LOCAL GROUP
SEPTEMBER 2016 NEWSLETTER
Leaving the EU could remove some of the wildlife protection protected by the Habitats and the Birds Directives, and affect the funding of farming stewardship schemes which compensate farmers for loss of productivity when more environmentally friendly practices are employed. We therefore need to ensure that our government, whatever its political colour, continues to maintain the improvements in the environment that have been gained over the past decades and that all the campaigning and work of wildlife supporters like us is not undermined. Organisations such as the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts are vital guardians and we must give them as much support as possible.
It was good therefore to hear at the Sevenoaks Group’s AGM on 7th May that in the last financial year we had donated £3,800 to the RSPB, plus a further £544 from sales of goods, and also collected £7,741 from pin badge sales. Thank you to all our loyal supporters, some of whom have elected to receive this Newsletter electronically rather than by post.
This year is already off to a good start, with participation in the National Trust Bird and Birdsong event at Knole Park in April, an Allotment Day in Sevenoaks in July and, also in July, a charity “bucket collection” at the Sainsbury Supermarket which raised £218.51. Our next event will be a tent at the Shoreham Heavy Horse Show on Sunday 4th September. This is always a highly enjoyable event, so do come along and visit us.
Anne McGregor has taken over from Nick Barlow as mid-week field meeting leader. Nick will be a very hard act to follow, but Anne has already made her mark and has produced an excellent programme of trips which can be found in the Diary Section (p5-8) along with John Waterman’s weekend trips, and the varied indoor meeting programme, produced by Jean Nobbs, which starts on September 1st. The “Diary Section” is deliberately printed as the centre sheet so that it can be easily removed and kept as an aide memoire, though members still occasionally say they didn’t know an event or meeting was happening. All our events are also listed on the website which is where any last minute alterations or cancellations would appear in the “News” section on the front page.
In this issue there are also details of our next Quiz Evening, Photographic Competition (both p9), and a 3-day Minibus Trip to deepest Lincolnshire (p10).
It’s always nice to round up with some good news, so on page 11 is a report on the breeding of waders in north Kent by Alan Johnson, the RSPB South East Region Conservation Manager. This was first published in the Kent Ornithological Society’s Kent Bird Report 2014 (number 63), which is the current issue.
A colour version of this newsletter will appear in the “News” section on the website: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/sevenoaks. Brian Nobbs, Editor. [email protected]. 36 Main Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, TN14 6EP.
The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England and Wales no. 207076; Scotland no. SC037654 1 June 2016 – what a month for our garden birds!
This year Brian and I decided to remain at home in June to make the most of the garden at its best. Best for whom (or what)? Having returned at the end of May from Romania, we found the garden had burgeoned, recent rain having suited our very sandy soil.
In mid - May the first signs of a wildlife takeover had been evident. A pair of very feisty Mistle Thrushes built a sturdy nest in the fork of a tree not four feet from the ground in the wildest area of the garden. We did not hold out much hope the nest would succeed, but as the leaves covered the tree, and four eggs were laid we went off on holiday leaving the parents in peace. On our return, the “missiles” as we referred to them made it very plain neither we nor any other form of wildlife were welcome at the bottom of the garden. We resigned ourselves to the odd quick dash to the compost heap Garden Mistle Thrush © Brian Nobbs or shed, and admired the developing wild flower meadow from afar.
Yellow Rattle, a semi parasitic plant on grasses was proving a good method of reducing grass vigour, to the benefit of other wild flowers. The Mallards continued to trash the pond, but eventually returned to the lake having eaten a lot of unwanted plant material, leaving just the native water species such as Bog Bean, Water Soldier and Cotton Grass.
The weather remained damp, but the birdsong was intense. Three pairs of Song Thrushes competed with themselves and a number of pairs of Blackbirds, one Blackbird pair nesting in a Mahonia three feet from the sitting room window. The three pairs of Robins got on with raising families with the occasional skirmish, and rush to the mealworm feeders topped up twice a day. (We delayed at our peril!) We kept up feeding sunflower hearts and mixed seed as well as fat balls and fat blocks. The Blue and Great Tit parents were glad of this, but had to compete with two pairs of Greenfinches, and at least two pairs of Goldfinches which met occasionally in an aerial dog fight, plus a Nuthatch. Successful breeding was indicated by a raid on the feeders by 10 Goldfinches, the juveniles obvious without the adult red mask. A family party of 10 Long-tailed Tits also put in an appearance, and a Goldcrest was heard in the Cedar tree.
On 10th June it was clear that the parent Mistle Thrushes were not straying far from the garden, keeping watch from a lakeside Alder tree, a rose arch or our sun dial. Woe betide any Magpie or Jackdaw which ventured close. Then on the 13th I came upon a youngster by the vegetable patch which flew in an ungainly manner to the top of the shed. Had we got the bottom of the garden back? No! The harsh cries of a parent escorting junior to safety made me back off again. We hoped the other three were with the other parent.
Also on our return home we noticed a pair of Pied Wagtails perching on the telephone wire or ferreting for insects on the roof. They started to get more agitated as time wore on, and I realised they had a nest – under the solar panels! Was the front garden now off limits? Not quite, but we had to leave the property occasionally …..
So what had Romania to beat this? Well lots of Cuckoos of course, but I guess we will stay at home again in June next year. For more on Romania, see the next item!
Jean Nobbs
2 A Taste of Romania, from Transylvania to the Black Sea Text and photographs by Brian Nobbs
May proved to be an excellent time to visit Romania. Extensive woodlands covered the hills, a number of the fields had wild flowers growing, apparently to provide nectar for pollinators (including hives of Honey Bees transported from site to site) which included a vivid variety of butterflies, and birds were holding territories and feeding young families.
The first part of our visit was based in the small Transylvanian town of Zarnesti, backed by the mountains of the Piatra Craiului (Rock-of-the King) National Park in the Carpathians. The limestone is cut by dramatic gorges, with wooded areas in the clefts home to warblers and the streams to Dippers and Grey Wagtails, whilst more open areas contained Red-backed Shrikes and a variety of woodpeckers, including Grey-headed and the spectacular Black Woodpecker. Overhead Common Buzzards were joined by Kestrels hunting for rodents or perhaps lizards.
The highlight, however, had to be an evening visit to a bear hide deep in the woods. The Brown Bears are tempted to come near the hide by the regular provision of light snacks, but they are wild animals and there is no guarantee that any will come – though Romania still probably holds the largest population in Europe, together with Wolf and even Lynx.
Zarnesti Gorge
The escorting warden made sure we were all safely in the hide and then took a bag of corn and biscuits from his vehicle and started to place some around the clearing in front of the hide, but his extremely hasty exit alerted us to the entrance of a female bear with three cubs. Over the course of two hours nine individual bears came and went, Eurasian Brown Bear stopping to sample the fare and
to engage in a little socialising before melting back into the woods as another, perhaps more dominant individual arrived. Although the bears could almost certainly smell or hear us, even if they were too short-sighted to see us, they were totally nonchalant and it really was a magical evening.
Whilst in the area we stopped at Castle Bran. The castle itself felt somewhat Disneyesque, and was surrounded by sellers of “Dracula” souvenirs (including a blood-coloured alcoholic beverage called “Draquila”). However, more interesting to us were the surrounding grounds and gardens which seemed to have large numbers of Fieldfares harvesting insects and worms for hungry chicks, whilst White Wagtails pursued more aerial prey.
After a few days we moved south-east to Tulcea on the banks of the River Danube, where we boarded our floating hotel. This was then towed by a dedicated tug along the river and then into the side channels of the Delta, whilst you could sit comfortably on the top deck and watch the scenery drift by. By day we would be taken through the smaller channels and lakes on a smaller motor craft, also part of the flotilla, returning to the hotel for lunch or for the night. 3 Whilst we were exploring the delta, watched by herons (Grey, Purple, Squacco and Black-crowned Night), Kingfishers, Great and Pygmy Cormorants, the hotel was moved by its tug to another location.
The large flocks of Eurasian White Pelicans had to be scanned for the larger and rarer Dalmatian Pelican, and amongst the Great Crested Grebes were their Red-necked and Black-necked relatives. Perched in the trees along the banks were numerous Cuckoos (probably watching the massive reedbeds for Reed and Great Reed Warblers whose nests they could lay an egg in), Red-footed Falcons, Hobbies and even a scattering of White-tailed Eagles. One in particular watched us imperiously at eye level as we Eurasian White and Dalmatian (in centre) Pelicans drifted by with motor cut. We also got a rare view of a Little Bittern and also Penduline Tit.
It must be very hazardous to be a fish in the Danube Delta, because as well as the Kingfishers, herons and pelicans, there are squadrons of Common and Whiskered, plus a few Black, Terns diving into the waters.
Near a village on the edge of the Delta shallow pools were being systematically patrolled by Spoonbills, Avocets and Black- winged Stilts, with the occasional White Stork and Collared Pratincole, with Hoopoe and Black Redstart among some abandoned buildings, through the empty window on one of which a Little Owl balefully surveyed the scene. An unexpected bonus was provided by a flock of Rose-coloured Starlings passing through.
Our last two days were spent near the Black Sea coast. Neighbouring hills were home to the Suslik, a ground squirrel, Northern Wheatear, Crested Lark, Tawny Pipit and Black-headed Bunting, with Long-legged and Honey Buzzards, Booted Eagle and Levant Sparrowhawk cruising the airspace. There were butterflies everywhere with a range of blues and fritillaries, but even the largest butterfly was dwarfed by an enormous Bronzed Cricket which pushed through the undergrowth like an armoured vehicle.
Nearer to the coast were yet more reedbeds and this time we managed to get good views of Paddyfield Warbler, and the coastal lagoons held a variety of waders and a large mixed gull and tern colony.
This trip, organised by Naturetrek, gave a fascinating glimpse of this as yet not overdeveloped country, which has a rich variety of habitats and will obviously reward a much more extensive exploration. It will be described in more detail at the indoor meeting on 4th May 2017, following the AGM.
Brian Nobbs
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DIARY SECTION
We meet on the first Thursday of the month, at OTFORD VILLAGE MEMORIAL HALL, High Street, Otford, TN14 5PQ. The car park is adjacent to the hall, and is free after 6 pm.
Entrance fee = Group Members £2.50, non-members £3.50. Please note that meetings will START PROMPTLY at 7.45 pm, doors are open from 7.15 pm.
DONATIONS OF RAFFLE PRIZES ALWAYS APPRECIATED!
Peter and Pauline Heathcote - Panamanian Puddles 7.45 pm Thursday 1st A compilation of two visits to this fascinating Central American country SEPTEMBER featuring a spectacular mixture of birds, butterflies and other wildlife. 2016
Simon Ginnaw - Birds beyond the boughs 7.45 pm Thursday 6th Simon is Senior Ranger at Riverside Country Park. OCTOBER The lives of our woodland birds can be hard to discover. Join Simon as he 2016 reveals the secret lives and fascinating ecology behind our woodland birds.
John Buckingham - Birds and mammals of the Indian sub-continent 7.45 pm Thursday 3rd A cornucopia of Tigers, Asian Lion, Rhino, and many other species of NOVEMBER mammals and birds from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. 2016
Andrew Cleave - The wildlife of southern Sweden 7.45 pm Thursday 1st Noted for its amazing autumn bird migration, southern Sweden offers many DECEMBER exciting opportunities for watching wildlife, from the spectacle of 10,000 2016 cranes arriving in spring to the delights of the unspoilt countryside and beautiful Baltic coastline with a wide range of breeding birds and colourful wildflowers. Plus mulled wine and mince pies
Dr Tim Seller - Camouflage and mimicry 7.45 pm Thursday 5th Many species go to considerable anatomical and behavioural lengths to avoid JANUARY predation, ranging from the simple and obvious to complex and extremely 2017 effective ways of hiding in the environment. Tim is a retired zoologist and has proved to be a popular speaker with us. The talk takes examples from all around the world. Plus photographic competition voting
Dr Brett Lewis - Travels with a camera 7.45 pm Thursday 2nd Wildlife with biodiversity in mind. A look at wildlife encounters from around the FEBRUARY south-east region, together with wildlife and landscapes from further afield. 2017 Brett will be sharing his experience and knowledge as a biologist and ecologist. Plus photographic competition results
5 Rolf Williams MSc - Redshank, Rays and Roosevelt 7.45 pm Thursday 2nd Stretching from Gravesend to Whitstable, the Thames marshes were created MARCH by the Romans, farmed by the Saxons, written about by Dickens, and echoed 2017 to the voice of Roosevelt. Today the marshes and associated Thames and Medway estuaries accommodate 300,000 wintering wildfowl and waders and breeding marsh harriers, redshanks, water voles and rare insects. The Swale has recently been designated a marine Conservation Zone. Illustrated with aerial photographs taken by Rolf from a Microlight aircraft we fly up river and take a peek at Essex also.
Peter Holden MBE - Giving Nature a Home 7.45 pm Thursday 6th A look at some of the fascinating wildlife that scientists have found benefit APRIL from our activities in the garden and further afield. Some top tips for making 2017 simple improvements to our garden habitats, and a look at some of the initiatives being taken by the RSPB to increase biodiversity.
Plus media sale – Books, DVDs & CDs
AGM + Brian Nobbs – Bears and Pelicans, a Taste of Romania 7.45 pm Thursday 4th An introduction to some of the wildlife to be found in this intriguing country, MAY from the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania to the lakes and waterways of 2017 the Danube Delta. Plus wine and cheese
Our field meetings are a great opportunity to see a wide variety of birds and get some fresh air and exercise at the same time. We will see over thirty different species on most walks and sometimes fifty plus. The walks are for people of all abilities and for the most part cover easy terrain at a leisurely pace, providing a chance to enjoy birds and learn more about them and their habitats, and share a common interest with others.
On most walks we suggest you bring a packed lunch. Warm, waterproof clothing and stout footwear are advised on all trips. All walks are undertaken at your own risk. It does have to be pretty bad before we give up on a walk, but if you are intending to come, please check with the leader. Contact numbers are: Weekends: (see also box below) John Waterman on 01959 532364 or, if you are late, ring John on 07935 206618; Weekdays: Anne McGregor 01732 454304. For Minibus trips, the contact is Mick Love on 01732 384573.
Remember to take your RSPB membership card to all meetings at RSPB reserves. Length of walk: “A” = 1 mile: “B” = 2 miles: “C” = up to 4 miles For those with satellite navigation, we have included the nearest Post Code, but please note this only gives an approximation of the meeting point, but usually to within a few hundred metres.
F or car sharing, weekend meetings will start from the car park of Mavala UK Ltd., Unit 4, Morewood Close, London Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 2HU. Turn off London Road into Morewood Close (by Fire Station), follow road round sharp right hand bend. Mavala is on right before Station Car park. Those wishing to car share should arrive at 8:30 for an 8:45 departure. Participants are of course free to travel directly to the meeting location if they prefer. I f you coming to a WEEKEND field meeting, please let JOHN WATERMAN know by phone or text [07935 206618], whether you are meeting at Mavala or travelling direct. Similarly, if you are coming to a WEEKDAY field meeting, please let ANNE McGREGOR know by phone [01732 454304],
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September 2016
Elmley Nature Reserve (TQ939679) ME12 3RW Sun 18th Waders, wildfowl, raptors. *10.00 am Take A249 from M20 J7. One mile after Kingsferry Bridge turn R on signposted “C” rough track for 2 miles to reserve car park. Bring lunch. NB. Long walk to hides. All day Led by John Waterman *N.B. if starting from Mavala, meet at 8.45 am for a 9.00 am departure.
Dungeness RSPB Nature Reserve (TR063196) TN29 9PN Wed 21st Wildfowl and migrants 10.30 am From B2075 Rye to Romney road take Dungeness road to Lydd. After 1 mile turn R “C” at Boulderwall Farm onto gravel track leading to reserve centre. All day Bring lunch & RSPB Membership card. Led by Anne McGregor
October 2016
North Foreland/Joss Bay (TR399700) CT10 3PG Sun 16th Migrants, Purple Sandpiper 10.30 am Take B2052 east then south to lighthouse. Meet at North Foreland Lighthouse. “C” Bring lunch All day Led by John Waterman
Rye Harbour Nature Reserve (TQ942188) TN31 7TY Wed 19th Waders, wildfowl, migrants 10.30 am From A259 towards Hastings, turn L, after Rye Town on minor road to Rye Harbour. “C” Meet in car park. Bring lunch All day Led by Anne McGregor
November 2016
Oare Marshes KWT Reserve (TR013648) ME13 0QD Wed 16th Waders and raptors 10.30 am Off A2 before Faversham. Continue on from B2045 along Harty Ferry Road to car “C” park by Kent Wildlife Trust information centre. Signposted from Oare Village. All day Bring lunch. Led by Anne McGregor
Cuckmere Haven Head (TV518995) BN25 4AD Sun 27th Autumn migrants. 10.30 am On A259 between Eastbourne and Seaford. Meet at Country Park car park. “C” Bring lunch. All day Led by John Waterman
December 2016
Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve (TQ520566)TN13 3DH Thurs 8th Followed by Bough Beech (TQ495492) TN14 6LD 10.00 am Wildfowl and winter visitors “C” Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve is signposted N of A25 (Bradbourne Vale Road), All day Riverhead. Meet at the visitor centre car park. Bring lunch. Led by Anne McGregor
Continued/
7
December 2016 continued
Dungeness RSPB Nature Reserve (TR063196) TN29 9PN Sun 11th Wildfowl and migrants 10.30 am From B2075 Rye to Romney road take Dungeness road to Lydd. After 1 mile turn R “C” at Boulderwall Farm onto gravel track leading to reserve centre. All day Bring lunch & RSPB Membership card. Led by John Waterman
January 2017
Bough Beech (TQ495492) TN14 6LD Sun 1st New Year startup 10.00 am Meet on the causeway road overlooking the reservoir near the KWT reserve centre “A” at Winkhurst Green. Morning Led by John Waterman
Shellness (TR042699) ME12 4RJ, followed by Harty Ferry and Raptor Viewpoint Thu 5th Waders, raptors, Snow Buntings and owls. 10.30 am On the Isle of Sheppey. Meet on sea wall just outside Leysdown-on-Sea, at end of “C” B2231. (Approx. 1 mile after passing the toilet block). All day Bring lunch. Led by Anne McGregor
If you’ve ever fancied getting involved with some practical conservation, why not come out to one of our work parties? Try felling a tree, making a dead hedge or starting a bonfire; get some fresh air and make a difference. Send an email to [email protected] or call 01892 752430 if you’d like more information.
Meet at the Reserve car park at 10:00 am. Post Code TN11 0PT. All work is conducted under the supervision of the warden, and tools can be provided, though you may prefer to bring your own (gloves, saw, loppers, etc.). Don’t forget to bring some lunch and a drink! Due to current roadworks there is no turning directly off the A21, so the reserve is approached from the B2017 ‘Five Oak Green Road’, turning right (from Sevenoaks direction) into Alders Road (NB this turning is on a bend), and then right again into Dislingbury Road, indicated by the brown RSPB sign. The reserve car park is near the end of the lane. 2016 Work Parties Sunday Wednesday
September 4th, 25th 7th, 21st October 23rd 5th, 19th November 20th 2nd, 16th, 30th December 18th 14th
One area of Tudeley that may not be so well known is the meadow at Brakeybank, in the heart of the reserve. In July it was full of orchids, and to celebrate National Meadows Day volunteers cut some areas as “green hay” and spread it on a previously cleared adjacent area. Hopefully the seeds will germinate and help increase the area of meadow. “Green Hay” distributed over a the newly cleared area
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KEEP THE DATE FREE……… th Saturday 12 November at
7.30 pm
?? Quiz Evening ?? th Venue: 4 St Johns Scout Hut, Mill Lane, Sevenoaks TN14 5BX
Cost £10 to include a ploughman’s supper – please bring own drinks
Join us for a light-hearted & fun evening raising funds for RSPB
Bring your friends, everyone welcome
Enquiries: Anne Chapman Tel: 01732-456459 [email protected] 9 Nursery Close, Sevenoaks TN13 3PR
…………………………………………………………………………Photographic Competition 2016/17 ……..
I would like to enter a team of ………….. peopleIf you haven’t (between already 6 and thought 8) about entering our next photographic competition, for Group Members, now is Name …………………………………………………………………………………….the time to get out and about with your camera – though you can be quite relaxed about it! Address: ………………………………………………………………………………. As before. there will be four categories – Birds, Other ……………………………………………………….Fauna, Tel: Flora,…………………………… and Landscape.
I enclose a cheque for: £ ……………… (payablePhotographs to Sevenoaks of birds and RSPB other Local fauna, Group) must have been taken in the wild (i.e. not in captivity please). Up to two entries per category are invited. They should be prints of no larger than 15cm X 21cm (A5). The entries will be displayed anonymously (but coded), at the January 2017 meeting, when all the membersEnquiries: attending Anne Chapman will be invited Tel: 01732to vote-456459 for their choice by ballot. They will then be displayed again atEmail: the February [email protected] meeting, this time with the photographers named, and the winners in each category will be announced. This allows everyone to participate, and avoids the subjectivity of a single judge. The committee may decide to use some of the photographs to produce greetings cards for sale, subject to the copyright holder’s permission.
Please send your entries, clearly identified with your name, address, title of the picture and the category, to me at the address below, or hand them to me at the October, November or December 2016 indoor meetings.
Entries must be received by 21st December 2016. There is no entry fee (or prize), but if you wish your photographs to be returned by post, please enclose a suitable stamped addressed envelope. Please send entries to me, Brian Nobbs, at 36 Main Road, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, TN14 6EP.
9 Gibraltar and back via Boston
Three Day Minibus Trip 13th, 14th, 15th May 2017
I am planning a 3 day birding tour during which we will visit at least 2 reserves each day. These will range from large NNR reserves to a small locally run reserve. Included in the list will be RSPB reserves, a Wildlife Trust reserve and even a local council reserve run by volunteers. As I anticipate this being the last trip I organise, the visits we make will be to a varied range of reserves, in order to maximise the potential for a successful trip.
Our first night's stop will be at Boston, following which we will drive north to our furthest point from Sevenoaks. Our primary destination will be the Wildlife Trust reserve at Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire, where will spend the best part of a day in a variety of habitats. After this we will head southwest to our second night’s accommodation in Peterborough. We will be staying in 3* hotels on a bed, breakfast and evening meal basis, which will include full English breakfasts and 2 course evening meals with a drink. Lunches will be up to the individual but I would recommend a packed lunch for the first day. On the second day we can dine in the new cafeteria at Gibraltar Point and the third day's lunch will be arranged on the day.
Most reserves will involve some quite long walks, particularly at Gibraltar Point but we will try to keep to a leisurely pace. All reserves will have at least one hide where we can have a rest.
Cost will be £165 per person for a double room with single rooms available at a supplement of £40 per head. Transport, accommodation and reserve entry fees are all included in the above price. As this is a weekend break, it is not considered to be an RSPB activity and is therefore not covered by RSPB insurance against third party risk; this will be up to the individual. For the same reason this type of trip has to be funded privately, therefore cheques in payment should be made out to M Love. See booking form below.
Early booking would be appreciated which will enable me to confirm the arrangements.
Minibus will leave Mavala car park at the civilised time of 7.30am on Saturday, returning to Sevenoaks 6.30 to 7.00pm on the Monday. ______
Please complete the booking form below and return to:
MICK LOVE, 14 THE LANDWAY, KEMSING, SEVENOAKS, KENT. TN15 6TG
Please reserve...... place/s for the Gibraltar Point weekend, leaving on the 13th May 2017. I enclose a cheque for £40 each deposit, made payable to 'M LOVE' Balance to be paid no later than 4 weeks before departure.
I require the following room:
Twin Room / Single Room / Shared Room, with...... (delete as necessary)
NAME...... DATE......
ADDRESS......
…......
TEL.NO...... E-MAIL: ……………………………………………...
10 Breeding Waders in North Kent; reasons to be cheerful... Alan Johnson – Conservation Manager for RSPB South East Region
One of the oddities of working in the field of wildlife conservation is that, quite rightly, we put most of our effort into helping the species that are struggling, with no guarantee of success. There is no shortage of candidates for help, as the State of Nature report (2013) recently described, and nature is under enormous pressure, particularly in the South East of England, where some of the UK’s most important wildlife sites fight for space amongst one of the world’s most populous regions. In spite of this, we have had some big wins over the past few years as a result of targeted conservation action, with increases in Bitterns, Corncrakes, Stone Curlews, Sea Eagles, Cirl Buntings and Red Kites being notable. I think we may soon be able to add the breeding waders of North Kent to this list.
Because of their long history of population decline (Lapwing have declined by 80% since 1960 in England and Wales) and their status as indicators of the health of wetland habitats in general, breeding waders are a high priority for conservation action in the UK. The North Kent Marshes have about three quarters of all the breeding waders in the South East of England, primarily Lapwing, Redshank and Oystercatcher (the clay soils not being suitable for Snipe, and Black-tailed Godwit recently becoming extinct as a breeding species in Kent), which makes this area an overwhelming priority for action. I trawled through the data on breeding Lapwing recently for the Kent Bird Atlas Lapwing at Elmley © Brian Nobbs (2015) and there are some interesting trends. The Breeding Bird Survey indicates that Lapwing have declined significantly across Kent, reflecting declines across the UK which probably result from changes in farming practice (e.g. a switch to winter wheat), but have remained stable on the wet grassland habitat found on the North Kent Marshes. The Breeding Bird Atlas supports this picture, with birds disappearing from the middle of the county, but remaining on the lower, wetter margins.
The North Kent Marshes were subject to a determined land drainage programme following World War II, and many areas were subsequently converted to arable, so this wetland retreat for waders was also under pressure. Lapwing, Redshank and Oystercatchers all have a preference for open, seasonally wet, grazed pasture, but much of the marshes had become dry, inappropriately grazed and enclosed by scrub. However, in contrast to the declining population trend in the wider Kent countryside, the wader population on wet grasslands in Kent has recovered from the 80’s onwards. This has been the result of some significant and heartening changes on the ground, which can broadly be summarised as making new wetland habitat, supported by agri-environment schemes, and tackling the issues around low chick productivity.
The Breeding Birds of Wet Meadows Survey is a good indicator of change in wader populations in the UK and records a big uplift in wader populations between the 1982 and 2002 surveys on wet grasslands in Kent, with the number of Lapwing pairs increasing from 472 to 650 and Redshank pairs increasing from 38 to 176 pairs. The increase between the 1982 and 2002 surveys is almost entirely due to the excellent work undertaken by the Elmley Conservation Trust on the Isle of Sheppey, particularly from the 1990’s onwards. The wader populations on Elmley NNR rocketed off the back of hundreds of hectares of pioneering habitat management and this family run farm continues to be the main stronghold for waders in the South East today.
Over the same period of time, the RSPB has developed 657 ha of new wet grassland habitat in North Kent, creating space for an additional 180 pairs of Lapwing and 190 pairs of Redshank since 1990. There are two main ways to provide new habitat; creation and restoration. Creation involves starting from scratch with arable farmland, creating new ditches, rills, dams and other hydrological features that allows shallow pools to be maintained as feeding areas for chicks during the breeding season.
11 A grass sward will also need to be established along with gates and fences to allow grazing animals to be managed. The award winning Great Bells Farm project, a partnership between RSPB and the Environment Agency, used digital mapping and GPS-guided machinery to create precise design features that maximise the benefits for wildlife and make the management of water more efficient, and the early results are encouraging. Although the creation of wet grasslands on former arable sites is important, there is a note of caution because it can take a long time to be fully effective. Northward Hill was first reverted from arable in the early 1990’s, but still cannot quite match the density of breeding waders that are found on established sites, such as Elmley Marshes. One of the issues may be that after years of ploughing and cropping on arable sites, the surface topography and soil structure is not as beneficial as that found on un-improved sites. We have been investigating techniques that might speed up the process, such as breaking up soil structure by sub-soiling, but we may need to be patient, and accept that natural habitats cannot be created fully-formed. This is why the second technique, restoration, is more desirable, (and cheaper!). This involves finding original, un-ploughed wet grassland sites and “switching them on” for wildlife. The most recent example is Higham Marsh, where the RSPB is working in partnership with a local farmer to turn around 150 ha of old grazing marsh by removing invasive scrub, installing water control structures and adjusting the grazing regime. Since the work began in 2013, the results have been stunning, with Lapwing increasing from 2 to 49 pairs by 2015, and Redshank from zero to 74 pairs. Higham Marshes © Brian Nobbs Another big factor that has contributed to this success is increasing chick productivity. Scientists have worked out that Lapwings need to successfully fledge between 0.6 and 0.8 chicks per pair in order to maintain a stable population, so we need to ensure that our lapwing pairs raise more than this if we want the population to increase. Because of the distribution changes described above, breeding waders are increasingly found in restricted, managed areas. This, along with other factors, makes these ground-nesting birds vulnerable to predation of eggs and chicks. Evidence from across the UK suggests that predation by nocturnal mammals is a big factor in low wader productivity and we have evidence from nest cameras that Foxes are a significant predator on our reserves in North Kent. Over the last few years the RSPB have installed electric fencing around key areas for waders in the hope of excluding ground predators. These measures, backed up by fox control, have resulted in high levels of chick productivity on RSPB reserves every year since 2013. In 2015 RSPB reserves achieved overall Lapwing productivity of 1.3 fledged chicks/pair in North Kent (including 1.8 at Higham Marsh), which is well above target. Wader productivity on Elmley NNR has been high in most years since at least 2008, and the hope is that this will contribute to further population increases over the next few years.
We now have historically high densities of breeding waders on managed areas in North Kent and attention is shifting to the gaps in-between. Much of the work described above is underpinned by agri-environment schemes, which pay landowners and managers to manage for wildlife, including specific payments for breeding wader management. The RSPB is working with Natural England to increase the level of advice to farmers in agri-environment schemes in North Kent and the hope is that this will provide a further boost to wader populations.
There are still some big challenges ahead, and the predicted impact of climate change on water availability in the South East will require some imaginative solutions from wetland managers, but with plans for more habitat restoration at Seasalter Levels and a major wetland creation project at Lydden Valley, there are good reasons to be optimistic about the future. Because they do not have a glamorous reputation, and because of a lack of good access, the North Kent Marshes are not always the easiest place to visit, and many of the best places for these delightful ground-nesting birds are out of sight to many, but rest assured, there is a lot going on out there and it is working!
Alan Johnson
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