I spent an enjoyable day at our Leighton Moss nature reserve in north Lancashire. It’s a place I know well it’s over thirty years since I first visited this special corner of the world – on a coach trip organised by the Leeds RSPB local group. I was there to host a roadshow for colleagues on our new campaign, Stepping Up for Nature, but I did get the chance for a pre-breakfast walk around the reserve.
Step on to the reserve and there’s wildlife everywhere- a blackcap just tuning up in a hawthorn by the path, two red deer framed in a gap in the reeds, querulous black-headed gulls posturing and pairing in a small nesting colony in front of the hide.
I could only spend a little time in Lillian’s Hide before dragging myself away – I was supposed to be working after all! But just a short time amongst the reeds and watery landscape of Leighton Moss refreshed the spirits and reminded me of the wealth of life that lurks in reedbeds. And by spooky coincidence – we’ve just put out this story reporting on a recent programme funded by Natural England called Bringing Reedbeds to Life – and here’s where you can read more.
Here's one of Mike Langman's panels in the education room at Leighton Moss that captures the richness of the reeds
We’re sometimes moaned at for going on too much about birds (can’t imagine why!) – but our nature reserves are home to over 13,000 species – so birds are really a minority shareholder in our wild estate. Bringing Reedbeds to Life really highlights the role reedbeds play for water voles and moths such as the rare small dotted footman. BirdsPlus – I would say.
If you get the chance – do plan a visit to one later in the spring.
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My colleagues at the sharp end of our work to save special places from harm are in the midst of one of the busiest periods we can remember (and some of us can remember quite a long way back).
I’ve been following the lengthy public inquiry into plans to extend Lydd Airport in Kent (here’s a link to that one) and today we launch into a shorter inquiry concerning plans to build houses at Hurstleigh Park in Berkshire.
We’ve been at the heart of striving to ensure the network of the Heathland sites to the SW of London are effectively protected. The network is known as the Thames Basin Heaths (not the most alluring of names) - it is protected by law and is designated as a Special Protection Area.
And all that striving has been effective – the area is inevitably going to be one where development is an ever-present factor and if the Thames Basin Heaths are to survive and thrive then the standards of planning need to be high. Both the location and the provision of recreational land to take the pressure off the heaths are crucial. And there has been substantial progress with local authorities working within a framework that recognises the special, and fragile, nature of the heathland.
Hurstleigh tests that proposition and we welcome the chance to argue our case at a public inquiry – you can read more here.
Nightjar - one of the ground-nesting birds that make the Thames Basin Heaths so special. Their nesting habits make them particularly vulnerable to disturbance. (Picture: Grahame Madge)
So is this build up activity linked to the current uncertainties in the planning system in England? Hard to make that link as most cases have been rumbling along for ages and way before current planning reforms. Hurstleigh has come forward quite quickly and may be a taster for the future – as developers test the bounds of sustainability. One thing is for certain – we aren’t planning for a quiet life any time soon.
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I promised you I would report after my evening out in Ely.
Lovely venue (the Maltings in Ely) – filled with an impressive audience of farmers and partner organisations.
The starting point was our fenland farmland bird recovery project (funded by Natural England) – and we heard from project officer Niki Williamson about the strong partnerships she has formed with fenland farmers. This particular project just has a few days to run before it transfers into our Fens Futurescape programme.
(Apols for all the fs – if you are reading this aloud do feel free to stop and wipe the screen)
Lapwings are birds of farmland and wetland
Our presence in the Fens is best known through our reserves – Lakenheath, the Nene and Ouse Washes and Fen Drayton (do try and visit during the spring). Restoring and enlarging the wetland bits of the Fens is a key part of our vision (only 3% of the original 3000 square km of wet fenland remain – so there is real scope to do this) – but in any analysis the majority of the Fens is now and will remain farmland.
A Fens future rich in wildlife will involve everyone pulling in the same direction – our own fenland work sits alongside the Great Fen project in the west of the area and National Trust’s vision for Wicken Fen. We’ve long recognised the importance of the agricultural land (the bulk of the area) for farmland birds – that’s been the reason for our recovery project after all – and the pride in achievement evident in Ely last night is great foundation for the future of Fenland.
Here’s some good news for one of the planet’s most critically endangered birds, the spoon-billed sandpiper.
Spoon-billed sandpiper chick (Jon O'Sulivan)
The numbers of this entrancing small wading bird are now thought to be as low as 400 individuals. They nest on the tundra in the far north of Russia and depend on coastal wetlands to survive the winter. And one of the threats to their survival is the loss of these vital links in their chain of migration.
For two sites near Shanghai in China the future now looks brighter with the news that the Walt Disney Corporation are giving a grant of $100,000 through their Disney’s Friends of Change programme – you can read more here.
The revelation that there are now so few spoon-billed sandpipers, as a result of recent surveys, is a real wake up call for action. Tackling habitat loss is but one aspect of the challenges ahead – hunting pressure at key migration and wintering sites is a major factor and the impact of climate change on their arctic breeding grounds may be an additional issue.
The implications of the loss of 800 tons of fuel oil from the wrecked freighter MV Oliva off Nightingale Island are becoming clear.
We’ve just had this update from RSPB’s Katrine Herian, who’s based on Tristan de Cunha.
Penguin update: 473 penguins here on Tristan in the rehab shed. A team has begun stabilising them with fluid, vitamins and charcoal to absorb ingested oil.
There are 529 more oiled penguins coming on the Edinburgh at 7pm tonight from Alex and Nightingale. Just had report back from Inaccessible they have 450 oiled penguins corralled from two rookeries Blenden Hall and Warrens Cliff, awaiting transport to Tristan.The priority, today, was to get food into them as the birds are very hungry. We are trying locally caught five fingers, yellowtail and crayfish. Just heard they have been taking small half inch squares of five fingers. The Sandy Point Express barge went out today catching fish specifically to feed the penguin. This is being filleted now.Washing of birds hasn't started yet. Birds are being stabilised first.Also we don't have heaters or infrared bulbs available to keep birds warm after washing. High risk of pneumonia developing if they are cold.The Tristan swimming pool has been closed for swimming and is being drained of chlorinated water to be partially refilled and used for birds that are not so badly oiled.Trevor is bringing one Molly fledgling back with him that was found oiled after first flight. Apparently, they washed it that went well and it’s on board Edinburgh keeping warm near the funnel.
Am going back up to the rehab shed now and to prepare for the next influx of oiled birds.
Our thoughts are with Katrine and all those involved in dealing with the aftermath of this shipwreck.
While it’s still on BBC Iplayer – you can hear Katrine on BBC Radio 4’s Material World here. (She’s about 10 minutes in).
This video is grim watching but does vividly show the impact on the island’s Rockhopper penguins.
As time passes, the reasons for this maritime accident will be analysed and lessons learned. Tristan, however, was prepared as well as they could be. We’re very grateful for the funding provided by the European Commission South Atlantic Invasive Species Project which enabled the preparation of a contingency plan (to tackle the real risks that rats will have left the sinking ship), provided training and purchased equipment so that Tristan were able to respond rapidly when the disaster occurred.
In the longer term this tragedy must send a clear signal that The UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are astonishingly rich in wildlife, but these Territories are often overlooked. Tristan da Cunha is no exception. It holds an enormous amount of highly threatened British wildlife, including 13 bird species in danger of extinction. The Tristan Conservation Department, which has responded superbly to this terrible disaster, is only four people, so simply cannot carry out the vast amount of conservation work which is required. Defra has responsibility for supporting UKOTs conservation (indeed, the vast majority of the threatened species for which the Department is responsible are found in the UKOTs), but at present has no full-time staff working on UKOT issues. They need to establish, urgently, a UKOTs Biodiversity Unit to coordinate support and to allocate sufficient resources to Tristan and the other UKOTs which are working to save British species from extinction.
Volunteers can not be flown to Tristan da Cunha and further supplies will take 4 to 6 days to reach the island. It’s hoped that the ship’s insurers will cover the extraordinary environmental emergency costs and the immediate impact on Tristan da Cunha’s economy.
The Tristan da Cunha Association is UK based and exists to support the islands – you can find out more here.