The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country _____________________________________________________________ The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background December 2005 Protecting Wildlife for the Future The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country gratefully acknowledges support from English Nature, Dudley MBC, Sandwell MBC, Walsall MBC and Wolverhampton City Council. This Report was compiled by: Dr Ellen Pisolkar MSc IEEM The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 Contents Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 3. SITES 4 3.1 Introduction 4 3.2 Birmingham 3.2.1 Edgbaston Reservoir 5 3.2.2 Moseley Bog 11 3.2.3 Queslett Quarry 17 3.2.4 Spaghetti Junction 22 3.2.5 Swanshurst Park 26 3.3 Dudley 3.3.1 Castle Hill 30 3.3.2 Doulton’s Claypit/Saltwells Wood 34 3.3.3 Fens Pools 44 3.4 Sandwell 3.4.1 Darby’s Hill Rd and Darby’s Hill Quarry 50 3.4.2 Sandwell Valley 54 3.4.3 Sheepwash Urban Park 63 3.5 Walsall 3.5.1 Moorcroft Wood 71 3.5.2 Reedswood Park 76 3.5 3 Rough Wood 81 3.6 Wolverhampton 3.6.1 Northycote Farm 85 3.6.2 Smestow Valley LNR (Valley Park) 90 3.6.3 West Park 97 4. HABITATS 101 The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 4.1 Introduction 101 4.2 Heathland 103 4.3 Canals 105 4.4 Rivers and Streams 110 4.5 Waterbodies 115 4.6 Grassland 119 4.7 Woodland 123 5. SPECIES 128 5.1 Introduction 128 5.2 Recording 129 5.3 Twelve species mentioned in The Endless Village 131 5.4 Species Changes - General 137 6. SUMMARY 146 6.1 Recognition of nature in urban areas 146 6.2 Losses 149 6.3 Nature areas and people 151 6.4 Knowledge 152 6.5 Management for nature 153 Conclusions 157 References 158 Acknowledgements 161 Appendices 163 Appendix 1: Species Increases and Decreases – further information on selected species Appendix 2: Moths and Butterflies in a Garden Appendix 3: Butterfly Trends within Walsall, 1992-2004. Appendix 4: Mike Bloxham – Information on Invertebrate Recording Appendix 5: URGENT Research Project: Biodiversity in urban habitat patches Appendix 6: Amphibians & Reptiles in Birmingham and the Black Country, the Past 30 years Appendix 7: West Midland Bird Club - Birmingham and The Black Country Breeding Bird Survey Appendix 8: Phil Evans: Cannon Hill Park Bird Survey – February – November 2005 The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 1 INTRODUCTION In 1974 West Midlands County Council asked the Nature Conservancy Council (now English Nature) to provide advice for their forthcoming Structure Plan. The Nature Conservancy Council then commissioned a survey of the area’s wildlife – The Endless Village by W.G. Teagle. This seminal work, published in 1978, resulted in formal recognition of the natural heritage to be found in urban areas in general and Birmingham and the Black Country in particular. Now, in 2005, international, national and local legislation has undergone a major transformation with a proportion of the natural fabric of towns and cities being acknowledged, and protected to a degree that was only dreamt of 30 years ago. Since then, however, the pressures of regeneration and infrastructure development, combined with indifference and poor communication have meant that there has been a continual erosion of the natural resources of Birmingham and the Black Country. This has been at least partly countered by improvements and gains. The aim of this project was to understand the changes in habitats, sites and species that have occurred between 1975 and 2005. With an area of more than 62,000 hectares covered by five local authorities and the fact that monitoring of open spaces and species has been fragmentary, it has been necessary to focus on a sample. Thus a selection of sites, habitats and species were chosen for detailed consideration. The study entailed site visits, desk study of existing reports, gathering information, both anecdotal and written, from those with specialist knowledge and in particular, the use of EcoRecord, the Ecological Database for Birmingham and the Black Country. The author acknowledges the valuable help provided by many individuals but takes full responsibility for any interpretation within the document. This technical document provides information for the Black Country Study which aims to shape the future of the Black Country with the vision of ‘a high quality environment – not the industrial legacy – dominating the urban landscape’. In addition, it is supporting and background material for the forthcoming publication ‘The Endless Village Revisited’, which promises to be a widely available and readable update on ‘The Endless Village’, more than 25 years after its publication. Ellen Pisolkar 8 December, 2005 The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 1 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Consideration of changes in a sample of sites, species and habitats between 1975 and 2005 has led to the following conclusions. Positive Changes • Increase in and therefore improved protection of designated sites. • Galvanised voluntary sector. • Increased knowledge of resource, however gaps in knowledge remain. • Improved management for biodiversity of watercourses, grassland, woodland and canals. • Increase in resources devoted to people and nature sites. • Improvement in water quality in watercourses. • A probable gain in the area covered by young woodland and trees (in the Black Country). • A gain of some species and an increase in the abundance of others. Reasons are varied but include natural expansion and perhaps climate change. The area is a notable stronghold for Common Frog and Water Vole. Negative Changes • Loss of some sites. • A significant loss of waterbodies in Walsall and Wolverhampton that may be reflected in other areas. • A loss in the area of grassland. The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 2 • A loss of some species or a decrease in abundance of other species for various reasons including habitat loss and management practices. • An increase in the abundance and prevalence of undesirable species. Due to a lack of consistent and standardised monitoring of sites and species and a regular programme of audits, it is difficult to assess the overall change in the nature conservation resource. The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 3 3 SITES – 30 years of changes 3.1 Introduction To investigate changes that have occurred in natural open space over the last 30 years, a number of sites were selected throughout the conurbation. Most had been visited in 1975/6 as background research for The Endless Village. Five sites in Birmingham and three in each of the Black Country authorities were chosen to indicate a range of sites of differing habitat types, nature conservation designations and accessibility, including public parks, ancient woodland, reclaimed land and waste areas. Birmingham Edgbaston Reservoir Moseley Bog Queslett Spaghetti Junction, Swanshurst Park Dudley Castle Hill Doultons Claypit/Saltwellls Wood Fens Pools Sandwell Darby’s Hill Sandwell Valley Sheepwash Urban Park Walsall Moxley (Moorcroft Wood) Reedswood Park Rough Wood Wolverhampton Northycote Farm Valley Park (Smestow Valley) West Park All the sites were visited once during June- November. Note was taken of specific habitat features and public use. Wherever possible, an interview with a warden or other person connected with the site was included in the visit. Desk-study involved collation of information from EcoRecord and the archives at the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country, files supplied by site managers as well as field information from 1975/6 supplied by W.G. Teagle. Accounts for each site follow with the focus being on changes that have occurred over the last 30 years supplemented by site photographs taken in 2005. This is followed by a summary highlighting notable changes during this period. The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 4 3.2 BIRMINGHAM 3.2.1 Edgbaston Reservoir, Birmingham Location : Ladywood, 2 km west of Birmingham City Centre Grid Reference : SP 043 867 Ownership/ Management: Birmingham City Council, British Waterways manage the reservoir for maintenance of water levels in the canal. Status: SINC Area: 29.4ha General Description The second largest waterbody in the City, covering an area of 25 hectares with a fringe of parkland, Edgbaston Reservoir was created in 1824 as a canal feeder on the site of Roach Pool, situated at the confluence of two streams. Since then it has also served as a focus of recreational activities particularly walking, dogwalking, fishing, birdwatching and a range of formal sports including sailing, rowing, canoeing and windsurfing. The main source of the water is from Titford, Sandwell and suffers from pollution. This fact, combined with the extended periods of drawdown in the summer, results in a relatively poor quality aquatic habitat. Marginal marsh vegetation is patchy and there is some willow and alder around the edge. Great Crested Grebes, Mallard, Coot and Moorhen nest on the Reservoir. Passage migrants are attracted by the large expanse of water but disturbance limits the number of wintering wildfowl. The fringe of parkland around the Reservoir includes Alder, Oak, Sycamore and Beech. There is little shrub layer and the herb layer is dominated by grasses, with a proportion being kept close- mown and some areas cut once a year. The parkland is enhanced by the large adjacent gardens. The location of the Reservoir behind built development means that it is well-used and appreciated by many, although completely unknown to others. The Endless Village Revisited Technical Background 2005 5 Edgbaston Reservoir: 30 Years of Changes 1975 2005 Designation Designated as a SINC in 1977 for its bird life. SINC Habitat/Section Parkland The parkland landscape around the waterbody The parkland area has changed little over the comprises mature trees including Beech, years with that around the Reservoir being Common Lime, Ash, Hornbeam, Sycamore, managed as a traditional park landscape.