Managing land for Nightingales
Connecting Surrey’s Heathland
Lowland heathland in Surrey provides a key habitat for important bird, reptile and invertebrate species such as Nightingales, Adders and Grayling butterflies.
Our three-year Heathland Connections project will enhance, restore and connect habitats in the west of the Surrey Hills National Landscape, creating a better experience for people whilst protecting sensitive areas for wildlife.
Key habitats
Improving and better connecting these habitats in the wider landscape can increase the population and resilience of these rare species when faced with habitat loss, climate change and other pressures.
The project area and surrounding buffer zone include nine of Surrey’s Biodiversity Opportunity Areas, designated because improving habitat here is likely to have most impact on the connectivity and recovery of important species, including those which are the focus of this project.
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Why Nightingales?
• The Nightingale is a migratory bird which spends summer in southern Europe and England,the latter being at the edge of their normal range.
• Slightly larger than a Robin, it weighs about 20g and has plain brown feathers. Its complex song sets it apart from other birds, facilitating identification and estimates of population numbers.
• There are thought to be approximately 6,700 breeding males in the UK. Unlike other parts of Europe, in England the species is declining in both numbers and range. Numbers have fallen by 48% between 1995 and 2020 and Nightingales are now only found in the spring and summer across a small area of South East England. Nightingales are on the Red List for UK birds as one of the most endangered.
• The map overleaf shows records of Nightingales in Surrey, green dots show historic records and blue dots sightings from a Surrey Wildlife Trust citizen science project in summer 2024. The project identified over 25 singing males predominantly in the southwest part of the county which is the southern part of the Heathlands Connections area.
• The decline of the Nightingale has been attributed to
degradation and loss of the scrubby woodland habitat upon which they depend to feed and nest. Contributing factors in England include increasing numbers of deer (which reduce habitat quality) and reduction in woodland management including practices such as coppicing, as well as the removal and tidying up of scrub.
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Requirements
• Males sing repeatedly until they find a mate, which requires a lot of energy and frequent foraging for food. After pairing, their song is more limited. Females lay one clutch of eggs a year in a nest built on, or close to, the ground.
• They require low-lying, closed canopy scrub or young woodland with bare ground for feeding and areas of thick vegetation close to the ground.
• They eat small insects and invertebrates found in the leaf litter and on the bare ground beneath the scrub or at the edges of hedges and woodland. Nightingales tend to prefer sites close to a source of water such as river edges, ponds or ditches which may enhance the availability of food species.
• Thick vegetation conceals the bird while it sings and forages. It also protects nests, eggs and chicks from predation by larger birds such as Sparrowhawks and mammals.
• Scrub and woodland of the appropriate structure (see diagram overleaf) does not last in perpetuity. To find the right habitat Nightingales must therefore move after a few years or rely on regular habitat management to provide vegetation of varying ages.
Mating
Laying
Rearing
Migrating
Winter
How you can help
1, 2, 3, 9
• Preserve, create and manage suitable habitat in low-lying areas with damp soils.
• Manage woodlands in rotation to continuously provide areas of newly-coppiced trees, areas of well-developed understorey and scalloped edges along woodland rides where scrub can develop.
• Manage scrub by cutting large blocks in rotation to provide a mosaic of vegetation of different sizes and ages. Ideally patches need to be at least half-a-hectare to allow effective rotational cutting.
• Suitable scrub species include Blackthorn, Hawthorn, willows, Dog Rose and Brambles, although the correct structure matters more than species. Good habitat is most often found where open land is undergoing colonisation with scrub on heathland, chalk downland, in woodlands (especially along edge and new growth areas), and also in thick hedgerows.
• Protect areas of newly coppiced woodland and young scrub from over grazing from deer by using fencing or other control methods.
• Maintain wide rides, or open borders on the sunny side of the rides.
• Creating new habitat is most effective when carried out close to areas already colonised by Nightingales, as they tend to return to the same sites year on year. As populations grow and habitat becomes crowded the birds are then able to utilise adjacent land.
Dense canopy
Bare ground
Hedgerows provide Nightingales with dense, sheltered spaces for nesting, protecting them from predators and harsh weather. They offer a rich food source, including insects, which are crucial for both adult birds and their chicks. Additionally, hedgerows act as wildlife corridors, allowing Nightingales to safely move between habitats and find new territories.
Nightingales prefer moist environments, so maintaining or creating wetland areas such as ponds, ditches, or reed beds can be beneficial for their habitat.
Keeping some parts of grassland unmown or mown later in the season allows insects to thrive, which benefits the Nightingales’ food supply.
Restoring heathland can expand and improve the habitat available for Nightingales, providing more space for nesting and foraging. Restoration also creates habitat corridors, allowing Nightingales to move freely between areas for breeding and food. Increasing heathland not only benefits Nightingales, but also a host of other species which rely on, and benefit from, heathland habitat.
Mark Hamblin/2020VISION
Nightingales prefer dense, shrubby habitats that offer protection and cover for nesting. New woodlands with a mix of native trees and shrubs can provide the thick undergrowth that Nightingales need to build their nests and protect their young.
Minimising human disturbance, such as limiting access to areas where Nightingales are nesting during the breeding season (spring to early summer), can improve their chances of successful reproduction.
Scrub typically consists of more densely packed shrubs and low vegetation, creating a thick, impenetrable environment for nesting and shelter, offering protection from predators and the elements. The dense undergrowth also supports a variety of insects, which are a key food source for both adult Nightingales and their chicks.
By minimising pesticide use, you can help preserve the insect populations that are vital food sources for Nightingales and especially for chicks.
Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
Stewardship options that support Nightingale habitat
Code
SFI offer from summer 2024 – usually 3-year agreements 5,6
Boundary Features
CHRW1
CHRW2
Assess and record hedgerow condition
Hedge can be:
Newly planted, laid or coppiced
Woody growth on top of an earth or stonefaced bank
Manage hedgerows
Hedge can be as for CHRW1
£5 per 100 m For one side
Understand condition of hedgerows
· Plan management to improve condition
3 years Produce a written hedgerow condition assessment record
£13 per 100m (for one side)
BND2
Maintain earth banks or stone-faced hedge banks
£11 per 100m For one side
Provide:
Habitat for wildlife Pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects
Help manage livestock
Provide habitats for lichens, mosses, ferns and wildlife
As above Cut in autumn / winter
Newly planted, lightly trim incrementally
· Fully established, use one of: cut incrementally or in rotation 1/3 (1/2) hedges every 3 (2) years or coppice / lay in rotation
As above Note: creation and restoration grants for earth banks in Countryside Stewardship BD 3&4 (see below)
Farmland wildlife on arable and horticultural land – create Nightingale habitat amongst inhospitable arable land
AHW12 Manage woodland edges on arable land (up to 6 m wide)
£428 per hectare
· Create an uncultivated, naturally regenerated strip of scrub and grass mosaic between arable land and woodland
· Provide woodland edge habitat for birds, invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles
3 years
Farmland wildlife and habitats on grassland – increase structural variety of plants to create suitable habitat
SCR1 Create scrub and open habitat mosaics:
Use on land with less than 10% scrub cover
· SSSI not eligible
· Natural regeneration
· Or planting variety native scrub species (10% - 60% of area)
£588 per hectare per year
SCR2 Manage scrub and open habitat mosaics
per hectare per year
Scrub cover managed to maintain habitat mosaic with variety of species, heights, and structure
Can include growing trees and deadwood
In order to:
Provide food and habitats for a variety of species
· Provide pollen and nectar sources for insects, such as bees and butterflies
Improve the quality of woodland edges and transitions between other habitats
Protect soils and watercourses by reducing soil erosion
5 years Control herbivores Leave standing and fallen deadwood
· Leave mature and veteran trees
WOD1
From Summer 2025
Manage wood pasture and parkland (endorsed)
£212 per hectare per year
Integrated pest management
CIPM4 No use of insecticide on arable crops and permanent crops
£45 Per hectare per year
Maintenance of year-round wood pasture or parkland to provide:
Trees at each life stage to become future veteran trees
· Grassland or heathland habitat within wood pasture
A variety of sward heights Wildflowers, sedges and grasses allowed to flower and set seed in the spring/ summer with some left undisturbed during autumn/winter
Appropriate scrub cover Habitat which offers sources of food and shelter for wildlife, such as invertebrates and birds
That no plant protection products containing insecticide are applied on an arable crop or permanent crops
The purpose of this is to:
· Support an integrated pest management approach by managing crop pests in a more sustainable way Improve water and air quality
· Increase biodiversity
Waterbodies
WBD1 Manage ponds (25m2 up to 2 ha)
£257 per pond A pond containing clear and clean water with:
A range of semi-aquatic vegetation at the edge
Submerged and floating pond plants
· Submerged or partially submerged deadwood
The purpose of this is to:
· Increase biodiversity Help improve water quality
Provide habitats for native aquatic species
3 years Manage sward:
· By grazing and/or cutting Intact year-round without compacted areas or poaching
Minimise bare ground
Manage scrub Manage trees:
Maintain existing and newly planted specimens
· Prevent harm from machinery, livestock, wild animals and pests Leave deadwood unless it poses a safety risk
3 years Do not apply any plant protection products containing insecticide including:
- Insecticide seed dressings
- Nematicides and acaricides
You can apply herbicides, fungicides or plant growth regulators
WBD2 Manage ditches
£4 per 100m for both sides
Ditches with:
Varied bankside and aquatic vegetation
Undisturbed wildlife habitat
The purpose of this is to:
Maintain vegetation typical of wet ditches
· Provide habitats for wildlife
3 years · Controlling scrub around the pond edge by lightly cutting it or grazing
Trying to avoid livestock trampling and poaching the pond edge
As above · Cutting vegetation at the top of the ditch bank in rotation, up to half the length of the ditch bank in any year
Carrying out in-channel management on any section of the ditch no more than once during this action’s 3-year duration
Only manage the ditch during the autumn, winter and early spring (usually September to late March)
Code Action Annual Payment Aim
Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions - May 2024 – (Actions not available in SFI) 4,11
Duration Maintenance (to achieve aim)
Note: Many Higher Tier CS actions require specialist advice to be sought from Natural England or the Forestry Commission prior to commencing the application process
Boundary Features
CHRW4 (same as SFI
CHRW2)
Manage hedgerows
See capital grants
BN7: Hedgerow gapping up
BN11: Planting new hedges
Woodland and trees
CWD1 Woodland creation maintenance
Maintain woodland created under a Woodland Creation
Grant agreement
CWD2 Woodland Improvement
Based on a pre-existing woodland management plan approved by the Forestry Commission
£13 per 100m (for one side)
Provide: Habitat for wildlife
Pollen, nectar and berries for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects
£400 per ha
£127 per ha
Create woodland that: Supports wildlife, by linking habitats together or providing a protective buffer between them
Reduces the risk of floods Improves water quality and prevents soil erosion
· Is resilient and can adapt to climate change
Woodland is brought into sustainable management in line with the UK Forestry Standard
Improve biodiversity of woodland and/or make it more resilient to climate change
One priority objective: Enhance priority habitats/ species
· Restore plantations on ancient woodland sites
Enhance resilience to climate change through continuous cover forestry (CCF)
5 years Manage to agreed / height
You may also need to:
· Agree hedgerow cutting frequency with NE Manage 2m strip from centre of hedge as agreed with NE
15 years
Keep new trees free from competing vegetation
· Replace dead trees
· Maintain areas of open space
10 years Can include: Manage successional scrub through cyclical cutting
· Re-coppicing
Thin or selectively fell trees
Create and/or manage permanent open space and access rides
· Manage ride edges by cyclical cutting
CWS11 Supplement Supplements to manage 3 zone rides
£197 per ha
Maintain a diverse ride structure Provide habitat corridors As per base action Waterbodies
CSW25 Manage riparian and water edge habitats
CTW15 Manage ponds and bodies of water up to 2 hectares
£424 per pond
Protect and enhance small ponds of high wildlife value Capital Grants 2024 11, 12
BN7 Hedgerow gapping up
£17.22 per m
BN11 Planting new hedges
£22.97 per m
To create continuous lines of hedge in lines of shrubs:
· Over 20m long
· Less than 5m wide at the base
At least 80% native plants
To create new lengths of hedgerow planted with native species where: Reinstates historic hedges
Links or extends existing hedgerows
· Will help reduce soil erosion and run off Close to slurry or digestive stores to help capture ammonia emissions
Maintenance requirements include:
· Carry out work between 1 November and 31 March Prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging hedge
Maintenance requirements include: Carry out work between 1 November and 31 March
Trim the newly planted hedge in at least the first 2 years
· Prevent livestock and grazing animals from damaging hedge
FM2 Major preparatory works for priority habitats (creation and restoration) and priority species where a priority species are known to be present, or occurs locally and works likely to lead to colonisation
Up to 100% of actual costs
TE 6, 7,8 Tree guards
Tube and Mesh (6)
Wood post and rail (7)
Wood post and wire (8)
FG 9 Deer Fencing
£3.95 each
£109.64 each
£132.16 each
£10.27 m up to £100
Protects trees from damage caused by grazing animals and wild animals
FG11 Deer exclosure plot
£212.56 per unit
Protect newly created or existing woodland from deer browsing as part of a wider woodland creation or woodland management project
On wood pasture it will protect trees from grazing deer
Protect 16m2 of woodland from deer browsing Allow monitoring of area’s regeneration potential and impact of browsing
SM1 (new for 2025)
Training to control and manage deer
Up to 100% of actual costs
Forestry Commission - Likely to transition into part of ELMs in the future
Woodland Creation Planning
Grant 8
Minimum 5 hectares
England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) 7
Minimum 1 hectare
Apply by 30 June to secure agreement for the following planting season
£1,500 (Stage 1)
£150 per hectare (less stage 1 payment)
Overall cap of £30,500 per project
Types of payment available:
1. Support for capital items / activities to establish new woodland, covering 100% of national average costs. (Up to a cap of £10,200 per hectare)
2. 15 years of annual maintenance payments to help establish the young trees - £400 per hectare
3. Contribution towards cost of installing infrastructure to enable management or recreational access
4. Optional Additional Contributions for delivering public benefits. (see right)
5. Low sensitivity land payment when planting in areas less suitable for food production - £1,100 per hectare
Can be used to fund items including:
Plug plants
Native British seed mixes
· Hiring and maintaining specialist equipment
On lowland heath:
· Clearing bracken litter
Preparing ground
Spreading heather cuttings/seeds
Creating bare ground
You can use on trees on land parcel already used for:
· ORH1: Manage traditional orchards
· CHRW2: Manage hedgerows
· WOD1: Manage wood pasture and parkland
Specifications provided for fencing construction for each species
Support landowners, land managers and public bodies to design a new woodland compliant with UK Forestry Standard
Stage 1 desk-based feasibility exercise
Stage 2 plan for actual wood creation if feasible
15 years
Re-claiming at years 6 and 11
Support landowners, land managers and public bodies to create new woodland, including through natural colonisation
Additional Contributions include:
Nature recovery: up to £3,300 per hectare
· Flood risk management: £1,000 per hectare
· Water quality: £500 per hectare
Riparian buffers: £2,500 per hectare for woodlands along riverbanks
Close to settlements: up to £600 per hectare
· Recreational access: up to £3,700 per hectare
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)
Since February 2024, all developments granted planning permission in England are legally required to deliver a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain If BNG cannot be achieved on a development site, there are opportunities to deliver it elsewhere Landowners may be able to gain income for delivering this off-site BNG by creating or improving habitat on their land and selling BNG credits to developers
Bibliography
General
1. Blakesley, D. et al, 2010. Managing your woodland for wildlife.
2. British Trust for Ornithology, 2015. Managing Scrub for Nightingales. BTO Guide for Land Managers and Conservation Practitioners.
3. British Trust for Ornithology. Nightingale. [Online]. Available at: https:// www.bto.org/understanding-birds/birdfacts/Nightingale [Accessed 4th September 2024].
4. Hewson, C and Fuller, R., 2012. Factors Potentially Affecting the Viability and Success of Biodiversity Offsetting to Compensate for Nightingale Habitat Loss.
5. Holt, C.et al, 2012. Conservation priority species: The Nightingale in Britain: Status, ecology and conservation needs. British Birds 105, 172–187.
6. RSPB. Nightingale Bird Facts | Luscinia Megarhynchos [Online]. Available at: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/Nightingale [Accessed 4th September 2024].
7. Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT), 2024. Heathland Connections [Online]. Available at: https://surreyhills.org/heathland-connections/ [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
8. Waite, M. 2019. Biodiversity Opportunity Areas: The basis for realising Surrey’s ecological network. Surrey Nature Partnership.
9. Waite, M (2017); The State of Surrey’s Nature (Surrey Nature Partnership). Funding
SFI
10. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. SFI scheme information: expanded offer for 2024 (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-schemeexpanded-offer-for-2024/sfi-scheme-information-expanded-offerfor-2024 [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
11. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Expanded SFI offer (SFI24 offer) – endorsed actions. [Online]. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/67571a23f96f5424a4b87805/SFI24-endorsed-actions-v1.pdf [Accessed: 29 January 2024].
12. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Find funding for land or farms [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms [Accessed: 31 August 2024].
13. DEFRA and RPA, 2025. Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Handbook for the SFI 2023 offer (v9 Jan 2025).
14. RPA, 2024. Applicant’s guide: Capital Grants 2024. [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-grants2024/3451c5f9-431c-4530-bb47-40ac2a0abe8f [Accessed : 29 January 2025].
Countryside Stewardship
For more information contact the Surrey Wildlife Trust Nature-based Solutions team at nbs@surreywt.org.uk
15. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier: preview guidance (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-getready-to-apply/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-preview-guidance [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
16. DEFRA and RPA, 2024. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier actions (December 2024). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-getready-to-apply/countryside-stewardship-higher-tier-actions#bufferstrips [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
17. DEFRA and RPA, 2023. Revenue options payment rate changes from 1 January 2023 (May 23). [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/revenue-payment-rates-from-January-2023countryside-stewardship/revenue-options-payment-rate-changes-from1-January-2023 [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
18. RPA and Natural England, 2024. Countryside Stewardship grant finder [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/countryside-stewardshipgrants [Accessed: 29 January 2025].
Woodland Creation
19. Forestry Commission, 2024. Woodland Creation Planning Grant Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-creationplanning-grant [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
20. Forestry Commission, 2024. England Woodland Creation Offer [Online]. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/england-woodlandcreation-offer [Accessed: 29 August 2024].
21. Forestry England, 2024. Forestry England Woodland Partnership Programme Online]. Available at: https://www.forestryengland.uk/ woodland-partnership-programme [Accessed: 28 August 2024].
22. Forestry Commission, 2024. Creating New Woodland: The England Woodland Creation Offer.
One of twelve landscape-scale Nature Recovery Projects being delivered collaboratively across England, Heathland Connections is a Natural England funded, partnership-led initiative, which will deliver habitat restoration by supporting landowners to effectively manage adjoining areas of remnant heathland under their care.
This project offers private and public sector landowners and managers of all sizes - from large to small scale farmers, woodland and forestry managers, and businesses such as golf clubs - a range of support to help them work together for nature.
Get in touch
If you are a landowner and/or land manager and would like to find out more, please register your interest at surreywildlifetrust.org/heathland-connections or contact the Surrey Wildlife Trust Nature-based Solutions team at nbs@surreywt.org.uk
The Information in this leaflet is up to date as of January 2025
Please check for the most recent updates on stewardship options at gov.uk:
1. For SFI - Find funding for land or farms: https://www.gov.uk/find-funding-for-land-or-farms
2. For Countryside Stewardship - Countryside Stewardship grant finder: gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants
Research & consolidation by Christine Gooch Illustration by Bea Baranowska
Heathland Connections is in partnership with: