Newsletter April – June 2016

Volunteer and Reserve News

Avid readers and fans of the newsletter will no doubt remember that I ended this section in the last issue with news that the new crowdfunded Tower Hide would soon be opened, so it seems fitting to start this issue with the words: It is with great pleasure that Natural and the Shapwick Team can announce that the new Tower Hide is now officially open!

The finished Shapwick Tower Hide on its opening day in April. The hide now hosts a large number of visitors every day who enjoy fantastic views across the wader scrape and 70 acres reedbed.

ISA carpentry did a smashing job on the construction of the project, but not without some technical issues. The boys worked exceptionally hard to keep to the deadline for the opening ceremony, working weekends, and even on one occasion, working more than 24 hours in a single day. The hide, with its unique appearance and design, offers fantastic views across the scrape, and the reedbeds of 70 acres, and has already proved to be a popular visitor attraction.

As usual though, work has not been confined to Shapwick Heath. The volunteer team spent most weeks in April and much of May up at Rodney Stoke woods, repairing many sections of drystone walling that had collapsed over the years. Getting to site was difficult, but working on the steep slopes was more so. But as ever, the intrepid team did a sterling job. Getting back to ole Shappers, a new volunteer group has been set up specifically to survey parts of the site, and to monitor changes in and species over time. This is particularly important on our mire restorations where data collected comprises a baseline survey and will help to ensure the right management is in place to restore these areas that are in less favourable condition. As well as site surveys, several species specific surveys have been carried out across the NNR suite, including once again, a survey for the rare violet oil beetle on our Mendip sites. Seven adults were found, and several celandines in the woods were covered in hundreds of the larvae, called triungulins. Water vole surveys and continuing surveys for bittern flights have also been carried out across Shapwick.

Mendip reserves: Dry-stone walling at Rodney Stoke NNR, the finished footpath at , previously a mud bath and violet oil beetle enjoying the Spring sunshine.

Aside from the addition of the spectacular new Tower Hide at Shapwick, one of the biggest pieces of work carried out must be the repair of the footpath at Ebbor Gorge. The footpath crosses a small valley before exiting the reserve on the north western side and is a naturally wet area with many springs and at least two small streams. Over the years, at the footpaths lowest point, silt has built up, and the ground turned into a quagmire. The decision was made to try and fix the problem permanently, rather than just addressing it short term.

An excavator was hired, and the silt dug out until a solid layer of clay/stone was reached. The sides were built up with gabion baskets, pipes laid to carry the water from the various streams and springs, and the whole section filled in with about 20 tons of stone. The access is now dry and free of mud. The construction will be monitored over the coming months to make sure that it functions properly.

With the festival happening during June, the weather does its usual thing, and mid-June is a mix of hot sticky sultry days, prolonged heavy showers, and summer storms, resulting in the perfect growing conditions for weeds. This is the time of year when staff and volunteers don the brushcutters, and try and keep the footpaths clear, a thankless task made worse by the endless horse flies and other biting bugs.

This year has also had the team out and about repairing large sections of fence across the reserve. Several sections have been repaired at the plot, a section along Kent drove, and a very long section at Skinners wood. Fencing will continue throughout the summer.

Wildlife Highlights

A dry and relatively warm April, with the wind coming up from the continent, saw the start of the influx of summer migrant birds here at Shapwick. Across the reserve two ospreys were present, along with sightings of a small flock of whimbrel at Canada Farm and several common tern on Noah’s Lake. The water level on Heath was again lowered, as it is annually to expose the scrape. During spring this is a welcome stop off for a host of migrant birds, passing through on their way to their breeding grounds further north. Highlights this season included: ruff, redshank, greenshank, dunlin and ringed-plover, along with our ever present flocks of lapwing and black- tailed godwit.

A female bittern making a feeding flight and a rare shot of a cuckoo, both taken by volunteer Rob Balch

Following the booming bittern monitoring sessions during March and April volunteers have been spending long hours recording feeding flights across the reserves. These flights at first seemed down on previous years, however after much discussion the likely cause seems to be that there is so much food near to their nests now that they are not having to travel very far and therefore feeding flights are not picked up so easily. Despite this, monitoring has identified several nests, with those recorded likely to be an underestimate of the actual number out there. Great-white egrets and harriers also seem to have had a successful breeding season.

Other spring highlights on Shapwick have included a white stork which was sighted over the reserve on a number of occasions and remained in the general area for a couple of weeks. Up to two glossy ibis have been visiting us all through the season and were regularly coming into roost in the trees on Noah’s Lake, along with the great-white and little egrets. Cranes have flown over the reserve at regular intervals and the first hobbies started to turn up in mid-April following the return of our swallows, house martins, sand martins and swifts. Cuckoos were calling from the very start of spring, right across the whole area.

Otters have been sighted best from Noah’s hide with some good views of a large male dog otter on the scrape in June. Slow worms and grass snakes have been seen in abundance; however adders seemed to have had a slow start in the cold spring, whereas common lizards have been sighted more regularly, especially in our mire restoration areas, which is a very encouraging sign.

Clockwise from left: Grass snake, scarce chaser dragonfly, white admiral butterfly, green tiger beetle. Photos from Rob Balch, Deon Warner, Bill Urwin and Julie Merrett

Butterflies were in abundance in April however numbers tapered off rapidly during May with a sharp change to more unsettled cooler and damper weather. Peacock, small tortoiseshell, red admiral, green-veined, small and large whites, common and holly blues and ringlet have all been recorded. One of our more charismatic and rarer butterflies, the white admiral, started to emerge in mid-June which was a surprise as this is a few weeks earlier than usual. It can be seen along the woodland rides, especially along the and the path to Meare Heath hide. The Argent & Sable was on the wing from late-May onwards and a few may still be seen at the time of writing.

Damselflies seem undeterred by the damp weather with every conceivable species of blue, along with large red and banded demoiselle seen in abundance along the South Drain. Dragonflies recorded have been: hairy, four-spotted, broad-bodied and scarce chaser, emperor and black- tailed skimmer. Other invertebrate highlights of our monitoring this spring have surely been the green tiger beetle and water spider (a nationally scarce species and the only British species of Arachnid that actually hunts under water) and a rare staphilinid beetle, all found in our mire restoration areas.

During a weekend in May, Shapwick played host to a field visit from the Dipterists Forum, who are a national body that monitor and record flies. A huge variety of these were recorded - with some nationally rare species being found on the reserve. These healthy populations go to show that our management on Shapwick is paying dividends in biodiversity across the site.

That’s it for this quarter, keep looking… you never know what might turn up! Mark Huntington, NE volunteer.

Article: Habitat Management for the Argent and Sable Moth adapted from Rob Petley-Jones’ June ‘Invert of the Month’ article.

The Argent & Sable ( hastata) is one of those classy which is doubly blessed by being reasonably unmistakable and which can also be seen during the daytime. Its unique black-and-white chequered pattern makes it difficult to confuse with other species, though the abundant Silver-ground carpet moth (Xanthorhoe montanata) flies at the same and may cause some confusion for the unwary or inexperienced.

Argent and Sable moths will easily fly in bright sunshine and have a habit of popping off trees in front of the observer and flying tantalizingly along, to land just out of reach of nets or cameras. A pair of close-focusing binoculars can be invaluable in confirming identification!

The Argent & Sable can be seen from late May until early July in a variety of habitats such as damp woodlands, lowland and moorland, where its larval food plants myrtle () and young growth (Betula spp.) grow. The moth overwinters as a larva in spun cocoons made of the leaves of its food plant. It is Nationally Scarce and a S41 Priority Species requiring action to maintain its status. Although it has a widely scattered distribution across Britain it is more frequent further north, with only very local populations here in the South. The Avalon is the only area it can be found in the

Although the Argent & Sable has been seen in wet woodland with scrubby birch growth, it is most associated with the peripheral zones of raised bogs where scrubby birch and bog myrtle grow. It would probably formerly have been found in ‘lagg’ habitats around the bogs, but this mosaic habitat is now all but absent from many bog sites and the species often hangs on in woodland growing on peatlands. Unfortunately, this can make the species particularly vulnerable to over-enthusiastic bog restoration, where wholescale tree removal from bogs can wipe out remnant populations. Argent & Sable was once frequently recorded at one well-known bog in South Cumbria, but has not been seen there since extensive tree removal as part of bog restoration works some years ago.

This highlights the importance of our knowing where this species does occur, and to ensure that any planned management is fine-tuned and modified to accommodate the species’ requirements before implementation. Together with sympathetic bog and mire restoration works, this also highlights the absolute need for the restoration of lagg woodland mosaic habitats around raised bogs, which are probably the natural home for this species.

This is particularly pertinent to us at Shapwick where mire restorations are underway at the Ashcott Plot and The Lows (also known as ‘Unit 43’ or ‘the bog myrtle fields’). Scrub clearance is vital in bringing back the floral diversity to these habitats and to seeing areas of sphagnum, sundews and heathers increase, along with the many species of specialist invertebrates that accompany them. However, without the careful attention to maintaining mixed-age stands of bog myrtle and areas of young birch growth, this species could all too easily be lost. Sometimes this can look a little messy or like we have only done half a job on a field, but it is actually carefully planned random brushcutting, soft-traking and felling of areas, to create just the right mosaic. We are very proud of our management of this species on Shapwick Heath as it is one of so many competing requirements in terms of how we manage these delicate areas. Records of Argent & Sables in flight this June are a testament that our management techniques are working!

Public Events, Education and Outreach

Our Spring/Summer events season kicked off with April’s ‘A Wild Day Out in Spring’ at the Avalon Marshes Centre with a range of family-friendly activities running in our classrooms and wildlife garden including wildflower seed-sowing, pond-dipping, scavenger hunts, craft activities and the marvellous ‘Who’s Poo?’ game - where samples of droppings have to be matched to the correct owner!

Forest School for All the Family sessions continued to be hugely popular with families coming out in all weathers to learn a fire-craft, explore the woods and get involved with den-making.

The beginning of June saw our annual showcase event of the year – The Avalon Marshes Open Day – grow bigger and better than ever with an array of conservation and heritage organisations from across the area showcasing what they do, providing information and running activities for visitors, to give them a taste of what we do. This ranged from opportunities to join the Conservation Volunteers, see the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trusts travelling exhibition, watch craftspeople from the gallery undertaking ceramic and wood-turning work, make birdboxes with the RSPBs volunteers, to Natural England’s ever-popular trailer-rides across the reserve. This event was also celebrating the drawing to a close of the Heritage Lottery-funded Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership scheme that has seen the support of many conservation and heritage projects in the area including contributions to the purchase of our soft-trak, to the new RSPB car-park at , the setting up of the Visitor Information Point at the centre, new leaflets for the area, the setting up of the Avalon Marshes website and much more.

There was also the chance to explore South-West Heritage Trusts historical reconstructions that are currently being built and were brought alive by a local living group who cooked, made crafts and showed off their armoury. from Secret World wildlife rescue centre also came out to meet the public and showcase the important work of this small local charity.

May and June also saw lots of school visits to the reserve through our joint field teaching scheme with the RSPB. This has included various primary-aged groups visiting the Sweet Track and learning about habitats on the reserve, as well as Secondary ‘A’ Level groups undertaking fieldwork for the practical elements of their geography and biology courses and Countryside Management students from College getting a behind-the-scenes tour.

South-West Heritage Trust has run some cracking schooldays at the centre where primary aged

children have learnt about roman and celtic heritage, culminating in a re-enactment of a battle, in full marching formations and with ping-pong ball ammunition, run by resident experimental archaeologist Marc Cox.

Up-Coming Public Events

th Friday 29 Dusk Bat Walk July Join the incredibly knowledgeable members of the Somerset Bat Group for a guided 8.30pm-11.30pm walk around Shapwick Heath at night, to discover how many different species of bat use the reserve as their home and hunting grounds. Places limited, booking essential. Charge £5 per person.

Sunday 14th Otter Walk August Join reserve staff and members of the Somerset Otter Group for a day spent learning 10am-4pm about otter ecology and behaviour. Includes a tour of the reserve to look at otter tracks and signs, with hopefully a site of this elusive species as well! Places limited, booking essential. Charge £5 per person.

Saturday 10th Forest School for all the Family September Try your hand at some wild art in our woodland glade. Children and their 2-4pm parents/carers can have a go at making sculptures with natural materials, making their own pigments from plants and minerals found on the reserve and more. Places limited, booking essential. Charge £3 per child.

Sunday 18th A Wild Day Out in Autumn September 10-4pm A family fun day at the Avalon Marshes Centre with games, trails and crafts. Children can learn about our migrating birds, make a birdfeeder, have a go at pond-dipping and much more, including the mandatory trailer ride across the reserve. No booking necessary. FREE event.

Saturday 24th Man on the Marshes September Our reserve is famous for the ‘Sweet Track’ - the oldest manmade walkway in Europe. 10am-3pm Take a tour with reserve staff to learn about how neolithic man survived on these wild marshes. Some practical activities may be involved, so people can get a taste of what life might have been like! Places limited, booking essential. Charge £5 per person.

Saturday 8th Small Mammals on Shapwick Heath October Join reserve staff as they open a set of small mammal traps, and meet some of the 7-10am creatures that make Shapwick their home. Learn to recognise tracks and signs of common species of mammal on this early morning tour of the reserve. Places limited, booking essential. Charge £5 per person.

For more information and booking please contact Julie Merrett on 01458 860120 or e-mail on [email protected]

Young Wardens

The Young Wardens group is a programme of activities for 12-17 year olds, co-ordinated by Natural England on behalf of the partnership of organisations working across the Avalon Marshes. So far this year they have enjoyed a day of practical work – cutting and burning scrub – with on Moor reserve and joined adults on the Behind-the-Scenes Birdwatching Tour.

Forthcoming events include:

Tour of the Gully Cave Dig at Ebbor Gorge with Prof. Wednesday Ebbor Gorge Danielle Schreve of Royal Holloway University. An 27th July NNR exclusive visit to an active archaeological dig to see Car Park and hear about some of the finds, including remains of 10am - 3pm aurochs, cave bears, reindeer and a host of other mammals. Bushcraft Skills with Natural England. Visit the Saturday The Avalon ‘Sweet Track’ on Shapwick Heath – Britain’s earliest 24th September Marshes Centre, constructed walkway and learn about how Neolithic 10am – 3pm Westhay, BA6 man lived on the marshes by learning some practical 9TT bushcraft skills. Identifying Wildlife with the Recorders of the Avalon Wednesday The Avalon Marshes (RoAM). A wander round the reserve with 26th October Marshes Centre, local expert Bill Urwin looking at a range of insects, 10am - 3pm Westhay, BA6 reptiles, birds and mammals, learning how to improve 9TT your species identification skills.

Practical Conservation Work with The Hawk & Owl Saturday Shapwick Moor Trust. A day out on Shapwick Moor with the reserve 26th November Reserve warden undertaking scrub clearance, using hand-tools, 10am - 3pm Car Park burning brash and probably undertaking some tree- planting too. Lunch around the campfire.

For more information and booking please contact Julie Merrett on 01458 860120 or e-mail on [email protected]

And Finally…

The team at Shapwick have had our very own species guide to the reserve produced. With fantastic illustrations of some of our most iconic species and concise information about the heritage and habitats of the reserve, the guide is available from the Natural England office and Eco-Friendly Bites café at £3.80 a copy.

If you know of anyone who would like to receive a copy of this newsletter, please ask them to e- mail [email protected] and we will add their names to our list. You can also visit our volunteer-run ‘Friends of Shapwick Heath’ Facebook page for weekly information on what’shappening out on the reserve.

Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve: Simon Clarke 01458 860120 [email protected]

Public Events and Youth Groups: Julie Merrett 01458 860120 [email protected]

RSPB: (Ham Wall) Steve Hughes 01458 860494 [email protected]

Somerset Wildlife Trust: (Catcott Lows/ ) Mark Blake: 01823 652430 [email protected]

Hawk & Owl Trust: (Shapwick Moor) Simon Beard 07919 095705 [email protected]

Avalon Marshes Landscape Partnership: David Evans 01458 860556 [email protected]