© Terry Whittaker Autumn 2018 NEWS FROM YOUR LOCAL WILDLIFE TRUST AND FROM AROUND THE UK Water Vole Will you help protect Hertfordshire’s last remaining fens? Silent hunters Meet Hertfordshire’s owls 12 We urgently need to raise £22,000 to carry out essential maintenance and restoration of fens at four of our reserves. Fens are a vital oasis for wildlife but 99% of this habitat has been lost in the UK. Water voles are on the verge of extinction locally. Our fens provide the food, shelter and a safe place to raise their young. >> OLD PARK >> MAGICAL WOOD MOTHS Explore this Delve into the wonderful secret world woodland of moths 8 You can donate online at hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/fenappeal reserve 18 Or call us on 01727 858 901 to donate over the phone PROTECTING WILDLIFE FOR THE FUTURE Autumn 2018 Give the Gift of Wildlife contents this Christmas NEWS FROM YOUR LOCAL WILDLIFE TRUST AND FROM AROUND THE UK CONSERVATION 4 Amwell Restoration Project Work has started on an ambitious habitat creation project. 5 Raptors in the Park Find out which birds have bred at Panshanger Park. Christmas Cards T-shirts Spread some Christmas cheer with our beautiful hand Available in a range of sizes for men and women. 6 Marine Conservation Zones painted cards by wildlife artist Martin Gibbons. Only £15. The Wildlife Trusts are campaigning 10 cards for £5. for the designation of new Marine Conservation Zones. 10 My Wild Life Meet the Trust’s very own Batman Matt Dodds. The Magic of Moths CONSERVATION Find out more about the underrated © Denis Jackson cousins of butterflies! 12 Silent Hunters Owls - Hertfordshire’s most incredible More on 8 Wildlife sponsorships airborne hunters. Treat a loved one and support your local wildlife. For only £20 you will receive a sponsorship certificate, a beautiful photo of your chosen species, fun fact cards and more! Bug explorer kits A perfect gift for little wildlife explorers. Includes a 18 Old Park Wood 20 Nature’s Calendar 22 The Nature a Churchyard handy identification guide, magnifying glass and bug Read about this ancient woodland Tim Hill tells us about wildlife Find out what lives in and around our churches. pots for just £10. tucked away in the outskirts of London. activities during the cold season. Gift Membership HERTS & MIDDLESEX WILDLIFE TRUST Give the gift that keeps on giving. Treat a loved one to their own membership of the Trust for a whole year. Grebe House, St Michael’s Street, Spring 2019 issue Registered Charity No: 239863 St Albans, Herts AL3 4SN From just £42. copy deadline: Registered in England: 816710 01727 858 901 [email protected] 25 January 2019 FSC Identification Guides www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk All rights reserved. No part may be Cover image: Know a nature lover keen to learn more about local reproduced without written permission All proceeds from our wild gifts go directly to Editorial Team Josh Kubale Barn Owl from the editor. The publishers do not wildlife? Purchase an FSC guide to start them on their and Frieda Rummenhohl © Danny Green/ supporting the Trust’s conservation work. Order necessarily identify with or hold journey to becoming wildlife experts. Our range includes 01727 858 901 x 240 2020VISION online today at hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/shop themselves responsible for the views dragonflies, wildflowers and many more. From . [email protected] £3 [email protected] expressed by contributors, correspondents or advertisers. Membership Alan Cotterell 01727 858 901 x 234 [email protected] hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/shop Design TGDH www.tgdh.co.uk Printed on FSC © Certfied Stock Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram © Panshanger Ringers Celebrating From the Chief Executive Hertfordshire’s Colne Valley water voles We are in a time of potential great change for wildlife legislation through which we have Wildlife an opportunity to reverse the fortunes of our wildlife. But this is far from certain. get funding The Government’s to funding at a scale necessary to areas of natural habitat and species In July over 1,200 people came 25 Year Plan for the achieve nature’s recovery. The Wildlife populations are on the rise. together at Panshanger Park boost Environment sets Trusts want to see legally binding Now, more than ever, you can make to celebrate the wildlife of out goals for the targets across all public bodies, for Hobbies chicks at Panshanger Park As part of a partnership a difference as a member of the Trust. Hertfordshire and Middlesex at recovery of nature. instance in relation to the planning project in the Colne Valley, I urge you to write to your MP and the Trust’s Festival of Wildlife. Whilst welcome in system which is particularly important make your voice heard – the more the Trust has secured principle, this must in our part of the country with its high Raptors at This annual event is delivered in people who let them know how much funding to conserve be underpinned by levels of proposed housing growth. partnership with Tarmac and in the future of our wildlife matters, robust legislation. A Panshanger association with the Hertfordshire the single water vole Nationally, as part of Greener UK, the better. new Agriculture Act Natural History Society. Visitors population in the area. the Wildlife Trusts are lobbying In August a pair of and Environment Act Thank you for your continued enjoyed guided walks and expert talks, government to get these messages The ‘Colne Valley – A Landscape On are being considered support of the Trust and your help hobbies successfully bred birdwatching with Herts Bird Club, across. At the local level we have The Edge’ partnership has secured by Parliament, both of which will be for local wildlife. at Panshanger Park. getting up close to the special wildlife written to all our MPs to underline £2.5m from Heritage Lottery critical to the future of wildlife. They of the beautiful River Mimram. Children the need for new wildlife legislation The three chicks proved a hit Fund and brings together wildlife must have strong environmental were able to get out minibeast hunting to be robust. This is vital if we are with visitors who enjoyed organisations, local authorities principles and set out a commitment and were further entertained with story- to secure a future where both the hobby watching sessions with and water companies to deliver our People and Wildlife Officer, telling and wildlife craft activities. Usually real benefit for built and natural Murray. The busy hobby parents a two day event, we sadly had to cancel heritage and practical engagement could be easily seen bringing the second day due to particularly bad with local communities. Along food to the chicks in the weeks weather. All those who missed out will with additional funding from the before they fledged. hopefully be able to make up for it by HS2 Additional Mitigation Plan, the coming along in summer 2019! © Tim Hill Tim © Trust will now be able to employ a Amwell Habitat In September an osprey new Rivers & Wetlands Officer. returned to Panshanger Park Our Tewin Orchard Apple Day event Creation Project to fish in the appropriately took place as usual in October with over The Water Vole Project will deliver named Osprey Lake. Ospreys are 1000 people of all ages joining us for advice, leadership and training in The Trust has started a large-scale regular visitors to the park as tours of the orchard and to stock up on water vole conservation, carry out habitat creation project at Amwell they make their way south to our fruit, juice and preserves. Attendees surveys and research into local Nature Reserve thanks to funding overwinter in Africa. This osprey were also treated to a tempting array of water vole populations, and also was seen multiple times over home-made cakes, a children’s activities plan and deliver practical habitat from the Environment Agency marquee and the chance to find out and Cadent. Amwell forms part of a two-week period and visitors improvement schemes. We hope were treated to the sight of it more about the Trust as well as other that this work will be able to link the Lea Valley Special Protection hunting and catching fish. Turn wildlife and local produce organisations. up the remaining local population Area (SPA) and is internationally to p23 to see a picture of the Our thanks go to Councillor Ken Crofton with another nearby in the important on account of the Panshanger osprey. for once again supporting this popular Chess Valley. annual event. wintering gadwall, shoveler and bittern. The ambitious project will introduce new grazing and allow better control Awell of water levels. As a Trustee you would join the Trust’s Council, which Excavators have been on site to re-profile areas around the Could you become oversees our charity’s governance. Your main contact main viewpoint and have created a new island that will offer would be with the Chief Executive and Senior Management more protection to vulnerable nesting birds. The ditch in Team. You will need to be able to attend quarterly Council A new sluice in Great Hardmead Lake will allow us to more a Trustee? front of the viewpoint scrape is now being grazed by pigs. meetings, the AGM, and Committee meetings, and will also effectively control water levels, helping to ensure that we can As they root for food, they naturally disturb and turn over Could you use your expertise to help us to have the opportunity to participate in site visits, meetings provide perfect habitats for wintering ducks and breeding the ground, creating habitats suitable for wading birds to pursue our vision of a better future for wildlife with partner organisations and workshops.