P.C.N.R.

NETWORKPrivate & Community Nature Reserve Network Newsletter Spring 2014

Introduction Matthew Marshall

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our wildlife leads secret lives which we cannot always easily observe. We have 2 glimpses into these secret worlds from the nightly comings and goings in the woods to on-going tales of survival in the nest of Boris and Brenda (Somerset’s celebrity Barn Owls).

With thoughts turning to the bright summer months we hear an inspirational story from Ash Millennium Wood about how the community is working together to create and manage habitat for wildlife within their parish. We hope that you enjoy this update from the PCNR.

PCNR Network - Walk & Talk Sunday afternoon 18th MayPark Wood and Chaffcombe Village Hall.

‘Plant indicator species for Ancient Woodland’

Please book, details on page 2.

Spring flowers, a woodland edge at Cooks Farm PCNR

After a rather miserable winter during which heavy rainfall resulted in the wettest winter since 1766 and the run of storms was the worst for the last 20 years it is a relief to see that Spring has finally sprung. Although the milder weather this winter has encouraged Spring to arrive earlier than normal, we await the impacts of this on wildlife which may have been held back by the damp conditions.

In the newsletter you can find out more about the effects that this winter’s weather has had on our woodland from Valerie and John Godsmark’s experiences in Park Wood and on the 18th May you also have the opportunity to visit Park Wood to learn more about the ancient woodland indicators that hail spring.

Whether flooding across the levels, fallen trees around the county or just looking out of the window many of the effects of the winters weather are easily observed. However much of

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PCNR Network - Walk & Talk Sunday 18th MayValerie & John Godsmark will lead the walk around Park Wood a Private Nature Reserve and

Local Wildlife Site. The topic of the afternoon is

‘Plant indicator species for Ancient Woodland’ The woodland has ancient origins having been mentioned in the Doomsday Book in 1086. Historically it was managed through coppicing and was noted in the tithe maps as such. It covers 48 acres (19.4ha) and consisted of mixed broadleaved woodland, hazel coppice with oak & ash standards and wet woodland, predominantly alder. Meet at Chaffcombe Village Hall from 1.30pm. the walk will start at 2.00pm. refreshments will be served after the walk at the Village Hall. Park in Chaffcombe or at the Church ST354 102. Walk will include steep slopes, uneven ground. Suitable footwear essential. No dogs. Not suitable for wheelchair users/limited mobility. Donations Welcome. Booking essential, please book as soon as possible. Email: Ruth.White@somersetwildlife.org Ruth White, Somerset Wildlife Trust, Tonedale Mill, Tonedale, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0AW

What a time we have had! Since the first storm in mid-November, wet, windy weather has interfered with trying to get any work done and when we have got into the wood, nature has presented us with more concerns, problems and more “work”. We knew access would become increasingly difficult as being on Greensand, water was still percolating through the hillside from the previous year’s wet weather. The entrance track and middle track are the wettest we have seen in 14 years. Although the ground is saturated we don’t have problems with flooding as every drain, ditch and channel that can carry water is flowing away from the wood. The ground water level is high and extra springs issue, adding water to the main stream, part of the catchment of the River Isle, heading towards the River Parrett and no doubt contributing to the problems on the Levels.

The Oak trees in November, heavily laden with an amazing number of acorns and still in leaf bore the brunt of the strong gusts of wind from the south. Two large trees lost branches across main pathways. Christmas week’s storms were more devastating. Winds strengthened both from the west and the south. A large, hollow Ash tree up-rooted but another broke its fall and has left it hung. A nearby one with ivy-clad trunk fell across a nearby clearing. A Scots pine on part of the exposed south boundary lost a large branch and was joined by an up-rooted mature Oak tree. This activity disturbed an electric fence and sheep got into the wood from the adjacent field! The shepherd got them back out on Christmas morning.

Report on storm damage in Park Wood winter 2013-2014 By Valerie Godsmark

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Biggest, best oak before the February storm The oaks final resting place

January’s winds added to debris on the woodland floor and brought down branches throughout the wood as well as uprooting a forked Ash tree which fell across the main ride of neighbouring land. Two enormous branches of Oak with heart-rot came down across the farmer’s fence in the SE corner, a long way from the entrance to the wood. Vulnerable Alder trunks broke and hung or fell within the area of wet woodland.

Then we were into February and presumed that anything prone to storm damage had already been affected. Not so! Arguably the biggest, best Oak tree in this woodland succumbed to the raised water-table and storm force winds, uprooted and crashed to the ground taking with it the top of an old Field Maple coppice and the inevitable Alder.

So what? Nature has had it’s way. The winds will have only removed branches which were old, diseased or weakened probably from 2012’s drought and last spring’s heavy snow and frost. The trees up-rooted were on shallow soils and some obviously had fungal attacks.

What do we do? Where branches or trees fall on neighbouring land agreement has to be reached about clearance. Where large branches fall across access routes or boundaries they may need to be cut and moved out of the way. Within the woodland, any dead wood that falls is left where it lands unless it poses a hazard or impedes access. It will have fungi and invertebrates which with soil organisms will hasten the decomposition of the wood and improve the soil of the woodland floor. Our policy is that if fallen wood is sound and access is easy then there is potential for firewood especially if it is Ash or Hazel. If a tree is up-rooted, has good trunk length and diameter, is sound timber and is across or near a track with good access it may be cut and planked or blocked to be utilised. If it does not meet these criteria, it will be left to decompose over time and this will probably be the case with the big, old Oak tree. Nothing is burned in the woodland. Brash is placed round coppice stools to hinder fraying by deer. Dead-hedges are built up along the boundary banks to improve shelter. Wrens and tits particularly favour this habitat.

Trees which self-pollard and lose branches can provide useful niches for bats. Standing, broken trunks afford nesting holes and provide a wealth of invertebrates. The benefit of the canopy being opened up by a fallen tree in a mature woodland is that open, sunny glades may form.

What of the future? There are challenges for management but also opportunities. The structure of the woodland needs to be reassessed especially with regard to extreme weather events. Shelter needs to be provided on exposed boundaries, hedges re-established and more trees planted.

Isn’t Spring just around the corner? Butterfly recording starts Tuesday 1st April. Will we have proof of resilient wildlife?

Text and photos by Valerie Godsmark February 2014

The hidden world of the PCNR By PCNR Area Contacts Valerie & John Godsmark

Using remote cameras to monitor wildlife + tales of the unexpectedWe were prompted to purchase a Prostalk remote camera a few years ago when a Roe deer died in the wood. The camera was set up close by and we anticipated pictures to challenge those of safari movies as the scavengers moved in. Fox hardly showed. The main interrogators were a pair of pedigree dogs, a spaniel and a labrador. Within a week, these “strays” had devoured the unfortunate animal and despite our best efforts we didn’t find the owners of the dogs.

Since then the camera has been set up in several locations within the wood to monitor wildlife. Badgers have been a favourite with footage of mating, toiletting, scent-marking and the amazing amount of effort they go to reversing uphill to replace their bedding. We know for certain that there are at least 6 Badgers active in the wood.

Roe deer are common and are the most active mammal. It is surprising how often they will come and go along a particular route. No wonder pathways are so marked. Individuals are easily identified from the camera footage. Young buck, old buck, doe with youngsters each having their impact by eating vegetation or marking trees. Although at times spooked by the camera switching on, they tend not to bother and often get up close. It is a concern when five deer pass within 15 seconds.Squirrels busy themselves burying acorns. Rabbits are seen occasionally except on one of the Badger setts where footage showed a rabbit frequently shared the same area as a fox. Haven’t any footage of that relationship! Crows, blackbirds, redwing and robin show sometimes as well as the ever-present pheasants. As for wood-pigeons what was a group of 13 doing all together one morning?

Using a remote camera gives insight into the private lives of animals and times of main activity are recorded. Sometimes there are unwelcome surprises such as trespassers passing through without a care in the world or on one occasion 2 big fellas posing with one of them proudly displaying his tattoos. It could have been worse! Remote or “trail” cameras are battery powered and motion sensitive. Of course animals frequently move quickly in the vicinity; the camera gets triggered but the animal has gone or there is a glimpse of its rear. Wind and rain can trigger it but not too frequently. The Prostalk camera was “upgraded” to a Bushnell last year. Both cameras can be set on still or video. Frequency of shot is programmed as is duration of video clip. Daylight shots are in colour. Night-time ones are monochrome, taken with infra-red. Daylight pictures were better with the Prostalk but the camera is fiddly to programme and doesn’t have a preview screen like the Bushnell. Both have captions stating time when the camera was activated but the Bushnell uses American calendar. The Bushnell can be programmed to “field scan” which acts like a time lapse but we haven’t tried that. The problem with both cameras is there is no viewfinder so setting the angle of direction of the shots takes time to master. Quality of picture doesn’t match that of digital cameras.

This type of technology is developing and coming down in price so Reserve owners should find them useful. As for us, maybe a remote-controlled helicopter with camera is now needed to scan the wet, boggy parts of Park Wood. Watch this space!4

Fox investigates Badger sett, Prostalk cameraBadger taken with Bushell camera at night Barn Owls Boris left and Brenda

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I’ve just seen my first bee-fly of the year. Its darting flight and high-pitched buzz catch the attention, but it is the long, straight proboscis which tells you at once that this is neither a bumble bee, which it looks a bit like at first glance, nor a true hoverfly, even though it hovers. This was the common species, Bombylius major (there are others), and it was feeding on the blue hyacinths I’d planted in the garden last Easter after their indoor display had gone over. I was pleased that these plants were now contributing to the garden ecosystem! The same morning, I noticed a female chaffinch collecting the dead remnants of last year’s tufted vetch foliage for nesting material. I’d always intended to clear this away, but was now glad I hadn’t – a reminder of the benefits of not being too tidy in the garden.

These two incidents are good examples of the value of simple observations of nature’s goings-on under our very noses. It is always worth noting these down, along with date and location, and, if you can spare the time, photographing or even videoing them. Examples of viewer’s efforts in this regard are a regular feature of BBC TV’s Spring- and Autumnwatch programmes. This is all part of the practice of biological recording, and if you get into the habit, an impressive list can accrue, even on the most modest plot. Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC) is always glad of any such records, to add to the county’s eco-database, though don’t forget to include your grid reference. PCNR workshops can help hone your skills of identification. One step further is to compare your records year on year, especially if this follows a specific management activity such as adopting a different grass-mowing regime, coppicing a piece of woodland, or letting more light into an overshadowed pond. This takes us into the realm of ecological monitoring, which can also be hugely satisfying.

Don’t get caught out, though. Some years ago I was doing some recording on a farm in North Bucks and caught sight of a heron looking into a pond which had been newly dug the previous year. Excellent. This was a first record for this part of the farm, and with luck I might get a photo. I crept closer, and closer – this was amazing – until I realised that the bird was a decoy. It turned out that my farmer client (then Bucks FWAG Chairman) witnessed the whole event, and he takes great glee in reminding me of it.

Biological recording and monitoring By Chris Smith April 2014

Somerset Wildlife Trust Live Barn Owl Nest Box Webcam The SWT Barn Owl Webcam is causing great excitment at the moment, thousands of people are following Boris and Brenda’s growing family who are in one of the 335 nest boxes going up across Somerset, as part of the Somerset Community Barn Owl Project, to increase the number of breeding barn owls. The box is situated on a PCNR members reserve which has a plentiful supply of voles and other small mammals for them to feed on. Barn owls need areas of rough grassland and meadow habitat to sustain good numbers of small mammals. This habitat is very good for many other types of wildlife as well, including, brown hare, grassnake, invertebrates, butterflies, and seed eating birds like goldfinch. Brenda has laid seven eggs and three have already hatched as I write (28 April). Follow their progress on the Trust Website: htto://www.somersetwildlife.org/barn_owl_cam.html

Barn Owls Boris left and Brenda Bard was the first to hatch on 23rd April

In 2000, to commemorate the new Millennium, the villagers of Ash, near Martock, in South Somerset, got together to plan and plant up a new wood for the benefit of the local community, to be known as the Millennium Wood. The site was a plot of rough grassland about 1½ ha in area, immediately to the west of Ash C of E Primary School, hedged around three sides and with arable farm land on two. The land was purchased by Ash Parish Council from Somerset County Council.

Tree species were the main focus, including beech, ash, oak, cherry, birch, rowan, willow, field and Norway maple, horse chestnut and yew, along with some hazel. About 120 trees were acquired and planted by volunteers. There were few losses: the trees have grown well and are now contributing significantly to the landscape here. Paths enable people to access the site, including dog walkers, for whom a doggie-bin was provided!

The site was left to fend for itself over the next decade and, as a result, scrub and rough grass became predominant on the semi-improved agricultural soil. There was little structure in the woodland.

The Parish Council therefore agreed, at the end of 2012, to appoint a manager for the community woodland and later agreed a strategy and work programme. Volunteers were sought and funding obtained from a variety of sources.

Our strategy has been to increase the diversity of habitats by managing the open areas and setting up log and stone piles. We are increasing the diversity of tree species and improving the structure

Ash Millennium Wood By Mick Wooden April 2014

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through the planting of new trees and shrubs such as hazel again, hawthorn, spindle, wayfaring tree and guelder rose, along with fruit trees such as heritage apple varieties, pear and crab apple. We have planted a new hedgerow (120 plants) of native species. We have also introduced woodland bulbs such as bluebell and snowdrop, and on a plot close to the school a wild flower area has been established, seeding and/or planting in such species as ox-eye daisy, knapweed and musk mallow. Our latest project is to create a “damp area” feature in a part of the site that floods regularly in which it is hoped to establish a further range of native plants, and to attract dragonflies, damselflies and other aquatic insects.

Our biggest challenge has been in taming the grassland, which is mainly a coarse mix of cocksfoot, meadow foxtail, creeping bent, rough-stalked meadow-grass, red fescue, timothy, tall oat-grass and Yorkshire fog. This is being tackled by contracting an annual cut of a “meadow area”. This will be carried out through a mechanical scything regime, followed by a mechanical baling process. This, it is hoped, will lower the fertility of the meadow, diversify the sward and give future wildflower planting a greater chance of success.

On June 28th this year we are organising a “Countryside Day” in the wood: an event to demonstrate our project to a wider public, and to enable a range of individuals and contractors to display their crafts, wares and services.

Any queries: please contact Mick Wooden at mickwooden90@hotmail.com

Seven-spot Ladybird

AREA CONTACTSWEST SOMERSETMary & John Washington-Smith Watercombe House, Huish Champflower, Taunton TA4 2EEEAST MENDIP, MENDIP HILLS AND WELLSLiz EleyEley Angoras, Frome, SomersetTel: 01373 472312email: liz.eley@uwclub.netSOUTH EAST SOMERSETBarbara & Derek Simmons Tel: 01963 31424 email: derekstbls@aol.comTAUNTON DEANEDavid Burnell Tel: 01823 480342 email: dibburn@aol.comHEART OF THE LEVELSDavid German Tel: 01458 259688 email: levelswildlife@btinternet.com

lLMINSTER/CHARDValerie & John Godsmark Tel: 01460 234551email: johngodsmark123@btinternet.comWe need area contacts forCENTRAL EAST, YEOVIL, POLDENSIf you would like to help please contact Ruth or Matthew details belowPCNR STAFF CONTACT Matthew Marshall, Advisory & Wider Countryside Officer Somerset Wildlife Trust, Tonedale Mill, Tonedale, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0AW Tel: 01823 652410 email: matthew.marshall@somersetwildlife.orgPCNR ADMINISTRATIONRuth WhiteSomerset Wildlife Trust, Tonedale Mill, Tonedale, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0AWemail: ruth.white@somersetwildlife.orgIf you change your email address please inform Ruth White.

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Report on PCNR Workshop Avalon Marshes Centre & Reserve Visit to Catcott Lows We had an excellent day last September at the PCNR workshop held in the Avalon Marshes Centre on the Somerset Levels. In the morning we heard a range of speakers, Bill Urwin (Somerset Invertebrate Group – Chair) introduced the wonderful world of invertebrates to the group, Mark Steer (SWT - Brue Valley Development Officer) provided the group with an overview of habitat management for invertebrates and Jo Chesworth (Bumblebee Conservation – Senior Conservation Officer) enthused the group about our important bumblebees and how we can help them on our reserves.

In the afternoon the sun was shining and we visited the SWT Catcott reserves for a guided walk led by Mark Blake the Brue Valley Reserves Officer. Catcott complex sits within a SSSI and Special Protection Area, it is one of the lowest parts of the Brue Valley, a mecca for wildlife and alive with dragonflies on our visit.

New pond dedicated to Pat Hill-Cottingham