Countryman
Diary - August 2008
In last month’s Woodman’s Notebook Tony Grace eloquently
as ever described the balance of life in his wood where the sparrowhawk
sits on top of that particular food pyramid. Outside of this
ancient, isolated ecosystem however, the increase in sparrowhawk
numbers and other predators are a cause for concern.
Tony’s piece prompted Keith McDougall, director of SongBird
Survival, to contact me to say, “Even obvious country lovers
sometimes fail to think through the consequences of the huge
increase in sparrowhawks in recent years.”
He adds: “The official BTO (British Trust for Ornithology)
figure is 38,000 sparrowhawk pairs breeding in the UK with, probably,
an equal number of unmated juveniles. Their toll of small birds
is well over 100 million a year. Yes, sparrowhawks are dramatic
and dashing predators which have a valuable place in our ecosystem.
The RSPB warden at Blean Woods, Kent (one of England’s
most ancient forests) wrote an article in the Independent in
April this year stating eight species of birds have become extinct
in that particular area.”
“The RSPB Repeat Woodland Bird Survey (RWBS) registered
in order of decline magnitude are: tree pipit, hawfinch, willow
tit, willow warbler, lesser spotted woodpecker, lesser redpoll,
wood warbler, redstart, garden warbler and spotted flycatcher.
“All of the above are heavily predated by sparrowhawks
whose cumulative effect must be serious. It is important to face
up to the need to manage predation levels.”
Solutions to such problems are difficult to find and human intervention
in all things natural often only produces conflict or inbalance
somewhere along the line. Who is to decide whether a sparrowhawk
is more or less important than a redstart? Would you agree to
a cull of predators? What are readers’ views on this touchy
subject? Please send your thoughts to me by mail to The Countryman
at the usual address or by email to editorial@thecountryman.co.uk
Cows come home
Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) has introduced grazing by cattle
on its nature reserve at Woods Mill where up to four Sussex cattle,
possibly including a calf, will live on the nature reserve at
Henfield throughout the summer months. They will graze the Valley
Field part of newly acquired land at the reserve and also ‘Little
Meadow’. Some electric fencing is being used, but both
areas will remain fully accessible to visitors.
SWT’s Conservation Hit Squad has been working to make
the two fields animal proof and people friendly ensuring footpaths
remain open and easy to access. The cattle chosen for this grazing
programme are docile and no bullocks or bulls will be used. Dogs
are not permitted on the reserve, excepting guide dogs, due to
the sensitive nature of the wildlife present.
Reserves Officer Steve Tillman explains why they have been introduced: “Using
cattle to control grass and vegetation growth is the ideal way
to create the best habitat for a variety of wildlife. Ground
nesting birds such as snipe will benefit from naturally grazed
pasture as will a huge range of grasses and wild flowers, as
well as barn owls who fly over the fields at dawn and dusk searching
for field voles.
“Woods Mill nature reserve is home to a wide variety of
dragonflies including brown and southern hawkers, red and ruddy
darters, black tailed skimmers and even the rare scarce chaser.
Damselflies, easily spotted during the late spring and summer,
include both the beautiful and the banded demoiselle and the
powder blue azure damselflies. Grazing itself creates a variety
of different length grasses while droppings from the cattle will
attract the midges and flies that dragonflies and damselflies
feed on.”
Choughed
Conservationists are celebrating today as a new nest site has
successfully produced a brood of wild chough chicks on National
Trust land in the far West of Cornwall – the first in nearly
150 years. Partners of the Cornish Chough Project are heralding
this as a significant chapter in the natural re-colonisation
of Cornwall’s iconic bird.
Jon Brookes, National Trust Manager for West Penwith says: “We
are thrilled with this new development in our efforts to encourage
the natural re-colonisation of the chough to Cornwall. A new
pair breeding in the west of the county is great news and their
success is down to the local farmers and the RSPB volunteers
who put in all the time and effort into safeguarding the nests
from disturbance.”
Adrian Thomas a tenant of a National Trust farm near St Just
in West Penwith adds: “It’s exciting to know that
the choughs have bred successfully in West Penwith as a result
of the nature conservation grazing schemes I and other farmers
have undertaken with the National Trust and Natural England.”
To add to this success story, for the seventh year in succession,
the Lizard choughs have successfully raised a brood of four chicks
and this year they are all female.
Diary dates
Festival of Orchids at Scone Palace, By Perth,
2-3 August. The festival will include displays by some of the
UK’s top
nurseries and suppliers, as well as talks and demonstrations
on the art of orchid growing, competitions and sale, plus the
chance to enjoy the spectacular orchid displays in the beautiful
setting of Scone Palace. www.scone-palace.co.uk
Vinegar-soaked oak will add a distinctive new flavour to the
National Forest Wood Fair on August Bank Holiday Monday at Beacon
Hill Country Park, Leicester. Chairmaker Gordon Monk uses the
blackened wood produced by this innovative technique to create
stunning pieces of furniture. www.leics.gov.uk/woodfair
Winners
The winners’ of our Birdfair competition featured in June
are: M Harfield, Newbond Verdon; R Harfield, Stoney Stanton;
L Liddiard, Wimborne; Liz Trundle, Silverstone; T and C Storey,
Stevenage; Mark Barnard, Hove; K Armitage, Mitcheldown; Colin
Jackson, Lincoln; Andy Young, Gravesend. Thank you to all those
who entered the competition.
Paul Jackson |
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