife Trust.

Editor-in-Chief

No. 113 Winter 2020 ISSN 0961 6004

We are the county’s leading conservation charity, committed to protecting wildlife and inspiring a lifelong love of nature.

Beaver front cover photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

All enquiries to: Essex Wildlife Trust, Abbotts Hall Farm, Great Wigborough, Colchester, Essex, CO5 7RZ T 01621 862960 E membership@essexwt.org.uk www.essexwt.org.uk Reg Charity No. 210065 VAT Reg No. 945745977 Company Reg No. 638666 England

We manage nature reserves and discovery parks across the county, providing outstanding outdoor learning and preserving places of wonder.

Founded in 1959 by volunteers, we protect over 8,400 acres of land across 87 sites and are supported by 39,000 members.

Our climate is in crisis and nature needs our help. Together we can protect the future. Join us.

We are one of the largest trusts that work together throughout the British Isles as The Wildlife Trusts.

Emily McParland

Executive Editor Rich Yates

Editorial Assistant

Lily Chambers

Art Director

Nathan Bishop

Advertising & Printing The DS Group Clara Deeks - Publishing Director clara@thedsgroup.co.uk Lauren Munson - Sales Executive lauren@thedsgroup.co.uk To advertise in WILD magazine contact Lauren on 01255 221322.

WILD magazine includes adverts from third-parties. However, services offered by advertisers are not specifically endorsed by Essex Wildlife Trust.

The income from advertisements goes towards the cost of printing and postage. This means that more of your membership donation goes directly towards conservation. Adverts must conform to the British Code of Advertising Practice.

Copyright © Essex Wildlife Trust 2020

Your friends and family can sign up to receive WildNews at www.essexwt.org.uk/about-us/ e-new-sign-up or join the conversation throughout the year by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Investors in Wildlife

By signing up your business as a corporate Investor in Wildlife you’re joining a green alliance of local companies. Find out more by contacting Karen Dixon on karend@essexwt.org.uk or 07519 119692.

Leave a legacy

Help to safeguard our county’s wildlife and allow future generations to experience the joys of nature. Contact Rosalyn Leclercq on 01621 862987 or email legacies@essexwt.org.uk.

We really hope you enjoy receiving your magazine and wish to continue to do so. If, however, you would prefer not to hear from us in this way, please contact the Membership Office on 01621 862964, by email at membership@essexwt.org.uk, or by post, and we will be delighted to help you manage how we communicate with you.

WILD winter 2020

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Section title here | Page Title Here

Page 34

THE UNSUNG HEROES OF OUR COASTLINE n ds

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4 |

WILD winter 2020

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6 YOUR WILD ESSEX

Photos sent in and shared by supporters of the Trust, showcasing the wildlife in our county.

Beaver photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

WHAT’S INSIDE

8 TRUST NEWS

Updates from throughout the Trust on our work to protect wildlife and inspire a lifelong love of nature.

14 BEAVERS ARE BACK

We reflect on the start of this ambitious project and see how these ecosystem engineers have already transformed the landscape.

32 HOW YOU CAN HELP WILDLIFE

Learn how to build your own biodegradable bird feeder, using an orange!

THIS WINTER

Wrap up warm, let’s get outside and explore wild Essex in winter.

44 WHAT’S ON

Tollesbury Wick nature reserve photo: Dave Watts

42 WHAT’S ON

TOP TIPS

THIS DECEMBER

Wonderful winter waders and the arrival of migratory birds are some of the top spectacles to enjoy this month.

46 WHAT’S ON THIS JANUARY

Look for silent flying barn owls, keep your bird feeders topped up and listen to dabbling and diving ducks.

24 Under the spotlight:

Tollesbury Wick nature reserve A fantastic winter reserve to visit, we take an in-depth look at this coastal nature reserve.

48 WHAT’S ON

THIS FEBRUARY

Spot the signs of spring emerging this month, with courting birds, awakening amphibians and blooming flowers.

52 TIME TUNNEL

We take a look back at the year 1970 to see what was happening at the Trust.

58 WILDLIFE QUIZ TIME Test your knowledge on the wonderful wildlife and wild places in Essex.

Abbotts Hall Farm saltmarsh photo: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

30 YOUR WINTER

WILDLIFE GARDEN

We share our top tips for making your garden wildlife friendly this winter.

WILD winter 2020 | 5

Your Wild Essex

A striking kingfisher perching at our Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges nature reserve by Colin Byford, @col999r.

We have been sent some incredible photos throughout the year by our amazing members and followers. Take a moment to enjoy how wonderfully wild Essex can be.

An adorable little fox cub spotted padding around Epping by Will Green, @wildwillgreen.

An eye-catching robin sits amongst bright rosehip berries by April Piccone, @thebirdsinthegarden.

To be featured in an upcoming edition of our WILD magazine, email your photos to magazine@essexwt.org.uk or tag Essex Wildlife Trust on social media. We can’t wait to see your wild Essex!

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WILD winter 2020

Your Wild Essex

#essexwildlifetrust

A beautiful water vole spotted munching on some berries

by Claire Norman, @clairenormanwildlifephoto.

A common frog gleaming in a freshly created garden pond by Daniel Bridge.

Two buzzards captured performing an aerobatic display over Abbotts Hall Nature Discovery Park

by Ed Thorn.

A great white egret captured flying directly above our Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park by Jason Fox.

An angelic barn owl captured in the early evening sun by Robin Lowry.

This vibrant ruby-tailed wasp by Matthew J Thomas is enough to brighten even the dullest of days.

WILD winter 2020

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Trust news

Stories and news from throughout the Trust on our work to protect wildlife and inspire a lifelong love of nature across Essex. Written by our staff, volunteers and members of our Local Groups.

Fisher’s estuarine mot

h photo: Micky And

rews Photo: Carole Durrell

Monitoring volcanoes on the Essex coast Zoe Ringwood Landscape Conservation Area Manager

The Fisher’s estuarine moth is one of the most highly threatened species of insect in the UK. It is only found on isolated sites on the north Essex and north Kent coast and its main UK stronghold is on one of our remote island nature reserves.

The moth has very specialised habitat requirements and is completely reliant on hog’s fennel, as its sole caterpillar foodplant, and coarse grasses for egg laying. Areas that support the moth tend to be coastal, low lying and at risk of flooding. Our Skipper’s Island nature reserve is particularly vulnerable and a proportion was lost this year to the sea.

We monitor the population on the island each year by searching for hog’s fennel plants with ‘frass volcanoes’ in July and August. These ‘volcanoes’ are the caterpillar’s distinctive feeding signs; they are piles of poo formed at the base of the plants when the caterpillar bores into the rootstock.

In 2020 our surveys revealed 54% of plants had frass volcanoes, which demonstrates the population is doing well. Due to the threats of habitat loss from the sea we are taking action to create new secure areas for the moth on higher ground, away from the dangers of flooding.

Fisher’s estuarine moth photo: Micky Andrews

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WILD winter 2020

Trust news

At the heart of our mission Laura Harvey Outdoor Learning Manager Being outdoors in the natural world is the most calming and inspirational place to play and learn, especially in a pandemic, so we wanted to provide children with opportunities to attend our Forest School sessions safely from the summer onwards.

We adapted and created guidelines to offer safe and successful sessions, working in smaller groups with individual kit bags and spending all the time outside. The reduced kit allows children to be extra creative and adaptive in their learning development.

In these sessions children are able to lead their own learning, develop projects and carry them out, supported by a Forest School leader when needed. Children have created base camps, lit fires, used tools, made hammocks and rope swings and discovered wildlife on the site.

Glow worm photo: Alan White

Chafford Glowing Brightly Dean Williams Ranger

We’ve had reams of positive feedback on our drop-off days: ‘the session was just as engaging under Covid restrictions – the kids loved it’, ‘My girls maintain that this is their favourite activity of the holidays and loved every minute’, ‘Really impressed by the caring nature of the staff’, ‘Amazing team of leaders’, ‘My kids were buzzing about it the whole journey home’ and ‘My children literally had the best day ever.’

The glow worm population at Chafford Gorges Nature Discovery Park had a boom this year. Our annual surveys had revealed a steady decline but this year these endangered beetles showed a noticeable uptick. 90 more glowing females were counted than the previous generation which is fantastic news.

And in relation to our Forest School training the comments have been equally humbling and justify all the time and effort that has gone into making these sessions work: ‘How you have adapted the whole course in response to Covid is amazing’, ‘The best training course I have been on’, ‘The enthusiasm and passion is contagious’, ‘Extremely knowledgeable and dedicated instructors’ and ‘I loved the training and looked forward to each day’. These activities are at the heart of our mission to protect wildlife and inspire a lifelong love of nature, reaching a new generation of children who will be the stewards of the future, training the teachers who will teach them, and engaging adults and families at every age and stage of life.

Glow worms have a fascinating life cycle, spending three years in their larval stage where they feast upon snails, before pupating into the adult stage. Males can fly and are attracted to the green glow of females, who lure them in with a wiggle of their glowing tails. The females are flightless and it is for this reason that the glow worms are in trouble – they cannot disperse to new areas very quickly to avoid threats.

Rewilding the planning system Emily McParland Communications Manager Essex Wildlife Trust welcomes changes to the planning system, so that nature is given more priority, however, the proposed changes would only make the situation far worse: failing nature, people, and local democracy. Not only this, they would fail to address climate change, the ecological emergency, and growing health inequalities. All Wildlife Trusts worked together to set out five important principles that we think are needed in the planning reforms – including a principle of protecting areas where nature is in recovery: a new Wildbelt.

In response, we asked you to respond to the consultation using your own views and experience, to contact local councillors and MPs to have your voice heard. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the consultation and stood up for our wildlife and wild places.

Nationally over 17,300 people directly responded, and a further 366 councils and 500 MPs were contacted. Although the consultation closed on 29 October, please do consider still contacting your local representatives to ensure safeguarding nature is on the forefront of their minds.

The females risk being blocked out by scrub encroachment and artificial light.

At Chafford Gorges Nature Discovery Park we have been creating glow worm friendly habitat to try to protect the species.

Good display areas have been maintained and through clearing scrub back on bunds we were able to create new habitat.

We have also made habitat piles along most of the glow worm’s range to have a snail rich highway and a covered area for the larvae to thrive.

Due to their three year lifecycle, the 2020 glow worm numbers were the generation of 2017! This demonstrates our work is helping the glow worm population to bounce back and we’re hopeful that their recovery will continue.

By creating a habitat pile in your garden, avoiding using pesticides and keeping outdoor artificial light to a minimum, you can hopefully draw these magical insects in.

WILD winter 2020

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Trust news

Our first Essex Coastal Challenge was a success!

Alice Hardaker Fundraising Manager A huge thank you and congratulations to everybody who walked, ran, kayaked, swam, hopped, cycled, fundraised and donated for the Essex Coastal Challenge this year! It was our very first virtual fundraising challenge event and thanks to you, it was a fantastic success: 436 people donated a total of over £14,400!

Your support matters now more than ever. Thank you for helping to protect Essex’s precious wildlife, on land and at sea – helping to ensure it’s still there to enjoy for many years to come. We hope that it will become an annual event so if you missed it this year, hang on to all the blue items in your wardrobe and look out for details of next year’s Coastal Challenge. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about our stunning coast, you can catch up with all the Essex Coastal Challenge videos on the Trust’s YouTube page.

Businesses continue to support wildlife Karen Dixon Corporate Coordinator

For most businesses and organisations across the world, the pandemic has been a real test. But despite the challenges ahead, our corporate Investors in Wildlife have continued to support us in protecting wildlife and wild places.

Our Tree of Life has started to flourish Rosalyn Leclercq Senior Legacy Officer

We recently installed our beautiful copper Tree of Life at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park. This sits in pride of place to the left of the front entrance to the centre. We already have some beautiful sponsored leaves and a bird in place bringing the tree to life, so do please look when you next visit.

Each item is engraved with a personalised message.

These are an ideal gift to celebrate a special occasion, Christmas or commemorate a loved one, with all the funds raised going to support our vital conservation work in Essex. For more information visit www.essexwt.org.uk/tree-of-life, email TreeofLife@essexwt.org.uk or call us on 01621 862987.

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WILD winter 2020

Old Park Natural Burial Ground, Gold members for the past three years, have raised £310 in additional funds through fundraising events and donations. Two of our Silver members, Commodity Centre (UK) Ltd and Qinetiq upgraded to Gold, having been with us since 2009 and 2008 respectively. Our Gala Charity Ball, which was planned for this year, still has our sponsors on board: R&D Advisors and Devines Accountants, continuing to pledge their support for 2021.

This has been a positive outcome that we are incredibly appreciative of, especially in these challenging times.

The support of our Investors in Wildlife continues to allow us to do more for Essex’s natural world and the wildlife within.

If your business is interested in becoming an Investor in Wildlife, please contact Karen Dixon on KarenD@essexwt.org.uk or Grant Maton on GrantM@essexwt.org.uk.

Trust news

Photography Competition 2020 Lily Chambers

Communications Assistant Our annual Photography Competition has just drawn to a close and it was another fantastic year for entries!

Our panel of judges including wildlife photographer and filmmaker Russell Savory and Essex Wildlife Trust’s CEO Andrew Impey will come together virtually this month to pick the winners, runner’s up and highly commended photos from our six categories.

Then the vote for the overall winner will be down to you, visit our website in January to vote for who will be crowned the winner of the Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2020 and take home the £200 prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered this year and to Adult Community Learning (ACL), one of the largest providers of adult courses in Essex and a corporate member of the Trust since 2016, for sponsoring the 2020 competition.

Common darter dragonfly photo: Andrew Neal

News from the Castle Point Local Group John Turner Chair of Castle Point Local Group

We have begun carrying out work in the woods again, which is carried out over winter to benefit the variety of spring and summer species found in this part of the county. In Pound Wood on last year’s coppice plot the wood has been removed and we have begun to process this and deliver fire wood. We have also begun cutting back the trees under the power lines that were too tall and will be brush cutting in the winter to promote new growth for the butterflies, including the heath fritillary.

News from the Chelmsford Local Group Caroline Fagg Volunteer Warden

Newland Grove is a small reserve, only 3 hectares, that is bordered by a fallow field, the river Chelmer, a motocross track and the busy A130. It is situated within walking distance of Little Waltham, Broomfield and Beaulieu.

During the first lockdown it was positive to see many new locals discovering this reserve, especially the beauty of our bluebells in spring. This increased popularity did create several increased pressures though, as walkers and cyclists wandered off the paths, so therefore we had to install more posts at the entry points to protect the flower meadow. Despite further examples of antisocial behaviour, the reserve managed to flourish with comfrey, white Bryon, St. John’s wort, wood anemone, primroses, orchids, bluebells, kestrels, rabbits, buzzards, dragonflies and more! It was noted that there were more peacock butterflies than ever seen before and 11 butterfly species recorded in total.

Peacock butterfly photo: David Hopley

I walked through the reserve nearly everyday and I found great solace and comfort there during the difficult time of lockdown. As autumn rolls into winter it will be interesting to see what will come next at this nature reserve.

News from the Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Local Group Anita Sandison Secretary of Maldon & South Woodham Ferrers Local Group At Maldon Wick nature reserve, the spindles are covered in fat pink fruits, so the robins will be happy! Our winter visitors started arriving right on cue in October, with large flocks of black-tailed godwits, golden plover and lapwing already back in their usual locations on the Blackwater Estuary, at the same time as the last few swallows were making their way south. A nice walk to enjoy this time of year is from the head of Lawling Creek at Maylandsea which is readily accessible, and has a good variety of species close to the coastal footpath.

Black tailed godwit photo: Amy Lewis

At Chigborough Lakes nature reserve, Alan Brown and Chris Thwaites have been back to carry out work, some of which sadly involved removing rubbish from the nature reserve.

WILD winter 2020

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Trust news

‘Highly Commended’ award for our Ranger Macbradan Bones

Landscape Conservation Area Officer (South-East) I’m very pleased to announce that Tiffany Rogerson, our Landscape Conservation Area Assistant (South-East) was awarded ‘highly commended’ in the Land Trust’s ‘Ranger of the Year’ awards for her hard work at Oliver Road Lagoons, a private site that Essex Wildlife Trust took over the management of last year. Tiff has established a volunteer group, managed many difficult incidents during lockdown and helped progress our upcoming projects to help the rare invertebrates thrive here. As we’ve been managing the site for less than a year, having Tiff to be recognised so soon is very much to her credit.

Autumn passage at Blue House Farm Harry Smith Warden

When autumn migrants pass through the reserve (known as passage migrants) I am always amazed at the important relationship between the sheep and cattle and several of these bird species.

The yellow wagtails are flocking up and love to spend their time picking at the insects around the feet of the large herbivores that attract and disturb invertebrates, it’s not too hard to imagine these yellow wagtails feeding at the feet of antelope, buffalo and wildebeest in their overwintering grounds on the African continent.

Osprey photo: Andy Rouse/2020VISION

Yellow wagtail photo: Amy Lewis

This year has also seen sightings of osprey right on our doorstep at Bridgemarsh Island – the largest intertidal area of saltmarsh on the River Crouch. The bird was seen perching on an old dead tree on the island. We hope to see more and more of this species as they continue to recover across their former range and the number of these passage migrant birds increase.

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WILD winter 2020

Keeping you safe After the lockdown, Essex Wildlife Trust made the decision to not open all of its Nature Discovery Centres immediately, as we needed to make it as safe as possible for our visitors, staff and volunteers.

We are proud to announce that our new systems and procedures have been working extremely well and all nine of our centres were able to open to the public

by September. There are strict COVID secure measures to ensure you have a safe visit with us and some centres are only open on select days. Masks must be worn inside the centre, hand sanitiser is available on arrival, social distancing and one-way systems are in place, our food and drink offer is limited to takeaway and we ask all visitors to check in via the Track and Trace QR code. We are encouraging contactless payments where possible, but cash is still welcome.

We’ve loved having you back, however when the second lockdown was announced we had to close our Nature Discovery Centres once again. We can’t wait to welcome you back to some of your favourite places when we can and we will continue to work to keep you safe while enjoying the wild places of Essex.

As the situation changes regularly, keep up to date on any changes to our Covid-19 statement at www.essexwt.org.uk/news/covid-19.

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Section title here | Page Title Here Beavers

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WILD winter 2020

Beaver photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Page Title Here | Section title here Beavers

Beavers returned to Essex after a 400 year absence

A

fter a very successful first 18 months, Darren Tansley, the Trust’s River Catchment Coordinator and Archie Ruggles-Brise, owner of Spains Hall Estate reflect on how this project began, what caused us to take this leap into the unknown in East Anglia and see how these ecosystem engineers have already managed to transform the landscape.

WILD winter 2020

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Beavers

‘It was clear that beavers were phenomenal engineers!’

A

Beaver photo: David Parkyn/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

decade ago while working on restoring water voles to North Essex, Darren Tansley, Essex Wildlife Trust’s River Catchment Coordinator, was approached by renowned beaver expert Derek Gow, to see if we had any suitable locations for a beaver release in Essex. Obviously beavers are much larger than water voles and their potential for altering the landscape was viewed as controversial at the time, so he was not optimistic. At the time, river sites with enough wood for food and construction were hard to locate and most had the potential to cause conflict with riverside landowners who were growing cricket bat willows on the floodplain.

Sadly the project never came to fruition, until 2018, when Archie Ruggles-Brise, the owner of Spains Hall Estate approached us with his plan for a release.

“Essex Wildlife Trust were instrumental in triggering the idea in the first place, but perhaps unwittingly,” says Archie.

“Mark Iley, the Trust’s Landscape Conservation Development Manager presented findings from a beaver enclosure in Devon to a gathering of environmentalists. The talk was part of a session on natural flood management (using low cost, naturalistic approaches to slowing water), and it was clear that beavers were phenomenal engineers! Clearly he and others had made the obvious connection, backed up by evidence from the enclosure, but for me it was the first time I realised that there might be an alternative to diggers and diesel for natural flood management.”

Archie left that meeting convinced that not only should the estate develop a natural flood management project to help protect the village of Finchingfield, but that beavers could be a big part of the engineering team.

In a matter of weeks, an enthusiastic group had assembled, spearheaded by Essex Wildlife Trust, the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency and Spains Hall Estate.

16 |

WILD winter 2020

Beaver photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Beavers

Tawny owl photo: Damian Waters / Drumimages.co.uk Sparrowhawk photo: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

‘Invertebrates rapidly colonised these areas bringing in kingfisher, water shrews and in turn predators such as tawny owl and sparrowhawk.’

Kingfisher photo: Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography

Over the next few months, the group sought advice from Derek Gow and identified the suitable woodland habitat.

Archie was encouraged to apply for the then relatively new Natural England Licence required to release beavers into a fenced enclosure. After a few months, thanks in no small part to Derek’s tenacity and the unrivalled biological knowledge of another beaver expert, Roisin Campbell-Palmer, the licence was granted and the project was good to go.

The small matter of funding was covered by a generous grant from the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, more used to building multi-million pound flood defences, they allowed themselves to be convinced of the projects merits by Matt Butcher from the Environment Agency.

Combined with funding from the estate and WWF-UK through Norfolk River Trust’s catchment management programme, eight leaky dams from estate trees were built and a 1,600m fence to completely enclose the beaver woodland.

It is important to realise that unlike the water vole work, this has not been a species reintroduction. The beavers are living within an enclosure so they cannot move onto neighbours’ land, but this has given us an opportunity to study the benefits quite literally flowing from their work.

The most obvious one is water storage. The artificial way we drain our land has created a boom and bust of water in our water environment. In winter we are actively

flushing this most essential resource out to sea through a network of pipes, drains and over straightened rivers.

Then in the summer when crops require irrigation, the water we wasted is gone and we have to pipe it across country at great expense or risk depleting our rivers through over-abstraction.

Beavers are a natural antidote to this self-defeating water cycle. During flash floods or prolonged winter rain they store water in dammed pools which also soaks into the underground water table like a sponge. In drought conditions when water courses start to dry up, this water is gradually released and filtered through the network of mud and stick dams to provide a constant outflow of clean water. This is good for the environment and good for everyone that relies on a consistent water supply for irrigation or domestic use.

The pair of beavers were released into the enclosure at Spains Hall Estate in March 2019 and since then the transformation within the woodland has been incredible, the speed at which the two beavers worked on site has been a surprise to us all. Building a dam a week in the early months they quickly created ponds and rewetted large areas of the woodland floor. Essex Wildlife Trust began mapping the dams and pools every three months for fear of missing the changes. Invertebrates rapidly colonised these areas bringing in kingfisher, water shrews and in turn predators such as tawny owl and sparrowhawk.

WILD winter 2020

| 17

Beavers

March 2019 - We are mapping the pools and dams in year 1

Artificial lodge Artificial release pool Beaver enclosure Stream

0

Scale

0.12 Kilometers

“Even now we see more and more change”, says Archie.

“The beavers respond to rainfall, extending dams, linking up pools with canals dug into wet ground and felling trees to feed on and build with. Their two lodges are seriously impressive. Clearly the site is to their liking as they gave birth to a pair of kits earlier this year, a wonderful event given everything else that has happened in 2020!”

When the two beaver kits arrived in June 2020, the beaver’s engineering work moved sideways from the original stream, creating a very complex system of canals to get to new woodworking areas. The canals are used to float wood around the site rather than carrying it. As a result they can transport timber that should be far too large and heavy for an animal of their size to move. The steep sided canals are also a haven for other wildlife including water shrews and water voles.

The impact of the beaver’s work on managing waterflow has equally been extraordinary. Much of the water that would have flashed downstream during last December’s heavy rain was held on site, and this may have contributed to the road staying open when in most flood years this is completely cut off.

But on top of this the beavers are also helping us with an innovative research project that has national implications.

In conjunction with Salford University, Essex Wildlife Trust are testing out an exciting mammal survey technique analysing water samples for DNA. The process, known as Environmental DNA Metabarcoding, can identify multiple species from a single water sample and numerous species were found in the main beaver pond. Mammals as small as a pygmy shrew were identified, as well as water shrews, water voles and three species of deer.

The problem with using water sampling as opposed to seeing the animal itself, is that we do not currently know how far the DNA can travel before it becomes undetectable.

Thankfully the Spains Hall beavers are confined to quarters, so we can track how far away we can still detect their DNA and use these measurements to estimate the maximum distance an animal is likely to be from a positive sample.

We are now training volunteers to take these water samples in the hope that it will become a readily available survey for all sorts of animals in the future.

It is expected the beaver’s engineering skills will be put to further use over time – beavers aren’t known for just cutting down trees but also planting them. Before the

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Essex beaver project began, the Trust visited the enclosed beaver population at Ham Fen in Kent, managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust. Here there is a 15 year old copse of alder growing on the edge of the beaver wetland which was entirely created by beavers jamming alder cuttings into the soil. They will do the same with willow, but even the stumps of trees they have felled can sprout, producing coppice like stems that the beavers can use for food and construction in future seasons. A beaver site is a continuous natural workshop, producing a living wetland that is constantly evolving and creating new niches for wildlife.

There is still so much to learn from this project. Researchers from many different organisations are working to understand everything from the oxygen levels in the water to how best to protect important trees from being damaged. But the potential for larger scale beaver projects, with the support of landowners, could help to tackle both the climate change emergency and the wave of extinctions now engulfing the UK. While Essex is not yet at the stage where we will be reintroducing beavers outside of enclosures, Spains Hall Estate has taken the first step in showing what these animals can do. It is only when once common species like beaver become extinct, that we realise how vital they were to a functioning environment. Now is the time to seriously consider the role that nature’s water managers play in the landscape and hope for a future where they can be welcomed back onto our rivers.

Watching the beavers in action

Spains Hall Estate sadly had to cancel their tour programme this year, but in 2019 over 500 people were shown round.

Wildlife photographer and filmmaker Russell Savory has been filming and capturing all of the beaver’s activities to ensure we don’t miss a thing. The beavers have subsequently gained quite the social media following and drawn in news crews and press coverage from all over the UK. This summer the work of the beavers featured on BBC’s The One Show as Russell Savory and the Trust’s Emily McParland talked to Miranda Krestinokoff about the water shrews that have taken up residence because of the beaver’s work.

Russell has now set up infra-red cameras to allow people to see in the dark, and visiting wildlife photographers, to see in the dark and experience the thrill of witnessing the beaver’s world first hand. If you would like to join Russell on a Guided Wildlife Photography visit at Spains Hall Estate you can book your place online www.spainshallestate.co.uk /guided-wildlife-photography.

Beavers

March 2020 - The amazing progress in creating a new wet woodland Felled tree Lodge Waterlogging Woody debris Dam Artificial release pool Beaver enclosure Stream

0

Scale

0.12 Kilometers

‘Much of the water that would have flashed downstream during last December’s heavy rain was held on site, and this may have contributed to the road staying open when in most flood years this is completely cut off.’

The return of beavers nationally Nationally, The Wildlife Trusts have pioneered the reintroduction of beavers to Britain ever since Kent Wildlife Trust released these industrious creatures into a fenced area of fenland in 2001. Then followed the Scottish Beaver Trial, which saw the first ever reintroduction of a native extinct mammal to the British Isles. Later, in 2015, the River Otter Beaver Trial, based in East Devon and led

by Devon Wildlife Trust, enabled beavers to roam wild again in England. Now, there are also further beaver projects in Cornwall, Wales and Cumbria, with a further five Wildlife Trusts working to secure more beaver sites across the UK. Beavers are officially back in the UK, but their future is not secure. The Wildlife Trusts are calling for a Beaver Strategy for England which would provide a roadmap for a future where:

• There are more beavers in many more catchments

• Beaver populations are healthy and thriving

• Management frameworks are agreed which provide support for farmers, landowners and river users • Beaver impacts and their population health are scientifically monitored We are also calling on the government to provide farmers and landowners with financial support to make space for water and beavers on their land. This will reward those who give up some of their land to benefit communities downstream, which will benefit from lower flood or drought risk and higher water quality.

This isn’t just about the reintroduction of a species – it’s about the reintroduction of an entire ecosystem that’s been lost. Beavers create thriving ecosystems that would help us to put nature firmly back on the road to recovery.

And they do all this for free.

Please add your support by visiting

wtru.st/act-for-beavers

Beaver photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

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Beavers

e il f t c a f r e v a e B e Th Species: Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) Family: Castoridae Length: 70-100cm Tail: 30-40cm Weight: 18-30kg Diet: Aquatic plants, tree bark, leaves Average lifespan: 10-15 years

The Eurasian beaver is Britain’s largest rodent, belonging to the same group as mice, rats and voles. They are herbivores with their diet made up of aquatic plants and grasses, as well as the bark, twigs and leaves of trees.

Thanks to their broad and flat tail that is covered with scales and their webbed feet these amazing animals are suited to life both on land and in the water. They have light brown fur, small ears and small eyes which benefit from a third, transparent eyelid (called a nictating membrane) that protects their eyes as they swim underwater.

Beavers were formerly native to Britain and once played an important part in our landscape from prehistoric times until they were hunted to extinction in the 16th century for their fur, meat and scent glands.

The loss of this charismatic species also led to the loss of the mosaic of lakes, meres, mires, tarns and boggy places that it so brilliantly built.

5

Beaver

Facts

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Beaver photo: Nick Upton/Cornwall Wildlife Trust

The herbivorous rodent lives within family units, usually around five individuals which includes adults, kits and yearlings. They are largely nocturnal, choosing to sleep throughout the day and preferring to emerge from their lodges during sunrise and sunset.

Beavers build dams to give themselves access to deep pools of water and they transform their surroundings by cutting down small trees for food and building supplies. If their home isn’t quite up to scratch they have no problem doing some home improvements. The result of the beavers hard work are wetlands that store good quality water, bringing enormous benefits to other species.

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...with a gift in your Will

As a valued supporter, we couldn’t do what we do without you – but have you thought about passing on something wonderful?

By leaving a gift in your Will you are continuing to protect wildlife and the wild places in our county and helping to create a wilder Essex for everyone.

Whatever you can spare, after taking care of your family and friends, even a small amount will make a huge impact in safeguarding our county’s wildlife and allowing future generations to experience the joys of nature.

To find out more visit www.essexwt.org.uk/legacy, or to let us know you have left a gift (no details required), please go to www.essexwt.org.uk/support-us/legacy/submit-pledge, email legacies@essexwt.org.uk or call Rosalyn Leclercq on 01621 862987.

Thank you for your support.

Love Essex • Love Wildlife Registered Charity No. 210065

Tollesbury wick nature reserve

With the backdrop of the famous red lightship, walk alongside these glorious Essex marshes to witness the wader and wildfowl spectacles this winter.

Tollesbury Wick nature reserve

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Exmoor ponies photo: Liz Pitman

Tollesbury wick nature reserve

Billie’s facts Tollesbury Wick nature reserve

Size: 243 hectares.

Address: Tollesbury Wick nature reserve, Tollesbury, Maldon, CM 9 8SB. Access: From the marina along the sea wall, walk down the permissive path to access the bird hide belo w.

The farthest part of sea wall is clos ed for repairs so a loop is not possibl e at this time.

Dogs: permitted along the sea wal l.

Designations: These marshes hav e been designated as a Site of Spe cial Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Spe cial Protection Area (SPA) due to the ir importance for migratory birds.

Tollesbury Wick nature reserve photo: Emily McParland

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Exmoor ponies photo: Emily

McParland

Tollesbury Wick nature reserve photo:

Dave Watts

Tollesbury wick nature reserve

W

‘This summer we saw 13 cattle egret feeding around our herd of Shetland cattle, a scene that would have been unheard of only a few years ago’

alking along the sea wall that surrounds Tollesbury Wick, you have the best of both worlds. To one side the glorious saltmarsh and sails, accompanied by the distinctive red lightship, and the former pirate radio ship, Ross Revenge.

On the other side a wet wonderland of coastal grazing marsh and freshwater scrapes and pools, home to breeding waders and wildfowl and Essex Wildlife Trust’s ‘flying flock’ of sheep, cattle and Exmoor ponies who sustainably manage the site.

This 243 hectare nature reserve has been worked for decades by traditional methods to help wildlife, allowing it to now boast a wonderful diversity of species. Summer sees clouded yellow butterflies fluttering above the grassland, noisy dark-bellied brent geese gather on the grassland in winter and the majestic marsh harrier scans the marshes from above, coming to roost at dusk. Marsh harriers are particularly exciting to watch due to their conservation success story – these beautiful birds were previously extinct as a breeding bird in the UK at the end of the 19th century, but thanks to a successful reintroduction in Norfolk, these birds have spread out around the country and can now be seen year round on the nature reserve.

Tollesbury Wick can be roughly split in half, with one side being truly ancient and uncultivated grazing marsh and the other which was cultivated after the war. This difference in historic uses has given the site two completely different looks – with one half covered in creeks and channels interspersed with a covering of very large ant hills, the long established homes of yellow meadow ants, giving it an almost otherworldly feel. The other half is significantly flatter, with open scrapes of grassland, ideal for many wading birds.

The reserve has an interesting history and there is evidence of the site being used as early as the Iron Age, 2,000 years ago. The resident “Time Team” on Tollesbury Wick have

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in fact been the badgers, as over the years their digging activity has unearthed interesting archaeological finds.

Their sett is occupying the site of an ancient “Red Hill” at the back of the reserve. Red Hills are mounds of industrial waste including coarse pottery vessels, ash and soil that were reddened by the heat of the fires, used to evaporate seawater to produce salt. The badgers, who conduct yearly maintenance of their setts have brought to the surface large pieces of earthenware that hadn’t seen the light of day for many centuries.

Essex Wildlife Trust has owned and managed the nature reserve since 1992 and our two main conservation objectives are to increase the numbers of successful breeding waders and overwintering wildfowl. The main management tool to meeting these objectives is through conservation grazing.

By having a mixture of sheep, cattle and ponies grazing the reserve this gives us the ability to create a diverse mosaic of sward structures, from tightly grazed lawns to rough and ripped taller vegetation. It is this diversity that increases biodiversity at the site.

Our sheep make up the Trust’s original ‘flying flock’ that travel to different nature reserves when needed – made up of a mixture of Shetland, North Ronaldsay, Black Welsh Mountain and large modern white crossbreeds. We also have one of the largest pedigree herds of Shetland cattle, a very old breed of Scandinavian origin, most likely to have been bred by Vikings from breeds they gathered in south Asia. The breed didn’t fit with modern intensive agriculture systems and almost became extinct, however, due to its excellent grazing style and hardiness to survive harsh conditions on island life, the breed has bounced back. The Trust regularly receives requests from other organisations around the country, looking to use Shetland cattle to help biodiversity at their nature reserves. The Tollesbury cattle hold important genetics and bloodlines for the breed.

Tollesbury wick nature reserve To help manage all these livestock, Pingu and Jenga, our Conservation Grazing Officer’s two border collies have become indispensable members of the team. During April and May when the breeding birds are on eggs we need to find the right balance at Tollesbury Wick – too few grazers and the grass becomes overgrown and unsuitable for nesting birds, too many and there’s the risk of nest trampling affecting breeding success rate. The grazing these livestock do over winter will help achieve the perfect swards for the arrival of redshank and lapwing from mid-March. When the birds begin to arrive, Pingu and Jenga help us split up the flying flock to move different groups around the reserve to try and maintain the optimum sward throughout the breeding season. Over the winter months in spells of adverse weather the livestock will be fed by hay cut from our fields at Abbotts Hall, where cutting hay ensures nutrients in the soil are kept low to allow fine grasses and wildflowers to thrive.

Our livestock grazing style doesn’t just benefit breeding birds on the nature reserve. The areas of rough pasture provide the perfect home for small rodents, such as field voles and pygmy shrews, ideal food sources for the many birds of prey that reside or hunt over this nature reserve.

We have a number of nest boxes on the reserve that every year provide a home for barn owl, kestrel and little owl.

As these birds become under increasing pressure from human disturbance we need everyone to help – respect zoned off areas; avoid disturbance by boat by keeping noise and speed to a minimum; if you hear the bird’s alarm calls back away as you’ve gone too close to their nests. And most importantly, raise awareness about the importance of sites like this for our special nesting birds.

The Trust will continue to work hard to protect threatened wildlife at Tollesbury Wick nature reserve. But excitingly, new species may be soon colonising the reserve on their own. This summer we saw 13 cattle egret feeding around our herd of Shetland cattle, a scene that would have been unheard of only a few years ago. These birds spend time next to the cattle, feeding on the insects and worms that their hooves disturb. Last year cattle egrets were recorded breeding in Essex for the first time at our Chigborough Lakes nature reserve, so it is likely we will be seeing an increase of these visitors year on year.

What to look out for this winter at Tollesbury Wick: • Birds of prey: marsh harriers and short-eared owls patrol the nature reserve during the day.

• Murmurations: starlings gather around the Marina and leave to perform aerial displays over the Wick.

• Wild ponies: our herd of Exmoor ponies will be galloping through the fields this winter.

• Large flocks: the colder weather encourages larger gatherings of golden plover, lapwing, dark-bellied brent geese and wigeon feeding on the winter-wet grassland.

nd Yellow meadow ant hill photo: Emily McParla

ew Armstrong Marsh harrier photo: Andr

Golden plover photo: Andr

ew Parkinson/2020VISION

When you walk along the sea wall from Tollesbury Marina, you can access the bird hide on the lagoon to witness the large flocks of wildfowl and waders that gather here over winter to feed on the rich wet grassland, including flocks of golden plover, lapwing and wigeon. Continue walking along the sea wall, looking out to the seaward side and you’ll get to Tollesbury Wick’s impressive shingle spit, one of five priority locations for Essex Wildlife Trust and the RSPB’s collaborative ‘Share Our Shores’ project, which aims to protect Essex’s most threatened beach nesting birds.

Throughout the spring and summer, areas like this provide critical nesting sites for chattering little terns, ringed plovers

and brightly beaked oystercatchers. Unfortunately our plans to trial the construction of new nesting platforms were unable to be carried out due to the lockdown, then an increase in activity from boat and water users after lockdown was lifted led to increased disturbance, meaning no little terns were able to successfully breed here this summer.

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Essex wildlife this

Pick up a copy of our new 2021 calendar or our Christmas card set when you next visit one of our Nature Discovery Centres.

Our calendar features stunning photos from the Essex Wildlife Trust Photography Competition 2019, while the beautiful wildlife cards were designed by Joe Stephens, winner of our Christmas Card Competition.

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Blue tit photo: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

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Section title here | Page Title Here

W

inter has arrived and while we’re tucked-up in our warm homes, our resident wildlife is still out there trying to survive. Winter is an important time to ensure your wildlife garden is providing food, water and shelter to the species that need it most over these cold, wet and windy months.

Care for your birds Help hibernating butterflies

Keep bird feeders and bird baths clean and topped up with high calorie food and clean water.

Try not to disturb peacock and small tortoiseshells who will be overwintering in sheds or storage boxes.

Avoid cutting hedges Leave hedges until the end of winter to provide shelter and food for birds and insects.

Build a twig pile

Bundles of dry stems and twigs left in a sheltered spot will provide a hiding spot for insects.

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Leave your windfall

Old apples and windfall from fruit trees provides valuable food for thrushes and blackbirds.

Connect up gardens

Maintain connectivity between gardens and create new linkages for toads and hedgehogs.

Spread fallen leaves

Fallen leaves on your flowerbeds will create a rich mulch for the soil, provide foraging habitat for blackbirds and thrushes and shelter for amphibians and insects.

Page Title Here here Winter| Section Wildlifetitle Garden

TOP TIPS

John More

Living Landscapes Coordinator

Leave lively ivy

Resist the urge to cut back ivy until the spring – It will provide food and shelter for many species.

Do not disturb compost Wildlife such as hedgehogs or slowworms may be sheltering or hibernating within your compost heaps.

Leave plants standing

Insects will crawl into dry plant stems and clumps of ornamental grasses, while birds feed on seed heads.

Let beds be

Spiders often overwinter as eggs and many moths survive as larvae or pupae within flower beds.

Un-freeze your pond

In cold spells try not to let your pond freeze over by floating a tennis ball in the water.

Be aware of amphibians

Toads and newts may seek shelter under pots, piles of materials or in a greenhouse, so take care when moving items.

Create a bee B&B

Drilling holes in wooden logs and leaving them in a sunny sheltered spot will attract solitary bees and other insects.

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HOW TO HELP WILDLIFE

Your step-by-step guide to make a biodegradable bird feeder!

Finding food in winter can be difficult for birds, many insects are over-wintering in safe places and there are less fruit and berries around. You can help by following our step-by-step guide to make your own eye-catching, biodegradable bird feeder.

What will you need:

Start

Step 4

Cut four 35cm pieces of biodegradable string.

• Large orange • Bird seed of your choice • Biodegradable string • Scissors • Screwdriver • Spoon • Knife

Step 1

Cut the orange in half.

Step 5

Thread the string through each of the holes and knot, then tie the string together at the top.

Step 2

Scoop out the flesh (and enjoy a delicious drink or snack).

Step 6

Fill the orange bowls with bird seed.

Step 3

Use the screwdriver to make a hole in each side of the orange.

Step 7

Hang your feeder in a safe and sheltered position for your birds to enjoy.

Send your photos of what you’ve done to help wildlife in your garden to magazine@essexwt.org.uk for the chance to be featured in our Spring magazine.

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WILD winter 2020

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Protecting saltmarshes

PROTECTING, RESTORING AND

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Protecting saltmarshes

S

altmarshes are a key part of Essex’s landscape – its history, its wildlife and its heritage. The moody marshes and dramatic channels have inspired stories throughout history.

The call of an oystercatcher echoes from a distance, purple carpets of sea lavender delicately sway in the wind. Tiny critters scuttle through the mud, while young fish start their life within these winding channels before travelling out to the wider seas.

Summer sees nesting birds take up roost while large flocks of waders and wildfowl gather here to shelter through the winter months.

Saltmarshes support a tremendous amount of biodiversity. These changeable habitats are regularly flooded by the tide and are made up of unique, salt-tolerant plants. The roots of these highly adapted vegetation bind the precious mud together, creating semi-sheltered areas. But they’re not just fantastic for our natural world, saltmarshes support and protect us, acting as one of our key natural defences in fighting the climate crisis.

One hectare of saltmarsh can capture two tonnes of carbon every year, locking it into the sediment for centuries, while simultaneously protecting us from the increasingly frequent threats of coastal erosion and storm surges.

But sadly, our iconic saltmarshes are under constant threat. In Essex, up to 60% of our coastal marshes have been eroded in the last 20 years. Nationally, we are losing nearly 100 hectares a year from sea level rises, development, more powerful storms and the effects of pollution.

Essex Wildlife Trust is working to reverse this decline using a two-pronged approach to protect, restore and create saltmarsh habitats along our coastline. The Trust has conducted two coastal realignment projects, where the sea wall was breached to create new intertidal areas.

Meanwhile, we have been working with the Environment Agency to develop low-cost approaches to restoring established saltmarsh habitat that is at risk of degradation from erosion.

SALTMARSHES Abbotts Hall Farm saltmarsh photo: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

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Protecting saltmarshes

With panoramic views over the newly created intertidal area, Margaret Hide at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park allows you to witness the changing wildlife and the developing site up close.

H

istorically, sea defences such as sea walls were used to convert coastal and estuarine saltmarsh into arable farmland, a process created to ‘reclaim’ the land. In the UK this process has been recorded from as early as the 1st century AD. Initially, they would have been built as banks of land but during Roman and Medieval times, better engineering techniques allowed more sophisticated sea walls to be erected.

At the time, this was the largest coastal re-alignment project in Europe, breaching the sea wall five times – four 10m wide breaches and one 100m wide. Wildlife TV presenter Nick Baker and Elliot Morley MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Water and Nature Protection at the time welcomed over 1,000 people to Abbotts Hall to witness the return of the intertidal habitat.

Throughout the following centuries, sea walls continued to be used in many places, being re-built and maintained to keep the coastline in place. 400 years ago it is estimated that Essex had 30,000 hectares of saltmarsh, however, in 2002, this was recorded as just 2,800 hectares, and our coastline is continually under risk of further erosion. As sea levels continue to rise and storm surges have increased, the sea walls are becoming under increasing pressure, while the surrounding coastal habitat is being lost around sea defences – a process known as “coastal squeeze.”

Abbotts Hall was deemed particularly suitable for a coastal realignment programme as the sea wall was defending a relatively narrow strip of arable land and the natural gradient of rising land would help to quickly regenerate the intertidal habitat. In the preceding 10 years before this project, only 60 hectares of intertidal habitat had been re-created in the whole of the UK. This project alone transformed 50 hectares of land, which quickly developed into saltmarsh, mudflat and coastal grassland.

The process of removing sea walls - managed realignment - is an environmental management approach that alters the line of defence from tides and is considered a more sustainable approach to manage flood and erosion risks.

Using managed realignment at suitable sites can compensate for losses where the existing defence line must be maintained, while alleviating the pressure on adjacent and nearby sites.

This managed realignment project was estimated to save £500k for the following 20 years on sea wall maintenance, while providing an improved sea defence. The water quality of the estuary is improved by the new saltings soaking up both heavy metals and agro-chemicals and after 18 years, the Trust continues to see the benefits of this transformation project. The marshes are abundant with wildlife, particularly migrating birds including the dark-bellied brent goose. Over the years this new habitat has been recorded to be home to young bass, herring and 14 other species of fish that feed in the creeks within the marshes.

When Essex Wildlife Trust purchased Abbotts Hall Farm in 1999, part of the 3.5km sea wall constructed 300-400 years ago was in desperate need of repair. Instead of undertaking the costly work to maintain the wall, the Trust worked with the Environment Agency and other key partners to explore different coastal defence methods that would take rising sea levels into account. After two years of studies, monitoring, and consulting the local community, new defences were installed further inland and in 2002, the old sea wall was breached, allowing the tides of the Blackwater Estuary back onto the disused farmland.

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Abbotts Hall has proved to be an internationally important demonstration site, showcasing how managed realignment can take place alongside farming activity without requiring a wholesale change. Information from this project is continually used to help create similar projects across the country.

Protecting saltmarshes Essex Wildlife Trust used this knowledge gained to conduct a second managed realignment project at another of our nature reserves, Fingringhoe Wick, on the Colne Estuary.

Here we identified this as an excellent site for another managed realignment in 2011. Thanks to a public appeal we were able to purchase an additional area of farmland in June 2014. This September marked five years since a 300m breach was made in the sea wall here to allow the tide back in.

The result of this was an additional 22 hectares of intertidal habitat created, alongside 1.5 hectares of reedbed to help hold high water levels and to improve the water quality in the area. In just five years, the intertidal area is now fully functional for feeding wading and wetland birds, including avocet, common tern and shelduck. Fish surveys in summer and winter months have already demonstrated it is a successful fish nursery site – with juvenile bass, sand smelt, thin-lipped grey mullet and common gobies all found during the surveys. This complex habitat will be key to supporting the recovery of our marine wildlife.

The coastal realignment projects at both Abbotts Hall and Fingringhoe Wick demonstrate the impact of landscape-scale conservation, creating 70 hectares of new intertidal habitat along the Essex coastline.

When coastal realignments are carried out in suitable places, static sea walls can be replaced with dynamic, carbon-absorbing tidal habitat, helping our wildlife and coastal communities stay resilient in the face of change.

The coir structures, installed in November 2018 have quickly established, building up sediment which has allowed pioneering plant species to establish and stabilise the bank.

Schematic of the three and the six coir roll Hessian Rope Coir Roll

The Trust’s second approach, aimed at restoring established saltmarsh habitat began in 2018 in partnership with the Environment Agency. Together we have been exploring experimental and low-cost approaches to habitat restoration, that if successful this project approach and methodology could be replicated across the county and wider country – helping to combat saltmarsh loss throughout the UK. In this project, coir roll structures (affectionately referred to as ‘saltmarsh sausages’) were installed, with the aim to protect the coastal defences immediately behind the restoration projects and to restore the eroded saltmarsh in low energy creeks.

Three sites were identified as pilots for the saltmarsh restoration scheme: a private site along the Colne Estuary and two sites within Abbotts Hall on the Blackwater Estuary. The coir structures are made from sustainable materials – coconut husk with chestnut stakes and hessian rope to secure them in place.

The installation of the structures took place in November 2018 thanks to the help of Essex Wildlife Trust’s volunteers, on a wet and windy day within the muddy creeks. The structures were then monitored at regular intervals, using fixed-point photography. A fixed-point photography database has been created, capturing how each of the 30 coir structures are developing and identifying regular changes that will help us determine how best to use this low-cost approach to habitat restoration.

Although the project is still in its infancy, we have already begun to bring together initial observations and lessons learned. After one summer the structures had already been colonised by saltmarsh plants and had good levels

Chestnut Stake

of sediment built up – key factors that will consolidate and strengthen the marshes and highlighting that installation occurred at the right time of year to take advantage of the saltmarsh seed bank.

Initial observations have indicated that installing structures at a similar height to existing vegetation allows better colonisation rates. Visual observations have also suggested that structures in lower energy channels accreted more sediment and established higher levels of vegetation, while installing multiple structures together into a U shape creates static areas of low energy that helps impede the high energy of the tides.

The project has shown a tremendous amount of potential and during the next few years we aim to expand monitoring and data collection, and conduct a thorough five year review in 2023. We are already collaborating with the University of Essex to work up plans for other key data aspects, including calculating the carbon storage potential of newly accumulated sediment and developing blue carbon projects. Ultimately, we plan to create robust and useful guidance and criteria on where, when and how this method could be used at other locations and identify what data needs to be collected before, during and after installation.

As we head into winter, visiting Essex’s saltmarshes will reward you with views of wild Essex at its best. And while you’re enjoying the big open skies and watching flocks of wading birds darting and diving through the channels, remember just how important these saltmarshes are for us all. We all need to be champions of Essex’s hero habitat.

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professor jules pretty OBE

Professor Jules Pretty OBE Jules Pretty is Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Essex. He is the author of many books, including The East Country, The Edge of Extinction, This Luminous Coast and The Earth Only Endures.

Jules has been the President of Essex Wildlife Trust since 2019.

“One Tonne”per person saves the planet E

verything is connected. The health of nature, the health of people. The rich biodiversity of the planet, and the ways we live. The climates of the world are changing. Weather is behaving badly, warm is getting hotter, breeze becoming storm, rain going missing then falling all at once. It is no longer appropriate to use the rather neutral term climate change. This is crisis, this is an emergency, life support systems are under threat. And it has happened very quickly.

The pre-industrial level of carbon in the atmosphere was 280 ppm (parts per million). In 1990, one generation ago, it passed 350 ppm. Levels are increasing at about 2 ppm per year. By 2050, one more generation, it will have reached 470+ ppm. We should not beat about any bushes here.

That would be a dreadful outcome for all human societies and economies.

Most people now agree: 350 ppm was a safe operating space for humanity. It is now our top target – to get back to 350 ppm.

The size of the task is

enormous

.

The world’s average emissions of CO₂ per person is 4.9 tonnes. If we were to return to 350 ppm, this could be achieved if the average carbon emissions per person were One Tonne each. This would mean 80% of the world population needs to reduce carbon emissions to 1 tonne, still allowing 20% of the world population in 60 countries to increase their consumption to escape poverty and meet basic needs.

The inequalities of carbon emissions play out sharply within countries. The wealthiest 1% of people in Europe produce 55 tonnes each per year and have a greater carbon footprint than the bottom 50% of earners.

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WILD winter 2020

This is the challenge: the world produced 53 Gt (billion tonnes) of CO₂ equivalent last year. It has already warmed by +1˚C. To create a safe place for humanity, we need to reduce emissions to 10 Gt per year; this would see atmospheric CO₂ head back toward 350 ppm.

What can you do?

The UK total emissions per person are 7.7 tonnes per year.

We need to cut those to 1 tonne. We thus each should seek about six one-tonne projects.

Here are different ways you can help:

1. Ensure all energy use at home is from renewable sources: this saves 1.7 tonnes per person.

2. Reduce meat consumption – adopting a vegetarian diet cuts 0.6-0.8 tonnes per year; a vegan diet cuts 0.9 tonnes. If you can’t imagine this, then cut out meat for 2-3 days per week.

3. Eat only organic or sustainably sourced foods or grow your own to cut 0.5 tonnes per year.

4. Go car free by cycling and walking more – saving 2.0 tonnes per year. Or change your car for an electric vehicle, also saving 2.0 tonnes per year.

5. Install solar panels on your home roof to save 1.0-2.0 tonnes per year (depending on the number of panels).

6. Avoid flights, or cut out one or more per year: a return London to Rome flight costs 1.2 tonne per person, London to New York roundtrip costs 2 tonnes per person and a London-Perth or Beijing flight costs 6.0 tonnes per person.

7. Plant ten trees – after 10 years, these will absorb 1 tonne per year.

8. Install a heat pump at home or work saves 0.8 tonne per year.

THE HOME PATCH

Melissa Harrison

ILLUSTRATION: ROBIN MACKENZIE

The home patch When you look back at the spring and summer of 2020, what will you remember? The challenge of homeschooling? The frustrations of domestic confinement? Fear of illness, or perhaps illness itself?

Our shared period of lockdown was a long, strange time, yet for many of us it came with an unexpected silver lining: the opportunity to rediscover (or discover for the first time) the overlooked green spaces around our homes.

Especially in the early weeks, when restrictions were at their strictest, all many of us saw of the outside world was during a brief walk each day. As one of the sunniest springs on record unfolded, we sought out parks, nature reserves and urban green spaces, hungry for contact with the natural world.

For some time now we’ve been reading about the benefits of contact with nature to our mental and physical health, but this year it was really brought home to us, as our deepest instincts drove us to listen out for birdsong, plant windowboxes, cherish humble pavement weeds and take daily note of spring’s progress, drawing deep comfort, amid frightening changes, from one of the eternal verities.

So what happens now that many of us are back at work each day, and car trips for leisure are once again allowed? Do we consign the local discoveries we made to the dustbin of memory, filing our wonder-filled walks under ‘strange things we did in lockdown’? Or can we take something crucial from the weeks we spent close to home, using what we learned to transform the post-Covid world?

I’ve written before, in these pages and A LITTLE BIT WILD elsewhere, of the importance of having a ‘home patch’ that we care for and connect It may have seemed as to, physically, mentally and emotionally. though the birds were Knowing where the swifts nest on your singing more loudly street, which oak in the park is always the during lockdown, last into leaf, why the mason bees nest but in fact, it’s likely on one side of a nearby building and not they were able to the other – these things root us in place lower their volume and time, in ways that often prove deeply as they had beneficial both to the world around us, far less noise and to ourselves. pollution to compete If, during lockdown, you found yourself with. This will have saved seeing your local area with new eyes, them precious energy, don’t turn away from it now. Consider and may also have becoming a Friend of your nearest park, boosted their chances of or supporting The Wildlife Trusts; look reproductive success. online for Forest Schools who want help connecting kids in your area to nature, or other charities that have been doing unsung work to protect and preserve green spaces where you are.

At the very least, please don’t stop visiting the Melissa places you discovered in lockdown, no matter how Harrison is tempting it is to forget them in favour of a nature writer somewhere further afield. We need them, and novelist, just as wildlife needs them: not just grand and editor of National Parks, but nearby nature, too. the anthologies Spring, Summer, There could still be a new local gem to discover.

Autumn and Find out if there’s a Wildlife Trust reserve near you: Winter, produced in support of The wildlifetrusts.org/nature-reserves Wildlife Trusts.

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HELP US CREATE A WILDER ESSEX This year has been difficult for us all. The Trust suffered from the loss of income caused by the closure of our Nature Discovery Centres and the cancellation of our fundraising events.

But sadly this year has been hard on our wildlife too. Our snuffling hedgehog is now officially classified as vulnerable to extinction, having suffered plummeting population numbers in the last 20 years. Populations are now so low that we rarely see them.

And it’s not just hedgehogs; toads, bees, even the previously abundant house sparrows have suffered drastic declines.

But there is still hope, as many of our wildlife are increasingly taking refuge in our urban landscapes.

We have an opportunity to transform the picture for wildlife in Essex’s towns and villages, forever. If every garden and open space was wilder and better connected, with shelter, food and water, animals like our hedgehogs would stand a better chance of survival. Essex Wildlife Trust wants to ensure our urban areas have the habitats and space needed to help wildlife survive.

We need to act now and we can’t do it alone. Essex Wildlife Trust is launching an ambitious Urban Engagement Programme in 2021, to help all of our urban wildlife to thrive.

Please consider helping us make a real difference to wildlife this winter by donating to our appeal. Visit our website at www.essexwt.org.uk/Wildlife-Appeal to donate online today.

Love Essex • Love Wildlife

Hedgehog photo: Tom Marshall

WE NEED TO ACT NOW and we need Your HELP DONATE ONLINE

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To 70470 to donate £5

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Our members help ensure our wildlife has the best chance of survival in Essex.

Please consider simply increasing your regular membership donation, to help support this work all year round. Visit www.essexwt.org.uk/membership-increase or call our membership team today on 01621 862964.

We are ambitious for our county’s future. Find out more about the Trust’s vision for a Wilder Essex and our 5 year Strategic Plan: www.essexwt.org.uk/Our-Vision Texts cost the value of your donation plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to donate but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text WILDNOINFO with your donation amount to 70470.

Registered Charity No. 210065

What’s on this winter

Winter What’s on this

T

he crunching frost underfoot, the whistling wind and the cacophony of hundreds of wintering birds make winter a truly magical time of the year. So prepare a flask, wrap up warm, pack some binoculars and head outside to explore Essex during this starkly beautiful season.

While lots of wildlife may have flown the white flag and surrendered to winter; deciding instead to hunker down until spring, the lower temperatures don’t scare away all wildlife in Essex. We can still enjoy lots of flora and fauna that have decided to keep calm and carry on throughout the harder months, so winter in Essex isn’t as lifeless as you may believe.

Each season brings its defining features and this winter you can enjoy crisp, far-reaching views across Essex landscapes, low winter sun shining on mists that hang lazily in the morning air and jewel-like frosts that brighten the sparse vegetation.

Spending time in nature all year round is important for our wellbeing, so over the following pages we’re showcasing what wildlife spectacles and species there are to enjoy over the coming months. Head outside and join us by visiting one of our Nature Discovery Parks or nature reserves and savour the spectacular scenery our county has to offer.

Barn owl Barn owl photo: Russell Savory

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WILD winter 2020

What’s on this winter

Species Snowdrops Snowdrops photo: Katrina

Martin/2020VISION

Waxwing

Spectacles

Waxwing photo: Katrina Martin/2020VISION

Dark-bellied brent geese

: Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

Dark-bellied brent geese photo

Find out more for December, January and February >>> Robin photo: Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

WILD winter 2020

| 43

What’s on this December

What’s on this

December Nature Discovery Park to visit Take a winter stroll at Thameside Nature Discovery Park in Stanford-le-Hope (SS17 0RN), following the various paths and cycle routes around this 120-acre nature reserve. On weekends you can grab a hot drink or a bite to eat from the Nature Discovery Centre (and buy any final wildlife-themed Christmas gifts you need!) or head to the fully accessible rooftop viewing deck to witness some of the best views in Essex; a 360-degree view over the nature park, mucking mudflats and the Thames Estuary. Check our website for opening details first.

In December you can witness large numbers of roosting corvids that nest high up in the bare treetops, as well as dizzying starling murmurations; aerobatic displays of the birds swirling in unison around dusk. It is also a hotspot for wildfowl and waders gathering to feed on the rich intertidal mud in the Thames Estuary - make sure to bring your binoculars to get a closer look at the flocks of avocet, black-tailed godwit and dunlin. Over the grassland keep your eyes peeled for short-eared owls who pass by in winter, taking advantage of the open fields to hunt for small rodents during daylight and who can occasionally be seen perching in the car park.

Thameside Nature Discovery Park photo:

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WILD winter 2020

Matthew Roberts

Page TitleWhat’s Here |on Section title here this December

Spectacles Wonderful winter waders

December is the perfect time of year to enjoy crowds of winter waders. Visit our Two Tree Island nature reserve in Leigh-on-Sea (SS9 2GB) to witness clouds of knot, a medium-sized sandpiper, eddy in the sky. Observe their white underbellies as they catch the light and hear the beat of hundreds of co-ordinated flapping wings as they swoop and dive. It is a truly breath-taking experience and one of the most impressive winter spectacles in Essex.

Winter visitors in their thousands Arriving all the way from eastern Siberia to overwinter in the sheltered Essex estuaries and feed on the rich coastal grazing marshes, witness hundreds of dark-bellied brent geese foraging on the lush grassland at our Blue House Farm nature reserve in North Fambridge (CM3 6GU).

Robin photo: Chris Maguire

Species Robin

The charismatic robin is a favourite throughout the UK. A seemingly friendly garden and park visitor, it is easy to become attached to these scarlet-chested birds.

Robins are one of the few birds that can be heard singing throughout winter, even after dark. Listen out for their passionate songs as both males and females defend their territories. Enjoy a wintry stroll through Thrift Wood nature reserve in Bicknacre (CM3 4HW) this December to spot this lovable bird.

Mistletoe

Knot photo: Andy Rouse/2020VISION

Mistletoe photo: Zsuzsanna Bird

A plant long associated with festivities, look out for large hanging balls of mistletoe this month. Mistletoe actually grows as a parasite on the branches of trees such as apple, lime and hawthorn, gaining most of their nutrients from them. Growing all year round, mistletoe is particularly easy to see during this time of year as their host trees have lost their leaves. Birds such as mistle thrush and blackcaps can be seen feeding on the familiar sticky white berries.

Head to the orchard at our Langdon Nature Discovery Park in Basildon (SS16 6EJ) to see if you can spot some.

Thameside Nature Discovery Park photo: Matthew Roberts

WILD winter 2020

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What’s on this January

January What’s on this

Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park photo: Peter Bowden

Nature Discovery Park to visit Our Fingringhoe Wick Nature Discovery Park on the outskirts of Colchester (CO5 7DN) is a must-visit during the winter months.

Explore this wildlife-rich, 200-acre reserve and travel through the mosaic of habitats, making sure to pop into the various bird hides dotted along the route. If you have small children, discover the new badger-themed play area. Visit Essex Wildlife Trust’s first Nature Discovery Centre on open days to browse the shop and grab some drinks or snacks to go.

With dramatic views across the Colne Estuary, this reserve is famous for its magnificent flocks of winter waders feeding in the intertidal area including lapwing, golden plover and avocet.

Look to the skies to catch a glimpse of a passing marsh harrier or peregrine falcon, the fastest bird in the world.

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WILD winter 2020

Marsh harrier photo: Andrew Parkinson/202

0VISION

What’s on this January

Species Barn owls

Scan bare wintry landscapes for hunting barn owls this month. Skilled and silent birds of prey, the heart-shaped face of this captivating bird helps pin-point minute movements of their prey. At this time of the year, male barn owls are beginning to gather food to present to females and will do so even during the daytime.

Look out for hunting barn owls perched on posts, flying over fields or hovering over unsuspecting prey before quickly diving into the foliage. Visit our Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park just south of Colchester (CO2 0EU) for your chance to spot this majestic bird.

Snowdrops

One of the first signs of spring, blooming snowdrops are a cheery sight to herald the end of winter approaching. Despite their fragile appearance, snowdrops are actually a very hardy plant that is able to poke its way through frost-covered soil and flower during cold temperatures.

Go in search of this delicate, nodding flower at our stunning Warley Place nature reserve south of Brentwood (CM13 3HU).

Barn owl photo: Andy Rouse/2020VISION

Spectacles Garden birds galore

January is a great time for bird watching and it can be done from the comfort of your own home as garden birds actively scout out food to help them get through the colder months. The sparse foliage around tree canopies makes it much easier to locate and identify birds on winter walks or in your garden. Look out for redwings and fieldfare that have arrived from the continent, tiny singing wrens, camouflaged dunnocks and chattering starlings. If you don’t have a garden at home, visit our Roding Valley Meadows nature reserve in Chigwell (IG7 6DP) to feast your eyes on flocks of tits and finches feeding on thistle and teasel heads.

Dabbling and diving ducks Dunnock photo: Bob Coyle

Relax and unwind whilst watching large flocks of winter wildfowl go about their business this January. With many different species to admire, including our smallest duck the teal, the rock-star tufted duck and the red-headed pochard, this winter spectacle is a real treat for your senses.

Watch an array of ducks preening and feeding and listen our for the sounds of flapping, splashing and various squeaks, quacks, whistles or grunts, a truly enjoyable winter soundtrack!

Head to any of our coastal or lakeside nature reserves, including Chigborough Lakes nature reserve in Maldon (CM9 8JA) to spot some of Essex’s beautiful overwintering wildfowl.

Tufted duck photo: Guy Edwardes/2020

VISION

Snowdrops photo: Katrina Martin/2020VISION

WILD winter 2020

| 47

What’s on this February

February What’s on this

Belfairs Nature Discovery Centre photo:

Nature Discovery Centre to visit This February pay a visit to our

Belfairs Woodland Centre

in Leigh-on-Sea (SS9 4LR). A welcome retreat from the busy hustle and bustle of surrounding urban areas, this reserve offers fantastic walks through ancient woodland where you can gaze up at giant trees that are over 1,000 years old, admire delicate mosses and intricate lichen and listen out for birds. At this time of the year you can hear the drumming of the great spotted woodpecker resonating throughout the trees as they begin to establish their territories by pecking at trees.

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WILD winter 2020

Great spotted woodpecker photo: Peter

Cairns/2020VISION

Steve Bottom

What’s on this February

Species Hazel catkins

Alongside the clumps of snowdrops now prevalent throughout the county, look out for hazel catkins. These golden, dangling flowers will be ripening in the winter sunshine this month. Unlike many flowers, hazel does not rely on insects for pollination, instead relying on the wind to release its pollen. Witness thousands of hazel catkins droop lazily from hazel trees at our Hanningfield Nature Discovery Park in Billericay (CM11 1WT).

Hazel catkins photo: Guy Edwardes/2020

VISION

Spectacles

Waxwing

A winter visitor from central Europe, waxwings are one of our most exotic-looking birds with their peach colouring, black lined eyes and charming crests. They can often be spotted feeding on berry-laden hedgerows. Look out for this beautiful visitor at Thorndon Country Park in Brentwood before popping in to our centre to warm up with a hot drink (CM13 3RZ).

Signs of spring

A collective sigh echoes throughout Essex as the first signs of spring begin to grace us with their presence. Primroses brighten up the woodland floor, ponds become a flurry of activity as clumps of jelly-like frog spawn start to appear and birds start chirping with more conviction. One reserve to enjoy the glorious signs of spring is our Phyllis Currie nature reserve near Chelmsford (CM3 1PE).

Great crested grebes courting

Waxwing photo: Donald Sutherland

Move over swan lake, the graceful courting dance of great crested grebes is the only ballet you need to watch this February.

Love is truly in the air this month as male and female great crested grebes perform their elaborate dances upright in the water. They raise their glossy black crests and fan their impressive, fiery orange throat feathers as well as collecting and presenting water weeds in their beaks. Head to the reservoir at our Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park just south of Colchester (CO2 0EU) to witness this incredible spectacle.

Great crested grebe

Great crested grebe photo: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

photo: Andrew Park

inson/2020VISION

WILD winter 2020

| 49

Opening spring 2021 Opening spring 2021 Opening sp

Freedom, fun and fresh air.

Welcome to the Nature Nursery. We offer quality

childcare for 2-5 year-olds based on learning through nature.

Set in the grounds of Abbotts Hall Nature Discovery Park near Colchester, where children can enjoy both freedom and security, our outdoor nursery is run by early learning experts at Essex Wildlife Trust, the most experienced provider of outdoor education in the county.

Launching SPRING 2021, Register your interest now at: www.naturenursery.org.uk res

rch / Lark Rise Pictu

Photo: Eleanor Chu

pring 2021 Opening spring 2021 Opening spring 2021 Photo: Eleanor Church / Lark Rise Pictures

Nature Nursery is part of:

Registered Charity No. 210065

Section title here | Page Title Here Time Tunnel

We travel back to...

1970

...to give you a glimpse of our past and see what was happening at the Trust.

What was happening globally in 1970: • The first Earth Day was held on April 22 1970 to increase awareness of the world’s environmental problems.

• Three television stations were now broadcasting in colour: BBC1, BBC2 and ITV. • Boeing 747 made its first commercial passenger trip from New York to London.

• Paul McCartney announced the Beatles had been disbanded.

• The world population reached 3.63 billion while the population of Britain was 54 million.

Meanwhile, at Essex Wildlife Trust, we were 9 years old and had just sent out our member’s communication in the form of a Bulletin, to update our members about the work of the Trust.

EDITORIAL NOTES

The Trust’s Patron, Colonel Sir John Ruggles-Brise Bt., (H.M. Lieutenant of Essex), with the Trust’s General Secretary (S.T. Jermyn), inspecting the Wardens’ hut at Colne Point Reserve. Photo: G.A. Pyman.

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY GRASPED How have the people of Essex reacted to the message of European Conservation Year? By all accounts their response has been extremely encouraging: the fantastic increase in the Trust’s membership is proof enough of this, while from all parts of Essex have come reports of the great interest shown by the public in conservation problems which have been illustrated so graphically in the numerous exhibitions that have been staged up and down the County. In short, people have shown that they do care and in many cases are determined to do something constructive, if only by joining the Trust, in order to help.

COUNTRYSIDE AWARDS SCHEME TRUST RECEIVES AWARD It is most gratifying to be able to report that the Trust has been successful in gaining one of these Awards (100 have been made from 472 entries and only two Essex organisations have received them) which is to be presented to a representative of the Trust’s Little Baddow and Danbury local organisation following a ceremony on 28th October in London’s Guildhall at which Prince Philip will address Award recipients. The Award takes the form of a specially designed bronze plaque, and a Certificate signed by His Royal Highness.

Pheasanthouse Wood Reserve, Little Baddow.

Work on this and four other reserves in Little Baddow and Danbury has gained the Trust a Countryside Award. Photo: J. Howchin.

COLNE POINT (TM 095 130) Warden: S.E. Linsell Since the Spring, wardening has continued steadily, on most Saturdays and Sundays, and on weekdays when possible. Wardens have much appreciated the amenities of the wardens’ hut during the day and it has so far been used for overnight stay three times this summer. An armchair and small table have now been donated and the foam mattresses have made the bunks really comfortable.

Some 22 pairs of little tern nested in three main groups and a number of free-flying juveniles resulted.

At least 15 pairs of ringed plover and two of oystercatcher also nested, and a few pairs of black-headed gull may again have bred on the remoter saltings. Other bird records include: up to 10 red-throated divers, 200 cormorants and 26 shorelarks, and single marsh and hen harriers; 500 golden plover and single fulmar, ruff and black redstart; up to five sandwich terns; and a gannet, 130 turnstone and 58 sanderling.

F.D. Buck has drawn our attention to a paper by J.A.L. Cooke in the Entomologists’ Monthly Magazine (97 : 245-253) on the spiders of Colne Point. The impressive systematic list contains no less than 107 species, all recorded between September 1958 and October 1961.

52 |

WILD winter 2020

Living on the hedge

BY ANDREW JAMIESON, SURREY WILDLIFE TRUST

F

ILLUSTRATION BY BETH KNIGHT

irst light and an early winter mist lies softly on the fields. Along the track the low sun is backlighting frosted cobwebs and the frozen stalks of last summer’s hogweed. Redwings and fieldfares, as well as our resident thrushes, take flight from the hedges as I approach. I have interrupted their gorging on a bounty of berries. Sloe, haw, hip and holly are all on the menu, these thorny thickets providing a rich larder for birds that have flocked from harsher climes to spend their winter with us.

Other birds take advantage of these hedges at this time of year, too. At sunset, hundreds of chattering starlings will take up their roosting stations deep within the intricate tangle of shrubs and climbers.

Here they are protected from whatever the elements have in store over the long winter nights. Insects in various life stages are also holed-up. Some careful exploration and you may find dormant ladybirds tucked deep into bark crevices or the tiny eggs of the brown hairstreak butterfly lodged in the fork of a blackthorn branch. Meanwhile hidden away at ground level hedgehogs, toads, and newts are using the security of the dense vegetation for their seasonal slumber.

Later in the year our hedge will become a riot of colour, movement and aromatic scents with bees and butterflies visiting the flowers of campion, bramble and honeysuckle. Long-tailed tits, wrens and yellowhammers will be busily raising their broods; shrews and voles will be feeding, sheltering and defending their territories. But all that has yet to unfold, and for now much of life lies waiting.

Thousands of miles of hedgerows such as this criss-cross our country in a familiar and historical patchwork landscape. Rich in wildlife, this network of green highways links the habitats and populations of so many species, all living ‘on the hedge’.

Farming on the hedge Hedgerows are a vital part of the farming landscape, providing food and shelter to countless birds, mammals and insects. Bird food supplier and Wildlife Trust partner, Vine House Farm, provide a haven for tree sparrows and other wildlife in their hedges. Plus, with every purchase made supporting The Wildlife Trusts, the farm is helping wildlife beyong the farm gate. Find out more here: wildlifetrusts.org/vine-house-farm

54 |

WILD winter 2020

Brimstone One of a handful of UK butterflies that overwinter as adults, tucked away in ivy. They can even be seen flying on sunny days in winter. The caterpillars feed on alder buckthorn.

Hedgehog Hedgehogs will often choose the base of a thick hedgerow to site their hibernaculum to sleep away the colder months. In milder winters they may be seen out and about as late as December.

Stoat These fierce predators are active all year round. They use hedge lines to hunt small rodents and rabbits, although when food is scarce may resort to foraging for earthworms.

Living on the hedge

Fieldfare Winter visitors from the semiarctic regions where they breed, these grey-blue thrushes will often arrive in mixed flocks along with redwings to feed on berries.

House sparrow Both house sparrows and tree sparrows use dense hedges for roosting spots, protection from predators and even as nest sites when favoured holes and crevices aren’t available.

Ivy This late-flowering evergreen has much to offer wildlife in autumn and winter. Autumn nectar sustains bees, juicy berries feed birds long after other fruits have been snapped up, and dense foliage provides a home for hibernating bats and insects.

Dormouse Well-managed hedgerows are vital corridors for many species and none more so than the dormouse. As well as a secure hibernation site, the hedge will provide them with many of the fruits, nuts and insects in their diet.

Orange ladybird This distinctive ladybird is among the many insects that hibernate in leaf litter at the base of hedges.

Other species of ladybird will be under bark or nestled within thick beds of lichen.

WILD winter 2020

| 55

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Hygiene Contracts are a member of the Legionella Control Association and can help you comply with current legislation by undertaking a legionella risk assessment at your premises.

WATER TANK CLEAN & DISINFECTIONS

Potentially fatal bacteria such as Legionella can proliferate in water systems that have been neglected. Cleaning and disinfections of cold water storage tanks is key to ensuring there is a clean water supply to a building.

DEEP CLEANING

Ensure your building users are safe at their place of work. Hygiene Contracts undertake full preventative bacterial deep cleaning at your premises.

DUCTWORK CLEANING

Hygiene Contracts offer Supply/extract ductwork and AHU cleaning services to ensure your building users have a safe and comfortable working environment.

HYGIENE CONTRACTS

Call 01268 726332

COMPLETE

LTD

COMPLETE AIR & WATER MANAGEMENT

email info@hygienecontracts.com www.hygienecontracts.com

Alchemize Ltd offers cost effective, rapid solutions to hazardous waste management and industrial cleaning enquiries across Essex.

Working alongside schools and aeronautical, cosmetic, chemical and pharmaceutical companies, Alchemize ensures the carbon footprint is kept to the minimum along the way.

Tel: 01245 490049 Email: sales@alchemize.co.uk

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS is a better education This Christmas, with your help, we can change even more lives.

By supporting our Christmas appeal your donation could help towards sending a bicycle to children in rural communities in Africa, enabling them to get to school and receive the education they so desperately deserve.

Ways to donate • Online www.re-cycle.org • Text RECYCLEXMAS to 70085 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message.

• Give a donation in lieu of a present for a loved one call 01206 617865 • Send a cheque made payable to Re-Cycle to the below address Unit 8 The Grove Estate, Colchester Road, Wormingford, Colchester, Essex CO6 3AJ Follow us on:

@bicyclecharity / Phone: 01206-617865

Together, we can change lives.

www.re-cycle.org

Wildlife quiz time

How is your general knowledge on the wildlife and wild places of Essex? Test yourself with our nature crossword.

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Clues Across

Clues down

3 What is the Latin name for a badger? (5,5) 4 The name for a tree that sheds its leaves annually. (9) 5 What is the fastest land mammal in the UK? (5,4) 6 When this bird sings it sounds like two stones being tapped together. (9) 8 Where was Essex Wildlife Trust’s first nature reserve? (11) 9 The UK’s legless lizard in the family Anguidae. (4,4) 11 When we see an influx of birds due to the weather this is called an _ (9)

1 What is a group of goldfinches called? (5) 2 What is the fastest flying bird in the UK? (9,6) 7 The native ancestor of the domesticated ferret that is making its way back into our landscape. (7) 10 What is a female fox called? (5) 12 How many legs do crabs have? (3)

The answers will be revealed in our Spring 2021 edition of WILD 58 |

WILD winter 2020

Lopsided owls

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Barn owl photo: Andy Rouse/2020VISION

Did you know that some owls have lopsided ears? Having one ear slightly higher than the other helps them to precisely pin-point their prey, determining which direction and at what height a sound is coming from.

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Wildlife fun facts...

An average giant puffball can produce seven trillion spores, but the mushroom is lucky if more than one of them grows to maturity. This is quite lucky for us, as it has been calculated that if each spore from one mushroom germinated every generation, it would produce a mass of fungi 800 times the volume of the Earth!

Grass snake photo: Danny

Theatrical snakes

Green/2020VISION

Grass snakes will ‘play dead’ when they feel threatened. They will stay stock still with their mouth open, tongue lolling and eyes rolled back into their skull. Enough to put off any predator.

01268 752224 VANITORIALS.CO.UK SALES@VANITORIALS.CO.UK

MORE THAN JUST A JANITORIAL SUPPLIES COMPANY...

We help our customers in Education, Healthcare, Cleaning, Catering, Washrooms & Facility Management to achieve a Greener future with Sustainable Products & Solutions.

Vanitorials has been working hard with its suppliers to ensure that many of its products are specially formulated to have a minimal impact on the environment.

This includes manufacturers complying with ISO accreditation and EU regulations, covering biodegradability and protection of the environment; use of recycled materials and

consuming less energy during production whilst reducing emissions to air, water and land.

Vanitorials is ISO 14001 accredited with environment management systems in place for continued improvement within working practices.

Our range of specially formulated products that have a minimal impact on the environment.

FOUR TREES PLANTED FOR EVERY ONE USED

SAVE

10% WHEN QUOTING:

EWT2021 for orders placed in the first month

We are ambitious for our county’s future. We want everyone to experience a hedgehog snuffling through their garden, bees and butterflies fluttering past colourful wildflowers and ponds that are alive with frogs, newts and dragonflies.

WE NEED TO ACT NOW AND WE NEED YOUR HELP Species like hedgehogs are already vulnerable to extinction. Let’s stop the decline decline in in its its tracks. tracks.

TEXT

WILD 5

to 70470 to donate £5

WILD 10

to 70470 to donate £10

WILD 20

to 70470 to donate £20

All money raised will help Essex Wildlife Trust increase its work to protect wildlife and wild places throughout the county and ensure our urban environments become wilder.

Thank you in advance, even the smallest amount will help us do more for wildlife in Essex.

Texts cost the value of your donation plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to donate but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text WILDNOINFO with your donation amount to 70470.

Love Essex • Love Wildlife

60Registered | WILD 2020 Charitywinter No. 210065

Hedgehog photo: Tom Marshall

HELP US CREATE A WILDER ESSEX