The RSPB Community

Dormice and Bluebells

Alan — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:46:56 GMT

Last week we did our first check of the year of our 200 dormouse nestboxes. We found just 3 animals which is way down on previous years. It may be that the prolonged cold weather into April has meant that dormice are emerging from hibernation later this year. Let's hope that's the case and not that last year's poor weather and the long winter have reduced the numbers of dormice making it through hibernation. Our next check in June/July should help to clarify the situation. Checking the boxes is hard work but it's worth it when you find something as beautiful as this.....

And talking of beautiful, the bluebells in the woods near the Decoy Pond are looking particularly nice at the moment...

Mudlarks at the Warren

Alan — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:17:19 GMT

Broadwater has a lot of drying out to do and this week's work party volunteers spent a lot of their time on water- and mud-related activities. Jobs done included unblocking a culvert, moving an interpretation board that was disappearing into a pool of mud, creating perching sticks for dragonflies at the Decoy Pond and also clearing a lot of litter from along a roadside. So it was a busy day with many laughs and, to the disappointment of some, not one of us fell into the water or mud. The photographs below give a flavour of the day. Thanks to Barbara, Sally, Sarah, Sue, Stephen, Gareth, John and Leslie for their hard work.

Exmoor Ponies Return to the heath

Steve W — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:09:00 GMT

Exmoor Ponies have returned to the nature reserve to help us with the restoration of the heath. They will spend the next 6 months eating heathland weeds, breaking up dense vegetation and puddling the edges of our new ponds.

Three of the ponies arriving and immediately exploring their surroundings.

The ponies spend their winter on the South Downs and sites closer to the Sussex coast. They are owned and managed by by The Sussex Pony Grazing and Conservation Trust and are part of a larger herd which now numbers over 40.

The ponies first arrived at Broadwater Warren in 2010 and then returned in 2012. This year ,six of these lovely animals will spend their summer roaming widely over the 150 acre area created for them. They might be seen at any time browsing along the edges of the visitor trails or shading themselves under trees on warm summer days.

Ponies beside one of the visitor trails.

The ponies will generally want to ignore people. It is important that people do not approach them. It is also important that people do not offer them food. This would encourage them to encourage people - exactly want we and the Pony Trust want to avoid.

We are very grateful to the Pony Trust and to their dedicated team of volunteers who make sure the ponies are checked every day. If however, you have any concerns about any of ponies please call the grazier directly on 07917 420296.

More Delicious Cakes

Alan — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:18:49 GMT

Emma was a hard act to follow after her Easter cakes for the Saturday volunteer work party team, but Sally rose to the challenge and the Tuesday team enjoyed a real treat (see below). Now it' the birds turn to produce some eggs and we can only hope that this cold weather breaks soon so that the breeding season can get under way. If readers of this blog get the impression that the volunteers do little more than eat cake, perhaps these photos will show that they put in plenty of effort to burn off those calories. The Tuesday task was to finish clearing up after the contractors who put up the fence around our latest grazing paddock. We used the logs and brash to create some more habitat piles for the reserve's wildlife. The photo of the team may show a cloudless sky, but the wind was icy cold and you'll notice that everyone is well wrapped up.

Homes Built on Nature Reserve!

Alan — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 10:43:43 GMT

A few years ago a visitor asked me if the rumour was true that the RSPB was running out of money for its work at Broadwater and intended to sell off parts of the reserve for house-building. I assured him it wasn't true and the amount of work done since that time in restoring the heathland habitat and managing the reserve shows that, thanks to the generosity of funders, members, supporters and volunteers, there is a real determination to make Broadwater a wonderful place for wildlife. Perhaps if someone only reads the title of this blog the rumour will do the rounds again. But it's true that our Saturday work party team of Alison, Jane, Fiona, Emma, Anita, Rich, James, Ben and me spent a bitterly cold day building brash and log piles where birds, reptiles and insects can find refuge, perhaps build a nest and find a sunny point to bask in the sun when the temperatures finally get warmer. We built some neat ones and some more freestyle ones and we'l monitor them to see which the wildlife like best.

Thanks to the team for their hard work and special thanks to Emma for the delicious Easter cakes.

Diesel the Digger Dog

Steve W — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:18:00 GMT

Diesel the digger dog is helping to repair some of the nature reserve's tracks after the extremely wet winter and after all the recent work on the reserve restoring, felling, fencing and tree-planting.

Diesel sits quietly in the digger cab all day whilst his owner, Tom Newick of Pagan Plant, operates the machine (at least, I hope that's how they divide up the work!).

Clearly from the photo below, he also likes the opportunity to have a go himself!

We still need the tracks to dry out before we can complete the track repairs and ensure the tracks and rides have an excellent surface. Importantly the track restoration will create a surface which guides the water off the tracks and into the ditches, ensuring these repairs last for many years.

In the meantime, and with more rain forecast, bring your wellies and enjoy a good stomp through the mud and puddles, looking for signs of the first flowers of Spring.

We Say Jump ....... They Say I Do

Alan — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:20:44 GMT

When, during Saturday's work party, Emma said "I have a strange request" we were all intrigued. Then like all good RSPB volunteers we were more than happy to help out. Emma's cousin Clare and her partner Valerie were getting married that day and friends and family not at the ceremony were asked to have a photo taken jumping for joy. It wasn't that easy to capture the exact moment when everyone was in mid-air but after a few takes we did it. So here is the team of Alan, Cath, Anita, Emma, Rich, James, Ben and Joe all jumping for Clare and Valerie. We wish them every happiness.

Eat Cake and Carry On

Alan — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Our Tuesday volunteer team carried on where the Saturday team left off and spent a cold but thankfully sunny day continuing the clearance work in an area of remnant heath that we are sure will begin to flourish as the sunlight gets in. Here they are looking happy after a hard day's work and plenty of cake. Dave (fifth from left) recently celebrated his 70th birthday and treated us all to a delicious chocolate creation with Maltesers on the top. Is Dave planning to take things easier? Quite the contrary. He must be enjoying himself because he asked if he could also join the Wednesday volunteer conservation team at Tudeley Woods. Good on you, Dave.

Woodlarks return!... and other great news.

Steve W — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:25:00 GMT

Five Woodlarks were seen at Broadwater Warren today by one of our bird recorders, Alan Skinner. This is only the second time in a decade that these lovely little birds have been at Broadwater, the first being last year. They are currently staying together, but will probably soon split up to establish their own territories and start singing to attract a mate.

Woodlarks feed and nest on the ground, so they can be very susceptible to disturbance. Observe from a distance and listen out for their beautiful descending song, especially on sunny mornings.

You can here an example of the song on our woodlark page. We'll also try to help visitors hear and see these birds when we're out on the reserve.

Other interesting sightings today included 9 Common Snipe and a report of a Lesser-spotted Woodpecker in the wet woodlands, close to our boundary with Sussex Wildlife Trust. This is the smallest and rarest of the UK's three woodpecker species. It is in serious decline in the South East. A concerted effort to find signs of this lovely bird last year did not produce any results, so its great to find them again.

* Fingers crossed * for a good season for all these birds.

Spuds and Buzzards

Alan — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:23:00 GMT

Our weekend volunteer conservation work party team is going from strength to strength. A year or so ago we were struggling to find volunteers but we have now grown into a formidable bunch with a wide range of experience and backgrounds. On Saturday we worked hard clearing scrub which has shaded out the heather in an area of remnant heathland. Now that the sunlight (when we get some!) is able to flood in, the heather will start to thrive and the wildlife (bugs, reptiles and birds) will benefit. Among the day's highlights were baked potatoes and beans cooked on the bonfire (thanks Tim) and 3 Buzzards circling overhead. Don't think they had their eyes on our lunch. Unfortunately we didn't see the Raven that flew over the reserve, but others got a great view.

War-time Bomb Found

Steve W — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:13:00 GMT

Following the clearance of impenetrable young conifer this winter, our consultant specialists in Unexploded Ordinance found a 9-inch diameter air-dropped bomb.

The unexploded bomb was buried 2ft underground, very corroded, and with a tree growing on top (showing just how long the explosive had been there).

The police and bomb disposal team were called. The area was closed off. The UXO experts carefully dug around the bomb, then removed the detonator and the cone.

A robin took great interest in the hole that was being dug.

The bomb could then be lifted out of the ground and be taken away by the Bomb Disposal Team. By this time is was pitch dark and freezing cold. What a way to spend a Friday night!

Knowing that the site has a history of military use and was used for training during World War 2, we need to continue to check for unexploded ordinance, with all of the conservation work that we do.

Vote for the Broadwater and Tudeley Volunteers!

Alan — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:49:00 GMT

Please vote for the RSPB Weald Reserves volunteers

Our Broadwater Warren and Tudeley Woods volunteers have been short-listed for an award in the Kent and Sussex Courier and Chronicle newspapers annual Heart of the Community competition - http://cmgheart2012.nmgl.co.uk/vote. Our 50 volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds – the youngest is 15 and the oldest approaching 70 - and contribute over 3000 hours of their own time each year. Here are some photos of them in action:

Happy faces at Broadwater

Clearing scrub

Clearing yet more scrub!

Dormouse monitoring

The fence-building experts

Some of the Broadwater Tuesday Team

Installing waymarkers

Preparing interpretation panels for the History Trail

Waymarking the Nature Trail

Branding an arrow onto a post

Removing old rabbit fencing

Some rabbit fencing just doesn't want to come out!

Reptile surveying

Tree planting

Fairy Bonnets, Turkey Tails and Candle Snuff

Steve W — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:49:00 GMT

National fungi expert, Martin Allison, led our final fungi foray into Broadwater Warren for this season.

17 people came along to see what could be found. In 2 hours we had found an amazing, wide variety of fungi, with equally fantastic names....

Amethyist Deceiver
Birch Milk Cap
False Death Cap
Corral Spot
Sulphur Tuft
Brittle Gill
Fairy Bonnet
Candle Snuff
Brown Roll Rim
Birch Knight
Turkey Tail
Alder Cap
Penny Bun
Snapping Bonnett
Stags Horn
Hairy Curtain Crust
Birch Polypore
Funnel Clouded Agaric
False Chanterelle
Primrose Brittle Gill (very hot to taste!)
Frosted Web Cap
Rusty Gill
Ochre Brittle Gill

...and several more.

Martin fascinated the wonderful, friendly group with his knowledge and experience. Each speciment was pulled, sniffed, turned, scraped, and inspected under a hand lense. A few, (but not all!) were tasted. The Primrose Brittle Gill was particularly hot to taste. Soon the entire group was spreading out and spotting interesting fungi fruits all over the woodland floor and high up on the trees.

Thank you to everyone who came along, and for the good humour and friendliness throughout.

Fungal fun with boletes at Broadwater

Tom — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:15:00 GMT

A wide variety of fungi were found on the weekend at Broadwater Warren as Martin Allison, a fungus expert and ex-RSPB Warden led a guided walk through the reserve. It was a pleasantly sunny, autumnal day as we hunted along path edges and in the woodland for mushrooms.

Our searching was quickly rewarded as we found a young specimen of an ominously named species called the False Death Cap (Amanita citrina, below). As the name suggests, this species resembles, and is closely related to, the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides), one of the most poisonous mushrooms that exists. One of the key ways of differentiating the two is by smell: the Death Cap has a sickly sweet smell, whereas the False Death Cap smells like potatoes! The genus Amanita also contains the most iconic mushroom, the Fly Agaric (the classic red cap with white spots).

Another species of Amanita we found was the Grey-veiled Amanita (Amanita excelsa, below). The name comes from the grey-coloured skin-like substance found on the cap. This is the remnant of something called a ‘universal veil’ that protects many Amanita species when they’re very young. As the mushroom grows, it breaks apart and the only evidence of its presence in mature specimens is these pieces left on the cap and a sac around the base of the stem. This ‘remnant veil’ is what gives the Fly Agaric its white spots!

Next, we found the more benign sounding Bay Bolete (Boletus badius, below). You can easily identify a Bolete by looking underneath the cap; instead of having ‘gills’ like the mushrooms you buy in the shops, it has what are called ‘pores’, which look like little holes. This is a relative of the famous Cep, which is prized as being one of the best edible mushrooms.

Fungi come in all shapes and sizes like this species of Jelly Fungus (below) growing out of a dead birch tree. Mushrooms are incredibly important organisms within an ecosystem. One of their roles is to break down ‘lignin’, which is what makes trees hard. Without fungi, the world would be covered in dead trees! Indeed, there was a period in the Earth’s history after plants evolved lignin but before fungi evolved the ability to decompose it, where exactly this happened; it was called the Carboniferous, and resulted in the deposition of fossil fuels such as coal.

It is important to note that although some species of mushrooms are edible (and delicious!) some are deadly poisonous, so do not attempt to eat any unless you’re absolutely sure what you’re dealing with. Furthermore, while picking mushrooms is comparable to picking the fruit from a tree and doesn’t damage the organism that lives within the soil, we discourage over-picking of mushrooms as it can have a detrimental effect in the long term and means others can’t enjoy them.

If you’re interested in learning about mushroom identification and/or ecology, then please come along to one of our fungus walks on Saturday 13 October at Tudeley Woods or Thursday 18 October at Broadwater Warren; £4 for RSPB members and £8 for non-members.

If you have any questions about fungi or guided walks, then please feel free to e-mail me: Thomas.pinches@rspb.org.uk

The Exmoor Ponies leave for the Downs, Farewell and see you next year!

Steve W — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:32:36 GMT

It was time for the five Exmoor Ponies to leave the reserve today. They have enjoyed a long summer at Broadwater Warren, chomping their way around the reserve and helping us to keep grasses and weeds under control, long enough for the heather to return.

Rounding up the five ponies in a 150 acre area was going to be a challenge. Luckily we had a superb bunch of RSPB volunteers to help out.

The first thing to do was to close the reserve temporarily close the reserve, in case the ponies became panicked and started to run.

Next, the volunteers built a temporary corral and erected 400 metres of temporary fencing to 'funnel' the ponies into the right area.

Then, forming a long line, we herded to ponies towards the corral. Before we knew it, they were in the corral and the gate was closed. Despite all the preparation and planning, we still couldn't believe our luck. It couldn't have gone smoother.

The ponies were loaded onto the trailer and were quickly off to their winter home on the South Downs.

Time for well earned refreshments!

Thank you to our brilliant, hard working volunteers for making the day go so smoothly. A big Thank You also to the Sussex Pony Grazing & Conservation Trust for supplying and caring for these wonderful ponies. We hope to see the Exmoor Ponies back in the Spring.

Site restoration underway

Steve W — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 11:16:00 GMT

Work is underway on this season's work to restore the heathland, previously lost to conifer plantations since the 1950s.

We're removing planted Scots Pines to open up areas where heathland has previously been. Over the next few years this will develop into a glorious heath, buzzing with wildlife.

The view of the High Weald is reappearing after being hidden for decades....

The logs are being taken for use in construction, furniture making, fencing and even horse bedding. The branches and needles will be chipped and taken to generate electricity.

We're also removing the dense, impenetrable, self-seeded pine. This has to be done tree-by-tree... and there are acres of this! Around half will be removed this year.

Restoring Broadwater Warren is a big job and is going to take several more years yet. The ground that is newly opened up must be managed to keep the pines and birch under control so that the buried heather seeds get chance to germinate. We'll let the heather develop, as well as encouraging scrubby areas and a wide mix of habitat niches. This will be great for wildlife and a great place to explore for our visitors, especially children and also wildlife enthusiasts.

You can see a map of the area where we're working here.

Years of planning and consultation has got us this far. We're grateful to the suport of our visitors, our partners (the Forestry Commission and Natural England), and our funders which include the SITA Trust, Biffa, and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Look out for Dragons!

Alan — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:03:00 GMT

There are lots of fantastic Dragonflies in the reserve at the moment, both around the Decoy Pond and patrolling up and down the rides. Here are a couple of photos that I took recently with a simple point and press camera. You just have to be patient, wait until they settle and you can then get quite close without disturbing them. The first photo is of a female Southern Hawker and the second a Golden-Ringed (male I think)

Check out the heather!

Steve W — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 18:04:00 GMT

In Sepetmber 2010 we cleared a large area of dense, impenetrable young conifer on the eastern side of the reserve. Less than 2 years later there is a thick carpet of heather shoot, all in flower.

All of this heather has come from seed which had laid dormant under the conifer for years.

And, it's already teeming with life. These photos were taken on Tuesday 16 August. Check out this Honeybee...

This is a male White-tailed bumblebee...

Check out the amazing site of the heather in flower as you walk between the car park and the Decoy pond. Look out also for bees, butterflies and dragonflies.

Broadwater Dormice in good health, but...............

Alan — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 16:19:17 GMT

We've just finished the July check of our Dormouse nestboxes and were delighted to find 21 animals all seeming to be in good health. The highlight was discovering 2 males and a female in the same box. Not necessarily a happy home because the males seemed to have been scrapping to win the favours of the attractive young lady. Last July we had exactly the same total number of Dormice but that included 9 adults and 12 youngsters. This year all 21 were adults so it looks as though the bad weather has delayed the breeding season. Fingers crossed that young are born soon because they'll need time to put on sufficient weight to survive their winter hibernation. We'll know more when we check the boxes later this year. Fingers crossed until then. Couldn't resist including a cute photo of a Dormouse peeping out of its bracken nest.

Responsible Travel and the High Weald AONB Unit Step Up for Nature

Alan — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 21:02:22 GMT

Big thank you to everyone from Responsible Travel and the AONB Unit who came to Broadwater today to help us remove old rabbit fencing in order to clear the way for this autumn's heathland restoration work. Much laughter and lots of fun along with a great deal of hard work. I reckon about 400 metres of fencing was removed which is an amazing result. I really enjoyed hosting the day and hope that all those mozzie bites don't itch too much in the morning.

Beautiful Orchids

Alan — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:48:00 GMT

Some beautiful orchids in the reserve at the moment, but their colours are beginning to fade so don't leave it too long if you want to see them for yourselves.

There are Heath Spotted Orchids in the Sphagum Paddock visible through the fence:

and Common Spotted Orchids along the edges of the tracks leading into the reserve from Gate 3 (see reserve trailguide):

Our volunteers continue their great work

Steve W — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:59:00 GMT

Our superb and dedicated volunteers contrinue their great work through the summer. On Tuesday they cleared vegetation at the visitor car park, pulled up bracken, cleared out debris from one of our ponds, continued progress our reptile monitoring programme and removed old rabbit fencing left behind by the forestry company that previously owned the site.

200 metres of old rabbit fencing was removed on Tuesday, making the nature reserve clearer, safer and easier to manage and maintain.

The old netting goes for recycling. Some of it has been given for use at local allotments.

Nightjar week

Steve W — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 09:03:00 GMT

74 people attended our Nightjar evenings (Wednesday to Saturday) at Broadwater.

Unfortunately it has been a very difficult year for Nightjars, not just at Broadwater Warren, but across the South East. The weather extremes seem to have affected their migration from Sub-Saharan Africa, and those birds that did arrive seem to be finding it difficult to find food and a mate. There's a general feeling that Nightjars have this year lost confidence in the traditional English summer

These unseasonal Atlantic depressions also hampered the week itself. The evenings were cool and mostly very windy. Our Thursday evening event had to be cancelled due to the heavy rain.

Only one Nightjar was seen in flight and heard churring at Broadwater. Not long after 10 pm with "cu-leek' and wing clapping, a Nightjar performed a flypast and later churred for 5 - 10 minutes before abandoning the idea of any further efforts.

Despite this challenge, most visitors reported having an enjoyable time. We saw roding Woodcock, and heard the lovely songs of Song Thrush, Blackbird, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler, Yellowhammer and Robin. We also saw bats and identified them (using our bat detectors) as Pipistrelles. And right at the last minute, when we were about to leave on Saturday night, a glowworm lit up in front of the assembled group and glowed happily for everyone to see.

Wildlife Explorer, Ben Green, got up close to capture this lovely emotive photo

Thank you to everyone who came along and to the RSPB volunteers who helped. We hope our weather is more stable next year and we have more Nightjars to show everyone.

Nature Trail Extended and new trail leaflet available

Steve W — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 14:50:17 GMT

Our popular nature trail has been extended to include the wet woodland, tussock sedges and iron-rich pools. You can follow the boardwalk and get really close to these fascinating pools. They are asome of the rarest and most fragile areas on the nature reserve.

This part of the reserve is quite unique, and we hope it will be a fascinating part of your walk around Broadwater Warren.

In preparation, our work party volunteers installed new waymark posts with white arrows to guide visitors around the reserve.

New steps have been also installed.

To accompany the changes, a new nature trail leaflet and map has been produced. This is available to pick up from the information board in the visitor car park.

We hope you enjoy your walks around the reserve.

First Nightjar of the year

Alan — Sat, 26 May 2012 22:10:22 GMT

The first Nightjar of 2012 has returned to the reserve. A single bird was churring and seen in flight this evening. Last year our first bird was heard 10 days earlier so I guess the bad weather in the first half of the month delayed the Nightjars on their return from wintering in Africa.