Spring Magazine 2019

Spring 2019

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Singing for survival Nightingales are in peril - but there is hope for the future.

PLUS NEWS FROM OUR TWO COUNTIES • HOW TO BUILD A POND • AMAZING HARES • BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST • VISITING GREYWELL MOORS

WWW.HIWWT.ORG.UK 1 Cover Spring 19.RC.indd 1

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CONTENTS

Welcome to your SPRING issue magazine

C

lear, blue skies, refreshing April showers, new buds peeping from fresh stems… is there anything more joyous than the onset of spring? New life is everywhere, and at this time of year I find the pull of nature irresistible.

Hampshire and the Island are full of beautiful places just waiting to be explored, and I recently discovered a real hidden gem in North Hampshire – Greywell Moors nature reserve. Turn to page 22 and let Reserves Officer Ian Stoneman take you on a guided tour of this stunning, flower-rich fen.

Fresh flowers are one of the many joys of the season, and I’m sure those of you with gardens will be eager to start planting if you haven’t already. There is so much you can do in your garden to help local wildlife – ponds in particular are a fabulous way to draw a diverse range of species. Turn to page 18 and

Contents

learn how to create your own. You may be amazed at what arrives.

Spring is all about arrivals and departures. Redwings, fieldfares and other winter favourites are heading back to their summer homes, while new visitors arrive in their thousands.

I’m especially excited about the arrival of nightingales. These celebrated songsters are beloved by so many, yet new figures show that they are in drastic decline. Turn to page 12 to read about this fascinating species, and what we are doing to support nightingales locally.

Don’t forget to take a look at your What’s On guide – we have given the guide a fresh new look, and organised the selection of events by area to make it easier to find something happening near you. We hope to welcome you to one of our events very soon.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust We are the only charity dedicated to conserving, protecting and enhancing your local wildlife – whatever it is and wherever in the two counties it may be. ● We manage 53 nature reserves. ● We are supported by 25,000 members and 1,500 volunteers.

Registered Charity No. 201081. Company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales No. 676313.

Who are The Wildlife Trusts?

There are 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, Isle of Man and Alderney. With 800,000 members, we are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species.

Alice Ashcroft,Wildlife editor feedback@hiwwt.org.uk

18

4 News

> Wildlife Trust Editor Alice Ashcroft

How you can help us lobby MPs to introduce a new Environment Act. MARK HAMBLIN / 2020VISION

8

Wild spring

Why hares are such a thrilling spectacle for wildlife lovers in springtime.

10 More spring wildlife Discover swifts, bluebells and damselfies.

12 Spring’s songbird sings for survival Nightingales - these special birds are in decline, but there is hope.

18 Pond Life No garden feature attracts more wildlife than a pond, and creating one is easier than you think.

> Tel 01489 774400 > Fax 01489 774401 > Web www.hiwwt.org.uk > Email feedback@hiwwt.org.uk CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

26 Across the UK A shaky start for the new Environment Bill; plus the secrets of goose migration.

30 Top places to see orchids The best places in the UK to see orchids.

32 Campaign for a wilder future Why we need your support, now more than ever.

Team Wilder is growing! Are you ready to play your part?

34 The house that Jack built

22 Greywell Moors

The story of a four-year-old and his love for nature.

This fen is a haven for orchids and the perfect day out in springtime.

36 Butterflies without borders

The simple ways you can help collect valuable data and help our work.

> Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Beechcroft House, Vicarage Lane, Curdridge, Hampshire SO32 2DP

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20 Team Wilder

24 Be a Citizen Scientist on the Solent

> Production Top Corner Editorial & Design 07803 629676

How certain species make it to your back garden.

40 Do something wild this June Can you go wild for 30 days?

WildLine is the Trust’s information service for all your wildlife queries.

Call us on 01489 774406 or email wildline@hiwwt.org.uk

On the cover Spring 2019

Hampshire & Isle of Wight

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

Singing for survival Nightingales are in peril - but there is hope for the future.

PLUS NEWS FROM OUR TWO COUNTIES • HOW TO BUILD A POND • AMAZING HARES • BE A CITIZEN SCIENTIST • VISITING GREYWELL MOORS

WWW.HIWWT.ORG.UK

The cover photo of a nightingale was taken by Chris Gomersall / 2020VISION. To learn about the amazing journey these birds make each year, turn to page 12.

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CEO COMMENT

Debbie Tann

T

Now is the time

he warnings couldn’t be clearer. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that we have 12 years to stop the irreversible damage that will come from rising temperatures. WWF have reported a 60% fall in global wildlife populations over just four decades and asserted that we are the last generation that can save nature. According to the author of a significant scientific review published just last month, ‘if insect species losses cannot be halted, this will have catastrophic consequences for both the planet’s ecosystems and for the survival of mankind’. It’s surely impossible for anyone to ignore now – nature is not a ‘nice to have’, it is the only thing we really need.

That is why we have joined forces with other environmental organisations at a national level, through the Greener UK coalition, to push Government to take this seriously and to act now for all our sakes. There are opportunities, after the Brexit dust settles, to establish the UK as a global leader in environmental legislation. We must make sure that the Environment Bill fully delivers for wildlife and people and that there is a better settlement for nature through new policies on farming, fishing and development.

Locally, at the end of 2018, we set out our aim to create a wilder Hampshire and Isle of Wight and have started a debate about how we can realise our ambition. Fixing the problems facing wildlife will not be simple and there is no one solution. We all need to play our part and play it with commitment and energy. That means governments, that means business, that means landowners and developers, organisations like ours and armies of individuals making different choices, making firm promises and taking action.

Over the last few months I have been buoyed by the response to our Wilder vision – thank you to those who have reached out in solidarity and expressed support, shared ideas or offered help.

We need each and every one of you.

One member who got in touch recently expresses this enthusiasm perfectly, saying: “I feel more passionate than ever that creating a sense of stewardship amongst local communities

We envision people and nature existing in harmony.

But time is running out.

could be a really sustainable way of making a change. The scale of the problem can sometimes seem so enormous that people wonder whether anything they do will make very much difference, and politicians are at a loss as to where to start.

“If we can create something really tangible that people can do, and politicians can campaign for, and create a model that can be followed elsewhere, then we have a chance.”

Sharing these ideas is also inspiring new friends to be part of ‘Team Wilder’.

Thomas, who is a local map maker, contacted us to say: “I’ve just given the Wilder discussion paper a read, and I’m really impressed. It was so refreshing to read such a direct and honest document on, let’s be honest, a rather dismal state of wild affairs.

I am fully on board with the project, and am particularly excited at the mention of nature recovery maps – I think these would really engage people with our wildlife.”

Debbie Tann is Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Follow Debbie on Twitter @Debbie_Tann

As you’ll read in this magazine, we are keen to build and support this burgeoning ‘Team Wilder’ and I very much hope you will be part of it.

I am determined that the plan we will publish in the autumn will set in motion a real reversal of these terrible wildlife declines and tip the balance in favour of nature’s recovery. The Trust’s new strategy will look out to the end of the next decade and – while we need this long-term plan – there really is not a moment to lose.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is registered with the UK Fundraising Regulator.

We aim to meet the highest standards in the way we fundraise.

If you would like to opt out of receiving future editions of this magazine, or if you are ever unhappy with any communication you receive from us please contact our membership team on 01489 774400 or email us at membership@hiwwt.org.uk.

We have recently updated our Privacy Policy in line with forthcoming changes to data protection. To keep you informed and in control, the policy outlines why we capture your personal data, what we use it for and how we keep it safe. For further information please visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/privacy-policy

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HANTS & IOW NEWS

Exciting new features take shape at Blashford Lakes nature reserve

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mprovement work at Blashford Lakes nature reserve is underway, and exciting new features are starting to take shape.

Our old, damaged tern hide is being replaced by a new, more spacious hide with panoramic views across the lake. It will also have a special green roof perfect for pollinators.

A brand new pond will provide vital new habitat for wildlife and more accessible pond dipping areas for visiting groups, and our Wild Walk sculpture trail brings Blashford Lakes’ wildlife into the limelight.

We are delighted that our new

Welcome Hut is standing proud near the Education Centre. The hut will be staffed with knowledgeable, enthusiastic volunteers who will be on hand Friday to Sunday to provide visitors with seasonal information about the reserve and wildlife spotting tips.

It is thanks to generous funding from the Rural Development Programme for England’s New Forest LEADER Programme (funded by Defra and the EU), Veolia Environmental Trust and the local community that we have been able to embark on this ambitious project, and we are delighted to see our hard work coming to fruition.

An artist’s impression of the new welcome hut which will give panoramic lake views.

DANNY GREEN / 2020VISION

AMY LEWIS

Clockwise from top right: grass snake, common frog, common lizard.

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are home to 12 out of 13 of the UK’s native amphibians and reptiles – but too little is known about how the species are faring. Wildlife experts are calling on local communities to help gather vital information about where these species are, particularly over the summer months when many are more visible.

The garden reptiles you are most

likely to see are slow worms, small newts, frogs, toads, and grass snakes.

However, conservation experts are also interested in rarer and protected species like great crested newts, natterjack toads, sand lizards and smooth snakes, which are thought to be in decline.

The information is being coordinated by our amphibian and reptile recording

group for a new atlas mapping out species in the two counties, due at the end of the year. It is hoped that with this new information, conservation organisations like the Wildlife Trusts and local councils will better understand which wildlife-rich areas need safeguarding.

For more information about the different species and to submit records visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/ species-groups

KATRINA MARTIN / 2020VISION

Reptile sightings wanted

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More pressure needed on MPs

New stag beetle project to investigate species’ genetics With funding and support from the Wildlife Trusts, university student Ellie Mayhew is developing a unique study into the genetic diversity of stag beetles in the New Forest.

Last year, Ellie successfully applied for a grant from our Peter Brough fund, which was established back in 2011 to acknowledge and encourage the work of amateur naturalists.

It is hoped that this intriguing project will further our understanding of stag beetle genetics and inform conservation efforts to protect them.

Ellie said: “This project will give us a fascinating insight into how well stag beetles maintain genetic diversity in the face of challenges such as limited dispersal and habitat fragmentation.

By measuring how related the beetles are, we can calculate to what degree different populations are connected, which has important implications for stag beetle conservation and habitat management.

I am very thankful to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust for their support of this exciting research!”

Ellie is collecting dead stag beetles from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight until mid-August. If you find a specimen, please consider sending it to Ellie to inform her research, including the date of discovery and an accurate location. You can email Ellie at stagbeetleproject@ gmail.com for further details. You can also follow the project on Twitter @NFStagBeetles

Restoring St George’s Down for wildlife

Below: Common dog violet.

carefully managed, enabling heathland and acid grassland species such as lousewort, heath milkwort, bell heather, ling, common dog violet, and the rare dwarf cudweed to recover and thrive. We hope that the area will soon welcome more species such as the nationally rare Dartford warbler, as well as reptiles such as common lizards and adders, and butterflies like the common blue.

CHRIS GOMERSALL / 2020VISION

St. George’s Down, situated on the chalk spine of the Island, was created through years of gravel extraction before being left to regenerate naturally.

Today, Wight Building Materials are working with us to improve the area for wildlife.

Over recent years, dense gorse scrub has taken over, crowding out other plants and offering little value for most other species.

In the future, the gorse will be

terry whitTaker/2020vision

Thank you to everyone who has been in touch with their MP already to discuss the new Environment Bill. All 19 of our local MPs have been contacted at least once about this issue, but it is vital that they know just how important nature’s recovery is to their constituents at this crucial time.

The first part of the Environment Bill was published just before Christmas, and we were disappointed that there was no mention of Nature Recovery Networks. We believe that it is essential that the Bill requires public bodies to use Nature Recovery Network maps as the foundations for future decisions about development and land use. Locally we have a head start, as we have been working with Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre and other organisations to develop these maps, which set out clearly where our wildlife is and where it should be.

In the coming weeks, we are asking our supporters to make even more noise and to join our campaign for a Wilder Future. Find out how you can help at www.hiwwt.org.uk/ environment-act

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UK NEWS HANTS & IOW NEWS

A lasting legacy for wildlife

White-tailed sea eagles in the Solent

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e, like many others, are excited by the idea that our local area could support species such as the white-tailed sea eagle. The proposals to reintroduce these magnificent birds to the Isle of Wight have the potential to inspire an entirely new audience to take an interest in their natural environment.

A white-tailed sea eagle caused quite a stir at Blashford Lakes when it visited back in December – it was a thrilling occasion for the local community, and people travelled from miles around to see the eagle soaring over our nature reserve.

However, before a re-introduction on the Isle of Wight takes place, we must ensure that the wider environment can accommodate a new top predator. The Island and surrounding areas host internationally important populations of coastal birds, including Brent geese

and curlew, and we know that human development, disturbance and pollution have put great strain on local bird and marine life.

It is essential that, in attempting to introduce one iconic species, we don’t add to the pressure on others. This could, however, be a welcome incentive to strengthen and restore our local habitats in order to achieve a sustainable and healthy environment for the eagles and for the rest of the wildlife on the Island.

We will be discussing how we can ensure that the Isle of Wight leads the way in securing nature’s recovery at our ‘Wilder Wight’ event in Newport on March 28th. We look forward to hearing from Charlie Burrell of the Knepp Estate and the renowned conservationist Derek Gow, together with a number of local experts.

For more details visit www.hiwwt.org. uk/events

neil aldridge

Magnificent, but could white-tailed sea eagles be sustained on the Island?

An anthology of poems by Ian Williams has been published posthumously by his wife Jill, and is now being sold to raise funds for local wildlife.

From humorous odes and childhood memories, to images of wildlife and the countryside, these poems were all inspired by the years Ian spent living on the Isle of Wight.

One follows a kestrel ambushing a barn owl for its prey, and the scene is beautifully illustrated by Sarah Blackswell.

This touching collection of poems is priced at £9.95, with £5 from each sale coming to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. You can buy a copy from Beardsalls in either Ryde or Shanklin, or you can contact Jill directly at i.williams2754@ btinternet.com

Be part of our Wildlife Investment Fund Here at the Trust we are often lucky enough to receive grants, however, an additional contribution is often required to unlock the funds. This is why we have set up our Wildlife Investment Fund, which will enable us to seize these opportunities and ensure that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight’s wildlife will never miss out. Most contributions are matched, so a gift made to the fund could grow tenfold and deliver even greater results for our wildlife. If you are interested in investing in the fund please call us on 01489 774400.

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Ringed plovers are at risk because their chicks and eggs are mistaken for pebbles, and trampled.

Protecting ringed plovers on the Solent We are working with East Solent Coastal Partnership (ESCP) to trial a new protected area to help the local population of ringed plovers.

Ringed plovers are one of our smallest wading birds, and their numbers have dramatically declined over the years. Recent data published

by Hampshire Ornithological Society estimates that there are now only 25-60 pairs left in Hampshire.

Our love of beaches as a place to relax is unfortunately one of the factors driving this decline. Ringed

plovers breed on shingle beaches, and their eggs have evolved to look like pebbles. This is the perfect defence against predators, but also makes them invisible to humans, and vulnerable to trampling. Their tiny chicks, once hatched are also coloured like pebbles and, when threatened, they crouch down and lie still, again leaving them at risk of being stepped on. However, if they run, they are easily spotted by predators, including the dogs many of us walk along beaches.

Working with ESCP, we have erected a trial exclusion area on Gunner Point, a Site of Special Scientific Interest at Hayling Island, one of the last local strongholds for the ringed plover in the east of Hampshire. This fenced space will provide them with some sanctuary while breeding over the summer.

Depending on how successful the trial is, we hope to erect larger areas in the future, helping to turn around the fortunes of our local ringed plovers.

Dedicated car park now open for Romsey nature reserve

mariko whyte

Rare weevil is still present at its only UK stronghold Our recent survey revealed that the extremely rare Gilkicker weevil is still present at its only UK stronghold in Gosport.

This species is special because, within the UK, it is only present at Browndown Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Gilkicker Heritage Area (the weevil’s namesake).

Its scarcity makes it a priority species for conservation in Hampshire.

Gilkicker weevils are about 4mm long with a reddish-brown rostrum (the protrusion on the front of the weevil’s head), and they will only thrive

in very specific conditions. They can be found on areas of common bird’sfoot-trefoil, but only when the plants are short in height and growing on a shingle beach in a sunny, frost-free area. In the UK there aren’t many places that meet all these criteria, which is why Gilkicker weevils are rarely found.

The weevils were last surveyed at Gilkicker and Browdown SSSI 10 years ago, and we are optimistic that through careful site management the habitat can be improved for the weevils so they can thrive in the future.

Fishlake Meadows nature reserve now has a dedicated car park, making it easier for visitors from further afield and those with accessibility needs to visit and enjoy the wildlife haven. The car park is accessed via the new Oxlease Meadow development, and will be open daily from 8am until 6pm.

Jo Armson, Reserve Officer said: “Given Fishlake Meadows’ well-earned reputation for wildlife, it is no surprise that it has been exceedingly popular with local people. We hope that by providing this extra parking, more people will be able to enjoy the site – especially those with accessibility needs.”

For more information visit www.hiwwt.org.uk/fishlakemeadows

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Great wild spring days out

Springing into action

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pring is a fantastic time to spot the fastest land mammal in the country. Brown hares are brilliant athletes, reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour at full pelt. At this time of year, as we approach breeding season, you might be lucky enough to see them ‘boxing’ one another. The pugilists are actually the females, testing the strength of amorous males by boxing with them.

How to spot them Hares are slightly larger than rabbits, with longer, more powerful legs, and larger ears with distinctive black tips. They are most common in grassland habitats like

arable fields, grasses and hedgerows, as well as at the edges of woodlands.

Conservation Like other species, hares are thought to have been affected by changes in agricultural practices. Some evidence suggests that myxomatosis, the virus introduced to the UK in the 1950s to reduce the rabbit population, may have spread to hares. We work with farmers across our two counties to help make their land more wildlife friendly, including providing cover and grazing for brown hares. We also create new habitat where possible, such as at our Barton Meadows nature reserve near Winchester.

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Thanks to yo ur support, w e have been able to create new ha bitat for hares and man y other specie across our tw s o counties. To more about ho read w your mem bership is helping loca l www.hiwwt.o wildlife, visit rg.uk/our-w ork

David Tipling / 2020VISION

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Great wild spring days out

Swifts The unmistakeable scream of summer’s first swifts is a milestone in the year’s wildlife calendar. These amazing acrobats spend the winter in Africa, returning to the UK from April onwards.

To spot them, look to the sky for dark silhouettes with boomerang-shaped wings. Incredibly, swifts can stay in flight for up to two years, touching down only to nest – which is what brings them into our towns and cities. Swifts build their nests within gaps in old buildings.

Bluebells Unfortunately nesting spaces are few and far between, and swifts’ primary food source, insects, have plummeted in numbers. As a result, so have swifts.

However, insect-rich habitats, like our nature reserve at Hockley Meadows near Winchester, provide the feeding opportunities swifts need to survive.

We are also working with groups like Hampshire Swifts to push for greater awareness, nest box installation programmes and better planning policies.

A swift in flight showing its classic ‘boomerang’ wings.

ROBIN PASCAL

GUY EDWARDES / 2020VISION

Bluebells in spring are a classic woodland scene, but please avoid treading on them as they are sensitive to trampling.

For a few weeks in spring, from midApril onwards, bluebells set our woodlands ablaze with their beautiful, bright blue flowers. The UK is home to more than half the world’s population of Hyacinthoides non-scripta, making the bluebell our unofficial national flower.

Sadly, our native bluebell is losing ground to an insidious competitor: the Spanish bluebell. Introduced by the Victorians as a garden plant, the Spanish bluebell has made it ‘over the garden wall’ and out into the wild. Here, it crossbreeds with our native plants and produces fertile hybrids with a mix of characteristics.

Native bluebells have a distinctive ‘droop’ like the top of a shepherd’s crook, sweet, cool perfume, narrow bell-shaped flowers with rolled back tips and creamy white pollen. Non-native bluebells have upright stems, no scent, conical, bell-shaped flowers with open tips and blue pollen.

We all have a part to play in making sure that everyone can enjoy these beautiful plants for years to come. It is tempting to step into the sea of bluebells for a photo opportunity, but this damages the plants and causes them to die back, sometimes for years. Stay on the paths, and help to keep our woodlands looking their spectacular best.

A great place to spot bluebells is Roydon Woods nature reserve, near Brockenhurst. You can visit our website to find out more.

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DONNA APSEY

damian pinguey

Damselflies

Common blue damselfly.

Common Blue

GUY EDWARDES / 2020VISION

Common blue damselflies are easy to find as they are drawn to almost any water body – they are often the dominant damselfly species at large lakes and reservoirs. The males are pale blue with bands of black along the body, and the females are either blue or a dull shade of green.

Beautiful Demoiselle

Beautiful demoiselles are large damselflies, usually found on small, fast-flowing rivers. Males have metallic blue bodies and striking, dark wings, and they show them off with a flitting, fluttering flight in a bid to attract mates.

Females are slightly different with brown wings and green bodies.

Southern Damselfly

Azure damselfly.

Azure Damselfly

Azure damselflies are very common around most water bodies, and can also be found in grassland and woodland.

They are also a familiar garden resident, particularly visible in the warmer months.

These damselflies are pale blue with bands of black along the body, and you will see a distinctive U shape on the defining segment on their back.

Banded Demoiselle

Banded demoiselles are large damselflies that live along the edges of slow-flowing rivers and canals among lush, damp vegetation. They can also be found near still ponds and lakes, though typically those near to rivers. Their name derives from the distinctive ‘fingerprint’ mark on the males’ wings.

GUY EDWARDES / 2020VISION

Banded demoiselle.

MARK HAMBLIN / 2020VISION

Southern damselflies are notoriously difficult to distinguish from other blue and black damselflies – so much so that in our last magazine, even we got confused! To tell the difference, it helps to concentrate on the pattern on the second segment of the male’s abdomen, just behind the thorax. The common blue has a stalked spot or club-shaped mark, while the southern has an unusual and highly variable mark that often resembles the face of a tiny Minotaur. Thank you to the reader who pointed out the mislabelled photo of a common blue damselfly in our last Reserves Round-up.

We were delighted to see southern damselflies thriving at Hockley Meadows nature reserve last summer, and we hope to see them again this year. Through careful management, we have created an environment in which these rare and beautiful damselflies can thrive. We couldn’t have done this, or secured Hockley Meadows at all, if it weren’t for the support of the community, and generous gifts in Wills from local wildlife lovers.

Beautiful demoiselle.

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Great days species special out

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Spring’s songbird sings for survival It takes a monumental effort for nightingales to reach our shores each spring, but without our help they may be consigned to the history books.

M

id-February in Sierra Leone, and a hot, dry wind creates dust clouds in the air. After weeks of preparation building up her fat reserves, the nightingale is about to set off on her 3,000-mile odyssey to the UK. She pecks at a beetle, fluffs up her feathers and with a beat of her wings she is gone. She will spend two months flying over land, sea, country and continent before reaching her destination, possibly stopping for a breather in Western Sahara along the way.

It is a gruelling journey, a monumental undertaking for a bird weighing just 20 grams. The days, weeks and months roll by, until at last the nightingale is able to set herself down on cool, green grass.

She has arrived in the UK, and a light, spring shower forms droplets on her hazel plumage.

She flutters around the empty space where rich woodland once stood, searching frantically for the dense tangle of scrub that was her shelter and safe haven. But it is gone. If she can’t find a mate and a suitable place to nest, the journey will have been in vain.

There is no time to waste - the search for a new home begins.

CHRIS GOMERS0ALL / 2020VISION

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Great days species special out Nightingales in decline Sadly, this is the reality for many nightingales arriving in the UK. Despite their celebrated place in our culture, nightingales are in drastic decline. In Hampshire, numbers have dropped by 80% since the 1980s.

This could be due to many factors, including loss of habitat in nightingales’ African wintering grounds and stopover sites. However, it is likely that development pressure and wider loss of suitable habitat in Hampshire are also contributing.

The Isle of Wight has also witnessed decline, but has fared much better than Hampshire. This may be due to lower grazing pressure resulting from a lack of deer, which allows the denser scrub layer that nightingales prefer to grow more extensively.

To enhance our understanding of how nightingales are faring locally, we teamed up with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and Hampshire Ornithological Society (HOS) last year to launch the Nightingale Recovery Project. Last summer we rallied local volunteers to survey for nightingales in Hampshire and

the Isle of Wight during their breeding season.

The results of the survey are now in, and a worrying pattern of decline continues to emerge. In Hampshire, a total of 26 singing males were recorded during the survey, with 14 territorial males considered to be breeding. In 2012, data gathered by HOS and the BTO recorded 66. On the Isle of Wight, 21 singing males were recorded during the survey, of which 20 were territorial males and considered to be breeding 10 fewer than when the BTO surveyed seven years ago.

Nightingales return to the same woodlands every year, but the number of returnees is falling at an alarming rate.

Working together to save our nightingales We are working hard to conserve nightingales in our two counties and, where possible, we encourage them on our nature reserves. At Swanwick Lakes nature reserve, near Portsmouth, for example, we are developing patches of scrub to attract nightingales back to the site where they once bred.

Our Ningwood Common and Bouldnor Forest nature reserves on the

A nightingale’s journey from Africa to the UK

5

Nightingales reach our shores in mid-April, and immediately start the search for a mate.

4

It is months before nightingales eventually arrive in the UK.

3

The distance covered is incredible – some 3,000 miles from start to finish.

2

They may stop for a rest around the halfway point, perhaps in Western Sahara.

1

The arduous journey begins in mid-February in West Africa. Individuals prepare for weeks beforehand by building up their fat reserves.

Even so, they only weigh around 20 grams.

* This data was gathered by the British Trust for Ornithology.

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Despite their celebrated place in our culture, nightingales are in decline – dropping by 80% in Hampshire since the 1980s.

How you can help l If you are a landowner, you could help nightingales on your patch by providing habitat for them.

Email Feedback@hiwwt.org.uk for advice on how to best manage your land for nightingales.

CHRIS GOMERSALL / 2020VISION

Isle of Wight are already home to a small number of nightingales, and we are carefully managing the woodlands to provide suitable habitat for them alongside other vulnerable species. We were delighted to find breeding pairs at Bouldnor Forest during last year’s surveys, and are hopeful that they will continue to thrive.

Trevor Codlin (left) has been monitoring them in Hampshire

since 1995. As well as monitoring local populations, Trevor advises landowners on how best to manage their land for this celebrated species.

‘My love of nightingales was sparked in the late 1970s, when I had a Saturday job working on a farm. In those days they were fairly common and several pairs bred in the surrounding woodlands.

Every spring I would listen out for their arrival and would spend my lunch breaks crawling under blackthorn scrub to watch them feeding in the undergrowth.

l Our work to protect nightingales is only made possible by generous donations from our supporters.

Thank you for everything you do.

If you would like to make a further donation to support our work you can do so by calling our membership team on 01489 774400, or via our website at www.hiwwt.org.uk/donate l If you see or hear a nightingale, please let us know. This will help to create a fuller picture of nightingale numbers in our two counties, and it is extremely useful for us to know where they are choosing to nest.

You can record your sightings via our website at www.hiwwt.org.uk/ wildlife/submit-species-records

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Great days species special out A nightingale chick.

The oldest recorded nightingale is eight years, one month 11 days.

Nightingales are loyal to their natal sites, and will return to the same place to breed year after year.

In August, with brand new feathers and fully fattened up, they head back to Africa, possibly stopping in Morocco or Spain along the way.

Both parents undergo a full moult post breeding – replacing all their feathers including flight feathers – whereas chicks only go through a partial moult replacing mainly their body

A year in the life of a nightingale

Juvenile nightingales look a lot like young robins, but the distinctive rufous brown tail feathers are an obvious giveaway.

delighted to find two young males on the site last spring, and are optimistic that they will return this year.

We continue to work with the BTO and HOS and hope that, together, we might bring nightingales back from the brink.

AMY LEWIS

In the early 1990’s I trained to become a bird ringer and since then have spent a great deal of time monitoring

nightingales at one of their local strongholds in Hampshire. I have been gathering data on this species for more than 20 years, and while it is sad to see such a drastic decline in their numbers, I am hopeful that the Nightingale Recovery Project and similar schemes will help us better understand the reasons for their decline, raise awareness of their plight and help our local populations recover.’

Trevor has been working closely with the Forestry Commission, Hampshire County Council and the National Grid, since they own the land which supports the stronghold for breeding nightingales in Hampshire. This partnership group is developing a strategy to maintain and improve local nightingale habitat.

So far, we have expanded existing patches of scrub and created new areas in which nightingales can nest. We were

In mid-April nightingales arrive in the UK, and males immediately start singing to attract a mate.

Having attracted a female, the male defends his territory while his mate builds a nest. Once the nest is built, she lays her eggs, and after two weeks of incubation they hatch.

After 10 days the chicks leave the nest, flightless and vulnerable. The young are separated so they are never in the same place on the ground, reducing the chances of all of them being lost through predation. The chicks are fed for three to four weeks before they become independent.

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A nightingale in full song in springtime.

The best time to hear their evocative singing is early morning.

Experience nightingales Contrary to what their name suggests, nightingales don’t only sing at night.

If anything, they are at their loudest first thing in the morning, so be prepared to get up early if you are hoping to hear them. Be sure to listen to a nightingale’s song before you go - there are plenty of high quality recordings to be found online. Nightingales prefer broadleaved woodlands and scrub, and sing from the densest bushes and shrubs, so you are far more likely to hear their song than to see this shy singer. A nightingale’s song is beautifully creative with clear, fluty phrases and a complex assembly of clicks, purrs and whistles. Listen for their distinctive, bubbling crescendo - their song is like no other, and is certainly worth the early start.

CHRIS GOMERSALL / 2020VISION

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GREAT DAYS GARDEN WILDLIFE OUT

Pond Life No garden feature attracts more wildife than a pond, so why not build one this spring? It’s easier than you think.

GUY EDWARDES /2020VISION

Left: ponds are perfect for demoiselles.

P

ipistrelle bats dart overhead, gorging on dense clouds of midges. The webbed toes of a startled frog vanish into an inky pool, while a palmate newt loiters at the surface. He is braced, ready to ambush unsuspecting water fleas. A red fox stops for a drink before disappearing into the night, and the soft rays of a silvery moon dance on still water.

You could be forgiven for thinking that we are standing in an expertly managed nature reserve. In fact, we are looking at

dragonflies and caddis flies are drawn to garden ponds for the same reason. They create spectacular aerial displays in the spring and summer months.

If you have space for a larger pond, you may even attract wildfowl – mallard ducks, moorhens and coots have all been known to frequent garden ponds.

Swallows and house martins may drop by to pick off insects from above the water’s surface, and there is even potential for grass snakes to make themselves at home.

There’s nothing quite like watching nature thrive on your patch as a result of your own work, and building a pond needn’t be an enormous undertaking.

Making a mini pond is a lovely way to spend a fresh, spring day.

Here is our step by step guide.

a small, urban garden in the heart of bustling Portsmouth.

Garden ponds and water features are more important than ever before – nearly 70% have been lost from the UK’s countryside over the past century. Whether you have acres of land at your feet or a modest patch of lawn, building a pond is a fantastic way to help local wildlife.

Ponds are very attractive to a huge variety of species, and even small bodies of water may entice frogs, toads and newts, all of which use ponds to breed.

Damselflies, mayflies, pond skaters,

ABI PAINE

CHRIS SPELLER

A garden pond needn’t be very big. You will be amazed by the wildlife you attract.

Above: two house sparrows splashing in a pond.

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How to build a mini pond ● Find a large container. It could be a half-barrel, or even a large washing-up bowl. It must be sturdy enough to withstand being outside.

You will need: A large container that will hold water, some gravel and rocks.

● Prepare your container. Seal any holes, and put a layer of clean gravel in the bottom if you wish. Don’t use soil – it is too full of nutrients, which will encourage blooms of unsightly algae to form. ● You can now fill your pond.

Whenever possible, use rainwater.

FROGLIFE

Left: a raised tub pond.

Right: a blue-tailed damselfly.

Tap water contains too many chemicals. You do not have to plant up your pond at all; natural colonisation by plants and wildlife will occur surprisingly quickly.

SANDRA UNDERWOOD

● Use bricks, rocks or logs to create stepping stones, and ensure your pond is not a trap for little animals such as hedgehogs. Shelter near your pond is another important consideration – stones and bricks (anything that gets hot in the sun) are great for basking butterflies and lizards, but will get far too warm for amphibians. Be sure to provide some cool shelter nearby. Tall grass and shrubs are ideal for this.

ROSS HODDINOTT /2020VISION

● Find a spot that gets a good amount of light, but isn’t in full sunlight all day. Once you have a suitable location, you can dig a hole in which to sink your container. You could leave it standing proud on the surface, but more creatures can get in and out if the edges are level with the ground.

● Now, sit back and see what arrives. Don’t be tempted to add goldfish or bring in buckets of pond life from elsewhere - pond creatures are great at finding ponds themselves. There is every chance a frog or newt will find your mini-pond, especially if you provide corridors of cover nearby.

Aftercare For the first few months, don’t worry if you get algae or blanket weed. Winding it around a stick to remove it is really quite satisfying, and as your mini-pond matures, all the pond creatures you have attracted will help keep the water clear. You may need to top the pond up in hot weather – try to use rainwater if you can.

A frog enjoying the water – and the shade.

Wild About Gardens

MARK HAMBLIN /2020VISION

We are just wild about ponds, which is why they are taking the limelight for this year’s Wild About Gardens campaign.

Garden ponds attract a greater variety of wildlife than perhaps any other feature in the garden, and there are 24 million gardens in the UK. Imagine the impact if each of them catered for nature, with ponds made for wildlife.

Do you have a pond you are proud of?

We would love to see it. Get in touch via Feedback@hiwwt.org.uk or download your free Wild About Ponds booklet at www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk

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TAKE ACTION

EAM WILDER We want to create an army of local people who not only care for nature but put plans into action to save it and restore it. Will you join us?

B

ack in the autumn we launched our new vision for a wilder future. Our discussion paper, WILDER, set out our ambition to tip the balance in favour of nature’s recovery and called on everyone to play their part.

We have been delighted by the response from our members, partners and from the wider public. The ideas we shared have been met with enthusiasm, excitement and a real willingness to be involved.

We know that if we are going to succeed we will need far more space for nature to thrive and many, many more people on nature’s side. Indeed, research suggests that for significant social change to happen, 25% of the

population need to be on-board and acting in a way that will create a real shift – a new social norm. That’s half a million people across Hampshire and the Island – or one in every four. We are not underestimating the challenge, but we believe that we are in a strong starting place.

We know that people care about wildlife and we already have some brilliant, active champions and campaigners, activists and wildlife enthusiasts – you, our members.

Our vision for the coming years is to build the team. We need an army out there, creating change. This could be pushing decision-makers to change policies or practices; it could be taking action in your own back garden or on your window ledge. It could be

banding together with friends or neighbourhoods to transform small spaces and pass on the passion for wildlife. In the years ahead, we want to see groups of students challenging their institutions to be greener, staff groups making their workplaces into wildlife havens and everyone sharing their successes and adding to our growing nature recovery network.

We know that there are people already taking the lead, as shown by the inspiring examples on these pages, and we have seen from our recent survey that there is a huge appetite among our members to do more. We would love to hear about what you are up to or how you think the Trust could help you be part of Team Wilder.

Gosport Wombles “Early in 2018 a few of our 545 RunClub were discussing how much litter we see in hedgerows, gutters and on our beaches whilst running. A little research on social media revealed that there were lots of small groups quietly doing their bit to try to keep our town clean and protect our environment and waterways. Gosport Wombles was born as an umbrella group, so that we could all join forces and invite others, such as the local council and their contractors, Urbaser, to work with us.

Collectively, we are all making a difference (and new friends) and feel that now is the time to tap into the public psyche before the planet is pushed too far.”

Above and left: scenes from a recent Gosport Wombles litter pick.

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lavender, thyme and millet. Discreetly displayed old tree stumps and branches provide homes for insects, and we are delighted that the Isle of Wight Council has agreed to incorporate ‘bee tubes’ in the new retaining walls. Our regular litter picks have proved popular with people across the town and are raising awareness about the difference we can all make by what we choose to do... or not do!”

Sandown Green Town Volunteers “For the past three years we have been introducing and encouraging wildlife in planters, troughs and flowerbeds across Sandown. Unlike many tourist resorts which leave beds bare and dead throughout the winter months, we aim to create year-round colourful, sustainable displays that improve our public open

spaces for both people and wildlife. There is a movement in Sandown to reintroduce native coastal plants across the area and the Sandown Green Town Volunteers incorporate plants such as sea-holly, thrift and sea campion in our wild spaces. We also make good use of bird-friendly and bee-friendly plants such as alliums,

Sandown on the Island has year-round colour thanks to its dedicated task force.

Friends of Peartree Green “We are a friendly group of volunteers who work together with the common aim of enhancing and promoting Peartree Green, a diverse habitat of approximately 20.8 hectares (51.4 acres) in Southampton. The Green was awarded Local Nature Reserve status in 2017, and we aim to maintain the variety of habitats whilst enhancing access to and enjoyment of the site by all. We work under the guidance of ecologist Phil Budd, and in collaboration with the city council. We also hold regular litter picks.

The group evolved from a residents’ meeting some 20 years ago, and is now coordinated by a small committee of Wildlife Trust members and keen naturalists. We hold regular events such as butterfly hunts and mammal trapping for local schools, so that children can learn to appreciate the green gem on their doorstep. The committee also organise an annual bioblitz, wildflower

Mucking in: the Friends of Peartree Green on a typical day maintaining the upkeep of the reserve.

walks, fungus forays and dawn chorus walks, all aimed at raising awareness of the wildlife on the Green and encouraging people to invest time in looking after it. And it seems to be

working – record numbers of volunteers got involved in 2018!”

• Find out more on Facebook or by emailing secretarypeartreegreen@ btinternet.com

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GREAT DAYS RESERVES GUIDE OUT

Springtime at Greywell Moors Discover a sensory wonderland at one of the best sites for biodiversity in the country, writes Ian Stoneman.

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ff an unassuming scent of water mint country lane, in and turn your the sleepy little attention to the village of Greywell, surrounding flora. The lies one of cuckoo flowers’ delicate, Hampshire’s hidden gems – pink-tinged petals embellish Greywell Moors nature reserve. a mossy green backdrop – A vestige of Hampshire’s fens, look closely at a single plant Ian Stoneman is one it has a rich and complex and you may spot an orange of the Trust’s assemblage of flora and fauna. tip butterfly larvae feasting Reserves Officers, At first glance, it is very much on its leaves. and looks after a diamond in the rough. You Standing pink and proud, Greywell Moors. will find yourself standing on a marsh valerians form delicate large patch of damp grassland, bundles, blushing against the and you will likely be impatient to move pastel tones of the cuckoo flowers. on and explore the fen in the west of the Interestingly, their Latin name, Valeriana reserve. However, be sure to watch your dioica, tells us a little about the plant. step, as the mulchy earth is treacherous Valeriana derives from the Latin word for underfoot. You will need a good walking healthy, and dioica literally means two stick to test the ground – the peat can be houses. This describes the separate male very liquid and deep. and female plants, which can be Wander into the fen, enjoy the sweet identified by the size difference – the

Main image: marsh helleborines and southern marsh orchids. Above: a grazing Exmoor pony.

males are about twice the size of the females.

The colour pallet continues into the deep, red-purple of Lythrum salicaria, or purple loosestrife. This persistent perennial grows every year, using a mass of woody roots as its base. The flowers are pollinated by long tongued insects such as bumblebees and moths, for which purple loosestrife is an important food source.

Though much of the reserve is open, part is restricted. Join us for our members only event on the 16th June to see parts of the reserve usually closed off to the public.

If you visit in June, you will be met with a fabulous array of orchids, including marsh

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Thanks to yo ur support, we can look af Greywell Moo ter rs and all the flora and fauna that depend on it.

One of the many cattle that roam the reserve.

harriers and peregrine falcons. Yellow hammers and whitethroats whistle and chirp from the shrubbery, adding their unique sounds to the mix of sensory delights.

Cattle and Exmoor ponies also roam the site, providing an excellent habitat management service. They help to remove rank vegetation, allowing less vigorous plants to thrive.

Whether you’re a keen birder, a botany buff or simply enjoy spending time in nature, Deptfo rd L a Greywell Moors is a truly ne spectacular place to explore. Visit this spring and summer to discover a treasure trove of wildness.

N

0

100

200

metres Aerial photos www.getmapping.com © Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust

itew ate r

Getting there

Wh

fragrant, southern marsh and common spotted. Twayblade and pyramidal orchids may also join the display. A month later and you are likely to see one or two marsh helleborines. You might also be fortunate enough to see a bee orchid.

Needless to say, Greywell Moors is a botanist’s paradise. A recent botanical survey found 40 species of flowering plants in one square metre, a N staggeringly large number for such a small space. Common species such as water avens, marsh marigolds and meadow sweet thrive at Greywell, along with rarer ones like bog bean, marsh fern and yellow loosestrife.

At this point you may find yourself floristically bamboozled, so perhaps now is the time to start focussing on Greywell’s fauna. Keep your eyes peeled for bees and butterflies – a recent survey

by Jacobs Ecology found 557 different species of invertebrates, 61 of which were considered key species for conservation.

These spectacular results put Greywell Moors among the best sites for biodiversity in the country.

The haven is also well used by birds.

Depending on the time of year, you might see swallows taking a drink from one of the shallow ponds on site, and jack snipes can sometimes be spotted flying over the fen. Listen carefully and you may hear reed buntings and warblers sallying around in the scrubbier sections of the site.

Look to the sky, and you might see red kites and buzzards soaring overhead. If you have a keen eye, look out for marsh

er Riv

Head for Greywell village, Hampshire RG29 1BY. This postcode takes you to the Fox and 0 Goose 100pub 200 near the nature reserve.metres Drive past the pub, and then turn left Aerial The photos www.getmapping.com onto Deptford Lane. © Hampshire & Isle entrance to Greywell Moors is of Wight Wildlife Trust opposite the pumping station.

OS Map Reference: SU 720 510

Event

DAVE FOKER

Above: A buzzard soars overhead.

Right: A southern marsh orchid.

Fentastic Flora of Greywell Moors Join Reserves Officer Ian Stoneman on the 16th June for a members-only guided tour around this spectacular nature reserve.

Discover the vast range of flowering plants and learn about how we are enhancing the reserve for wildlife. Booking is essential.

Contact us on 01489 774408 or Membership@ hiwwt.org.uk to secure your place.

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GREAT DAYS OUT VOLUNTEERING

Be a

Citizen Scientist on the Solent

You can help look after our incredible marine wildlife - just by telling us what you’ve seen down on our coast.

I

million eggs at a time – that if every larva survived to adulthood they might well take over our shorelines!

Sea bass are also returning to their summer feeding grounds along the coast, having spent the winter months at their spawning grounds offshore to the west. Throughout spring, their newly hatched larvae will drift inshore to join our local bass nursery areas and remain there for up to five years before venturing more widely.

Species like these make the Solent a fascinating and valuable place, but sadly it is under increasing pressure from threats such as plastic pollution and climate change. Luckily, there is an easy and accessible way that you can help to protect our marine environment, and that is by getting involved in something called citizen science.

People power

PAUL NAYLOR

The concept of citizen science is a simple one: transforming small actions into big results. Initiatives that use this method pool data that has been collected by

Above: the larvae of common starfish like this fill the waters of the Solent at springtime.

CHAS SPRADBERY

t’s springtime, and all along our coast the relative quiet of the colder months is giving way to a flurry of wildlife activity. Take a stroll on our beaches at this time of year and you are perfectly placed to see rapidly growing annual seaweeds, while beneath the waves the pace of life is quickening for our marine species as the weather grows warmer.

Right now our waters are teeming with the larvae of common starfish, which will spend 87 days feeding on plankton in the water column before settling on the seabed. This species is so fertile – a 14 cm common starfish can produce up to 2.5

Above: a pair of Solent harbour seals.

individual volunteers, such as species sightings or changes in a habitat. This creates data sets that are not only larger but also potentially more diverse and representative than could be achieved otherwise.

For us at the Wildlife Trust, the impact of citizen science is invaluable. It allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the different species and habitats we encounter, which in turn shapes the work we do to protect them. The data can

The concept of citizen science is a simple one: transforming small actions into big results.

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CAROLINE MEECH

even provide vital evidence to support our pursuit of more extensive legal protections, such as Marine Conservation Zones.

This means that, by taking part in a citizen science initiative, you have the chance to make a real difference to a cause you believe in. Many initiatives also make their data public once it has been processed, allowing you to see your contribution in its wider context, while knowing that you have helped to secure a bright future for our wonderful wildlife.

Citizen science initiatives are easier to take part in than ever before, and often don’t require special knowledge or experience. Many, like reporting wildlife sightings, are easy to do while you’re already out and about. Others, like surveys of vulnerable species, are a great excuse for a day on the shore.

Some can even be participated in from home; ideal if you are short on time or can’t easily access the coast.

One great way to participate in citizen science is through our National Lottery Heritage Fund project, Secrets of the Solent, which is celebrating the amazing people and wildlife that share our waters. As the project progresses you will have the chance to learn more about the wonderful world of data, why it matters, and how you can help to keep the Solent special for many years to come.

ADAM CORMACK

Do your bit

Get involved ● Share your sightings – report your local encounters with whales, dolphins, seals and other marine mammals to support our species monitoring. ● Hit the beach – join our intertidal surveys to help collect data on the species and habitats found on our region’s shorelines.

● Take the lead – sign up as a Marine Champion to lead other volunteers on our intertidal surveys, with full training and support provided. ● Widen your reach – visit our Marine Citizen Science Day to learn how you can contribute to marine initiatives both locally and nationally.

Find out more at www.hiwwt.org.uk/SecretsoftheSolent/CitizenScience

JASON ALLEN / SOUTHERN CO-OP

Above: you can help in the battle against plastic pollution.

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UK STORIES

BREXIT UPDATE

Shaky start for new

Environment Bill The Government has published a draft Environment Bill. We say they could do much better.

J

ust before Christmas, the Government faced the first real test of their commitment to our natural world as the long-awaited part one of the draft Environment Bill was published. It was a result of successful lobbying by The Wildlife Trusts and our partners in the Greener UK coalition.

This draft Bill aims to create a replacement environmental governance system after we leave the EU. Published alongside this was a policy note setting out the Government’s ambitions for part two of the Bill, expected in Spring 2019.

The Wildlife Trusts have fought hard for the Government to

recognise the need for an ambitious Environment Bill to help our natural world recover. However, in their current form the Government’s plans fall well short of what is needed.

We need the new environmental watchdog to be much more independent and able to hold the whole Government to account to

The plans fall short of what we need to tackle the challenge.

Surveys show that thousands of oncecommon species are declining sharply.

begin to match the environmental enforcement powers currently held by the European Commission and European Court of Justice.

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Late new st UK-w s i wild and issude lifetr es: u org/ new sts. s

Have your say Turn to page 32 to change the Bill fo r the better

“Every space in Britain must be used to help wildlife.”

Sir David Attenborough The UK has thousands of nature reserves – the Wildlife Trusts alone look after 2,300 of them. These reserves perform an essential role in species protection. But wildlife has still disappeared at an alarming rate.

Main image above: a pyramidal orchid about to disappear on a site in Kent being cleared for development.

For wildlife to recover and thrive, parks, housing estates, farms and city centres must be wildlife-friendly: a network giving wildlife the freedom to move around.

This can be achieved with a strong Environment Act.

What’s more, it is vital that the Bill makes it a statutory requirement to produce Nature Recovery Network maps. These must influence decisions both about built development and about farming to give wildlife room to manoeuvre.

As part of our Wilder Future campaign we are encouraging our supporters to meet with their MPs and ask them to stand up for wildlife and create a bold visionary piece of legislation proportionate to the vast environmental challenge we face.

Unless Ministers and MPs improve upon this draft Bill, we will continue to see a decline in our wildlife and the health of our ecosystems for generations to come.

A network to put nature into recovery While the political battles rage on, wildlife faces its ongoing battle to survive. Despite political upheavals, there are some things that are certain: nature needs our help, butterflies don’t recognise borders and wildlife won’t recover if we don’t act now.

Wildlife Trust members have formed a movement and fought off thousands of risks to wildlife. Hundreds of wildlife sites are still here because we’ve saved them: Askham Bog in York, Rampisham Down in Dorset, Eithinog in North Wales…. We’ve campaigned to end the use of pesticides that all but killed off our otters, and helped bring otters back. We’ve secured over a hundred Marine Protected Areas. As charities, we care for over two thousand wildlife refuges and we’ve started to piece things back together with landscape scale initiatives.

This is all great stuff, but we have been swimming against the tide. Much stronger laws are needed to halt and reverse nature’s decline. This is the only sure way to remove barriers to the free movement of wildlife across our islands.

So the solution we are calling for is this: statutory Nature Recovery Network maps. These would map out how to join-up important places for wildlife that are currently isolated, identifying where habitat needs to be put back. These would result in better planning decisions and better targeting of farm support and funds from developers. After all, we are part of nature, so this will also benefit us through reduced flooding, cleaner air and better health.

With your help we can ensure that the Westminster Environment Act planned for 2019 is improved to make provisions for this. But individual actions are also important. Wherever you live, you can help create more space for nature. Why not install a bee brick in your wall or have flowers in a window box as a service station for a passing pollinator?

Together we can create a Wilder Future.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts @stephhilborne Wherever you are in the UK, your Wildlife Trust is standing up for wildlife and wild places in your area and bringing people closer to nature. Contact us on enquiry@wildlifetrusts.org or 01636 677711. To join your local Wildlife Trust please visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/joinus.

Natural World, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, Notts NG24 1WT. Facebook “f ” Logo

@wildlifetrusts

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CMYK / .ai

facebook.com/wildlifetrusts

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UK STORIES

GUY EDWARDES/2020VISION

Knowing where species go helps conservation groups to protect them.

Goose migration secrets revealed How do the UK’s 91,000 darkbellied brent geese migrate to their summer breeding grounds in Siberia? Research at Essex Wildlife Trust’s Blue House Farm reserve is finding out.

In January 2018, experts from the Southern Colour Ringing group, licenced by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), ringed the legs of 18 geese on the reserve, to help

track their 5,000-mile round trip.

Individuals were recorded in the Netherlands and the Baltics as they flew east. Last winter, several were spotted back in Essex.

The Wildlife Trusts work with the BTO to monitor migrant birds on many of our reserves, which are important feeding grounds. Studies like this demonstrate the need for a global approach to conservation.

Research shows the geese migrate to Siberia via the Netherlands and Baltics.

60 MPs make time to meet The Wildlife Trusts’ young stars

Barry Sheerman MP meets Moustafa Atta and Liam Jackson of Sheffield WT.

Last November, the Wildlife Trusts hosted a Parliamentary Reception in Westminster. Over 60 MPs attended to meet our young staff, trainees and volunteers.

It was a chance for our young stars to highlight the need for an ambitious Environment Bill.

Georgina Umney of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said in a speech: “Everyone has the right to freely

access and defend the natural world. No young person can avoid being an environmentalist as it is defining our future.”

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said: “Young people are a vital part of our movement. They want to guarantee a more positive future for our natural environment.”

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BREXIT UPDATE

Farming and Fisheries Bills need more work As part of the arrangements for leaving the EU, MPs and Peers have recently debated both a new Fisheries Bill and a new Agriculture Bill for England. These two key parts of the legal Brexit jigsaw will have a significant impact on the health of our natural environment on land and at sea.

On the Agriculture Bill, we have worked hard to ensure there will be long-term funding at the right level to restore and reconnect wildlife habitats on farms, and to create a Nature Recovery Network. On the Fisheries Bill, we have sought to

Red squirrels more diverse than thought The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales have discovered new genetic diversity in the mid-Wales red squirrel population. Analysis of hairs left on sticky pads in a feeding station has identified a unique sequence of DNA. This is great news for the squirrels, as it means their diversity is better than scientists thought. That variation will help them adapt to changing environments. The research was part of the Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project, a branch of Red Squirrels United.

Work by The Wildlife Trusts will ensure UK fishing is sustainable.

strengthen its sustainability objectives to ensure a healthy marine environment.

The study obtained DNA from hairs stuck to sticky pads in the feeder.

A new home for bees

Farm subsidies will enable farmers to reconnect habitats.

ARUP

HS2 dooms 19 ancient woods

HS2’s proposals pay little heed to the amount of nature the project will engulf.

HS2’s newest phase, due to connect Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds, offers ‘derisory’ consideration of wildlife, The Wildlife Trusts said in a consultation last year.

The 176 miles of track will seriously damage 12 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, 111 Local Wildlife Sites and 19 ancient woodlands.

“HS2 Ltd’s work lacks sufficient proposals to compensate for nature’s loss,” says Katherine Hawkins, Senior Living Landscapes Officer. “We have challenged it to create and restore more wild places than are being destroyed and damaged, and to save irreplaceable wetlands and woodlands.”

Solitary bee homes are hard to find in modern gardens, but an ingenious solution – the bee brick – can turn a wall into a bee hotel. Bee bricks are full of holes in which solitary bees can lay their eggs. They can be used on their own, or built into a wall.

Last summer, The Wildlife Trusts’ Adam Cormack fitted a bee brick to his house. Six months later he found several bees in residence. Adam shared his find on Twitter and more than 46,000 people ‘liked’ his tweet.

Individual actions like this are key to creating a wilder future.

A red mason bee (an excellent fruit tree pollinator) investigates a brick.

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great days out

Top places to see

Orchids

Colourful orchids might seem too exotic for our wind-swept islands, but we have more than 50 native species. Here’s where to find them.

O

rchids aren’t just beautiful.

They’re also ancient.

Fossilised pollen suggests they’ve been around since dinosaurs walked the earth, and in that time they’ve evolved a spectacular range of reproductive strategies.

Some, such as fly orchids, mimic insects to seduce unsuspecting pollinators into ‘mating’ with them and carrying off pollen. Others take the more traditional route, luring specific insects in with bright colours, delicate nectars and powerful scents.

The first orchids bloom in April.

How many can you find this year?

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Talich Wildlife Reserve Scottish Wildlife Trust There’s a proliferation of orchids in this Easter Ross reserve, including fragrant, heath spotted and the rare lesser butterfly orchid.

Where is it? Near Tain, IV20 1TP Map reference: NH 850 786

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Coatham Marsh Tees Valley Wildlife Trust A wetland reserve in an urban landscape, with a wide variety of flowers including swathes of northern marsh orchids and clusters of bee orchids.

Where is it? Redcar, TS10 5BQ Map reference: NZ 586 247

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Mere Sands Wood Lancashire Wildlife Trust This reserve’s mosaic of habitats encourages an impressive array of plants to flourish, including marsh helleborine and common spotted, early marsh, southern marsh and bee orchids.

Where is it? Near Rufford, L40 1TG Map reference: SD 447 159

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Llanymynech Rocks Montgom/Shropshire WT

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Shar experei your ences Tweet us

Orchid starters Greater butterfly orchid Graceful night-scented flowers attract big moths.

June is the best time.

your b orchid photos est from your d a @wild y out lifetru sts #Love Wildlif e

Early purple orchid A good first orchid: out alongside bluebells in May, often in good numbers.

Fly orchid Easy to miss until you get your eye in. Looks incredibly fly-like. May, South-East.

Green-winged orchid Found in the open on grassland that has escaped intensive agriculture.

Best in May.

Common spotted orchid Our commonest orchid, easy to spot and often in big clusters.

May to June.

Gwent Wildlife Trust’s New Grove Meadow is one of Britain’s wildflower wonders. Green-winged orchids galore.

Straddling the border between England and Wales, this former limestone quarry has a great selection, from early purple orchids in spring to autumn lady’s-tresses in September and October.

Where is it? Oswestry, SY22 6HD Map reference: SJ 262 216

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Tasker’s Meadow Warwickshire Wildlife Trust A beautiful grassland site with abundant wildflowers including the county’s largest population of greater butterfly orchid. You can also find twayblade, bee, common

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Morgan’s Hill Nature Reserve Wiltshire Wildlife Trust This scenic reserve is a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its orchids, butterflies and chalk grassland. Look for lesser butterfly, frog, musk, fly, burnt and green-winged orchids.

Where is it? Calne, SN10 2LW Map reference: SU 025 672

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New Grove Meadows Gwent Wildlife Trust In May and June thousands of orchids give a wonderful display of colour. Look for green-winged, common spotted and greater butterfly amongst the wildflowers.

Where is it? Trelleck, NP25 4PD Map reference: SO 501 066

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Dunsdon Devon Wildlife Trust This is a very special place: one of the best remaining Culm grasslands in Devon, with a rich range of wildflowers that includes southern marsh and lesser butterfly orchids.

Where is it? Holsworthy, EX22 7JW Map reference: SS 302 080

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Slievenacloy Ulster Wildlife Tucked in a valley in the Belfast Hills, this grassland reserve is particularly important for orchids, birds and fungi. You can find frog orchid, small white and lesser butterfly orchids flowering in early summer.

Where is it? Lisburn, BT28 3TE Map reference: J 245 712

For a more extensive list of places to see orchids visit wtru.st/orchids

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spotted, green-winged and pyramidal orchids.

Where is it? 1km north of Stockton, CV23 8HQ Map reference: SP 437 651

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Chafford Gorges Essex Wildlife Trust An orchid haven thanks to its chalky soil. Seven different species are found here during spring and early summer, including man orchid, bird’s nest orchid and bee orchid.

Where is it? Grays, RM16 6RW Map reference: TQ 588 793

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living landscapes

It’s time to join our campaign for a Wilder Future We need massive public support to bring about nature’s recovery – everywhere.

Like so many species in our degraded landscapes, brown hares are finding it hard to survive.

O

ur natural world is in a critical condition. The laws and systems to keep it healthy are failing. More than 60% of plants and animals in the UK are now under threat. One in eight face extinction.

This is our problem too. Nature is vital for our physical and mental health, yet plastic litter, pesticides and dirty air are a fact of life. Our obesity problem is the worst in Europe. Floods are becoming more common and more destructive.

Damage to farmland soils costs us around £1bn a year.

These issues show that our lifestyles overlook the value of natural systems – systems that underpin everything we do. We need

Nature is vital for our physical and mental health. healthy soil to grow food in, clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and green space for exercise and relaxation. No one disputes this, yet our farming, planning and economic systems have often taken us in the opposite direction. Our wild places are becoming disconnected – and people disconnected from them too.

The Wildlife Trusts want a Wilder Future. A future where existing

wildlife sites are better protected, and connected to more space for wildlife, and people too. A future where nature is in recovery.

Do you share our vision? If so, we need your help. We need you to explain to your local politician that more wildlife is better for us all, so that they support new laws – which are being debated right now – that will succeed in achieving nature’s recovery.

We also need you to help us create new wild places, and protect those we already have. From April onwards, we will share actions you can take in your personal life to help.

Please join us in creating a Wilder Future. We can make a difference.

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From this

What new laws should contain

To this

Our homes

■ A Nature Recovery Network A joined-up network of existing and new habitats that provide space for wildlife to recover and allows people to thrive.

Many streets are now sealed under tarmac and concrete.

Plants and trees improve the atmosphere and help reduce flooding.

Our public spaces

Two-thirds of amenity grassland is close-mown...

■ A Nature Watchdog That is truly independent from Government to hold them to account on decisions that destroy nature – and helps people challenge this behaviour.

...but research shows meadows benefit people and wildlife.

Our cities

The sheer mass of concrete in cities heats them up in the summer.

■ Legally Binding Nature Targets For example, clean air to breathe in our cities – which politicians must report on regularly and ultimately achieve.

What you can do Show your support

Green roofs and spaces absorb heavy rain and cool things down.

Our roads

The more people who show they care about bringing back nature, the stronger our case becomes.

Visit wildlifetrusts.org/ wilder-future where you can find out how to help. Or search #WilderFuture on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Spread the word

Major roads are impassable barriers for many species.

Green bridges allow wildlife to shift as the climate changes.

Our farmland

Grazing too close to riverbanks erodes soil and destroys habitats.

Share your love of nature with family, friends and colleagues. Could they become supporters too?

Help nature in your daily life

With a fence the bank becomes stable again and plants return.

Join a beach clean. Take up wildlife gardening. Walk and cycle more. Shop for food without packaging. Sign up to Wilder Future for more ideas.

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people & wildlife

The house that

Jack built

We asked the Wildlife Trusts to share their favourite stories.

Here’s one: meet four-year-old Jack, who loves nature.

I

first visited Hem Heath arm: “He hasn’t stopped Woods three years asking about when he can ago, when I started come back to Wildplay.” This working as a Wildplay time he braved a wobble on Officer. This hidden gem, the slackline, gripping tightly in the middle of a city I to his mum’s hand. had worked in for ten Next time he brought a years, quickly became my friend along. With growing favourite place in Stokeconfidence, he showed his on-Trent. friend how to balance on the Writer Katie I can still remember slackline, and the best place Shipley is one of the first people to build a den. Later, at a Wildplay Officer to arrive for my debut different park, with another at Staffordshire Wildplay session. He was friend, he built bug hotels, Wildlife Trust. a rosy-cheeked four-yearfollowed picture trails and old boy hiding behind his created obstacle courses. mum, wide-eyed and shy. His mum Any challenge we set, Jack took up encouraged him to say hello and with great enthusiasm. “We’ve never listen as I explained the activities been to this park before!’ his mum on offer. He then disappeared into exclaimed – and then a little later she the woods to build a den and hunt asked, “Jack wants to know if you for bugs. At the end he left slightly can bring Wildplay to his park?” muddier than when he had arrived, So we did, and it was really with a silent wave goodbye. popular. Jack had told all his friends At the next session the boy was about Wildplay. He had also told his back, eagerly tugging at his mum’s teachers, who invited us to come in and deliver Wildplay at his school.

Three years later, Jack and his mum are still regulars at our sessions across the city. He has joined Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, declared himself a Wildplay Ambassador and even sponsored me to run the London Marathon last year with his own pocket money, happy in the knowledge that he was supporting the work we do.

Jack’s mum tells me that Wildplay has had a huge impact on his life:

Another ten species ticked off: Jack and Katie at a Wildplay session.

Jack is proud he has provided a place for birds to nest.

he is more confident, outgoing, independent and adventurous. He has developed a great love of the outdoors. Stories about wildlife even encouraged him to start reading.

Wildplay has given Jack a lot. He has given back in return, in small ways and big ways. Not only have we been able to talk to more people about what we do; he has provided a home for a family of birds.

Last February he came to one of our workshops and built a bird box.

He took it home to hang up in his

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Jack’s story – and research from across the world – shows that messing around in natural environments has huge benefits for children.

garden. Over the spring a family of birds moved in. Jack told me how he loves watching the birds, and is proud that he has provided a place for them to nest. I hope his passion for wildlife continues to grow and lasts a lifetime.

I hope the same for all of the young people that we work with, because the future of our wildlife sits in their hands. If we can inspire and educate young people today, then we have done the very best we can to protect our wildlife for the future.

We’re growing nature-friendly schools Everybody has the right to experience wildlife in their daily lives, and children are happier, healthier and more creative when they’re connected to nature.

That’s why we’re proud to be leading a project to bring children closer to nature in school. Thanks to a £6.4 million grant from the Department of Education, Defra and Natural England we’re helping children and teachers discover the joy of wildlife. With our partners YoungMinds, Groundwork, Sensory Trust and the Field Studies Council we are showing schools how to deliver lessons outdoors in natural spaces, to improve children’s mental health and wellbeing.

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love wildlife

Patrick Barkham is a natural history writer for The Guardian and author of The Butterfly Isles.

Butterflies

without borders With luck, you’ll see a lot of butterflies visiting gardens this summer.

But the story of how some species get there is incredible.

painted lady butterflies arrived in Britain from southern Europe. These strong-flying migrants were spotted everywhere from the Highlands to central London, and produced millions more offspring. Two fields in Cornwall contained 500,000 painted lady caterpillars.

The painted lady is our best-known migratory insect but there are many others, including moths, dragonflies, ladybirds, hoverflies and even aphids.

Climate change will bring more to our shores. It seems far-fetched that insects can cross continents, but we now know they do. Satellite tags are still too large, but other technologies are shedding new light on the marvels of insect migration.

Each autumn, given favourable winds, moth traps fill with exciting continental arrivals such as the enormous convolvulus and death’s

margaret holland

S

wifts, cuckoos, wildebeest and basking sharks – we admire these creatures for their epic seasonal migrations. But there is another, far bigger group of species who undertake even more audacious journeys: insects.

During the Second World War, military observers reported a golden ball drifting over the Channel. What they feared was a cloud of poison gas was actually a huge mass of migrating clouded yellow butterflies.

In 1846, the Canterbury Journal reported a “cloud” of small whites so dense that it obscured the sun as it passed over a Channel steamer.

These mass migrations are not ancient history. In 2009, 11 million

Clouded yellows migrate to the UK from North Africa and the Med.

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A single painted lady butterfly can cross Europe and the Sahara.

head hawkmoths, and the delicate vestal moth. Enthusiasts call these migratory moths, but Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation distinguishes between insects that are simply dispersing as widely as possible after a successful breeding season, and “obligate”, or true, migrants.

Most migratory moths are on a fairly fruitless dispersal. “The killer piece of evidence is that the best time of year to see migrant moths is the autumn,” says Fox. “To me as a biologist they can’t be ‘proper’ migrants because the habitat here in winter is not going to support their breeding cycle and they are unlikely to survive.” In other words, Britain is a dead-end.

It seems farfetched that insects cross continents.

In contrast, obligate migrants build their life-cycle around migration. For British butterflies, the big challenge is to survive winters when caterpillars’ food plants don’t grow. Most do this by hibernating. But migrants such as the clouded yellow survive by moving south, to warmer climes. It was long assumed that the painted lady retreats to Morocco but scientists have recently discovered

that it also crosses the Sahara. Then, when it gets too hot for the subSaharan African generation, they move north again. The painted lady migration route can span up to 7,500 miles but this may be via three or more quickly-reproducing generations. Such insights have been gathered using new forensic techniques, analysing chemicals found in painted lady wings to discover where individuals grew up as caterpillars.

Until the 2009 painted lady invasion, it was unclear if Britain was a dead-end for the species. People observed painted ladies arriving but never saw them depart and their offspring couldn’t survive winter.

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LOVE WILDLIFE Scientists solved the mystery using Rothamstead Research’s two upward-facing radars in Hampshire and Hertfordshire. These special entomological radars identified painted ladies flying southwards at the end of the summer: the butterfly previously evaded detection because it rises to an average of 500 metres to take advantage of prevailing winds, flying south at 30mph.

These radars have also revealed the miraculous powers of Britain’s only confirmed obligate migrant moth, the Silver Y. “We suspected they might have some pretty cool capabilities but when we saw the data for the first time it was an exciting surprise,” says Jason Chapman, associate professor at the University of Exeter.

Chapman discovered that the Silver Ys were choosing the altitude that bequeathed most advantageous tail-winds. Radar also revealed that Silver Ys could even orientate their bodies in the correct direction to compensate for cross-winds. Most incredibly, Silver Ys were revealed to be travelling as fast – and sometimes faster – than migrating birds such as

thrushes. This was because the moths identified the best spot in the air column for favourable tail-winds, whereas the larger birds didn’t bother.

But how do these insects know which way to go? Lab tests have revealed that the lengthening or shortening of days is the painted ladies’ cue: caterpillars growing while days are lengthening become adults who fly northwards. When days shorten, the butterflies are born with an awareness of the need to travel south, to warmer climes. The painted lady orientates itself using the sun, but night-flying moths can’t use a sun compass. A study of Australia’s bogong moth reveals they use the Earth’s magnetic field to guide them.

As the climate changes, some dispersing insects will take up permanent residence in Britain.

Charismatic arrivals could include the continental swallowtail and the long-tailed blue, but here’s a tip: the southern small white is making remarkable progress across northern Europe and was first spotted in the Netherlands in 2015. It could soon cross the North Sea into East Anglia.

a r a h Sa

In summer the Silver Y moth moves from southern Europe into Britain, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

MARGARET HOLLAND

Many gardeners will not welcome another “cabbage white”. Some insect migrations are portrayed as problematic. Tabloid newspapers reported “swarms” of harlequin ladybirds “invading” last autumn.

Ladybird expert Professor Helen Roy worked with Rothamstead’s radar to identify harlequin and seven-spot ladybirds flying as high as 1,100m.

Ladybirds, says Roy, are dispersers rather than true migrants. “Generally ladybirds are a little bit bumbly. The harlequin ladybird is a real opportunist. Because it is generalist in what it eats, it doesn’t matter so much which way it’s going – its main motivation is to move out of overcrowded habitat. They can get across the Channel but mostly they are making more local movements.”

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A migration miracle

Spring migration north Autumn migration south

LONDON WT 35 species recorded. This is one of the UK’s best sites for the small blue.

Lydden Temple Ewell KENT WT 34 species including the Adonis and chalkhill blues.

One of Europe’s finest chalk downlands.

Llanymynech Rocks MONTGOMERYSHIRE WT 33 species, including the very rare pearl-bordered fritillary.

MWT

Croatia reveals that harlequins are attracted to the lights on ships – they are literally being ferried around Europe.

For all the scares about marauding “invasive” insects – and there is genuine concern about the honeybee-devouring Asian hornet – most migratory insects perform crucial “ecosystem services”. Jason Chapman has studied the Marmalade hoverfly, our commonest species. To his surprise, these show an ability to choose favourable days for wind-

assisted migration. Hundreds of millions arrive in the spring; up to a billion depart each autumn. “The really exciting numbers,” says Chapman, “are when you calculate how many aphid pests are eaten by the hoverflies’ larvae. You rapidly get into the trillions. We think they are doing an incredible service of free biological pest control.”

For all the great insect clouds of old, only now are we gaining a sense of the true scale of insect migration.

Migratory ecologists looking at radar data have revealed a startling fact: a biomass of 3,200 tonnes of migrating insects. Imagine 270 London buses made from solid insects passing over southern England each summer. Or, if you prefer, roughly 3.5 trillion insects.

That’s an awful lot of bird food.

And each one a minuscule everyday miracle.

Hutchinson’s Bank

RAY LEWIS

They do an incredible service of free biological pest control.

Daneway Banks GLOUCESTERSHIRE WT 37 species. Second largest known population of large blue.

LONDON WILDLIFE TRUST

KEY

Our nature reserves are home to dozens of butterfly species, including (see below) some of the UK’s rarest. But for these insects and other wildlife to thrive, we also need countrywide networks of wild spaces, and you can help. For tips on butterfly-friendly gardening, visit wtru.st/butterfly-garden

ELLEN WINTER

desert

Species: Painted lady Weight: 0.2-0.3g Range: 5,000+ miles We’re used to strong-flying insects migrating to the UK from Europe. But the painted lady butterflies we see in warm summers easily beat that.

Most specimens start as caterpillars in the Sahel region of Africa. As spring begins they move north over the Sahara, some making it to Southern Europe and the Med, others only getting to North Africa.

With summer on the way, the next generation continues the journey north. Research shows some individuals hop directly from North Africa to the UK. Others filter through Central Europe and then into the UK across multiple generations.

But here’s the amazing bit: in the autumn, they’ve been found to fly 5,000+ miles back in a single generation!

Top sites for butterflies

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