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West Berkshire's Attraction for the Dartford Warbler

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West Berkshire's Attraction for the Dartford Warbler ISSUE 92 SUMMER UPSTREAM 2020 Inside this issue © Jon Hawkins BBOWT » p5 Dartford Warbler Dartford Warbler » p6 » p8 5 Bringing Back the Elm 6 WBCS AGM Reports West Berkshire’s attraction 8 Spring Walk from Hermitage to Hampstead Norreys for the Dartford warbler Plus lots more... The Dartford warbler was first West Berkshire is lucky enough to very top of a gorse bush, singing out its recorded as a breeding bird contain a number of lowland heathland rather scratchy warble. BBOWT, along areas. Of which, only Greenham and with its many enthusiastic volunteers, in 1773, near Dartford in Kent. Crookham – both sites looked after by work hard to ensure that the Commons The UK is the most northern the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and provide sufficient appropriate habitat to limit of its population extent, Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) on support the potential population. being found in southern behalf of West Berkshire Council – are Along with other ground nesting England, Wales, and as far known to support Dartford warbler birds, such as meadow and tree pipits, populations. Therefore, it is vitally woodlark, skylark and stonechat, east as Norfolk and Suffolk. important to maintain good, suitable the Dartford warbler is vulnerable to Higher numbers are found in habitat here and to increase this on the disturbance, especially during the mainland Europe. other sites. breeding season. There is a national Ground Nesting Bird Season (March It is a bird that lives only on lowland Typically, this consists of gorse and 1st to July 31st) and on Greenham and heathland in the UK, and favours heather in all growth stages, from Crookham, and Snelsmore Commons, Mediterranean maquis in Europe. young pioneer vegetation to abundant BBOWT supports this by employing So, like its habitat it is relatively rare, mature, dense gorse and heather. The wardens to patrol the sites. A zoning and declining. It is listed as being Dartford warbler often nests in bushes system to protect areas where the birds of conservation concern in the UK low to the ground, and forages for its are most susceptible (See Upstream and Europe (Amber listed) due to its mainly insect diet amongst the heather, Issue 89, Autumn 2019) is set up each historical population decline, as a result scrub and gorse. It is a small, dark, year, to encourage people and dogs of habitat loss. Currently around 3000 long-tailed warbler with a red eye ring, away from the most sensitive areas. pairs breed in the UK. and is typically spotted perching on the Continued on page 4 > West Berkshire Countryside Society Caring for our Countryside – Join Us and Help Make a Difference. West Berkshire Countryside Society The aim of the West Berkshire Countryside Society is to promote the understanding, appreciation and conservation of the West Berkshire countryside… furthering these objectives through practical conservation work and guided walks and talks from local experts. It was formed in 2012 by amalgamating the Friends of the Pang, Kennet & Lambourn Valleys; the Bucklebury Heathland Conservation Group; the Pang Valley Conservation Volunteers & the Barn Owl Group. Upstream is our quarterly publication designed to highlight conservation matters in West Berkshire and beyond and to publicise the activities of the Society. Chair, Webmaster & Enquiries: Tony McDonald Membership Secretary: Jathan Rayner ([email protected]) Upstream Editor: John Salmon ([email protected]) Hon President: Dick Greenaway MBE RD Initial contact for all above and for the Barn Owl Group, Bucklebury Heathland Conservation Group and West Berks Conservation Volunteers should, unless otherwise stated, be made via [email protected] Future Events As a consequence of Covid 19 restrictions, this issue of Upstream does not include any diary dates for walks, talks or tasks. If some restrictions are lifted which then enable us to arrange such events before the next issue of Upstream is distributed in mid-September then the events will be publicised on the diary page of our web site. So please check the web site if there is some easing in the guidance. Conservation Volunteers Round Up Ride at Rushall Farm © John Lerpiniere Lockdown may have halted our we have worked with the specific hedgerows were rapid and beautiful, tasks in mid-March, but Nature aim of encouraging their growth. and the ash were looking very continued to flourish. Indeed, many For example, at Rushall Farm healthy. parts of the world have reported in mid-April the woods looked Winterbourne Wood was also environmental benefits from the spectacular, especially where rides looking splendid. Primrose Ridge reduction of certain activities, not had been widened over the last was awash with blooms and the least travel. few years. They had become banks bank down to the road that we had Not that Nature doesn’t need some of wood spurge, primroses, wood recently cleared was a fantastic human help of the sort that we anemones, celandine, foxgloves slope of colour. The hazel coppice provide, and as Spring arrived there and grasses. Butterflies looked set was looking good too, with excellent were gratifying reports of flowers for a good season. Leaf emergence “greening up” and plenty of vigorous and plants flourishing on sites where and blossom from the trees and new growth behind the barriers we 2 had constructed to prevent deer from nibbling at fresh shoots. On Ashampstead Common the halo that we have maintained around the veteran sweet chestnut was particularly beautiful, and what was once a site of hammered mud from years of having been a collection point for logs is now a magnificent glade, due to volunteers’ efforts over 20 years, with wild flowers spreading year by year. At Grimsbury Castle near Hermitage the piles of rhododendrons we have cut down – and sometimes wrenched out of the ground – were rotting down well within the woodland. (We do not have bonfires on this Iron Age site because of its archaeological interest.) Only a low level of regrowth was apparent in the area where we have worked for some time, but there remain more plants to be cut on the opposite side of the road where Veteran Tree © Dick Greenaway we’ve been recently. The year had started with bad news, surface water. We also laid large usual objective of creating a barrier when flooding close to Hosehill Lake, rubber mats obtained by Hermitage to roaming stock. Before the actual near Theale, destroyed a short stretch Parish Council at the gateways into laying, we removed surplus growth of the perimeter path which we the recreation field. Some heavy logs from the hedge, building habitat and other groups have been laying were rolled into place to delineate piles with the logs and burning the over several years. Despite having a path and our brush-cutters cut excess brash. been mechanically compacted, scallops into the brambles bordering At Malt House Farm we started aggregate to the depth of nine the wild-flower meadow. laying hedges on either side of inches was washed away, leaving Sometimes it takes a while for our a quiet rural road. One hedge, hollows that presented a risk to the efforts to show results. But within alongside a cropped field, was tall public. Saturday volunteers of the two months a hedge that we’d set and overgrown. On the other side Theale Area Bird Conservation Group out close to Sulham was flourishing. were the remains of an old hedge retrieved and reinstated much of the In February we planted 240 whips, in a very poor condition between aggregate as a temporary measure. mostly hawthorn but with some field woodland and a field. After lunch it Winter rain also created several large maple, in two rows as a continuation rained heavily so, with more visits quagmires at Furze Hill, on the path of an existing hedge and with the obviously needed, we finished early. from Pinewood Crescent into the aim of providing food and shelter for Leckhampstead Parish Council asked woodland. We removed mud and wildlife. We also removed one tree us to make a one-off visit to Hill Green then dug channels, which had the that was blocking a public path close to clear brash from an area bordering immediate effect of taking away to where we were working, and a a public footpath. Two volunteers second one that was threatening to used brush-cutters to clear and burn do so. By early April, the whips were a substantial amount of encroaching beginning to bud. bramble and our chainsaw team We continued laying a hedge of made safe a tree, left dangerous after considerable length at Sheepdrove extremely windy weather, and cut it Organic Farm with the aim of into logs – with the remainder of us providing a barrier to prevent non- providing manual labour to gather up Small Copper Butterfly at Elm Farm organic sprays being blown on to the results. © Anne Sayer the farm’s land – in contrast to the Terry Crawford 3 Continued from page 1. The population of Dartford warblers, ground nesting birds found on the and other key birds on Greenham Common. So, large areas are cut on and Crookham Common, has been rotation each year, by machinery, in monitored using territory mapping order to ensure that there is a variety surveys (a modified Breeding Bird of all stages of growth. In addition, Survey methodology) since 2009. This lowland heathland is prone to natural has shown a steady increase from single succession, so to preserve an open figures for the first few years to 13 or habitat, encroaching birch and pine 14 territories in 2015-17. However, in scrub is cut and burnt every winter on 2018 only 3 territories were identified, all the heathland sites.
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