Nottinghamshire Wild Life
TREE-MENDOUS
Discover the best wildlife-boosting fruit trees for your outdoor space
NATURE RESTORATION AT SCALE
How we are working in partnership on three funded water focused projects
The
Notes from the Chief Executive
In these pieces I often highlight the value of the contributions made by members and donors but, given the scale of your support, I think it worth reiterating just how valuable your contribution is as we strive to restore nature across our county.
Membership subscriptions are our single largest source of sustainable income and their very nature, as either monthly or annual contributions, gives us the financial stability and confidence to plan for the future. For many years our membership showed little evidence of growth, but over the past few years, influenced no doubt, by a renewed evaluation of the importance of nature following our shared experience during lockdown, our membership continues to grow. Alongside growth in numbers, many people generously choose to give over and above the minimum subscription – whilst many members also choose to provide additional support by donating to appeals, sites or project delivery.
As membership income grows, either through more people choosing to support us, or by members choosing to increase their regular giving, we are better able to cover the costs of vital day to day work such as caring for the nature reserves that mean so much to us all. In addition, as our sustainable income continues to grow, we are better able to plan for the future and better placed to deliver ambitious projects designed to restore nature at scale and thus provide people with more opportunity to connect with and benefit from nature.
Our nature reserves are at the heart of what we do, but as we face up to the combined ecological and climate crisis, our ability to buffer and connect these and other fragments of existing wildlife-rich habitat so that nature can move more freely throughout the landscape will be key to our success in restoring nature. Despite facing significant challenges in recent few years, not least due to the pandemic, subsequent cost of living crisis and ever increasing costs of delivery, we have made significant progress towards our strategic goals of creating more space for nature, mobilising more people
than ever before to take action for nature and ensuring that we are valued and financially sustainable.
At a time when species are facing an unprecedented level of threat and time is fast running out to turn the tide of nature’s decline, we have made great strides in our work with partners to boost wildlife habitats and better connect people with nature. It is both heartening and hugely exciting that the scale of our partnership delivery has seen a dramatic step change, whether in terms of bringing back lost species, encourage regenerative farming, inspiring nature first new approaches to transforming urban centres, delivering habitat creation across whole catchments or mobilising communities to act for nature on their doorsteps.
Three of our current partnership projects, featured on pages 12 and 13, and our Water Vole Recovery project (featured on pages 8 and 9) will deliver in excess of £2.5million investment by our nature recovery teams. Never has the Trust been in a position to deliver such a range of projects to restore nature at scale, alongside other vital work to connect people with nature through programmes such as Nextdoor Nature, youth engagement and the growing Wilder Nottinghamshire Network.
Alongside the expertise and dedication of our staff and the guidance of our Trustees, our ability to deliver and confidence to commit to such exciting and impactful programmes is in no small part down to the support of our members. On behalf of our staff, trustees and other volunteers engaged in efforts to restore nature, I offer my sincere thanks and look forward to delivering at an even greater scale with your backing in the years to come.
Paul Wilkinson Chief Executive @originalwilko
How you can get involved
Volunteer
See what role could suit you on our website. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ volunteering-opportunities
Donate
We can’t do it without your support! Donate via our website donation form. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/donate
Include a gift in your will
This will help future generations to enjoy nature in Nottinghamshire as you have done. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/leave-legacy
Visit a reserve
Explore a new site or revisit a favourite one! nottinghamshirewildlife.org/nature-reserves
Online shopping
Get your bird food delivered straight to your door, as well as other wildlife products and homeware. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/shop
Dedication leaves
Commemorate a celebration with a dedication leaf. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/dedications
Campaign
Play your part in raising awareness for a Wilder Future, Wilder Nottinghamshire. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/campaigns
Join in our events
Keep an eye on our website for updates about our events. nottinghamshirewildlife.org/events
Social
media
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E-newsletter
For more regular updates about Nottinghamshire wildlife make sure the Membership team has your email consent. Email membership@nottswt.co.uk
Contents
3 Your wild winter
The short-eared owl is a winter highlight to watch out for during the day!
5 Wild thoughts
Rhiane Fatinukun MBE shares how her desire to reconnect with nature led her to become a globetrotting hiker, adventurer and founder of the UK’s largest outdoor collective, Black Girls Hike.
6 Green Heart
With your support the Green Heart has been opened in Nottingham city centre.
7 UK news
Read about how nature is in recovery powered by communities.
8 Wild reserves
A round up of reserve updates including Besthorpe's 25th anniversary and the new water vole family arrivals at Idle Valley, as well as the visitor research that has taken place at Attenborough.
12 Working in partnership to deliver nature restoration at scale
Highlighting 3 water focused funded projects across the county.
14 Wildlife gardening
Ecology, conservation and wildlife gardening teacher, Paul Ritchie, shares his most loved garden fruit trees that offer a bounty of flowers, berries and fruits.
15 6 places to see...
Some of the best places to see swans and geese this winter outside of Nottinghamshire.
Contributions
Editorial enquiries and contributions to: Rachel Rutherford
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Watch out for short-eared owls this winter.
The short-eared owl, or 'Shortie', prefers to be out and about hunting in the daytime. It is most easily spotted in winter over wetlands with areas of long grass or reed beds, like this one pictured at Idle Valley Nature Reserve by Mike Vickers, where they feed on field voles and small birds. They fly slowly and silently above the reed beds, dropping suddenly to catch their prey before hiding in deeper tufts of rushes or reeds to eat. Resident birds are joined by migrants from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland for the winter.
Similar in size to the Barn Owl but with a one-metre wingspan, it has two small but distinctive ear tufts on the top of its head and is mottled yellowy-brown above, paler underneath and has dark circles around its yellow eyes. They nest on the ground in scraped-out hollows lined with grass and downy feathers and can live up to 12 years. The owls scientific name is Asio flammeus and are classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).
Climate adaptation in action
The Wildlife Trusts are embracing nature to help adapt to climate change. Eleanor Johnston, climate action lead, produces The Wildlife Trusts’ annual climate report, sharing examples of adaptation across the UK.
Our seas and coasts are places of wonder – my own fascination with them starting when I was just six years old and lucky enough to go snorkelling for the first time. Fast forward a few years and with a marine biology degree under my belt, this sense of fascination has only grown, but so too has my concern for them as I’ve witnessed the serious pressures they face, including climate change. Rising temperatures, sea level rise, coastal erosion and changing weather patterns are some of the threats faced by our oceans linked to climate change. Our coastal reserves have been flooded with seawater more frequently and this is likely to continue as the climate changes. This threatens the sensitive freshwater coastal habitats and the species that depend on them, such as the elegant avocet, which feed and raise their chicks in the shallow pools and muddy banks of coastal marshes. If these habitats are lost, these birds have nowhere to feed and breed.
Embracing nature
Over the last couple of years, The Wildlife Trusts’ have produced an annual climate adaptation report, with the latest, Embracing Nature, highlighting the work we’re involved in across the UK to adapt to climate change. From peatland and grassland habitat restoration to woodland creation and natural flood management, we are helping nature and communities adapt to climate change. This includes multiple projects from Wildlife Trusts and partners to create and restore marine and coastal habitats. These innovative programmes not only help our coasts adapt, but also provide a home for a range of wildlife and remove carbon from the atmosphere, playing a big role in tackling climate change.
Adaptation work ‘on the ground’
Examples of Wildlife Trusts in action include Norfolk Wildlife Trust who alongside the Environment Agency, have been working to adapt the Cley and Salthouse Marshes. They have rejuvenated reedbeds and moved a section of the ‘New Cut’ flood drain to better evacuate flood water and help the marshes maintain freshwater coastal habitats. As well as wading birds such as redshank and avocet, the restored areas will support the fascinating and elusive bittern, which hunt for eels and other fish amongst the reedbeds. One day I hope to hear its booming foghorn-like calls on a visit there!
How you can help
There are many ways to help our coasts adapt to climate change, so if, like me, you feel inspired to take action to save them, then here are a few ideas you might like to try:
• Help your local Wildlife Trust – whether it’s helping make seagrass seed bags or monitoring coastal marshes, this work couldn’t happen without our volunteers. Get in touch and see how you can help!
• Collect data – check out our citizen science projects such as Shoresearch and Seasearch and help us collect important data whilst enjoying spending time at the coast (what’s not to like?)!
• Get adaptation noticed – help us make climate change adaptation a government priority by asking your local MP, MSP or AM what is being done in your area.
This summer, I was lucky enough to visit Spurn National Nature Reserve to see the work of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trusts who are restoring sand dunes, seagrass and saltmarsh habitat, alongside native oysters as part of the Wilder Humber project with Ørsted. One of their aims is to rebuild the Humber’s lost native oyster population to over half a million oysters!
Having grown up holidaying on the north coast of Wales, I am also really excited about the seagrass restoration being done by North Wales Wildlife Trust as part of Seagrass Ocean Rescue. A staggering 200,000 seagrass seeds were planted in spring last year and the growth of seagrass at these sites is now being monitored, with plans for more planting to take place.
These are just a handful of the brilliant projects happening across The Wildlife Trusts, which are embracing nature to adapt to climate change!
This work gives me hope that we really can help if we act now.
Eleanor Johnston leads climate action work at The Wildlife Trusts supporting the 46 Wildlife Trusts in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
WILD THOUGHTS
@rhianesworld
Finding Your Feet
I am a person who cannot stay still for very long. Hiking and going on adventures are part of my DNA. Whether it’s discovering new corners of the world or right here at home in the UK, getting outdoors is so good for our physical and mental health. Plus, there is so much to see and learn about; we share the planet with so many amazing flora and fauna.
As a child, I would spend time playing outside with my friends at the park, running down alleys to the brook behind my house. We used to go looking for black and white caterpillars and frogs, and we would leave water out for the hedgehogs living in our garden. Sadly, you don’t see them anymore, which is one of the reasons I am so excited to be working with The Wildlife Trusts, to find ways to inspire young people to connect with and save nature. Hopefully, we can bring our spiky friends back from the brink.
In school, I always enjoyed spending time outdoors doing sports: cross-country running, rounders and netball. But when I started work, I lost that connection to the outdoors and nature. This is something I hear from people all over the UK – they are desperate to connect with the environment but not sure how. That used to be me.
If you live in an urban area, it’s hard to find like-minded people who want to experience the outdoors. When you do find groups, most people are white. It’s not that those groups are all unwelcoming to a Black woman, it’s just that there are shared cultural experiences that only Black women experience. I find strength, security and bonding in those situations.
But we needed to challenge stereotypes in outdoor adventure and within our community. So, I started Black Girls Hike, a small weekly meet-up group of nine or 10 people so that we were among like-minded and nonjudgmental people. BGH is owned by the members, and collectively we challenge the norms and break down barriers for future generations. Now Black Girls Hike is a multiaward-winning national organisation with tens of thousands of members.
I love exploring different terrains, from mountains, hills and forests to coastal walks. I absolutely love the Peak District. I took Clare Balding there for the first time, which is really strange because she has been to loads and loads of places. I remember thinking that’s like when people say they’ve never seen Sister Act or Dirty Dancing. But my favourite walk is from Robin Hood’s Bay to Ravenscar in Yorkshire. It is so beautiful.
My top tip: a waterproof jacket is essential. But when I get my foam sit mat out, people often say, ‘Oh, that’s so handy, I’m going to get one of those.
Rhiane Fatinukun MBE shares how her desire to reconnect with nature led her to become a globetrotting hiker, adventurer and founder of the UK’s largest outdoor collective, Black Girls Hike, dedicated to empowering Black women and girls to explore the great outdoors.
The Wildlife Trusts believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience the joy of wildlife in their daily lives and are committed to putting equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our movement. Find out more about our Wild About Inclusion approach, which includes ensuring more people from across society have better access to nature.
wildlifetrusts.org/ commitment-to-edi
Your Wildlife Trust is part of a movement of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the UK, Alderney and Isle of Man – so whether you’re looking for a local stroll or setting off from home in search of a serious hike, The Wildlife Trusts have lots of great suggestions of walks to take:
wildlifetrusts.org/visit/chooseyour-adventure
Rhiane Fatinukun MBE
Green Heart
A tangible manifestation of how our towns and city can be transformed for people and nature.
Back in September, the ‘Green Heart’ – a new publicly accessible greenspace on part of the former Broadmarsh shopping centrewas opened to the public. The opening was attended by staff from the Trust and EMEC Ecology and Trustee Alex Flint to mark our involvement in transforming our city centre.
It all began back in the autumn of 2021 when, building on momentum generated by a change.org petition started by Ewan Cameron, the Trust put forward a wilder vision for the Broad Marsh redevelopment which secured the backing of over 12,000 people keen to see a new natural green space in the heart of the city - to benefit wildlife, people and the economy.
Timing, as they say, is everything and our vision landed just as the City Council was consulting on options after the site’s former operators, INTU, walked away following financial pressures. At the same time,
Winter work
For some, winter can be a time of rest. The bulbs of spring cocooned in soil, the dormouse nestled in a ball of leaves. Recharging, waiting for the oncoming spring. For others, this is a time of movement. Flocks of sky-dancing starlings at dusk and the arrival of winter visitors like Bewick’s and Whooper swans herald the onset of colder days. Out on our nature reserves, our staff and volunteers are hard at work.
Much of our essential habitat management must be undertaken in the autumn and winter, when we won’t disturb breeding birds or bats and when trees and shrubs are dormant. This is the best time of year for coppicing hazel, laying hedges, felling dangerous trees, and clearing scrub to create open habitats. In prehistoric times, giant
many of us were reassessing the value of nature and greenspace due to our shared lockdown experience – adding weight to our vision and ultimately helping to secure the all-important political buy in.
Whilst there were calls for the whole site to be turned into a park or nature reserve, we recognised that this was unrealistic given that this site had unexpectedly become one of the country’s most valuable urban regeneration sites at a time when the City Council was verging on technical bankruptcy. There would inevitably be a mix of development, but we believed that a new natural greenspace could act as a catalyst for a "nature first" approach to the transformation of the whole area.
Over the past three years our vision has gone from being a novel, and what some thought preposterous idea, to manifesting as a beautiful natural public space seen as the centrepiece of the
City’s new £4bn masterplan which has nature woven throughout. We very much applaud Nottingham City Council for their ambition and openness in adopting such an approach at an incredibly challenging time and look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure that nature can indeed help to revitalise our city.
Despite some early and vociferous opposition, the new greenspace, which our wholly owned subsidiary EMEC Ecology helped shape, has been widely welcomed and seems to have triggered an air of optimism for the city’s future. Whilst there is a long way to go to ensure that the City continues on the ‘nature first’ path it is exciting to know that, with your support, we’ve already made a difference.
In November, around 50 Members joined staff, including our CEO Paul Wilkinson, Trustee Ruben Borsje and Exec Vice President Tom Huggon for a special walk focussing on our urban vision which culminated at the Green Heart.
aurochs, bison, beavers and elk would have created these open glades for warmth-loving species like butterflies to thrive, but in their absence, our staff and volunteers must mimic the effects of these missing herbivores.
Nature is complex, so even when we do this work at the correct time of year, we must take care not to disturb the slumbering dormice and hibernating bats or torpid reptiles and amphibians. This has become harder and more complex in recent years as the effects of climate change take hold, leading to warmer winters when the trees do not turn dormant and when hibernating animals may half wake up and move around slowly, putting them at risk. The warm wet summers have also led to an enormous increase in the growth of scrub on our reserves, which is very valuable for some species, such as rare turtle doves, when in the right places, but also damaging to the breeding success of scarce species such as redshank and lapwing.
In addition to the ever-faster growth of scrub on our grasslands and wetlands, which requires more staff, volunteers and
livestock to manage, we are also faced with flooded reserves in winter leading to eroded riverbanks and damaged paths and fences. Last winter we had to evacuate our livestock from reserves at risk of flooding throughout Nottinghamshire, resulting in significant staff and transport costs.
The rapid growth of branches and heavier foliage resulting from warmer, wetter springs and summers, means that any trees at risk of shedding branches through ash dieback or age, are at higher risk in wind events. These trees need expensive surgery or felling where they are near paths, to keep visitors safe.
As our climate changes, we are faced with new challenges on our nature reserves that lead to raised costs. To manage our designated land for its nationally valuable species and habitats, we are spending more to achieve the same as when winters were colder.
Together, we’re achieving great things for nature in Nottinghamshire and beyond. Your membership lets us plan for the future and gives us security to continue working
for nature, achieving an ambitious vision for a wilder Nottinghamshire. It also means that we have the flexibility to adapt to a changing economic and ecological climate with an agile response.
Any extra support you can give is truly appreciated. If you would like to help further, please consider:
• Raising your membership subscription – see our website at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/upgrade for more details
• Signing up for Gift Aid – take a look at our website at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ gift-aid for more information
• Volunteering with us – visit our website to see all current opportunities at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ volunteering-opportunities
Thank you.
UK NEWS
A Success Story:
Nature’s recovery powered by communities
In two years, the UK-wide Nextdoor Nature project, backed by a £5 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, has empowered over 400 communities to restore and enhance nature in their local areas. This achievement far exceeds the original target of engaging 200 local groups, demonstrating the project’s impact.
At the heart of Nextdoor Nature is the dedication to equipping individuals and communities with the skills and resources needed to take meaningful environmental action. To achieve this, community organisers were funded in every UK Wildlife Trust, with a focus on reaching communities that have traditionally been excluded from environmental and conservation efforts.
The Nextdoor Nature project has much in common with the grassroots of The Wildlife Trusts movement where passionate local people come together to create positive change for nature. For those who get involved, they also create heart-warming connections, experiences and memories too.
The stories shared here are just a glimpse of what has been achieved through Nextdoor Nature. From a mental health support group
in Durham finding solace in newly accessible gardens, to schools in Kent, the Isles of Scilly, and North Wales engaging in species reintroduction and habitat creation – each success story is a testament to the power of community-driven conservation.
A key measure of Nextdoor Nature’s success lies in its sustainability. The project has established connections with other organisations and resources to ensure the continuation of this vital work. Notably, 86% of UK Wildlife Trusts have secured or are actively seeking funding to retain community organisers, ensuring the momentum built during these two years continues to grow.
Thanks to Nextdoor Nature, Wildlife Trusts have made a cultural shift as a movement towards a community organising or ‘Team Wilder’ approach, that is helping to make environmental conservation project more open and accessible to a diverse range of communities. The legacy of Nextdoor Nature is clear: empowered communities, equipped with the knowledge and passion to protect and restore nature, are now driving lasting environmental change across the UK.
Examples of Nextdoor Nature projects across the UK
• Gwent has trained the Newport community in bee and butterfly surveying, enabling them to contribute valuable data to citizen science initiatives.
• Hertfordshire and Middlesex facilitated AQA accreditation in River Management for eight young people, opening doors to future conservation opportunities.
• In Radnorshire, a thriving grassland and verges group successfully negotiated reduced mowing with the local council, fostering healthier ecosystems.
• Warwickshire inspired local people to take ownership of their green spaces, leading to the independent launch of a Tree Mapping project to address the impacts of ash die-back.
• Gloucestershire supported the Guardians of the River Chelt, helping them move toward becoming a fully autonomous, constituted group.
• Lincolnshire has developed a robust network of Nextdoor Nature Champions who are spreading their conservation message across the county.
New report reveals massive carbon stores in UK seabeds
A pioneering series of reports have revealed the vast amount of carbon stored within UK marine habitats, and the importance of protecting UK seas for tackling climate change.
The seas around the UK and Isle of Man cover nearly 885,000 square kilometres –over three times the size of the UK’s land mass. This vast area is host to different habitats that sequester and store carbon, known as ‘blue carbon’. They include seabed sediments, seagrass meadows, saltmarshes, kelp forests, intertidal seaweed beds, maerl
beds and biogenic reefs, such as mussel beds and honeycomb worm reefs.
The Blue Carbon Mapping Project, completed by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) on behalf of The Wildlife Trusts, WWF and the RSPB, is the first time a country has provided a comprehensive estimate of the carbon captured and stored in its seas, including within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The report finds that 244 million tonnes of organic carbon are stored in just the top 10
centimetres of seabed sediments – principally made of mud – plus coastal habitats including saltmarshes and seagrass beds. The reports identify bottom trawling and offshore energy installation as the biggest potential threats to blue carbon stores.
The Wildlife Trusts, WWF and RSPB are calling on governments across the UK to strengthen protections for the most valuable and vulnerable blue carbon stores.
Find out more at wtru.st/blue-carbon-report
UK HIGHLIGHTS
Discover how The Wildlife Trusts are helping wildlife across the UK
Children who changed the world
Manx Wildlife Trust and theatre company, Hello Little People, have launched an audio-immersive wildlife training academy for kids, Let’s Get Wild! Wearing silent disco style headphones, 5–9 yearolds move, shake and dance through an action-packed adventure to complete challenges and help save wildlife in the Isle of Man.
wtru.st/LetsGetWild
Garden escapers game
North Wales Wildlife Trust is tackling invasive plant species with an innovative new mobile game. Players complete ‘missions’ on the Crowdsorsa mobile game by locating and recording the garden escapees, along pavements in urban areas or in nature reserves. Players are paid £1 for each new observation of target plants.
wtru.st/GardenEscapers
Pink sea fans
Off the Alderney coast, citizen scientists scuba-dive and snorkel for small tissue samples of the pink, warty looking soft corals of pink sea fans. Research by Alderney Wildlife Trust, University of Exeter and Jersey Marine Conservation is assessing their genetic connectivity across the rocky reefs of the Channel Islands.
wtru.st/PinkSeaFans
Sir David Attenborough celebrates 60 years with The Wildlife Trusts
Sir David Attenborough has been awarded the Rothschild medal in recognition of the extraordinary leadership, inspiration and indefatigable support he has given to The Wildlife Trusts federation of charities over the past 60 years.
Charles Rothschild founded the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves which would later become The Wildlife Trusts. He was ahead of his time in recognising the need to protect natural habitats and the wildlife that lived there.
His daughter, Miriam, was a visionary scientist who dedicated her life to the natural world.
Sir David Attenborough credits Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust’s Tilton Cutting Nature Reserve with giving him his love of the natural world – he would explore it and search for fossils there as a young boy. Since then, Sir David has championed the work of the Wildlife Trusts across the UK for six decades.
Community gardening with Avon Wildlife Trust
WILD RESERVES
Around the reserves
Nature Recovery North Team
Whilst 30% of our native species are under threat, one species group that is thriving is deer.
Wild deer, especially native species, are an important and valued part of our natural heritage, but across England, changes in land use, an absence of natural predators and other factors including the spread of introduced and escaped species such as muntjac, have led to a dramatic increase in deer density and distribution over the last century.
Population growth can lead to negative impact on habitats and biodiversity – especially in habitats such as coppice woodland where regrowth is vulnerable to browsing by deer.
Efforts to mitigate this issue would usually centre on increased culling of deer or expensive and intrusive deer fencing. At 1 Treswell Wood near Retford, the first site ever purchased by the Trust, we have been experimenting since February 2023 with temporary fencing constructed cheaply using natural materials such as stakes harvested from our woodlands, recycled timber and biodegradable twine. The results, according to Alex Morley our Reserves Manager (North), have been “outstanding” and whilst there is still work to be done to prove the efficacy of the approach, it could provide a balanced solution to protecting sustainable revenue from timber production and boosting habitat for dormice and songbirds.
Attenborough for all
We are delighted to report that the level of engagement with our Attenborough for All consultation, to help shape future decisions and investment as we deliver our vision to help wildlife recover and flourish across 3 Attenborough Nature Reserve and provide new opportunities for people to connect with nature as a springboard for wider action, has surpassed all expectations with over 800 responses. We are assessing the feedback and hope to provide an update in the spring issue of Nottinghamshire Wild Life. Also at Attenborough, following months of diligent planning, efforts to replace the defunct and dangerous works bridge are now underway. Whilst representing a major commitment of resources at a challenging time, the new bridge, which will fully restore bridleway access after a gap of more than 5 years, is a demonstration of our determination to ensure that this cherished site is accessible as possible.
Our exciting water vole reintroduction project
2 Idle Valley, which saw 115 water voles, reintroduced within our ‘Beaver’ enclosure was in the news back in September – but alongside important species reintroductions, part of our Wilder Idle transformation to create a wildlife-rich landscape for the future, efforts to control invasive scrub to create habitat for ground nesting birds and to create new habitat for waders continue at pace. This work will be boosted this winter thanks to Defra funding via Countryside Stewardship – enabling us to bring in heavy machinery to clear scrub to benefit ground nesting species such as lapwing, oystercatcher and little ringed plover and to dig new scrapes to benefit a wider range of wader species throughout the year.
WILD RESERVES
Nature Recovery South Team
Coppicing in ancient woodlands to maintain habitat diversity and tree safety work are mainstays of our winter management programme but alongside this routine work, this winter will see more unusual forestry operations across our estate.
A crop of Cricket Bat willows will be harvested at 4 Farndon Willow Holt to generate sustainable income and major felling and replanting operations will take place at reserves including 5 Beacon Hill Conservation Park, 6 Duke’s Wood and 7 Ploughman Wood to make sites safe following the ongoing impact of Ash Dieback disease.
The harvesting of Cricket Bat willows will be done by JS Wright & Sons – the world’s oldest and largest supplier of willow to the cricket bat industry. The company’s links with the site stretch back to the 1960’s when they planted willow sets for the Holt’s former owners, the Howitt family, and the latest harvest comes almost two decades after they last harvested at Farndon.
The removal of trees affected by Ash Dieback is part of our carefully developed strategy to keep sites open to visitors whilst carefully managing the risks posed to people and property as mature trees succumb to the disease and work across a handful of sites will cost in the region of £25,000 this
winter alone. By focusing our attention on the trees posing the most risk we can retain as much Ash habitat as possible benefiting a range of species and boost the chances of natural resistance emerging. However, this approach requires the closure of some discretionary routes and desire lines, but the alternative would be the removal of a devastating number of mature trees – something we’re determined to avoid. With Ash dieback endemic across the UK, this type of work will become a regular feature of future winter work programmes.
Find out more
Further details of our approach to maintaining access whilst keeping our woodlands safe can be found at nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ ash-dieback
25th Anniversary of the official opening of Besthorpe Nature Reserve
This year sees the Trust mark the 25th Anniversary of the official opening of 8 Besthorpe Nature Reserve between the villages of Besthorpe and Collingham. Back in 2012, the site benefitted from a huge investment from the £2.6million Trent Vale Landscape partnership funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, resulting in the creation of eight hectares (19 acres) of reed bed and three hectares (7 acres) of wet grassland, to encourage species such as warblers, bittern and otter.
Less than a year after the habitat restoration, little egrets bred at the reserve – the first recorded breeding in Nottinghamshire - and this summer both cattle and great white egret have bred – further county firsts, underlining the valuable mix of habitat now found on the site.
Local volunteers, ably led by long-term voluntary warden Andrew Hindmarsh, help Trust staff keep the reserve spick and span and Andrew has also helped secure local funding for facilities such as paths and wildlife viewing hides.
Back in November, Andrew, alongside Reserve’s Manager (South) Chris Kennedy, and Wayne Ball - Head of Nature Recovery (South) hosted a special walk linked to our AGM to showcase the reserve. If you’ve not visited before, or haven’t been for a while, this wonderful Trentside haven is definitely one to add to your list.
Beavers are Back
Angelika von Heimendahl, beaver reintroduction manager at The Wildlife Trusts, shares her hopes for the recovery of beaver populations across the British Isles and the incredible benefits they bring to wildlife and river ecosystems.
Beavers are a native species to Britain that were hunted to extinction about 400 years ago. However, they are on the verge of a comeback! The reasons for their disappearance were not conflicts with humans, but their usefulness. Beaver fur was highly sought after for making fashionable clothing and accessories and the scent glands excretions formed the bases of many perfumes. Even their meat was allowed to be eaten as they were considered aquatic animals.
Beavers were hunted almost, but not quite, to extinction in Europe. So, the hunting switched to North America, which led to the devastation of otter and beaver populations there too. Changing European fashion in mid-19th century Europe finally made beaver hunting uneconomic but by then it was too late: in Britain beavers had already been hunted to extinction. The beaver wetlands with their dams and ditches collapsed and were forgotten and the myriad of life that depended on those wetlands gradually declined.
Beavers made a comeback
But this is not where the story ends. Beavers are incredibly adept at making a comeback. They dwindled to around 1,200 animals in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. But there are now over 1.6 million of them scattered across the mainland, resulting from reintroductions and natural recolonisation through strict protection.
This has not been the case in island-Britain where reintroduction requires us to provide a helping hand by actively reintroducing beavers. This has led to different approaches in the devolved Governments. Scotland licenced wild beaver releases from 2009 and now have many sites with active beaver populations. Beavers are recognised as native species in Scotland and have been protected since 2019. In England the beaver was declared a native species and protected by law in 2022 but, so far, no wild release licences have been issued since the River Otter Beaver Trial completed in Devon. Despite
that, some escapees have made a successful home especially in southwest England and Kent. In Wales, despite the efforts of the Wildlife Trusts, beavers are not recognised as resident or native and there is no national management framework. There have not yet been any authorised releases to the wild, although small numbers of wild-living beavers are present.
The various trials around Britain show that beaver reintroduction is not problem-free but issues can be resolved helping humans and beavers to live and work alongside each other.
Ecosystem engineers ‘beaver’ away
The first time I saw a wetland created by beavers, I felt a sense of peace and calmness as though some evolutionary DNA inside me recognised this landscape. It is hard to describe how natural and ordered the pathways and dams are. Beavers do not flood their territory; rather they elevate water levels gently so they can move around more easily. They ‘beaver’ away, constantly adjusting water levels depending on whether the front door of their lodge is suddenly exposed, or the inside of the lodge starts to flood.
The dams they build are not as unforgiving as human structures and beavers listen to the flow of water rushing to repair any breaches. These ecosystem engineers create dams and ponds of varying sizes. This allows many different invertebrates and fish to lay their eggs in the resulting calmer and sometimes warmer water. In turn, this increases food, shelter and breeding opportunities for an abundance of wildlife. In Estonia, for example, mute swans take advantage of their superior water engineering skills and build their nests on top of beaver lodges to stay dry. Contrary to common perception, they rarely fell large trees, and instead prefer to coppice smaller trees along the streams such as aspen, birch and willow. These trees have co-evolved with beavers and naturally coppice, creating the juicy side shoots that beavers love.
Let beavers back into Britain
So, can Britain once again live alongside beavers, where they become a normal part of our environment? Should we accept the new reality of a nature degraded Britain in which most of us have forgotten what natural abundance looked like (often called the shifting baseline syndrome)?
Beavers are herbivores – so offer no significant threat to humans, livestock or pets – and can live happily in cities or in the countryside. And, given they provide the majority of urban dwellers an opportunity to see big wildlife up close, it is surely time to let them live free back in Britain.
Moreover, beaver wetlands slow the flow from upstream rain to downstream flood and improve water quality –hydrological engineering at no cost to taxpayers. It may seem surprising that beavers can achieve so much, but we forget that for millions of years, long before human settlements and agriculture, they were the evolutionary force creating wetland ecosystems.
Regulatory hurdles to overcome
Despite the beaver’s success story there are regulatory hurdles to overcome. In Scotland the culling of beavers has become a control mechanism although the carrying capacity of the country is far from reached. There are only around 1,000 beavers in Scotland. Bavaria – a similar sized region that is much more highly populated and agricultural – is home to around 25,000 beavers.
We would rather see efforts targeted at coexistence, including via translocation to other areas, rather than culling. Meanwhile, in England, we have yet to see detailed guidance from regulatory authorities to reintroduce beavers back into our rivers. In Wales, there has not been a commitment from Welsh Government to allow beavers back or recognise them as a native species.
As the General Election campaign in Summer 2024 demonstrated, there is rightful anger about the state of our rivers. They must be cleaned up and we must return the full abundance and diversity of life to our freshwaters. Beavers are a keystone species – they have a disproportionate impact on their environment given their numbers. One of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to restore our freshwaters to vitality is to welcome beavers again and watch them bring the richness back to our rivers and lakes.
The Wildlife Trusts have published A vision for the return of beavers to England and Wales making the case to end enclosures so beavers can be free in the wild again.
To support the ambition to bring back beavers to the wild, The Wildlife Trusts call on the UK and Welsh Governments to:
• Publish an ambitious beaver reintroduction strategy
• Fund farmers and land managers in the two countries to make more space for water on their land
• Support beaver management groups
• Confirm all wild beavers can remain in England and Wales
• Recognise beavers as a native species in Wales and provide them with full legal protection
Angelika von Heimendahl is a vet and farmer, and recently joined The Wildlife Trusts as beaver reintroduction manager. She believes it is possible to create landscapes where nature thrives, people live and healthy food is produced.
Nottinghamshire Update:
Since their release at Idle Valley in 2021 our beaver group is thriving and we have recently captured our first images of this season’s beaver kits –the latest breeding success highlights just how well the beavers have settled in to their enclosure.
Beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 19th Century for their fur and scent glands
Gnawed trunks are often a sign that beavers are living nearby
Working in partnership to deliver nature restoration at scale
3 Rivers Project
In recent months, efforts to address low flow issues, prevent water loss and increase ecological resilience of three waterways in the Sherwood Forest area have reached an exciting stage, underlining the impact we can have when working in partnership. The 3 Rivers Restoration project covers three water courses within the Idle Catchment, for which the Trust are Catchment Hosts – Vicar Water, Rainworth Water and Bevercotes Beck – and aims to mitigate pressures on wildlife and habitats including past channel modification, poor water quality, low flows and loss of habitat.
The project, a partnership between Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Severn Trent, is a great example of delivery at scale which simply wouldn’t be possible without collaboration. In addition to working closely with Severn Trent and The Environment Agency which have identified these rivers as a high priority for action, the project has required close working with a range of landowners, including farmers along Bevercotes Beck, Newark and Sherwood District Council at Vicar Water and Nottinghamshire County Council at Rainworth Water.
Recent work at Vicar Water Country Park near Clipstone has included scrub and tree clearance to facilitate reshaping of the river channel and the creation of new wetland areas, ponds and meanders to enhance ecological resilience, improve water flow and help prevent flooding downstream. An eel pass structure has now been installed on Rainworth Water at Rufford Country Park as pictured above.
In addition to requiring support from landowners, the project team have required specialist input from Wiltshire based natural solutions specialist FiveRivers and EMEC Ecology, the Trust’s wholly owned subsidiary that works on major projects across the country. The EMEC team have supported with vital project management expertise and habitat enhancements including wildflower planting.
The 3 Rivers project is a great example where, thanks to the long-term support of our members and donors and the increasingly close working relationship between Trust staff and the EMEC Ecology team, we are well placed to take on projects which can support nature’s recovery at scale.
Thriving in a Wilder Trent
As we go to press, we are in the throes of appointing a new Ranger, to be based at Attenborough Nature Reserve – the final piece in a new project team to deliver our ambitious Thriving in a Wilder Trent project. This new partnership to enhance, restore and create vital wildlife habitats in the Trent Valley is thanks to £875,602 funding support via the Species Survival Fund – a partnership with Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
This success demonstrates the Trust's ability to secure major funding when up against stiff competition.
The funding will enable partners to create new habitats to benefit a range of species from common terns to bitterns and otters across the Trent Valley and is one of only twenty across England to be funded – with each receiving a share of £25 million from the Species Survival Fund.
Project partners include: Canal & River Trust; Derbyshire Wildlife Trust; Gedling Conservation Trust, Nottingham City Council; RSPB; Severn Trent and Trent Rivers Trust.
Locally it will deliver work with farmers and landowners covering a 90 km stretch of the River Trent from Dunham Bridge in North Notts, to Willington in Derbyshire, improving 28 kilometres of canal and 50 hectares of farm wetland and marshland for wildlife.
The project will increase the area of existing priority floodplain habitats including reedbed, wet woodland and hedgerows, and bring new land into positive management to enhance connectivity. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust sites that will benefit include Attenborough Nature Reserve near Beeston, Skylarks Nature Reserve at Holme Pierrepont and Besthorpe Nature Reserve in the Trent Vale north of Newark.
In addition to enhancing established nature reserves, the project will fund habitat creation in partnership with private landowners.
Making the case for Natural Flood Management
Following our partnership bid to secure a share of £25million on offer as part of the Government’s commitment to increasing flood resilience across the country by investing in natural flood management processes which either protect, restore, or in some cases mimic, natural functions within floodplains and river catchments; we have been working with partners to develop a detailed business case for the scheme.
Having long championed the Natural Flood Management approach, we are delighted that our proposal to work with farmers and other landowners has been backed – building on our local relationships and experience gained whilst acting as Catchment Hosts for the River Idle.
The funding aims to harness natural solutions including tree planting and the creation of wetland habitats to reduce flood risk. Here in Nottinghamshire our aim, alongside partners including the Environment Agency and Nottinghamshire County Council, is to reduce flooding in the Shireoaks and Worksop areas which have been badly affected in recent years. By embracing natural solutions, we can make our landscape and our towns and cities much more climate resilient whilst putting nature into recovery. This approach also embraces the benefits of partnership – with charities and councils collaborating with landowners to develop and deliver schemes that help the wider community.
Successful bids were provided with funding to develop a more detailed business case to demonstrate the benefits and value of their schemes. Following submission we hope to start delivering the scheme in 2025.
For further details about the project visit nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ natural-flood-management-project For further details about the project visit nottinghamshirewildlife.org/
Whilst the finishing touches are made to the core project team, partners are already making great progress on schemes designed to delivering real impact for nature. The RSPB is forging ahead with efforts to expand reedbed habitat at Langford Lowfields and Trent Rivers Trust is gearing up to create strips of buffer habitat along stretches of the River Trent, planting species including Black Poplar, a priority species for the county and identifying areas to create additional fish habitat off the main stem of the river.
For further details about the project visit nottinghamshirewildlife.org/ thriving-wilder-trent
The new eel pass at Rufford Country Park.
Fruit trees are fantastic
Ecology, conservation and wildlife gardening teacher, Paul Ritchie, shares his most loved garden fruit trees that offer a bounty of flowers, berries and fruits. These eight trees will boost wildlife in any garden, while offering treats for your winter kitchen store.
Fruit trees are fantastic for wildlife and a great way of making space for nature in gardens. Wild fruit trees offer homes for numerous insects at all stages of their lives, nesting birds and small mammals such as bats. Vitally they also provide year-round food: blossom is nectar for wild bees emerging from hibernation, leaves and the fruit feed moth caterpillars.
Fruit trees in blossom are beautiful but they have a broader benefit for the natural environment and for people too. They improve soil quality, filter the air and slow water run-off which reduces flooding, as well as providing shade in hot weather and lessening noise pollution. I plant native hedgerows to provide wind breaks and shelter for wildlife such as hedgehogs and house sparrows.
Choosing a tree
You do not need a big garden to grow fruit trees and some smaller varieties will grow happily in pots. When I am choosing the right tree for the right place I always consider:
Height: The mature size should be appropriate for the available space. Especially important if there are buildings, telephone cables or powerlines nearby.
Shape: The average dimensions of the tree’s canopy spread will affect shading and space so slender trees such as rowan are ideal for smaller gardens.
Soil: Check the label when buying a tree for its hardiness to drought and preference of soil type to match with your garden e.g. clay, chalky, sandy or loam soils.
I suggest buying trees as bare-root whips to plant in winter, but potted trees can be planted all year in square holes. Remember that fruit trees can be pruned to suit your own garden and needs.
For more information and advice on planting fruit trees in your garden, visit mycoronationgarden.org
Paul Ritchie is a biologist, passionate about trees, outdoor learning and connecting people with nature. He has worked for City of London Open Spaces, Surrey Wildlife Trust and now teaches at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and RHS Garden Wisley.
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) or ‘Lady of the Mountains’ produces large clusters of scarlet berries loved by redwing and fieldfare and used as a sugar substitute for diabetics.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) or ‘Mayflower’ supports hundreds of different insects, and its berries can be used to make ketchup, chutney, jam and beverages.
Crab apple (Malus sylvestris) has small apples loved by hedgehogs, mice, voles, fox and deer and, if cooked, as jelly, chutney, cordial or brewed as cider, is enjoyed by humans too.
Elder (Sambucus nigra) we use the clusters of creamy flowers and black berries to brew cordials, champagne and wine, whilst the berries are loved by thrushes and blackbirds.
Holly (Ilex aquifolium) has evergreen leaves that are slow to break down, so hedgehogs, small mammals, toads and slow worm hibernate in the leaf litter under the tree.
Wild cherry (Prunus avium) has fruit suitable for making jams, puddings, chutneys, soups, vinegar, cordials, wine and beer.
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is culturally linked with Hallowe’en and, like many wild fruits, sloe berries have medicinal uses as well as being used to flavour gin.
Wild plum (Prunus insititia) or bullace grows in hedgerows and, whilst smaller and less sweet than domestic plums, it can be stewed to make fruit preserves.
swans and geese 6 places to see
The honking calls of these large birds in flight is a clear signal that winter is on its way. Necks outstretched and beaks to the wind, swans and geese in a v-formation skein is an iconic sight.
There are three species of swans, the mute swan, whooper swan and the Bewick’s swan in the UK. The large, majestic and pure white mute swan is most recognisable and stays with us all year round in village ponds and waterways. Contrary to the name, the mute swan honks and snorts, while the whooper swan ‘bugles’ when feeding and in flight.
During the winter migration gaggles of geese flock together on UK wetlands. They graze on grassy banks, farmland, saltmarshes and seagrass meadows. The familiar Canada and greylag geese are joined by visitors such as pink-footed, white-fronted, barnacle and brent geese. Here are six of our best nature reserves for spotting swans and geese.
1 Montrose Basin, Scottish Wildlife Trust
The Montrose Basin is a large intertidal estuary, attracting tens of thousands of pink-footed geese every autumn. As well as being internationally important for pink-footed geese, the reserve is a wintering site for whooper swans and mute swans.
Where: Montrose, DD10 9TA
2 Holywell Pond, Northumberland Wildlife Trust
The nature reserve consists of a large pond surrounded by grassland, mature and semi-mature areas of woodland and scrub. Greylag, pink-footed, brent and Egyptian geese visit together with whooper swans, wigeon and tufted duck.
Where: Holywell, NE25 0LQ
3 Parc Slip Nature Reserve, The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales
The wetlands and surrounding ponds at Parc Slip Nature Reserve are a fantastic haven for watching swans and geese during the autumn and winter. Its bird hides are perfectly positioned to keep an eye out for heron, teal, mallards, visiting lapwing and the resident Highland cattle that patrol the fields.
Where: Bridgend, CF32 0EH
4 Nature Discovery Centre, Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
Take a seat in our shipping container bird hide or stay cosy in the ‘hide in the sky’ in the visitor centre. Both overlook the lake which is home to mute swans, Egyptian geese, Canada geese and greylag geese during winter.
Where: Thatcham, RG19 3FU
5 Blue House Farm, Essex Wildlife Trust
Flocks of over 2,000 dark-bellied brent geese travel from Siberia to graze on the marshes and wetland areas of this coastal reserve through winter. Joining them, you could spot Egyptian geese, Canada geese, brent geese and barnacle geese, alongside hundreds of waders.
Where: North Fambridge, CM3 6GU
6 Chesil Beach and The Fleet Nature Reserve, Dorset Wildlife Trust
The Fleet Lagoon in Dorset hosts a fabulous spectacle of up to 4,000 brent geese when they return from their Siberian breeding grounds. These handsome grey, black and white geese come for the winter to feast on the eel grass that grows here alongside a fabulous herd of mute swans.
Where: Weymouth, DT4 9XE
Did you spot any swans or geese?
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