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130 Wildfowl

Welney Washes, 1967

PETER SCOTT

The Place (Plate XI a and b, facing p. 124) where the land rises almost imperceptibly The Washes lie across the map of to form ‘ the isle of Ely Between the the Great Fens like a ruler, stretching vast green retaining banks the grass fields from in north­ are open, broken only by occasional wil­ eastwards for 21 miles to Denver Sluice low or thorn trees, a few carefully nur­ in west . They are an amazing tured osier beds (their produce essential feat of engineering laid out at the be­ to the engineering and maintenance of ginning of the 19th century, designed as the drainage) and the gates and gateposts a short cut for the winding River Great on the droves which give access to the Ouse and also as a safety valve when the cattle in summer. When the floods are river system is already full and more rain out fingers of dry land stretch into the falls. Water from the Great Ouse basin is shallow water along the sides of the diverted so as to spread out over the ditches where a hundred and fifty years grass fields of the Washes and confined of cleaning them out has raised a low by 20 foot high barrier banks which run, bank on either side. half a mile apart, dead straight for mile There is a small number of shepherds after mile across . who are key men in the economy and The water in the bordering Old and management of the Washes. Each deals New Rivers and on the flooded with a stretch of some six or seven miles. meadows is far above the level of the The shepherd has in the past been given surrounding country which was always the shooting rights (which let at about low and has sunk further as a result of £1 per acre) by the landowner in return drainage. All this country is now under for work on maintenance of the ditches. the plough, and the only grassland in the In addition he receives payment which fens is the water meadows of the Washes, may be £1 per acre from the farmer who which are relatively dry in summer and rents the grazing (nowadays at £2- grazed by cattle. The present ornitholo­ £2 10s. per acre though formerly up to gical interest of the area is entirely based £9 per acre) in exchange for care of the on the summer grazing regime. In winter cattle using the grazing. the floods may begin in October, or even Thirty years ago it was widely but earlier, but in dry years there may be no erroneously believed that the tidal nature flooding until after Christmas. of the New Bedford River conferred The flat landscape may not appear public shooting rights on the whole area beautiful to every eye, but it has a pecu­ of the Washes. Recently this has been liar fascination. The brown fields, divided shown not to be so, and the shooting by ditches, stretch away into the distance, rights have been let, on some land at £1 the roads run straight with sharp angular per acre. The difficulty of getting within bends to conform with the drainage chan­ shot of birds in an area with a variable nels. Away to the east the tower and lan­ shore line and very little natural cover tern of Ely cathedral break the horizon has meant small bags; the birds flight Welney Washes 131 over the open water and at enormous shooting season the best views of the height. General disturbance has come wildfowl have been after the end of the from large numbers of small areas being season on 1st February. With a refuge of under separate ownership with widely adequate size it should be possible to varying degrees of keepering, and exten­ observe them all through the season, with sive poaching. The situation had become a corresponding addition to ornithological completely out of hand and resulted in a knowledge and bird watchers’ enjoyment. few syndicates being formed to try to The fact that the axis of the Washes take over the rights on larger blocks of lies virtually parallel with the migration land. Gradually opinion mounted, among routes of so many European birds, un­ wildfowlers as well as naturalists, that doubtedly makes it a landmark which some form of refuge should be available they follow regularly both in autumn and in the Washes. spring, and there is little doubt that a The Welney Washes are included in constant watch on this route will produce Category A of the MAR list of European very interesting results. Wetlands drawn up by the International Wildfowl Research Bureau in collabora­ The Refuge tion with the International Union for When, therefore, an anonymous donor Conservation of Nature and the Inter­ presented the Wildfowl Trust with 102 national Council for Bird Preservation. acres of the Washes north of Welney in They were also included as a possible February 1967, Council had little hesi­ Nature Reserve in H.M. Government’s tation in deciding what course to follow. Command Paper 7122 of 1947. By establishing an effective refuge the Wildfowl Trust would be making its The Birds most important single contribution to My notes on the bird life of the Washes conservation. In the fields of research and go back to 1927, but it was not till 1950- education too the area has great possi­ 51 that regular wildfowl counts were bilities arising from the Trust’s special established there. Monthly figures are knowledge and experience of showing therefore available for 17 winters, and wild birds to people at close range with­ these show striking fluctuations, as would out disturbing the birds. The educational be expected with an area so intimately advantages of such facilities are obvious. influenced by floodwaters. From a scientific point of view there are Wigeon are the most numerous species two particular studies of importance to with a high count of 19,300 in 1954-55; the Trust. One is the Bewick’s Swan the highest figure for Mallard is 4,880. study which requires opportunity to see The 1954-55 season also produced the the birds at close enough range to identify highest peak of Teal (4,200) and Pintail individuals. The other is a long cherished (5,000). Over 2,200 Pochard have been plan to study the effects of controlled present during recent winters, and over flooding on grassland with a view to the years no less than 26 species of Anati­ attracting water birds at times when dae have been recorded—including Gar­ floods are few and far between. ganey, Gadwall, Shoveler, Scaup, Tufted The first hundred acres was clearly Duck, Goldeneye, Velvet and Common much too small an area to be an effective Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosan­ refuge. The Trust therefore embarked on der, Smew, Shelduck, Greylag, White- a vigorous campaign to acquire land on front, Bean, Pinkfoot, Brent and Canada either side. It was essential that there Geese, Mute, Whooper and Bewick’s should be a solid block of land free from Swans. The Bewick’s in particular have shooting. Owners of potential enclaves shown a striking pattern of increase, not unnaturally concluded that the mar­ though with many fluctuations, from l7 ket value of their land had suddenly in­ in 1950-51, and 7 in 1951-52 to 855 in creased. A great deal of money was 1966-67. required, but friends rose nobly to the In all, during the 1966-67 winter the occasion. Arthur Guinness, Son & Co. flooded Washes carried, at peak, 24,000 (Park Royal) Ltd. made a most generous wildfowl. The Bewick’s Swans and Pin­ interest-free loan of £24,000 for the period tail were by far the largest concentrations of a year. This enabled us to press ahead of these species in the country. with acquisitions while seeking to gather At least 10 species of Anatidae have donations sufficient to repay the loan. definitely bred in the Washes, as well as The World Wildlife Fund proved a Great Crested Grebe and a number of tower of strength. Through its American waders including some very rare ones. National Appeal a substantial grant was Because of the disturbance during the promised if it could be matched by the 132 Wildfowl

British National Appeal. And it was, des­ to test their vehicles up to 300 m.p.h. — pite incidental difficulties such as devalu­ twenty miles in a straight line with rela­ ation. Through many people’s generosity tively few road crossings. It would be we are now in full possession of 400 absolutely disastrous if the track were to acres and have acquired the shooting run on the Washes themselves. But, for­ rights on an adjacent 100 acres. Our tunately, the idea is to build it on the rights extend to the high barrier banks outside of the NW. barrier bank between belonging to the Great Ouse River the and the River Authority. Shooting on the land outside, Delph. The three naturalists’ organisa­ and below, these banks is muffled to birds tions, together with representatives of the on the Washes, so we have now an Nature Conservancy, have co-ordinated effective Refuge, on whose central portion their actions through an ad hoc com­ the wildfowl should be free from disturb­ mittee, and have pressed for the experi­ ance. The cost of this achievement was mental vehicle to be kept out of sight £33,000. of the birds on the Washes during its whole run. We feel that if this is done the The Future noise of its progress (even though it may be equivalent to a Comet jet at take off!) Before the Wildfowl Trust came on the will not be unduly disturbing to the scene, the Royal Society for the Protec­ birds. Indeed, as a small crumb of com­ tion of Birds and the Cambridgeshire and fort, the existence of the test track may Isle of Ely Naturalists’ Trust had been effectively seal off one boundary of the acquiring land on the Washes further up­ Washes and so increase their security. stream and mostly beyond the railway Be that as it may, it is quite obvious viaduct^ As they were primarily con­ that it is going to become increasingly cerned with protecting summer breeding difficult to keep any large area of land areas, they were able to purchase piece­ in southern England in a wild state, just meal at normal prices. But over several for the birds and a fortunate few. We years their purchases had aggregated into believe that the only hope for the long­ substantial blocks. Together with the term future is to develop our area dis­ Trust’s purchase, the naturalists’ bodies creetly, so that large numbers of people have become the largest landowners in can experience for themselves the thrill the Washes, holding over a fifth of the of seeing masses of wildfowl at close total area. This fact played an important quarters. With our experience at Slim­ part in averting one major threat, a pro­ bridge we know that this can be done posal to improve the drainage of the without spoiling the essential wildness of Washes and convert them to arable farm­ the scene. Then the Washes will have the ing. Hardly had the drainage proposal status of a recreational amenity as well sunk from sight when the reverse threat as a wildfowl refuge and it will be much emerged, to convert the Washes into a easier to withstand pressure from other freshwater reservoir. From an agricultural kinds of land-use development. Many point of view it makes more sense to people shudder at the thought of inter­ drown low-grade grassland rather than fering with the natural scene—though good agricultural land. And it requires the Washes were wholly artificial in their some effort to convince the planners that origin. In an attempt to reassure such twenty miles of deep permanent water is people, and to indicate how the develop­ no substitute, as far as wildfowl are con­ ment might take shape, I wrote a letter cerned, for great areas of temporary purporting to be from one enthusiastic shallow floods. A feasibility study is being naturalist to another in 1975, seven years made and a report is expected shortly. after the initial land purchase, when I Fortunately the indications are that the hope all our plans will be realised. This engineering requirements will be prohibi­ was circulated in support of our cam­ tive, and that we shall be able to breathe paign for funds, and it is appended here­ again. with (slightly shortened and modified However, we have not been wholly where events have already caught up with successful on all fronts. As if to demon­ the prophet). strate how modem technology is con­ tinually throwing up new threats against Letter to a friend our few remaining wild places, the National Research Development Council 15th January 1975 now propose to set up an experimental Dear George, hover-train monorail track along the I thought you might be interested to length of the Washes! Again from their hear of a rather fabulous day we spent point of view this is an ideal site on which yesterday at the Wildfowl Trust’s place Welney Washes 133 at Welney. We checked in at one of the hearing as we approached and now the local inns the night before and got out volume of sound was astonishing. to the Washes just at first light. The I suppose we’d been perched on the Head Warden, a splendid marshman seats in the hide for about ten minutes, who’s lived all his Ufe on and around the by which time it was getting pretty light, Washes, met us where we left the car at when we suddenly heard geese—White­ the foot of the steep barrier bank of the fronts—above the noise of the Wigeon. New Bedford River. A pilot light at the There were eight geese in the first bunch, top of the bank lit us up a ramp to the flying very low and almost at once they footbridge high over the river. It’s landed about 100 yards away at the edge screened on the Venetian blind principle of the shallow water. Immediately they so that people crossing can’t be seen by began to feed. Then six more came, then the birds out in front—the first example a dozen, and foUowing them a continuous of the fantastic attention to detail in the flight. Most of them were crossing close planning of this Observatory. As we got in front, and you felt you could almost to the far side of the bridge we heard a reach out and touch them as they passed. burst of caUing from the wild swans— One bunch of about 30, probably Pink- Bewick’s, which, as you know, are a feet, passed over gaining height and went special feature of the place. on out towards . The only exit from the bridge is into I was doing a count when I noticed a a building which is in part Wardens’ single Barnacle amongst them. There were house and in part a Members’ Room. A 418 Whitefronts and the Barnacle. They great picture window looks out over the were all feeding and walking to the left marsh, with a pool almost in front of it, and slightly towards us, and suddenly I covered with ducks, just visible in the noticed a very prominent high white half light, and more arriving all the time front. And there was a beautiful adult —mostly Mallard and Shoveler. I think Lesser Whitefront, the first recorded on Mary would have liked to stay in the the Washes. warmth of the Members’ Room, which, Down the steps again and out along incidentaUy, being 10 or 15 feet above the central path beside a wider ditch, the marsh, had a wonderful view right navigable but stiU between high banks, across it. The floods were out on the far towards the main Observatory building side of the Washes—which are about half which spans the waterway; a boathouse a mile wide here, and we could just see with rooms above. As we approached we the water stretching across in front. But could hear the calling of the Bewick’s we weren’t aUowed to stay indoors. We Swans and again the sound of Wigeon, were to be taken up the Washes to look Teal, Pintail and MaUard. You walk into at the geese, and we’d have to hurry if one side of the boathouse and then up a we wanted to see them flight in. Down flight of stairs into the Uving rooms, a flight of steps and we were on a path which is also kitchen and dining room. running along behind a 7 foot bank and At the other end of the building is the parallel with the river. It took about 10 observation room, with mounted tele­ minutes to walk to the hide, and every scopes and telephoto lenses, which Peter now and again we heard the geese cal­ Scott also uses as a studio when he comes ling over on the far side of the Washes. here for a week or so two or three times After a while the path turned sharp a year. Between these two large rooms are right and we walked with a ditch immed­ three quite small double bedrooms, each iately on our left and high banks on both with a shower and a loo. All the windows sides of us. We passed at least three are landscape-shaped—longer than they observation huts and eventually we went are high, and leaning outward, to protect very quietly up some steps into the fourth them from bird droppings and rain. The view was best from the observa­ hut. It was a characteristic Slimbridge- tion room with the morning sun behind type hide capable of holding about a us and a perfectly fabulous array of birds dozen people, but we had it to ourselves. aU around. Within 100 yards there were From the shuttered slits the view was probably 2,000 birds and they stretched fantastically beautiful. In front of us was away along the edge of the flood-water a shallow flash of water in a grass field. as far as the eye could reach—perhaps We were looking out north-eastwards and 20,000 ducks. The foreground was the water came round on our right to dominated by about 300 swans—a quarter reflect a most gorgeous orange dawn sky. of them Mutes, the rest mostly Bewick’s, Silhouetted against the reflection were a but one family of Whoopers with four mass of Wigeon whose calls we had been cygnets. Some were feeding almost 134 Wildfowl

directly below the windows—on wheat him still here in mid-winter. Of course thrown for them by an ingenious scat­ the season has been very mild until these tering hopper. last few days. And even now there’s The banks, which hid our approach, scarcely any ice except just at the edges. continue on either side of the waterway We were shown the swan portrait books (which is about 15 feet wide) until they and the data processing techniques which gradually disappear into the flood. This Peter Scott and his daughter have been double promontory was densely covered working on, and which allows all the with Wigeon and Pintail all sleeping in details to be stored in a computer at the sun. Then at right angles to the right . His wife has built up an and to the left the edge of the flood amazing collection of photographic por­ stretched away — black with birds — traits of the individual swans, which is including a great many Teal. Out in the the basis of a long-term behaviour study. deeper water were rafts of Tufted and It was all begun at Slimbridge of course, Pochard, and masses of Coot and gulls. but the Bewick’s families pass through Through the binocular telescope we the Welney Refuge on their way there looked at an immature Long-tailed Duck and a surprising amount of movement and, far out in the deeper water, a dozen takes place between the two places even Goldeneye, 7 Goosander, 2 brown-headed in mid-winter. Some of the birds first Smew and one beautiful white drake. appeared at Slimbridge 12 years ago. We Most astonishing was the tameness of actually saw Bill and Catherine and the Wigeon, Shoveler, Teal and swans. Master and Mary, long known at Slim­ We were in full view through the win­ bridge, and Porgy and Bess who had dow above them, but provided we did not move suddenly the birds paid no been at Slimbridge this season for ten attention to us. For an hour or more we days in December, and then returned took photographs of this incredible assem­ here. Kon and Tiki come here each bly. Then far away to the south we saw spring on their way back to the Russian the ducks rising in clouds from the edge Arctic, and can confidently be expected of the floodwater. Soon we saw the cause again this March as they’ve been at —a Marsh Harrier was flying along the Slimbridge since October. It has evidently shore looking, no doubt, for disabled birds. Gradually he worked his way to­ been a very good breeding year for Bew­ wards us. The Teal would lift like ick’s as there were plenty of grey cyg­ mosquitos and flush out on to deeper nets. Many were carrying large coloured water. Some would circle back and land plastic rings with easily readable num­ behind the Harrier. Surprising to find bers. Welney Washes 135

Ï suppose with the flood level right— for variable periods, has led to one of the as it was yesterday—the view from the Trust’s most important researches, deal­ observation room at Welney must be the ing with the agricultural and conserva- most impressive bird spectacle to be seen tional effects of all kinds of flooding, with anywhere in Britain. In the context of corresponding blue-prints to produce the birds it is certainly reminiscent of the desired effects both for pasture and for African National Parks, an ‘ avian Seren- wildlife. geti’. Members can spend the night out I must say I’ve been a bit suspicious of at the Central Observatory among all the Wildfowl Trust, building its empire, these floodlit birds; we didn’t know this, new branches, Parkinsoning itself up, but we plan to do so next time we come. and getting progressively more institu­ We feel this will be a supreme thrill com­ tionalised and impersonal, but I’m bound parable in some ways to ‘ Tree Tops ’. to say the whole of this Welney thing As we left we were shown the hinged has been so superbly well done that I’ve poles which swing flight nets up behind felt like doing a little word-eating since the floodlights for catching swans in yesterday. It really is a striking achieve­ certain wind directions. About 800 have ment. been ringed in this way. On the way back we passed some pens Back in the Members’ Room near what in which a few pinioned wildfowl were is called the Cradge Bank, we collected kept. Originally the Trust hadn’t in­ sandwiches and with the Assistant War­ tended to keep any here, but almost at den embarked in a Norfolk punt which once they had been required to provide a he poled along the ditch to the NE. We home for pricked birds picked up on the were on our way to a special mudflat Washes, and this has led to a rather nice which the Trust maintains for waders by small collection of purely British species. an elaborate system of flooding and drain­ They also have a row of pens with all ing so as to make artificial tides. The the world’s swans—swans being a speci­ banks were lower in this area, so that ality because of the Bewick’s. the observation huts at this state of the Later we set off again from the Mem­ flood could only be approached unseen bers’ Room past the turning to the hide by boat. The ditch we followed passed where we had been at first light in the right under the hides. We did not stop morning. Ahead of us was a patch of at the first two, but at the third we dis­ alder carr and willows and we turned off embarked on steps which led up up into a narrow path leading to a hide through the floor of the hide. In front which overlooked the three-pipe duck was what looked for all the world like decoy, the only new one to be built in a couple of acres of tidal mudflats. The Britain in this century. It is extremely water, reinforced with manure and fer­ cunningly laid out so that wherever the tilizer, is run over the area at dusk and wind is, one of two rather high observa­ run off again at dawn. There were quite tion huts is accessible and from them a lot of Teal and a few Mallard, but the there is a view into all three pipes. Two most surprising thing was a party of 20 of the pipes serve the SW. wind and one Bar-tailed Godwit, and 3 Little Stint. the NE. The Warden said he’d taken 28 There was also a pretty fruity pong from ducks (including 10 Teal) in the east pipe the manure, especially with the east wind. in the morning. There must have been There were two wader traps which this about 600 ducks on the l i acres of the morning had caught four Redshank, one pool. The problem has been to get Teal, of them ringed here two years ago. Just Wigeon and Pintail into it, rather than as we were leaving a Short-eared Owl Mallard. (Teal are specially important came flopping by and then glided along because of the continued decline of the one of the nearly submerged banks look­ western European stocks.) There was ing for flooded-out voles. little to attract the smaller ducks away The mudflat area was not very far out from the floodwaters so nearby. How­ from the Cradge Bank and the Warden ever, experiments with millet seed—ex­ explained that this side of the Washes are pensive though it is—have produced a good deal higher (and therefore less promising results. We had a very good liable to floods) and the Trust had built view of a Water Rail in the west pipe up here a system of ditches and dams just in front of us, feeding at the edge (locally called slackers) which enabled of a group of Moorhen. I reckon it’s almost every field to be flooded and rather unusual to see the two together. drained at will—except of course that The decoy looks rather new, the great they can’t be drained if the flood is up cry being to have materials which don’t to their level. This deliberate flooding, need maintenance. So the screens are of 136 Wildfowl concrete panelling, the hoops of metal birds seemed to take of it. Soon the air and the nets of plastic. The landings are was full of Wigeon, quantities of them coated with rough concrete to avoid pouring down into the field directly in erosion. The catch looks like being about front of the hide we were in. There was 2,000 in this first season. They’ve been something very romantic and stirring operating six or seven duck traps here about these Wigeon whistling and chur- fairly successfully for several years, and ring and sweeping round, and suddenly also catching ducks from a boat with a dropping down to land with a swish and hand-net, a flare and a gong, in the a splash within 20 yards of us. Persian style, so that some useful data As we withdrew from the hide, leaving have been amassed during the last seven the birds totally unaware of our presence years. and therefore totally undisturbed, I was The light was beginning to go as we conscious of a tremendous feeling of left the decoy. We headed south-west­ satisfaction. For a day we had been in ward, towards the sunset, and had nearly amongst the birds, yet few of them had reached another observation hide when seen us. We had watched them intimately there was a burst of distant shots. Evi­ for long hours without harming them or dently they were up beyond the Cause­ even frightening them. Somehow this was way across the Washes, outside the a proper relationship between man and Refuge, but we heard at once that they animal, and the way in which this refuge had put the geese up. We nipped quickly has been planned and laid out to maintain up into the hide in time to see the whole and foster this relationship seemed in­ skein stretched across the sunset coming finitely imaginative and splendid. down the Washes. It was a memorable There was tea in the Members’ Room sight, for the sky was humming with with the glow of the floodlights far out ducks too, which had risen far up beyond in front and a white line of swans lit by the road and were moving into the sanc­ them. Mallard quacked overhead as we tuary. The geese planed down to land returned across the 100 foot river and very much where they must have been down the steep bank to the car. It had before they flighted in in the morning; really been a superlative day — you abso­ evidently their standard roosting area. lutely must go there. As dusk fell there was a good deal of Yours, shooting at both ends of the Refuge, but it was surprising how little notice the Bill.