RSPB RESERVES 2012
The RSPB
UK Headquarters
The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL
Tel: 01767 680551
Northern Ireland Headquarters
Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT
Tel: 028 9049 1547
Scotland Headquarters
2 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DH
Tel 0131 317 4104
Wales Headquarters
Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AB
Tel: 029 2035 3000
www.rspb.org.uk
The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the
problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing
– help us keep it that way.
As a charity, the RSPB is dependent on the goodwill and financial support
of people like you. Please visit www.rspb.org.uk/supporting or call
01767 680551 to find out more.
Front cover: Red-necked phalarope by Steve Knell (rspb-images.com)The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England & Walesno. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 120-1639-11-12
I N T E R N A T I O N A LBirdLife
We belong to BirdLife International, the global
partnership of bird conservation organisations. RSPB RESERVES 2012
Abernethy
Vane Farm
Lochwinnoch
Rathlin
Belfast Lough Mersehead
Haweswater
Leighton Moss & Morecambe Bay Bempton Cliffs
Fairburn IngsBlacktoft Sands
VDearne alley – Old Moor and Bolton IngsSouth Stack Cliffs
Conwy
Freiston ShoreLake Vyrnwy
Ynys-hir Sandwell Valley
Minsmere
The Lodge
Rye Meads
Ramsey Island
Rainham Marshes
Dungeness
Radipole Lake
Arne
Titchwell Marsh
Mid Yare Valley
Lyth Valley
The Crannach
Dove Stone
Eastern Moors
Fetlar
Mousa
Sumburgh Head
North Hill
Mill Dam
Hobbister
Forsinard Flows
Culbin Sands
Loch Ruthven
Insh Marshes
Fowlsheugh
Loch of KinnordyGlenborrodale
Inversnaid
Loch Gruinart/Ardnave
The Oa
Lough Foyle
Portmore LoughLower Lough Erne Islands
Baron’s Haugh
Coquet IslandAilsa Craig
Hodbarrow
Marshside
Exe Estuary
Hayle Estuary
Mawddach Woodlands
Valley Wetlands
Marazion Marsh
Frampton Marsh
Ken-Dee Marshes
St Bees Head
Campfield Marsh
Mull of Galloway & Scar Rocks
Dee Estuary
Coombes & Churnet Valleys
Carngafallt
Gwenffrwd/Dinas
Cwm Clydach Nagshead Otmoor
FowlmereNorth Warren
Stour Estuary
ElmleyMarshes
Harty Marshes
Blean Woods
Cliffe Pools
Shorne Marshes
TudeleyWoods
Northward HillNor Marsh & Motney Hill
Havergate Island & Boyton Marshes
Wolves & Ramsey Woods
Farnham Heath
Fore WoodAdur Estuary
Langstone HarbourPilsey Island
Garston Wood
Lodmoor
Ham Wall
West Sedgemoor
Aylesbeare Common
HighnamWoods
Snettisham
Lakenheath FenOuse Washes
Berney Marshes & Breydon Water
Wood of Cree
Coll
Ardmore
Balranald
Loch of Strathbeg
Corrimony
Nigg and Udale Bays
HoyCottasgarth & Rendall Moss
Marwick Head
The Loons and Loch of BanksBirsay Moors Trumland
Onziebust
Troup Head
Grange Heath
Bracklesham Bay
Lewes Brooks
Broadwater Warren
South Essex Marshes
Fen Drayton Lakes
Saltholme
Wallasea Island
Newport Wetlands
Tay
Meikle Loch
Seasalter Levels
Lydden Valley
Labrador Bay
Langford Lowfields
Vallay
Great Bells Farm
Crook of Baldoon
Yell
Ramna Stacks & Gruney
Loch of Spiggie
Noup Cliffs
BrodgarCopinsay
Priest Island
Eileanan Dubha Ballinlaggan
The Reef
Oronsay
Smaull Farm
Horse Island
Aird’s Moss
Kirkconnell Merse
GeltsdaleLarne Lough Islands
Read’s Island
Tetney Marshes
Dingle Marshes
Nene Washes
Ouse Fen (Hanson-RSPB project)
Church Wood
Grassholm
Chapel Wood Greylake
WarehamMeadows
Brading Marshes
Pulborough Brooks and Amberley Wildbrooks
StoboroughHeath
Normanton Down
Barfold CopseIsley Marsh
Old Hall Marshes
The Skerries
Aghatirourke
Carlingford Lough Islands
Strangford Bay & Sandy Island
Inner ClydeFannyside
Skinflats
Inchmickery
Fidra
Edderton Sands
Fairy Glen
Eilean HoanLoch na Muilne
Colonsay
Hesketh Out Marsh
Malltraeth MarshMorfa Dinlle
Middleton Lakes
Beckingham Marshes
Sutton Fen
Winterbourne Downs
Snape
Dunnet Head
Broubster Leans
Bogside Flats
Durness
Locations of RSPB reservesFeatured reserves
1
RSPB Reserves 2012A review of our work
COMPILED BY MALCOLM AUSDEN AND JO GILBERT
ContentsOur vision 3
Introduction 5
Reserves and wildlife – a review of 2011 7Progress towards bird species targets 8Wildlife discoveries 12Land acquisition 14Condition of RSPB-managed SSSIs/ASSIs 15
Saving nature 17Re-introducing lost species to RSPB nature reserves 18Farming with nature 22Management of reedbeds for bitterns and other wildlife 24Lusty More island – restoration management for curlews in Fermanagh 28Our amazing Orkney reserves 32Meet some of our special species 36Increasing the breeding success of lowland wet grassland waders using predator exclusion fences 40Re-wetting Wolves Wood 44Managing coastal erosion – the Titchwell Coastal Change Project 46What future for our wintering geese? 50
Working in Partnership 55Reversing habitat loss at Dove Stone – from bare peat to a green recovery 56The Strathspey Wader Futurescape 60
Reserves and people – a review of 2011 65People on reserves in 2011 66Access to Nature – the South Essex People and Wildlife Programme 70Springwatch at Ynys-hir 74Nature Counts 78The economic benefits of nature reserves 82
Supporting partners around the world 87The Gola Rainforest: Sierra Leone’s first Rainforest National Park 88
Thank you to our supporters 92
2
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Stone-curlews continue to increase on habitat created for themat Winterbourne Downs and Minsmere.
3RSPB RESERVES 2 012
Our visionOur vision is to help achieve a wildlife-rich future
by doubling the area of land managed as RSPB nature
reserves by 2030; protecting our most special places for
birds and all wildlife; and redressing past losses through
habitat restoration and creation.
Our reserves will be wonderful places, rich in wildlife,
where everyone can enjoy, learn about and be inspired
by the wealth of nature. Working with neighbouring
landowners, we will help enhance the quality of the
surrounding countryside through our Futurescapes
programme.
Increasingly, we will focus on restoring land of low
ecological interest to that of high quality. We set
challenging targets, but more is needed given the
size of the task facing all of us.
4 RSPB RESERVES 2 012
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Our new nature reserve at Middleton Lakes – a place for people to connect with nature.
5I NTRODUCT ION
Over the centuries, humans have
altered our natural environment
beyond all recognition: woodlands
have been felled, heathlands
ploughed or afforested and
wetlands drained. And with these
changes, our collective memory of
what our natural environment was
like fades too. Each succeeding
generation tends to accept “their”
time as a baseline against which
further change is benchmarked.
As a conservation body, the RSPB’s
role can be captured quite simply as
trying to create a world richer in
wildlife, and wanting our children to
inherit the environment in a better state
than we found it. So we will protect the
best of our natural environment, but we
also want to restore what we have lost.
We conserve wildlife for its own sake,
and for our benefit, by providing
ecosystem services that we all
accept from the natural environment,
knowingly or not. These include clean
water, carbon storage, food, flood
defence and natural space to enjoy, to
name but a few.
During 2011, we were pleased to open
our new reserve at Middleton Lakes,
near Tamworth on the north-east edge
of the Birmingham conurbation. In this
area of wetland remodelled from old
gravel workings, we are putting
something back into an area which has
suffered huge ecological loss. Over
time, we hope that Middleton will
become a gateway site for people to
connect with nature; to enjoy, learn
and, on their return home, perhaps
commit to taking individual actions to
benefit nature.
Another site where we have been
restoring nature is at The Lodge – the
RSPB’s UK headquarters. The Lodge
protects remnant heath, once part of a
much larger sweep of heathland along
the Greensand Ridge of Bedfordshire
and Cambridgeshire. In recent years,
we have removed 44 hectares of
conifers and spread heather seed. It is
incredibly rewarding to see heather
steadily colonising the restored area.
The two sites are connected in
rather a special way. Middleton is an
important place in the ecological
history of Britain, as Middleton Hall
was home to Francis Willughby and
John Ray, who produced the first
truly scientific attempt at plant
classification. Ray’s Cambridge
Catalogue of plants, published in
1660 and researched whilst he was a
Fellow at Trinity College, describes
the botany of a now largely lost
landscape, including the Lower
Greensand ridge. He gives a vivid
insight into what we might aim for as
part of the restoration: for example,
shepherd’s cress Teesdalia
nudicaulis, found "in a sandy lay near
the windmills beyond Gamlingay
towards Sandy", is now only present
in a few small colonies. It would be
good to see its former abundance
restored. Lamb’s succory Arnoseris
minima, is now extinct and would
require reintroduction, probably to
areas of disturbed ground.
We now take the ability to identify
the plants and animals around us for
granted. But this obviously depends
on successive generations wanting
to learn how to identify plants and
animals, and having the right training
to do so.
We are clear that there are people
who wish to learn, and the creation
of identification guides, whether in
print or on-line, has done much to
support this. But the emphasis on
ecosystem processes, rather than
more traditional approaches to botany
and zoology, mean that access to
formal learning is declining. We have
been delighted to play a small role in
trying to address this skills gap
through "Nature Counts", a Heritage
Lottery Fund (HLF) supported project
under which we are supporting 12
ecologists over three years to work
with RSPB ecologists to develop their
taxonomic and identification skills,
focusing on more difficult, under-
recorded groups of species. We hope
the result will add to a new
generation of ecologists, better
equipped to help us understand and
contribute to the conservation of a
rapidly changing world, as well as
helping the RSPB to manage
reserves better in the short-term.
IntroductionSaving Nature
Martin HarperDirector of Conservation
Gwyn WilliamsHead of Reserves & Protected Areas
6
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
RSPB nature reserves support about 7% of the UK breeding population of hen harriers.
7RSPB RESERVES 2 012
There are several strategic aims within the RSPB’s Reserves
Conservation Strategy:
• We have set ambitious targets for key bird species: to
increase the populations of 15 species and maintain
population of 11 others.
• To ensure that wildlife thrives on our reserves, we aim
to maintain rare and scarce species of plants, fungi and
animals and to enhance numbers of some of the most
threatened species.
• We will continue to create important new habitats on
existing reserves and to acquire further land where this
helps us to conserve priority species and habitats.
• For those areas of reserves designated as Sites and Areas
of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs and ASSIs) where the
RSPB is responsible for delivery of Favourable Condition,
our aim is that all are classified as in Favourable
Condition or Unfavourable-Recovering Condition.
This chapter reports on progress made towards these aims
during 2011.
Reserves and wildlifea review of 2011
8 RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Progress towards bird species targets
We aim to maintain the populations of
11 key bird species at or above their
2005 levels on reserves. Ambitious
targets have been set to increase
populations of a further 15 key species
breeding on our reserves by 2012
(see table, page 11).
Figures for 2011 show mixed
progress, with populations of a
range of species declining on RSPB
nature reserves in 2011, probably for
a variety of reasons. Four species
are making good progress towards
achieving their ambitious increase
targets, and eleven species are
expected to maintain their existing
numbers on reserves. Seven
species appear unlikely to achieve
their existing targets on reserves,
with an additional two species
likely to fail to colonise, or
re-colonise, RSPB reserves. The
remaining two priority species are
not monitored regularly on RSPB
nature reserves.
Numbers of black grouse have almost doubled on RSPB nature reserves since 2005.
Species making good progresstowards achieving their 2012“increase” targetsFour species are currently on track to
achieve their 2012 increase targets:
bittern, black grouse, crane, and
stone-curlew.
Numbers of booming bitterns on
reserves continued to increase, with
our strategy of creating reedbed for
bitterns and other species away from
vulnerable coastal areas continuing to
pay off. The increase was particularly
pleasing, especially given the severity
of the previous winter. At Ham Wall
(see page 26), there were 10 booming
bitterns and seven nests (eight
boomers and eight nests in 2010).
At Lakenheath Fen, there were seven
boomers and seven or eight nests
(six boomers and five nests in 2010).
Black grouse also increased, despite
the winter conditions. At Geltsdale,
there were 45 lekking males. This
compares with 38 in 2010, and 18 in
2009. Numbers of lekking male black
grouse also increased from 10 to 19
at Lake Vyrnwy.
Cranes nested successfully at
Lakenheath Fen for the third year
running. There were two pairs and
these fledged one young. A pair of
cranes bred for the second year
running at the Nene Washes, and
again fledged one young. Of the 21
cranes released into the Somerset
Levels in 2011, 18 survived their first
winter. A further 17 have been
released in 2011, and these two age
groups are interacting well together.
Numbers of breeding stone-curlews
continued to increase at
Winterbourne Downs, and on the
acid grassland created at Minsmere.
There were 13 pairs of stone-
curlews breeding at these two sites
in 2011, compared with just two
pairs in 2005.
9RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Species making good progresstowards achieving their 2012“maintain” targetsEleven priority species are expected
to achieve their 2012 Reserves
Conservation Strategy “maintain”
targets: Slavonian grebe, common
scoter, hen harrier, spotted crake,
corncrake, black-tailed godwit
(limosa race), whimbrel, woodlark,
chough and, on lowland wet
grassland, redshank and lapwing.
Some of these remain on track
overall, despite recent declines.
Slavonian grebes are maintaining
their numbers on the RSPB reserve
at Loch Ruthven, but have declined
on the rest of the loch. Numbers of
Slavonian grebes increased on the
loch as a whole in 2011. Slavonian
grebes had a good breeding season
at Loch Ruthven in 2011, raising 11
young on the whole loch. This bodes
well for 2012.
Numbers of lapwings, redshanks
and snipe breeding on our lowland
wet grassland reserves declined for
a second year running. Some of
these declines were probably at
least in part due to the dry weather
conditions in spring, and might also
be the result of a second hard
winter reducing overwinter survival.
Numbers of breeding black-tailed
godwits remained fairly stable at the
Nene Washes RSPB Reserve (43 in
2011, compared to 44 in 2010).
Efforts to maintain wet grassland-
breeding waders in the countryside
outside nature reserves, through our
Futurescapes programme, are
described on pages 60-63. These
contrast with the more extreme
interventions that are now having to
be used to maintain isolated core
breeding populations of lapwings in
areas where their numbers have
collapsed in the surrounding
countryside (pages 40-43).
Numbers of spotted crakes were
particularly low in 2011, but numbers
arriving in the UK are known to often
fluctuate greatly from year to year.
Total numbers of choughs breeding
on RSPB reserves have only
declined slightly since 2005, but
have shown a large decline at The
Oa, from seven pairs in 2006 to just
two in 2011 (but with another two
pairs nesting just off the reserve).
A key problem for these choughs is
low first year survival. A project is
underway to look at foraging and
food preferences during the post-
fledging period.
Mark H
amblin (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Common scoters breeding on RSPB reserves have remained fairly
stable since 2005.
10 RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Ben Hall (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Dartford warblers declined on some RSPB nature
reserves in 2011, almost certainly due to the hard winter.
Species making unsatisfactoryprogress towards achievingtheir 2012 “maintain” targetsSeven species are currently not on
track to achieve their 2012 “maintain”
targets: snipe (on lowland wet
grassland), red-necked phalarope,
capercaillie, little tern, nightjar,
Dartford warbler and golden oriole.
An additional two species, cirl
bunting and black-necked grebe,
have failed to achieve our target of,
respectively, colonising and re-
colonising RSPB nature reserves
(although single pairs of black-necked
grebes have bred for single years at
three sites during the five years).
Numbers of male red-necked
phalaropes on the RSPB’s managed
mires on Fetlar remained the same
as in 2010 (eight males). This follows
two years of increases following the
clearance of existing pools, and
creation of new pools in these mires,
prior to the 2009 breeding season.
Numbers of returning males to the
UK are thought to be determined to a
large extent by off-site factors related
to conditions at sea in their (as yet
unknown) wintering grounds. Despite
this, we still need to maintain good
habitat conditions for them on our
nature reserves, so that returning
birds can breed successfully.
There were 40 lekking male
capercaillie at Abernethy, up from 31
last year. This increase follows good
productivity in 2010, when 23 chicks
were recorded from 25 hens.
Productivity was lower in 2011 (12
chicks recorded from 34 hens).
Little terns declined slightly on
RSPB nature reserves in 2011, and
productivity was generally low at their
main RSPB sites. This low productivity
was due principally to predation and/or
storms washing out nests. The long-
term prospects for little terns in the UK
appear poor, unless improvements to
their breeding sites can be made on a
large scale. This species has suffered a
long-term decline in Britain, explained
by low breeding productivity. Pressure
on breeding little terns is likely to
increase further, as a result of sea-level
rise, and possibly increases in
recreational use of coastal areas.
Numbers of Dartford warblers breeding
on RSPB reserves declined sharply in
2011, due to reductions in numbers at
Arne (from 52 pairs in 2010, to 17 pairs
in 2011) and Aylesbeare Common (from
13 pairs in 2010 to three pairs in 2011),
both no doubt caused by the prolonged
cold period during the previous winter.
Numbers of Dartford warblers remained
fairly stable at other RSPB sites.
The decline in numbers and likely
imminent extinction of breeding golden
orioles in the UK (Lakenheath Fen has
probably been their only regular
breeding site in the UK), mirrors their
decline on the near-Continent. There is
nothing to suggest that it is due to
changes in the extent or quality of
breeding habitat in the UK.
11RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Steve K
nell (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Species 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012target
Slavonian grebe 2 2 3 4 4 2 3 2
Black-necked grebe 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 5
Bittern (booming males) 18 19 20 26 29 34 37 34
Common scoter 11 14 10 10 12 11 11 11
Hen harrier (nests)* 53 - - 43 56 47 48 59
Black grouse (lekking males) 104 151 189 174 141 169 195 170
Capercaillie (lekking males) 48 39 47 41 32 31 40 60
Spotted crake (calling males) 10 13 14 12 12 10 5 10
Corncrake (calling males) 242 266 294 240 289 246 245 330
Crane 0 0 1-2 2 2 3 3 3
Stone-curlew 7 7 6 10 12 17** 20** 20
Lapwing (on lowland wet grassland) 1,311 1,366 1,392 1,458 1,500 1,402 1,249 1,650
Snipe (drumming males on lowland wet grassland) 542 579 495 565 568 507 357 700
Black-tailed godwit race limosa 46 50 43 43 43 45 44 46
Whimbrel 10 - >8 8 - 8 - 10
Redshank (on lowland wet grassland) 1,070 1,128 1,180 1,196 1,192 1,178 1,057 1,300
Red-necked phalarope (males) 18 12 8 6 11 13 11 18
Little tern 191 127 137 113 122 122 106 191
Nightjar*** 71 75 68 65 59 63 60 71
Woodlark*** 38 51 53 50 50 33 33 38
Dartford warbler*** 139 108 c 125 c 147 c 85 100 59 165
Crested tit c 200 - - - - - - c 200
Golden oriole 2 2 3 2 2 0-1 0 4
Chough 31 34 37 34 33 32 29 40
Scottish crossbill (individuals) - - - 23 - - - -
Cirl bunting 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Note: Figures are pairs except where stated otherwise. * The original target has been revised because of changes in recording area at one of their key sites, Forsinard Flows.** Includes two females, which both laid in the same nest, and which we have counted as separate “pairs”.*** The original target has been revised because one of the sites at which they breed, Avon Heath, is no longer an RSPB reserve, and because of changesin recording at North Warren.
Populations of priority bird species on RSPB reserves present in 2005In some cases the population on the entire RSPB reserve network is higher than this, because birds on land acquired
since 2005 have not been included in this table.
Slavonian grebes enjoyed a good breeding season at Loch Ruthven in 2011,
but their status as a breeding species in the UK remains precarious.
12 RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Wildlife discoveriesIn 2011, RSPB ecologists discovered
a population of the beetle Omophron
limbatum in a new area of East
Anglia. This is one of the rare beetles
found at the margins of pools at
Dungeness. For many years Rye
Harbour and Dungeness were long
thought to be the only British
localities for this species, but several
new sites were found in Breckland in
Norfolk and Suffolk in the first few
years of the 2000s. It seems that
Omophron limbatum has colonised
Britain at least twice, because the
beetles in East Anglia are darker and
more extensively marked than those
in Kent and Sussex. The beetles at
the new site match those from
Breckland, so they are likely to have
come from the same source.
One of the RSPB's Nature Counts
trainees (see page 78) made a very
unexpected discovery at South Stack
Cliffs. The beetle, Calosoma inquisitor,
known as the caterpillar-hunter, is
associated with ancient woodlands.
It is a scarce and spectacular beetle,
but it has been lost from a number
of its former sites. Colin Lucas found
one walking across the maritime
heathland at South Stack, several
kilometres from the nearest sizeable
wood. Calosoma inquisitor does not
seem to have been recorded from
Anglesey before; the nearest
locations in the provisional atlas of
ground beetles are on the Welsh
mainland. So if this was a wanderer
it was very lost indeed, but there is
the exciting possibility that there is
a resident population of Calosoma
inquisitor on Holy Island in a
heathland habitat. We shall look for
it again in 2012.
The trainees in Scotland, Clare
Rickerby and Ndurie Abah, found
a new colony of Orthotrichum
obtusifolium at Insh Marshes. This
rare moss is found on tree trunks
in eastern Scotland. It was lost from
England more than a hundred years
ago, but it has recently been found
in a few places in East Anglia, so it
might be recolonising.
Genetic analysis of tooth fungi from
Abernethy has confirmed two new
species for Britain. In 2010,
mycologists Martyn Ainsworth and
Alan Lucas collected some
specimens with the help of former
Discovery of a new site for the beetle Omophron limbatum
was one of the highlights of 2011.
Mark G
urney
13RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
One of the mystery tooth
fungi at Abernethy has
been identified as
Hydnellum cumulatum,
a new species for Britain.
Mark G
urney
site manager Stewart Taylor, who has
mapped the distribution of tooth
fungi at the reserve every autumn for
the last five years (see RSPB
Reserves 2009). The results of their
analysis of these confusing fungi
show that Hydnellum cumulatum and
Hydnellum gracilipes grow in several
places at Abernethy and in nearby
pinewoods. Several other collections
from Abernethy are still being
analysed, and they appear to include
some undescribed species, so there
should be more new records to
report in future.
In 2011 the BTO staff and the RSPB
staff challenged each other to find as
many species as possible on their
headquarters nature reserves. Here
at The Lodge we found and identified
2,025 species, of which more than a
third had not been recorded before.
Several species were added to the
county list, and among the additions
to the reserve list were 45 rare or
scarce species, including a new moth,
the square-spotted clay; a distinctive
dead-wood beetle Tomoxia
bucephala; and Theridion pinastri, a
handsome spider associated with
heaths and open woods.
Five-spot ladybird Coccinella
quinquepunctata is known from a
number of places in the Spey Valley.
Steve Wilkinson, a long-term volunteer
at Insh Marshes, set out to try to find
it on the reserve in April 2011. His
search was successful, and he added
this unusual ladybird, which lives
among river shingle, to the reserve
list. Also new to Insh Marshes, and to
Scotland, was the conformist, a
spring-flying moth found by Matthew
Deans and Paul Bryant. This extremely
rare species used to be resident in
South Wales, but it has recently been
recorded only as a vagrant in Britain.
Matthew and Paul also found Kentish
glory, Rannoch sprawler and sword-
grass on the reserve.
More than 15,200 native species have
now been found on RSPB reserves;
just under one third (32%) of all UK
land and freshwater wildlife. We look
after many threatened species, from
sand-dwelling beetles on the sea
shore to rare sedges on the top of
Cairn Gorm. You can help us by telling
reserve staff if you find anything
unusual when you visit our reserves.
14 RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Land acquisitionDuring 2010/11, the Society acquired
8,446 hectares to add to its land
holding. This area comprised four new
nature reserves totalling 6,658 ha
(78.8% of the total) and the extension
of 13 reserves (21.2% of the total).
On 1 April 2011, the RSPB managed
141,833 ha at 211 reserves, of which
57% is owned, with the remainder
leased or under management
agreement. The new reserves were:
� Great Bells Farm, Isle of Sheppey,
Kent (lowland wet grassland
restoration in partnership with the
Environment Agency)
� Dove Stone, Greater Manchester
(upland heath in partnership with
United Utilities – see pages 56–59)
� Eastern Moors, Derbyshire (upland
heath and woodland in partnership
with the National Trust and Peak
District National Park)
� The Crannach, Deeside (upland
heath and Caledonian pinewood)
At Ouse Fen, Cambridgeshire, the
first transfer of land from Hanson to
the RSPB occurred and significant
extensions were added to Wallasea
Island, Essex; Dearne Valley, South
Yorkshire; Saltholme, Cleveland, and
at Forsinard Flows, Highland.
Our supportersIn 2010/11, we received £1,234,300 in
grants for land acquisition. A number
of these were from private donations,
particularly at Forsinard Flows,
Highlands, and Wallasea Island, Essex.
We are grateful to all our supporters –
a comprehensive list and
acknowledgement is published in the
RSPB 2010–11 Annual Review.
Ben Hall (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Our new nature reserve at Dove Stone in Greater Manchester,
managed in partnership with United Utilities.
15RESERVES AND W I LDL I F E – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Condition of RSPB-managed SSSIs and ASSIs
Almost three-quarters of the land
managed by the RSPB is designated
as SSSI/ASSI (Site/Area of Special
Scientific Interest), reflecting the high
value of the RSPB’s reserve network.
In England, 93.4% of the area of
SSSIs managed by the RSPB is in
Favourable Condition or Unfavourable-
Recovering Condition. Remedies have
been agreed with Natural England for
99.996% of the area of SSSI land
which is in Unfavourable Condition,
and for which the RSPB is
responsible for its management.
Chris G
omersall (rsp
b-images.co
m)
RSPB nature reserves support approximately 700,000 wintering and passage waders
and wildfowl, including large numbers of knots and dunlins.
We do not have recent data on the
condition of RSPB-managed SSSIs in
Scotland. As of April 2010 (for which
the most recent data are available), of
802 features assessed, 660 (82.3%)
were assessed as being in Favourable
or Unfavourable-Recovering Condition.
The 142 features assessed as being
in Unfavourable-Declining or
Unfavourable-No-Change include a
large number not in RSPB
management control. This reflects, in
particular, the large number of
breeding seabird SSSI and SPA
features on the RSPB’s reserve
holdings in Scotland, as well as a
more widespread attribution of
Unfavourable Condition of bird
features to influences with no
“on-site” remedy. Taking this into
account, 95% of the features for
which there are considered to be on-
site remedies are now in Favourable
Condition.
Information on the condition of
RSPB-managed units in Wales and
Northern Ireland is not available
from the statutory conservation
organisations.
16
Roseate tern
by Chris G
omersall an
d heath
fritillary by Jackie C
ooper (b
oth rsp
b-images.co
m). G
round beetle b
y Roy Anderso
n. Fen
orchid, an
t-lion and fungus by M
ark Gurney.
Just a few of the many fabulous species for which RSPB
nature reserves support a large proportion of their UK
population. Clockwise from top left: roseate tern, heath
fritillary, the ground beetle Badister meridionalis, fen orchid,
ant-lion, and the fungus Stereopsis vitellina.
17RSPB RESERVES 2 012
Saving natureAn amazing variety of birds, plants, animals and fungi depend on
RSPB nature reserves for their survival, particularly species with
small UK populations that have specialised requirements. Over the
last half century, RSPB reserves have played an important part in
preventing the extinction of several UK breeding birds, such as
marsh harriers and Dartford warblers, and have greatly aided the
recovery of others, such as bitterns, avocets and corncrakes.
Increasingly, we are managing habitats for other wildlife and are
focusing attention on rare and threatened species with important
populations on our reserves, and those threatened through loss of
habitat elsewhere.
18
Ellen
Rotheray
The RSPB’s role in reintroduction projects for birds is
widely recognised, but fewer people are aware of our
work translocating other animals and plants to our
reserves. As translocation of species has become more
widely regarded as a valuable tool for conservation, so
the number of translocation projects on RSPB nature
reserves has increased.
JANE SEARS, BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS OFFICER
Reintroducing lost species to RSPB nature reserves
The pine hoverfly is arguably
the most endangered hoverfly
in the UK.
19SAV ING NATURE
As long ago as the early 1980s,
natterjack toads were translocated to
The Lodge and Minsmere nature
reserves, and in the 1990s we
helped establish a silver-studded blue
colony at Aldingham Walks in Suffolk.
Now we are helping to secure the
future for some of the UK’s most
threatened species. By providing
continuity of suitable habitat
conditions, our reserves can help
maintain and enhance existing
populations of vulnerable species
that are confined to very few sites,
or help restore populations of
species that have gone extinct
in the UK.
We consider that reintroduction
should be used judiciously and
should never be a substitute for
conserving species through habitat
conservation at their existing sites,
or encouraging natural colonisation
of suitable alternative sites.
We recognise the opportunity that
habitat creation schemes provide to
restore species to their former
ranges, or to provide alternative sites
when their existing habitat is
threatened through changes, such as
sea level rise. All of our projects are
carried out in partnership with other
organisations, and proposals are
assessed against IUCN guidance.
The following three cases illustrate
our approach to wildlife translocation
projects.
Pine hoverfly – an unwillingcolonistThe pine hoverfly Blera fallax is
arguably the most endangered
hoverfly in the UK, having been
confined to just two Scottish native
pinewoods in Strathspey since the
1990s. It was previously known from
eight sites including the RSPB’s
Abernethy reserve, where it was last
recorded in 1982. The species is
saproxylic or “rot-loving”, requiring
wet decay in holes naturally found in
dead and decaying trees, or within
the stumps of trees cut for forestry.
It is thought to have declined due to
changes in forestry practices, and a
lack of over-mature, senescent or
dead trees in Scottish native
pinewoods.
Since 1999, the RSPB has been
working with Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH) and the Malloch
Society to increase populations at the
two known sites, and to provide
suitable habitat at neighbouring sites,
including Abernethy, hoping that the
hoverfly would expand its range
naturally through dispersion. Having
studied the hoverfly’s ecological
requirements, we found that by
cutting slots in cut stumps and filling
them with wood chips, we could
increase the amount of breeding
habitat available (see photograph).
Although the population at one of the
sites increased, after five years none
of the neighbouring sites had been
colonised, so reintroduction was
considered necessary.
In 2007, the pine hoverfly was
included in SNH’s Species Action
Framework (SAF) with a target to
“achieve an increase in range to five
sites by 2012”. Captive breeding of a
saproxylic hoverfly had not been
attempted before, so a technique
was developed by Ellie Rotheray, a
PhD student at Stirling University.
Reintroductions to historic sites
commenced in 2009, with the first
Ellen
Rotheray
of three years of releases at
Rothiemurchus Estate, and then in
2010 and 2011 to the RSPB’s
Abernethy reserve. Each year at
Abernethy, through our “deadwood
creation programme”, a few plantation
pines will be felled and stumps cut to
provide continuity of habitat for the
hoverfly, and to benefit other species
too. After three years of releases,
larvae will be monitored annually in
the hope that a self-sustaining
population of the pine hoverfly will
become established.
Slots are cut into pine stumps to
provide extra breeding habitat for
pine hoverflies.
I. MacG
owan
The female pine
hoverfly has a
lighter tail than
the red-tailed male
(shown opposite).
20 SAV ING NATURE
emergency measures were called for,
so a programme of reintroductions
commenced, supported by Natural
England’s Species Recovery
Programme. Since then, populations
have been established at four sites
within the species’ historic range in
southern England, and there are
Rowan Edwards
Field cricket – new homes onrecreated heathlandIn the early 1990s the endangered
field cricket, Gryllus campestris, a
flightless “true cricket”, numbered
fewer than 100 individuals in the UK,
all present at one site in West Sussex.
With very limited dispersal powers,
ongoing reintroductions to several
others to increase connectivity
between the sites.
We are contributing to this programme
through heathland recreation work at
two of our reserves; Pulborough
Brooks in Sussex and Farnham Heath
in Surrey. By removing trees from the
former heathland, we are restoring the
type of conditions the field cricket
requires for burrowing and foraging:
warm, tussocky grasslands with light
soil and up to 50% bare ground. Field
cricket nymphs were released in 2010
and 2011, and adult calling males were
heard at both sites during 2011. Further
releases will be made to suitable
habitat in adjacent areas to extend the
occupied range at each site, and the
habitat will be managed to retain the
early successional conditions.
Jane Sears (R
SPB)
Male field crickets call from their “sun-beds” of warm bare ground.
Once released,the field cricketsquickly digburrows.
21SAV ING NATURE
Short-haired bumblebee –benefiting other declining beesRestoring species that have gone
extinct in a country is never easy,
especially when the life-cycle of the
source population is six months out of
sync with the season where it is being
re-introduced, and on the other side of
the world! That was the challenge
facing us when we joined with Natural
England, Bumblebee Conservation
Trust and Hymettus in an ambitious
programme to restore a native
population of the short-haired
bumblebee Bombus subterraneus to
the UK. Once widespread across the
south of England, occurring as far
north as Humberside, the short-haired
bumblebee suffered a major decline
from the 1960s onwards and was
declared extinct in the UK in 2000. Its
decline was almost certainly the result
of the loss of the species-rich
grassland on which it depends. It was
last recorded near the RSPB’s
Dungeness reserve in 1988, but a
population of UK origin survives in
New Zealand, where it was introduced
in 1895 to pollinate red clover.
The project has assisted in the
creation and restoration of more than
550 ha of flower-rich habitat within the
Dungeness and Romney Marsh area.
This includes 4 ha of arable reversion
on the RSPB’s Dungeness reserve,
which has benefited other declining
bumblebee species, such as the shrill
carder bee Bombus sylvarum and the
large garden bumblebee Bombus
ruderatus, recorded there for the first
time in 2010. Two attempts to captive
breed the bee in New Zealand were
unsuccessful, and a genetic study
suggested high levels of inbreeding.
The decision was therefore made to
source the bees from Sweden, rather
Nikki G
ammans
than attempt to return bees of UK
origin. Subject to satisfactory disease
screening, we anticipate the first
release of queen bees at the RSPB’s
Dungeness reserve in spring 2012.
In future, we anticipate an increasing
need for translocations as populations
become more threatened and
fragmented, and vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change. We need
to learn from past and current
experience, and develop the expertise
to ensure the greatest chances of
their success.
Nikki G
ammans
A farm day event to learn about bumblebees.
Short-haired bees are to return to the UK after an
absence of nearly 25 years.
If asked, most people will say that the RSPB’s
involvement in farming is confined to advising
farmers and landowners on the management of their
land for birds and other wildlife, or carrying out bird
surveys on their land. This is far from the truth,
however – yes, the advisory function is a big part of
our work, but the Society is also very much involved
with farming by letting land to farmers, and farming
on its own account alongside, and with, nature.
IAN BAKER, HEAD OF LAND AGENCY
Farming with nature
Many of our reserves, as here at West Sedgemoor, provide grazing for local farmers’ livestock.
Malco
lm Ausden
22
23SAV ING NATURE
The RSPB manages more than
140,000 ha of land for nature
conservation, a significant proportion
of which depends on agricultural
management, particularly grazing by
sheep and cattle. We carry out farming
at a large scale, working within the
boundaries of the EU Single Farm
Payment and agri-environment
schemes. Our farmed estate is varied,
and we take on different roles to suit
local circumstances.
We carry out in-hand farming,
involving managing our own livestock,
at a number of reserves where it
makes sense both economically
and ecologically. Practical farming
experience is therefore important
as it helps inform our approach
through agricultural policy to matters
such as Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) reform.
We also let out large areas of land to
local graziers. Sometimes a
shepherding service is provided either
by skilled RSPB staff or local farmers.
This is the most cost-efficient way of
managing vegetation on reserves, and
avoids the Society investing in
livestock at a high capital cost.
To help tailor the sometimes unusual
demands of nature conservation with
commercial farming, the RSPB has
developed incentivised tenancies.
These offer a rebate from the agreed
rent upon delivery of features
beneficial for nature conservation.
These features can be a specified
grass height, or the application of
farmyard manure.
In 2011, there were 350 farmers with
640 agreements with the Society,
farming more than 23,000 ha on our
nature reserves across the UK.
Agreements vary from terms of one
grazing season to five year tenancies,
and are drawn up according to the
circumstances and needs of the
reserve. In all cases, we try to ensure
the farmer and the RSPB benefit from
the EU Single Farm Payment and
agri-environment schemes. Indeed
agri-environment grant is essential
to help support the costs of
management, especially in keeping
Natura 2000 sites in favourable
condition. This also requires the RSPB
to meet the rigorous requirements
of cross compliance (meeting certain
statutory and management
conditions) across all its reserves in
order to receive that money. Sites
and livestock are regularly inspected
by government agencies to ensure
these standards are met.
Latterly, the RSPB has become more
involved in the management of large
scale farming operations, for example
at Lake Vyrnwy for the last 15 years,
but more recently at Dove Stone, on
the moors in north west Derbyshire,
and at Haweswater, in the Lake
District. These schemes are managed
in conjunction with public utility
companies who have a legal
requirement to meet EU targets on
water quality at the lowest cost
commercially. The work at Dove Stone
is described on page 56.
Farming and Natura 2000 sites
In places, our farming activities
take place within, and are
essential to the management of
“Natura 2000” sites – Special
Protection Areas and Special
Areas of Conservation which are
the most important sites in
Europe for wildlife.
Within these areas, management
practices are required to maintain
(or where necessary to restore)
the value of the habitats that they
protect. The protection afforded to
these special places does not
prevent their ongoing agricultural
use. But it does ensure that these
special places are managed with
wildlife in mind, and provides a
focus for both partnerships and
funding to deliver innovative
agricultural management.
RSPB also carries out
large-scale, in-house
farming operations, such
as here at Loch Gruinart.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Management of reedbeds for bitternsand other wildlife
A view across the reedbed at Ham Wall towards Glastonbury Tor.
Although well known for their bird life, reedbeds also
support a wide variety of invertebrates, including rare and
specialised species dependent on reed. They also provide
important refuges for water voles from mink predation.
The RSPB is working closely with others to develop and
promote reedbed management for all of its special
wildlife interest.
MATT SELF, RESERVES ECOLOGIST; STEVE HUGHES, SITE MANAGER, HAM WALL;
JANE SEARS, BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS OFFICER
David
Kjaer (rsp
b-images.co
m)
24
25SAV ING NATURE
Reedbed is a rare habitat with only
an estimated 6,600 ha in the UK.
Since the RSPB leased its first
reedbed at Minsmere in 1947, we
have majored on restoring and
re-creating reedbeds and now
manage approximately 1,600 ha of
the habitat.
Much of the reedbed creation and
management has been led by the
requirements of bitterns. Despite
targeted management work through
the 1990s, bittern numbers declined
to a low of only 11 boomers at just
seven sites in 1997. This led to a
re-energised campaign of reedbed
restoration and re-creation with other
organisations and agencies, helped
by EC LIFE-Nature and informed by
detailed research work on the
behaviour and requirements of
bitterns. The results have been
favourable with an impressive
increase in bittern numbers.
Numbers of booming bitternsin 2011
The graph shows the increase in
numbers of booming bitterns since
the start of reedbed creation, at Ham
Wall in 1994, and at Lakenheath Fen
in 1996. These, and other reedbeds,
have been created to compensate for
the loss of coastal freshwater
reedbeds due to rising sea levels. Of
the 12 RSPB sites with bittern nests
in 2011, five (with 12 nests) are at risk
of imminent coastal flooding. Inland
reedbeds, such as at Ham Wall and
Lakenheath Fen, will become
increasingly important.
There were 10 booming
bitterns at Ham Wall in
2011, just one fewer than
the total number of
booming bitterns in the
whole of the UK in 1997.
Richard
Revels (rsp
b-images.co
m)
2
4
6
8
10
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Year
Nu
mb
er o
f b
oo
mer
s
Ham Wall
Lakenheath Fen
0
26 SAV ING NATURE
Creation and management ofreedbed at Ham WallOne of the key sites for bitterns is
Ham Wall. This was created from
former peat extraction areas in the
Somerset Levels, starting in 1994,
and is one of the best examples of
how a degraded industrial site can be
turned into good wildlife habitat. In
18 years, the site has expanded to
230 ha, of which at least 153 ha is a
diverse mix of reed, mixed swamp
and inundation communities, pools
and ditches.
Ham Wall was acquired in phases, as
peat extraction was completed in
each block of around 20 ha. The mix
of vertical banks and deep pools was
re-worked with diggers to create a
network of channels, open water
bodies and reed blocks. With deep
voids and relatively little material to
rework, most areas have more open
water and more deeply-flooded reed
than in a typical reedbed. This has
proved to be ideal fish habitat, and
the very wet reedbeds have turned
out to be very resistant to the
accumulation of litter and debris, and
the succession process. Rudd were
introduced to the site to increase
food availability, and they have
thrived. More recently, an eel pass
(provided by the Environment
Agency) has been installed to allow
access to the reedbeds from the
separate main drain nearby.
It is often difficult to keep up with the
scale of reed management at large
reedbed sites, and with the disposal
of arisings from reed cutting. Ham
Wall has managed particularly large
areas of reed, typically over 5 ha per
year, and has developed innovative
approaches to these problems. Much
of this has been tackled with a
specialised low ground pressure flail
harvester (based on a “Softrak”
platform), supplying “pods” which
turn cut reed into garden compost.
An alternative to this traditional cut-
and-remove process is also being
trialled at Ham Wall, aiming to
“rejuvenate” a block of reed by
lowering water levels, undertaking
an initial cut, then introducing hardy
cattle (Highlands) to the developing
grass sward. The first rejuvenated
block is due to be re-flooded in 2012.
Work at Ham Wall started in 1994,
but it took until 2003 for the first
booming bittern to be heard. No
nesting attempts took place until
2008, when there were two boomers
and two nests. Since then numbers
have increased greatly, to 10
boomers and seven nests in 2011.
Bringing Reedbeds to LifeAn understanding of reedbed design
and management for birds has been
developed over many years, but there
is less information on the
requirements of other wildlife.
Within the RSPB and Natural England
Steve H
ughes
The Softrak cutter in action, cutting and removing reed.
27S AV I N G N AT U R E
Matt S
elf
Reed re-growing in the rejuvenation areas following lowering of water levels and cutting.
The vigour of the re-growth is further reduced by grazing.
(NE) Bringing Reedbeds to Life
project, a range of taxa and their
microhabitats were surveyed in detail
at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Hickling
Broad, NE’s Stodmarsh National
Nature Reserve (NNR) and the
RSPB’s Ham Wall reserve, to
improve our understanding of the
value of reedbeds and develop
suitable management
recommendations. The importance
of dry areas within reedbeds for
invertebrate diversity was
re-confirmed, but the value of wet,
early successional reedbed for
specialist invertebrates was also
demonstrated. Seasonally flooded
pools were important for common
frogs, and well vegetated ditches
were important for smooth newts.
Water voles and mink were found to
be co-existing at all the sites,
reinforcing the belief that reedbeds
provide refuges for water voles
from mink predation.
As a relatively new restoration site
on degraded peat excavations, it was
expected that Ham Wall would have a
poorer fauna than the mature and
long-established reedbeds at Hickling
Broad and Stodmarsh. However, a
respectable 552 species of
invertebrate were identified at Ham
Wall. This was similar to the numbers
recorded at the other sites. Numbers
of wetland specialists and reedbed
specialists (those dependent on reed,
reared from reed or only found in
reedbed habitats) were also similar at
the three sites. Seventeen Nationally
Rare or Nationally Scarce flies were
recorded at Ham Wall. Two are
classed as Vulnerable (the ornate
brigadier soldierfly Odontomyia ornata
and the hoverfly Sphaerophoria loewi)
and one Near-Threatened (the
dancefly Poecilobothrus ducalis),
together with eight UK BAP species
of moths. Ham Wall also supported
good numbers of common and marsh
frogs and smooth newts were
recorded even within pure reed.
All parts of the hydrological gradient
within reedbeds have biodiversity
and conservation value, and dynamic
management that maintains a range
of successional stages is key to
maintaining a high diversity of
wetland species. We have also
demonstrated the value of re-created
reedbeds for a range of species in
addition to bitterns. Combined with
an extensive programme of reedbed
auditing and the provision of advice,
it is hoped this work will result in
a coherent strategy for reedbed
conservation for the next decade.
Thanks to:
EC LIFE-Nature for funding reedbed
creation work, and to NE for
supporting the Bringing Reedbeds to
Life project, via the Countdown 2010
Biodiversity Action Fund.
28 RSPB RESERVES 2 01128
The Lower Lough Erne Islands Reserve in County Fermanagh
is the RSPB’s most westerly reserve and comprises 39 islands
in the UK’s third largest freshwater lake. It is home to an
important population of breeding waders, and targeted
management over the past 11 years has reversed declines in
breeding lapwings and redshanks. Work is currently
underway on the largest of the islands to benefit the
curlew, a species in rapid decline as a breeding bird
across the whole of Ireland.
BRAD ROBSON, FERMANAGH AREA MANAGER
Lusty More Island – restoration managementfor curlews in Fermanagh
The once widespread curlew is now confined to a smallnumber of islands and wetland sites in Fermanagh.
Steve R
ound (rsp
b-images.co
m)
29SAV ING NATURE
The curlew is familiar to many people,
having been a widespread breeding
species in both meadows and bogs.
However, this distinctive wader is in
serious trouble on its Irish breeding
grounds, both in the north and south.
In 2011, BirdWatch Ireland, the BirdLife
partner in the Republic of Ireland (ROI),
estimated the breeding population of
curlews in ROI to be fewer than 200
pairs. In Northern Ireland, the breeding
population was estimated at 5–6,000
pairs in 1986–87 (Partridge 1988). By
2000, this population had decreased
by 60% across both key breeding
wader sites and the countryside
outside these areas (Stanbury et al.
2000). Although there is not a more
recent estimate, evidence suggests
that the population is now at a critically
low level. The breeding population on
the reserve has declined from 57 pairs
in 1994 but has remained stable at
34–35 pairs since 2007.
Lusty More Island is, at 38 ha, the
largest island on the reserve, and the
most varied. More than 230 species
of vascular plant have been recorded
including cowbane and purging
buckthorn. The woodland is home to
several species of fungi found
nowhere else in Ireland; marsh
fritillary has been recorded and otters
are regularly seen along the shore. It
is owned by Fermanagh District
Council and the RSPB manages it in
partnership with a local farmer. It is a
wonderful example of a low input
grazing system benefiting a wide
variety of wildlife.
The open grassland of the interior is
hidden from the lough by an
encircling belt of oak and ash
woodland, making the meadows
unattractive to breeding lapwings and
redshanks. However, up to three
pairs of curlews and five pairs of
snipe have bred on the island for
many years. Curlew productivity has
been poor, with young only fledging
in two of the past 14 years of
monitoring. The dense woodland and
close proximity to a neighbouring
island, where foxes regularly take
© Crown Copyrig
ht, Lan
d and Pro
perty S
ervices,Licen
ce number 1548, M
ay 2012
The removal of field boundary trees and encroaching scrub will createa large open centre to the island suitable for breeding curlews and freefrom disturbance.
Ray K
ennedy (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Redshanks do not breed on Lusty More although targeted management onother reserve islands has increased the population from 23 to 52 pairs.
30 SAV ING NATURE
food handed out from a restaurant,
have hampered efforts at control.
An aerial photograph from 1969
shows the island at a time when the
then owner had cleared trees after
many years of abandonment, in an
attempt to revive the working farm.
However, this project ran into
difficulties and after the initial work it
was abandoned to a low level of
cattle grazing and consequently
scrub re-invaded the edges of the
meadows. In 2011, funds were
secured from SWARD through the
NI Rural Development Programme
2010 and, where appropriate, stumps
have been painted with glyphosate
immediately after felling to minimise
re-growth. All felling has been done
using chainsaws, with cut materials
stacked close to existing woodland,
removed or burnt where appropriate.
A 20-minute boat journey from the
mainland has added to the logistical
complexity of the operation; the
RSPB cot, usually used to transport
livestock, has been used to transport
machinery and materials.
With habitat restoration nearing
completion, the second phase of the
project will begin in August 2012. A
2 km solar-powered electric predator-
proof fence will be erected around
the meadows to exclude foxes. On
the reserve’s Rabbit Island, curlews
breed at a density of 1.2 pairs per
hectare. Lusty More is quite different
from that site but it is hoped that
following restoration, and in the
absence of fox predation, it could
support 10 pairs of breeding curlews
and an increased breeding snipe
population. If a productive population
becomes established, then young
curlews could repopulate some of
the other islands and mainland sites
around Lower Lough Erne, bringing
the bubbling sounds of spring to a
much wider audience once more.
Brad
Robson
Brad
Robson
We manage our Western Atlantic oakwoods for
pied flycatchers and other summer migrants.
The wet meadows with naturally undulating topography generate softground conditions and a large amount of invertebrate prey throughoutthe breeding season.
By 2010 nesting habitat for curlews andsnipe had deteriorated due to scrubencroachment and rush infestation.
Exposed limestone and shallow soilsat the eastern end of the island are richin vascular plants and invertebrates.
Brad Robson
and from Fermanagh District Council
to remove 2 ha of invasive alder, birch
and blackthorn scrub from the
island’s meadows, to flail a further 2
ha of bramble and gorse and to
remove 2 km of field boundary trees
to recreate nearly 20 ha of
unimpeded open meadows.
Work began in October 2011, with
local contractors flailing bramble and
gorse using low ground pressure
machinery to minimise the impact on
the sward and soils. The standing
trees were all injected with undiluted
glyphosate by reserve staff in autumn
31SAV ING NATURE
Brad
Robson
Low density cattle grazing fromApril to December creates suitableconditions for both nestingcurlews and a high diversity offlowering plants.
Thanks to:This project has been supported by
SWARD through the NI Rural
Development Programme, Fermanagh
District Council and the Northern
Ireland Environment Agency.
ReferencesPartridge JK. (1988). Breeding waders
in Northern Ireland. RSPB
Conservation Review 2:69-71.
Stanbury A, O’Brien M and Donaghy
A. (2000). Trends in breeding wader
populations in key areas within
Northern Ireland between 1986 and
2000. Irish Birds, 6, 513-526.
Orkney is a very special place, containing high densities of
breeding hen harriers, amazing seabird colonies and
archaeology, and still hosting good numbers of farmland
birds. In this article we describe some of the special
features of the birdlife of Orkney, and what we are doing
to help maintain its unique bird life – crucial for an area
where so many of the visitors come to enjoy the natural
environment.
ANDY KNIGHT, ORKNEY RESERVES MANAGER
Our amazing Orkney reserves
Numbers of hen harriers have recovered well, with RSPB nature reservescurrently holding a third of the Orkney population.
32
Mark H
amblin (rsp
b-images.co
m)
33S AV I N G N AT U R E
The RSPB manages 13 nature
reserves on Orkney, covering 8,439 ha.
The majority of their area comprises
upland heath and montane habitat,
together with smaller areas of
marginal and agriculturally improved
farmland, wetland and a range of
coastal habitats. Our nature reserves
contain 41 known archaeological
features, including six Scheduled
Ancient Monuments.
Management of the RSPB’s nature reserves on OrkneyAbout a third of the area of our nature reserves is open to grazing. Our reserves
support five common grazings, and 21 grazing lets. This arrangement provides
benefits to local farmers and contractors (see also the article on pages 22–23).
In terms of management of all of these habitats, there has been a general
move towards more of a landscape scale approach. It has become increasingly
important to incorporate management on nature reserves with advisory and
advocacy work outside reserves. Reserve boundaries blur more into the
countryside outside these days – this applies to management of moorland,
arable, farmland and wetland habitats. Management for corncrakes, waders and
songbirds is all combined into integrated farmland bird management.
For farmland and wetland habitats, agri-environment agreements have been
important in supporting grazing of hard to graze wader habitats, the use of
specialist cutting equipment, and delayed mowing for corncrakes.
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In ornithological terms, Orkney is
perhaps best known for its hen
harriers (as well as Eddie Balfour who
studied hen harriers on Orkney in the
1950s) and seabirds. Harrier numbers
declined from their 1970s heyday to
just 30 territories in the early 1990s.
This prompted an RSPB-sponsored
study into the causes of this decline.
The study linked the decline of hen
harriers to low availability of their main
prey, Orkney voles, in late winter and
early spring. This low food availability
was itself correlated with high
numbers of sheep, whose intensive
Numbers of hen harrier apparently occupied territories on the RSPB’s Orkney West
Mainland reserves
grazing reduced the area of ranker
grassland in which the voles live. Bad
weather in spring also has a negative
impact and accounted for annual
variations in productivity. A
combination of reserve management,
the Natura 2000 Hen Harrier Scheme
and agri-environment schemes
encouraging reduced sheep stocking
on hill land, has resulted in a stunning
recovery of hen harriers back to the
levels seen in the 1970s. In 2011, there
were 103 sites occupied by hen
harriers on Orkney, 37 of which were
on RSPB nature reserves.
The situation regarding seabirds
remains of high concern. For example,
34 SAV ING NATURE
numbers of seabirds at Marwick Head
have declined by 53% since Seabird
2000, and by a further 22% since
2006. The situation has vividly struck
home to fieldworkers, who now visit
productivity monitoring plots that no
longer have any birds in them. Despite
these declines, the seabird spectacles
at Noup Cliffs, Marwick Head and
Copinsay still remain impressive. The
spectacle at Noup Cliffs is heightened
by its burgeoning gannet population.
Gannets first bred in 2000 and there
are now 600 nests. Puffins, black
guillemots (tysties), great skuas and
red-throated divers have not suffered
the big declines or fluxes of the other
seabirds. Research is being carried out
to increase our understanding of
seabird feeding behaviour to help
identify the location of important
seabird feeding areas, and the
potential effects of marine renewable
energy developments (see boxes). �
Orkney is also becoming one of those
ever decreasing places where
farmland birds (perhaps still taken for
granted by us locally) are a feature for
visitors, with large numbers of
curlews, lapwings and skylarks, birds
once regarded as typical of many
areas of farmland on the mainland.
RSPB sites contribute significantly to
this, achieving wader densities of two
pairs per hectare on wetland habitats
such as at the Loons, and one pair per
hectare on farmland mosaic habitats
such as at Onziebust. Most reserve
wader populations have increased or
remained stable, but moorland-
breeding curlews are showing signs
of a decline. The reasons for this are
unclear, but we are focusing on
adjusting our grazing, cutting and
burning management to try to ensure
that we cater for their requirements.
Tracking bonxies on Hoy
The movements and foraging behaviour of great
skuas – also known as “bonxies” – are being
tracked on Hoy by Helen Wade, from North
Highland College – University of the Highlands and Islands. The aim of this
research is to increase our understanding of the potential effects of marine
renewable energy developments on this species.
Initial findings show that during the breeding season some individuals
undertake foraging trips of more than 1,300 km, travelling farther north than
the Faroe Islands. The average foraging trip, however, was 85 km, with birds
making trips to the Caithness coast and down to the Moray Firth.
Continuing FAME
FAME – Future of the Atlantic Marine Environment –
is a project to monitor and track seabirds across the
western seaboard of Europe, in order to help us
understand their feeding behaviour.
We had a really successful year tagging seabirds in Orkney in 2011. This
allowed us to see if the long journeys that some birds were making in 2010
were unusual. In 2011, some birds again travelled long distances to find
suitable feeding areas, as did their neighbours on Fair Isle.
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Mark Sisson (rspb-images.com)
Movements of breeding razorbills from Orkney in 2010 (left) and 2011 (right).
Further details of FAME can be found in RSPB Reserves 2011 or at
www.rspb.org.uk/FAME.
35SAV ING NATURE
Thanks to:Tracking of bonxies
was funded by the
Marine Renewable
Energy and the
Environment
(MaREE) project,
European Regional
Development Fund,
Highlands and
Islands Enterprise,
Scottish Funding
Council, British Trust
for Ornithology
(BTO), Department
of Energy and
Climate Change
(DECC).
FAME is 65%
funded by the
European Regional
Development Fund
Atlantic Area
Transnational
Programme.
Orkney Reserve SnippetsHoy – 3,962 ha of mountain and moor, home to Britain’s
most northerly native woodland. A new (to Orkney) UKBAP
solitary bee species, the tormentil mining bee Andrena
tarsata was found this year, and has since been evaluated
as one of the largest aggregations now known in the UK.
Brodgar – surrounds the famous stone circle, the Ring of
Brodgar, part of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney World
Heritage Site. A great short walk with skylarks and
farmland waders for company. An easy place to see the
rare great yellow bumble bee in August.
The Loons – a great wetland with great views of wetland
birds all year round, brilliant for water rails in the early
Autumn.
Marwick and Noup – the classic seabird cities in the most
magnificent of seascapes.
RSPB nature reserves on Orkney
Mainland Moors (Birsay Moors, Hobbister and Rendall
Moss and Cottascarth) – for the best views of nesting
red-throated divers, and the core of the hen harrier
population.
Mill Dam – a jewel of a wetland, with our favourite hide
providing an almost aerial view over the reserve. Great at
any time of the year.
North Hill on Papa Westray – a coastal heath supporting
skuas and the enigmatic Scottish primrose.
Trumland – a hearty walk rewards with stunning views
across Orkney between ducking bonxies.
Onziebust – principally managed for corncrakes, this reserve
surprises most people with its abundance of farmland
waders, skylarks and botanically species-rich meadows.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyrightand database right 2012.
RSPB nature reserves are home to more than 15,000 species.
Here are some of the rarest, found in only a few places in
Britain. From high mountain tops to coastal marshes, our
nature reserves are important refuges for these plants,
animals, and fungi. Some may be the last survivors from
ancient times, living archaeology that can tell us about our
past. Others may be the vanguard of lost species that are
trying to return. Although some seem always to have been
rare, others have now retreated to nature reserves as their
habitat has been lost from the countryside.
MARK GURNEY, RESERVES ECOLOGIST
Meet some of our special species
36
Tim Strudwick
The mason wasp Odynerus simillimus is a globally rare species found on RSPB nature reserves.
It catches weevil larvae and brings them down its chimney.
37SAV ING NATURE
From Scotland to theHimalayas with only one stopJoergensen’s notchwort
Anastrophyllum joergensenii lives
under heather on boulder covered
slopes at Abernethy. It is a rare
species, found at a few other places
in the Cairngorms and north-west
Scotland. Its nearest neighbours are
across the North Sea on a mountain
in the rugged Fjordlands of southern
Norway, but the only other
populations of this liverwort are
thousands of miles away in the
majestic peaks of the Himalayas.
Traveller in time or space?Issler's clubmoss Diphasiastrum
issleri is an enigma. It is of hybrid
origin, and while one of its ancestors,
Alpine clubmoss Diphasiastrum
alpinum is a common plant in the
uplands of Britain, the other,
Diphasiastrum complanatum, has
never been found here. How can two
plants that have never met leave their
progeny growing in a steep valley at
our Abernethy reserve in Scotland?
Perhaps fine spores have been
carried on the wind across the sea
from one of the areas where
Diphasiastrum issleri grows on the
continent with both its parents. Or
perhaps Diphasiastrum complanatum
once grew in Scotland but became
extinct as the climate and landscape
changed, leaving its genes in Issler's
clubmoss as a time capsule and the
only reminder that it was ever here.
Snake in the grassDespite its English name, viper's-
grass Scorzonera humilis is a
member of the daisy family, with
yellow flowers like a dandelion. Noel
Sandwith added this plant to the
British flora when he was only 12
years old, and he was rewarded with
a day off school to show the plant to
the doyen of British botany a couple
of years later. Viper's-grass still grows
in the field at our Wareham Meadows
reserve, which has the only large
population of this species in England.
Prior to our involvement, the meadow
had been neglected for many years,
but it is now mown and grazed to
provide suitable conditions for the
viper's-grass, which has even spread
out into some of the neighbouring
fields since the RSPB started
managing them.
Mark G
urney
Mark G
urney
Issler’s Clubmoss Diphasiastrum issleri : a living relic from prehistory?
Our nature reserve at Wareham Meadows supports the only large
colony of Viper's-grass in England.
38 SAV ING NATURE
Transatlantic survivorA few years ago, RSPB staff on the
Inner Hebrides found a northern
parula. This vagrant warbler from
North America lingered for five days,
but there is another American
species here that has stayed a lot
longer. Irish lady's-tresses Spiranthes
romanzoffiana is widespread in
Canada and the USA, but its only
appearances on this side of the
Atlantic are in Ireland and the west of
Britain. It is a plant of wet pastures in
the Hebrides, with populations on
RSPB reserves on Coll, Tiree, and
Islay. This orchid has been with us for
at least two hundred years, but it
sometimes seems to be almost as
transient as a vagrant bird, appearing
at a site for a few years and then not
being seen again.
Cherry stickerThe weevil Rhynchites auratus was
long thought extinct in Britain. The
eminent coleopterist Canon Fowler
wrote “I know of no record in recent
years” in the last volume of his work
on British and Irish beetles in 1891.
Nigel Cuming rediscovered this
striking weevil in Essex 165 years
after its last appearance in Britain. It
is now known from several sites
around Colchester, including our Old
Hall Marshes reserve, where it is one
of several scarce species associated
with blackthorn hedges. It lays its
eggs in the soft stone of unripe fruits,
including cherries and apricots in
warmer parts of the world, where it
has been called the “cherry sticker”.
Little Miss MuffetIt is not only nursery rhyme
characters who have a liking for
tuffets. One of Britain's rarest beetles
seems particularly fond of tufts of
Despite its name,
Irish Lady's-tresses is really
an American species.
Mark G
urney
39SAV ING NATURE
The weevil Rhynchites
auratus was feared
extinct in Britain.
grass on RSPB nature reserves. The
black-and-red Badister meridionalis is
found in only four or five locations
and two of these are RSPB reserves:
Otmoor and West Sedgemoor.
Studies commissioned by the RSPB
suggest that this ground beetle
spends the summer on bare mud
around the edges of seasonal pools,
and retreats to tussocks of grass in
the winter. Tussocks are important
over-wintering sites for many
invertebrates on our wet grassland
sites, as they provide shelter from
freezing temperatures and rising
water levels.
Something old, something newThe small dotted footman is one of
the rarest of the rare moths at Sutton
Fen. It was found in the Norfolk
Broads in 1961, and this is still the
only area where this moth breeds in
Britain. Many of the threatened
species at Sutton Fen are associated
with early stages of new growth after
reed has been cut, but some,
including small dotted footman, are
more associated with older reedbeds.
We are managing the reserve to
provide a range of habitats from open
water to wet woodland so that there
are suitable conditions for all the
special wildlife at this site.
Well-stocked larderRSPB reserves in eastern England are
proving to be good areas for the
mason wasp Odynerus simillimus. This
is an elusive insect, known in Britain
only from Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex,
and it is very rare in the rest of
Europe. The adult wasp hunts for
weevil larvae, which it paralyses and
brings back to its nest. The nest is a
burrow with a small chimney at its
entrance, and it can be stocked with a
dozen or so weevil larvae, which are
the food of the developing wasp
larvae. Suitable nesting sites are rare
in the wetland habitat of this wasp, so
we have created some banks for it at
one of our reserves.
The pretenderThe royal bolete is a suitable name for
Boletus regius, a stately mushroom
whose garish red caps set it apart
from the commoner species. We
used to think that the royal bolete was
found in a few places in southern
England, but close examination has
revealed an imposter: most of the
reports of Boletus regius in fact refer
to a look-alike species, Boletus
pseudoregius. This fungus has been
given the apt English name of the
pretender, like the Stuart princes who
claimed royal titles in the 1700s. The
pretender might not be the true royal
bolete, but it is still a rare and
beautiful species, and is one of the
many special fungi at Tudeley Woods.
A new hopeOne of the RSPB's wardens, Joan
Childs, spent a summer visiting
reserves and recording hoverflies. Her
most exciting find was Chrysotoxum
octomaculatum at Arne. This boldly
patterned species has always been
rare, and it has declined so much that
it was feared extinct in Britain. Joan's
records were a welcome sign that
there may still be hope for this
species, which seems to be
associated with dry heathland edges.
Cleaning out the drainsThe freshwater snail Valvata
macrostoma is found at four RSPB
reserves. It has declined in Britain and
is threatened in other European
countries too, so it is good to know
that it is still thriving at West
Sedgemoor. It likes shallow, unshaded
ditches, which are noted for their rich
mollusc fauna. These can become
shaded and choked with vegetation,
so to keep the ideal conditions for the
snails, we clear parts of the ditches
when they get overgrown.
Mark G
urney
On some areas of lowland wet grassland, there is strong
evidence that nest predation by foxes and some other
generalist mammalian predators is reducing lapwing
productivity to levels that are too low for them to maintain
a stable population. In this article, we describe the use of
fencing to increase breeding success of lapwings and other
lowland wet grassland waders.
GRAHAM HIRONS, CHIEF ECOLOGIST
Increasing the breeding success of lowlandwet grassland waders using predatorexclusion fences
40
George M
cCarthy (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Redshanks conceal their nests in long vegetation. We still have very little
information on nest survival and breeding productivity of redshanks.
41SAV ING NATURE
The problemLapwing, redshank and snipe were
formerly familiar and widespread
species in lowland England and Wales,
breeding commonly in areas of wet
grassland. Driven largely by habitat
loss and deterioration due to drainage
and agricultural intensification there
were large population declines in all
three species (lapwing 38%, snipe
61% and redshank 29%) between
surveys in 1982 and 2002 (Wilson et
al 2005). The declines were
accompanied by significant range
contractions and these species are
now confined mainly to relatively few
sites, the majority of which are nature
reserves or other protected areas
managed specifically to provide
suitable habitat for them. The
conservation of breeding wet
grassland waders in lowland Britain, at
least in the short term, will depend
upon the successful management of
the remaining important sites. This is
in contrast to large areas of northern
Britain where breeding waders remain
a feature of the countryside and there
is still hope that other conservation
mechanisms will help retain their
numbers and distribution.
Predation on nests and chicksEvidence from nest cameras show
that foxes are the most important
predator of lapwing nests at the
majority of lowland wet grasslands at
which predation has been studied (see
Ausden et al., 2009). Badgers and
hedgehogs can also be important nest
predators at some sites. On many
RSPB reserves predation reduces
lapwing productivity to below the level
needed for population maintenance
(0.6–0.8 chicks per pair). Experimental
studies have shown that reducing fox
abundance can increase the survival of
lapwing nests (eg Bolton et al 2007),
but it is difficult to maintain fox
densities low enough to achieve even
the minimum level of productivity
required (ie that sufficient to maintain
the population). Predator exclusion
fences offer the possibility of both
increasing productivity and reducing
the need for lethal control of foxes.
Predator exclusion fencesThere are 10 lowland wet grassland
reserves owned or managed by the
RSPB with predator exclusion fences.
The areas fenced range in size from
3.5–76 ha and comprise 6–100% of
the reserve’s wet grassland area. The
fences are designed to exclude foxes
and badgers but not stoats.
There are two distinct types of fences.
One is electric fencing (either
temporary or semi-permanent)
comprising alternate live and earth
wire strands at 5–10 cm intervals up to
the standard stock fence height of
1.1 m. Animals receive an electric
shock if they try to pass through the
fence. The other is a combination
fence that provides a physical barrier
against predators (8 cm mesh livestock
netting 1.25 m tall, buried 25 cm into
the ground) and gives them an electric
shock if they try to climb up or over it
via an offset electric wire at c 65 cm
above ground level, with two further
live wires at 10–20 cm intervals above
the fence. The main advantage of
electric strand fences is their lower
cost, typically £3.50 per m; their main
disadvantage is their higher
maintenance requirement and their
shorter lifespan (c 10 years).
Combination fences are far more
expensive (c £12–£15 per m), semi-
permanent structures but they have far
lower maintenance requirements than
electric fences because their lowest
electric wire is set higher off the
ground and is less vulnerable to being
shorted out by touching vegetation.
Their predicted lifespan is also much
longer (possibly more than 20 years).
Permanent fencing will restrict the
movement of other mammals,
particularly hares. One option is to
keep the electricity on all year, so that
predatory mammals do not become
accustomed to passing through it
without receiving a shock, but to leave
gates open outside the wader
breeding season so that mammals can
pass into and out of the fenced area.
Temporary electric fencing is the only
option where the fence cannot be left
out all year, for example in areas prone
to deep winter flooding.
How well do the fences work?The survival of lapwing nests to
hatching within fenced areas has been
on average 74%, more than double
that in unfenced areas. This is
considerably higher than the 45–50%
nest survival estimated to be required
to maintain a stable population of
lapwings (see Ausden et al 2009). This
high level of nest survival is particularly
encouraging, especially given that the
reserves chosen initially for fence
installation were those where lapwing
nest survival (and overall productivity)
had been consistently low. We do not
know the effects of anti-predator
fences on the survival of redshank or
snipe nests.
Grah
am White
The combination predatorexclusion fence at Otmoor.
42 S AV I N G N AT U R E
Once hatched, chicks still remain
vulnerable to predation, including by
raptors, especially in years when
alternative prey such as small
mammals are less abundant.
Furthermore, chicks can pass through
the fence into areas unprotected from
fox predation. However, lapwing
productivity increased from an average
of 0.2 chicks fledged per pair before, to
an average of 0.9 chicks fledged per
pair after fences had been installed,
even though at many sites only a
proportion of the suitable breeding
wader habitat was fenced (see box).
As lapwings require an annual
productivity of 0.6–0.8 fledged young
per pair to maintain their population,
this level of productivity on reserves
would allow lapwings to increase
and/or re-colonise other areas of
suitable habitat away from the reserve.
The futurePredator exclusion fencing is a cost-
effective means of reducing, but not
eliminating, predation; no type of
fencing will ever be 100% effective at
excluding foxes, badgers or
hedgehogs. However, the use of
predator exclusion fencing, sometimes
combined with fox control before the
wader breeding season, has proved
successful at increasing lapwing
productivity to levels higher than that
required to maintain a stable
population. This combination of
measures is also likely to benefit other
wader species.
The largest area so far enclosed by a
single fence on an RSPB reserve is
50 ha. Fencing larger areas would cost
less per unit area of land fenced, and
would enable more feeding habitat to
be enclosed within the fenced area.
These advantages should be set
against the practicalities of fencing
larger areas, and the increased
difficulty of removing any foxes that
do breach the fence.
The use of fencing is especially suited
to increasing the productivity of high
density, core breeding populations of
waders. In the short-term in lowland
Britain, fences are likely to play a vital
role in preventing breeding waders
from declining on the network of
reserves still supporting viable
populations and helping to increase
their productivity to levels enabling
birds to be exported to surrounding
areas of suitable habitat sustained by
agri-environment schemes.
ReferencesAusden, M, Bolton, M, Butcher, N,
Hoccom, DG, Smart, J & Williams, G.
(2009) Predation of breeding waders
on lowland wet grassland – is it a
problem? British Wildlife 21: 29-38.
Bolton, M, Tyler, G, Smith, K and
Bamford, R. (2007) The impact of
predator control on lapwing Vanellus
vanellus breeding success on wet
grassland nature reserves. Journal of
Applied Ecology 44: 534-544.
Wilson, AM, Vickery, JA, Langston,
RHW, Smallshire, D, Wotton, S and
Vanhinsbergh, D. (2005) Changes in
the numbers of breeding waders on
lowland wet grasslands in England
and Wales between 1982 and 2002.
Bird Study 52: 55-69.
Are fences cost effective?Assuming a 20 year lifespan for a combination fence and 10 year lifespan for a strand fence, the cost per year of fencing
50 ha would be £2,100 (at £15/m) and £1,300 (at £3.50/m) respectively without adding in the cost of routine maintenance.
The higher maintenance requirement for strand fences would probably mean that the annual costs are more similar.
Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that nest survival is higher within combination fences than strand fences
(Malpas et al in prep), so their cost effectiveness is probably roughly equivalent.
How does the cost of fencing compare with employing a marksman to shoot foxes at night? Assuming two sessions per
week for 18 weeks from mid-February to mid-June at a cost of £100 per session, the rough cost of controlling foxes over
a 250–300 ha of lowland wet grassland would be £3,600. However, at Berney in 2011, to achieve the same overall level of
lapwing productivity as the fenced sites (average 0.9 chicks per pair), required 51 night sessions from January to June at a
cost of £6,250 (assuming a cost of £35/hour). Therefore, even undertaking additional limited night shooting at sites with a
predator exclusion fence at a cost of c £1,200, the cost of a fencing regime to reduce the impacts of large mammal
predation would compare favourably with fox control based on shooting alone.
43SAV ING NATURE
The use of predator exclusionfencing at the RSPB’s Otmoor reserveLapwing numbers and productivity
remained low at Otmoor even after
the introduction of fox control in 2008.
In 2010, 14% of the wet grassland
area was enclosed by a predator
exclusion fence. Since then lapwing
productivity has been satisfactory and
numbers have increased over the
reserve as a whole. In the first spring
after the fence was erected many
lapwings laid their first clutches
outside the fenced area, but then re-
laid replacement clutches within the
fence after their first clutches were
predated. In 2011, a higher proportion
of lapwings laid their first clutches
within the fenced area. Even though
raptor predation on lapwing chicks
was observed in 2011, the overall
productivity of 1.45 chicks fledged per
pair would still be sufficient to allow
the lapwing population to increase
and eventually re-colonise suitable
habitat off the reserve managed
under agri-environment schemes.
Number of breeding lapwings at Otmoor
0
20
40
60
80
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011Year
Pop
ula
tio
n (
pai
rs)
100
Nigel B
lake (rspb-images.co
m)
Lapwing productivity at Otmoor
0.00.20.40.60.81.01.21.41.6
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011Year
Pro
du
ctiv
ity
(nu
mb
er o
f ch
icks
fle
dge
d p
er p
air)
Wolves Wood in Suffolk used to be a rather wet wood, but
it has been partially drained to help improve conditions for
removal of coppice products, and is also now surrounded
by drained arable land. In East Anglia, spring 2010 and
spring 2011 were both exceptionally dry, and the trend
towards drier conditions in spring and summer is projected
to continue as the climate warms. We are therefore now
blocking the artificial drains in Wolves Wood, to reduce this
additional pressure on the site's plants and animals.
MARK NOWERS, WARDEN, STOUR ESTUARY; MATT SELF, RESERVES ECOLOGIST;GRAHAM WHITE, SENIOR WETLANDS ECOLOGIST
Re-wetting Wolves Wood
44
Mark N
owers
One of the re-wetted ditches at Wolves Wood in May 2012.
45SAV ING NATURE
Wolves Wood is an ancient Suffolk
woodland RSPB reserve, which has
been well known for its nightingales
and other woodland wildlife, much of
which is linked with traditional coppice
management. The wood has an
impressive ground flora, including
herb paris and violet helleborine, and a
number of characteristic wet
woodland species.
The site is a 37 ha SSSI primary
ancient woodland, in existence since
at least the 12th Century, and has not
been completely cleared of trees in
recorded historical times (from around
1600 onwards). It has a long history of
management and exploitation, most
notably for coppice, the products
being used for early building work (the
body of the panels between timber
frames), and also fencing, basket
making, horticulture, and tool handles.
Demand for coppice products has
declined steadily over the 20th
Century, with the shift of workers to
cities and wartime losses, to the
extent that only small areas are now
managed this way, mostly by
conservation organisations. Coppice
management has been reinstated and
continued by the RSPB since the
wood was purchased in 1972, with
around 1.5 ha of the wood cut each
year, a total of 25 ha in the total cycle.
Despite the continuation of coppicing,
numbers of nightingales declined from
up to 23 pairs in the 1980s to fewer
than five from 2003 onwards. Other
birds in the wood have also declined:
song thrushes from peaks of more
than 40 in the early 1980s to fewer
than five now, and willow warbler
from 60 to almost none. It has been
suspected that the wood has been
drying out in summer, possibly
affecting the abundance of invertebrate
prey for some bird species. Work has
taken place recently to reverse the
drainage effects in the wood, with
encouraging early results.
The wood lies on the upper part of a
broad ridge, which historically would
have had poor drainage. This is often
the reason for the persistence of East
Anglian woodlands in an otherwise
intensively farmed landscape. Several
factors have probably contributed to
drying out of the woodland:
� In the past, a number of internal
drainage ditches have been created
to improve ground conditions
around the coppice coupes for
workers and carts. These ditches
have been maintained over the
years, and in more recent times
were even cleared out in an
attempt to retain surface water
features for the benefit of
invertebrates.
� The wood is surrounded by arable
land with a modern drainage
infrastructure, some of which
drains into a deepened perimeter
drain, which speeds water away
from the site.
� Deer browsing has opened up the
understorey, reduced regeneration,
and this has probably increased the
penetration of drying wind and
sun. A programme of culling has
been taking place to reduce this
pressure.
Initial work was undertaken in 2009–10
to assess the soils and drainage in the
wood. The ditches were surveyed to
determine gradient and cross section,
and their significance was graded red,
amber or green according to their
capacity to remove water from key
parts of the wood. This was used to
identify the most effective locations for
low dams in the ditches, aiming to
achieve the greatest drainage reversal
with the fewest bunds.
In autumn 2010, a mini-digger was
used to extract clay from shallow pits
close to the dam locations, but which
were not connected to the ditches, so
as to reduce the risk of deep seepage
into the chalk below. Sixteen dams
were installed, each of which
incorporated a 300 mm right-angle
bend overflow pipe set close the base.
The pipes serve the dual purpose of
allowing storm overflow without
overtopping the dams, which would
scour and erode, and enable ditches to
be drained as needed in areas where
coppicing may be carried out in future.
Vehicle access is important for efficient
coppice work, but can be difficult in
wet conditions. Around four dams
were installed per day, at a total cost
of approximately £2,500.
Initial observations in early 2011
suggested that the ditches were
holding water well, although
exceptionally dry conditions in late
winter and spring resulted in eventual
drying. Nightingales have increased
from three territories in 2010, to six in
2011, and nine in 2012. Monitoring
work will continue over the coming
seasons, and the results will guide
similar projects at other woodlands.
Liz Cutting
We hope that numbers ofnightingales will increasefollowing re-wetting of the wood.
Since 1973, the RSPB has been working hard to ensure
Titchwell Marsh remains an amazing place for wildlife.
In recognition of the richness of the site, it is designated as
an SSSI, and is part of the Natura 2000 network of sites,
protecting wildlife habitats across Europe. But since 1996,
the reserve has been under increasing pressure from
coastal erosion and the future of the freshwater habitats
was uncertain.
ROBERT COLEMAN, SENIOR SITES MANAGER – TITCHWELL AND SNETTISHAMRESERVES; HELEN DEAVIN, PROJECT MANAGER, EASTERN ENGLAND
Managing coastal erosion – the TitchwellCoastal Change Project
46
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
“Little bit more... little bit more... STOP... back a bit... back a bit...”
47SAV ING NATURE
The reserveBetween 1974 and 1982, Norman Sills,
the warden at Titchwell Marsh, built
new sea walls and added to existing
ones, to exclude seawater from
certain areas, whilst capturing the
fresh water from the abundant springs
which rise from the chalk to the south
of the reserve. Since then, these
freshwater and brackish habitats at
Titchwell Marsh have grown to
support significant populations of a
wide range of breeding, wintering and
passage bird species and there are
currently 1,557 species of animals and
plants recorded from the site. These
freshwater and brackish habitats also
now hold important populations of
breeding bitterns, avocets, marsh
harriers, bearded tits and ringed
plovers. Wintering species include
dark-bellied brent goose, pintail,
wigeon and a significant wader roost
which uses the islands on the brackish
lagoon during hide tides. Other
important wildlife includes nationally
important populations of water vole,
important assemblages of reedbed
moth species and internationally
important plant communities.
The problemOn 19 February 1996, a large surge
tide threatened to flood much of the
Norfolk coast. Titchwell was lucky and
escaped the worst of the flooding. It
was this event that caused concern
for the RSPB. Could Titchwell be
protected from the threat of salt
water inundation, or was the
recreation of reed beds further inland
the solution? The problem was
confirmed to be rapid coastal erosion
at the site. The overall loss in the
previous 65 years amounted to over
200 m (Figure 1).
If this erosion was allowed to
continue, the northern sea defence
would eventually fail, flooding the
freshwater habitats to the south and
destroying much of the special and
legally protected features of the site.
The solutionEarly in the planning process, a study
of coastal processes demonstrated
that the rapid erosion was shifting
westward. The understanding of the
natural processes gave confidence to
the decision of providing protection to
the key freshwater habitats, through
the construction of a new sea wall
and realignment of the brackish
marsh (Figure 2). To avoid disturbance
to breeding and wintering birds,
construction work was carried out for
three months each year (between
August and October), over a period of
three years.
Bearded tits rely on the freshwater habitats at
Titchwell for continued breeding success.
Andy Thompson
Figure 1: Coastal erosion between 1946 (left) and 2010 (right).
Crown copyrig
ht
Enviro
nment Agency 2010
48 SAV ING NATURE
Key features shown above:
1 – the grazing meadow (outside
SSSI but within the reserve)
Before the start of the project, this
was simply a damp grazing meadow.
In 2009, material was excavated from
here to build up the new sea
defences and the resultant hole has
been landscaped to provide an extra
2.2 ha of wet reedbed.
2 – the west bank
This bank protects the freshwater
marsh and reedbed from tidal flooding.
However, the bank was weak so, in
2010, we raised and strengthened the
bank, widening and resurfacing the
footpath in the process.
3 – the realignment area
Following the breach in 2011, the
brackish marsh will gradually return to
saltmarsh. The new saltmarsh will
provide protection for the new sea
defence and be great habitat for
wildlife.
4 – the new Parrinder wall
During 2009 and 2010, the existing
Parrinder wall was raised and
strengthened and the new wall is
now the northern sea defence. Much
of the material used to strengthen
the wall was excavated from the
grazing meadow along the southern
edge of the reserve (1). Finally a
bespoke wildlife viewing facility was
installed, with specially designed new
window openings.
5 – the north wall
This sea defence is coming under
increasing pressure as the dunes
erode southwards. It is already
showing signs of erosion. It was not
feasible to strengthen this wall and
we will let it erode naturally.
6 – the breach
In September 2011, a breach created
in the old sea wall, linking to an
existing tidal creek in the saltmarsh
east of the reserve, allowed the sea
into the brackish marsh. In time this
will revert to saltmarsh.
7 – the fresh marsh
Fresh marsh habitat was restored
and mitigation for the loss of
breeding avocets and roosting wader
habitat was created. A new water
control regime was enabled through
the installation of a new sluice on the
freshwater marsh.
The result
� Improved avocet breeding with a
record 80 pairs on newly created
islands within the fresh marsh.
� Continued successful breeding of
bitterns.
� Increased bird usage on the
Figure 2: Relative position of key features at Titchwell Marsh, 2010.
Mike Pag
e
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
49SAV ING NATURE
freshwater marsh following the
rehabilitation work.
� Better control of water levels for
vegetation control and bird usage.
� Improved public footpath path
access and viewing.
� 2.2 ha of new reedbed habitat
landscaped from the area of site
won material for seawall creation.
� New viewing facility within the
sea defence (Parrinder hide).
We have also provided some shingle
areas in the final year’s work, to
encourage little terns and ringed
plovers to breed. The development of
new saltmarsh should provide
breeding habitat for redshank, and
also provide protection for our new
sea wall.
In the mid-late nineties, there were
concerns that the future for
freshwater species at Titchwell would
Adam Rowlands
Figure 3: The breach took less than a day but changed the reserve forever.
be short. A combination of coastal
erosion and rising sea levels could
culminate in the inundation of the
reserve with saltwater, dramatically
changing its wildlife interest. The
Coastal Change Project has proven
that through adaptation and working
with natural processes we can secure
a positive future for some of our
coastal freshwater sites, and maintain
a great site for wildlife and people.
Thanks to:The EU LIFE + Nature Fund, WREN,
SITA Trust and the Marine
Communities Fund, for their
contributions to funding the project.
Thanks also to the Climate Proof
Areas partnership for funding towards
the hide, via the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF) through
the Interreg IVB North Sea Region
Programme 2007–2013.
Skeins of geese stretching across a cold morning sky
provide some of the most evocative sights and sounds of
winter, and RSPB nature reserves are some of the very best
places to experience these. After decades of increase,
thanks to a range of conservation efforts, at least some
populations of Arctic-breeding geese and other wildfowl
now face a less certain future.
MALCOLM AUSDEN, PRINCIPAL ECOLOGIST
What future for our wintering geese?
50
David
Tipling (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Pink-footed geese arriving to roost at Snettisham, Norfolk.
51SAV ING NATURE
The increase in populations of most
of the Arctic breeding geese and of
many other species of wildfowl has
been one of the great conservation
success stories. Reduced hunting
pressure, provision of safe, legally-
protected roost sites and, for some
species, increased winter food, have
resulted in some dramatic recoveries
in the populations of many species.
RSPB and other nature reserves have
played an important role. In particular,
RSPB nature reserves in south-west
Scotland support a high proportion of
the world population of three types
of goose (see page 52).
In Scotland, Local Goose
Management Schemes have been
particularly successfully in reducing
conflicts between conservation and
the practical and economic interest of
farmers and crofters (see page 53).
Unfortunately, funding for these
schemes has recently been cut.
Numbers of European white-fronted
geese, Greenland white-fronted
geese, and dark-bellied brent geese
wintering in the UK have been
declining in recent years. The decline
in numbers of European white-fronts
is thought to be due to birds not
having to migrate as far west as the
UK to avoid harsh winter conditions
on the Continent. The reduction in
the UK wintering population of dark-
bellied brent geese since the early
1990s (from which there has since
been a slight recovery), coincided
with a decline in their entire world
population. This took place during a
sustained period of low breeding
productivity.
The breeding success of dark-bellied
brent geese and of a suite of other
Arctic-breeding birds is linked to the
cycling of lemming-dominated rodent
assemblages in the Arctic. When
rodent numbers are increasing, Arctic
foxes and other predators
concentrate on eating rodents, and
birds tend to have high breeding
productivity. When rodent numbers
are falling, predators feed more on
eggs and chicks, and birds tend to
have low breeding productivity.
Rodent cycling has largely ceased
around the Arctic, almost certainly
due to changes in winter weather
and snow conditions. The lack of
productive breeding seasons
experienced by some Arctic-breeding
birds might be at least in part due to
the lack of peak rodent years.
Other factors are thought to be
responsible for the steep decline in
the world population of Greenland
white-fronted geese between
1998–99 and 2006–07. The first is
shooting of Greenland white-fronts
on their staging areas in Iceland. The
second is increased competition on
their breeding grounds with Canada
geese, which expanded their
breeding range from Canada to West
Greenland in the late 1980s and early
1990s. A voluntary ban on shooting
Greenland white-fronted geese in
Iceland has been in place since 2006,
in response to this decline. The RSPB
will continue to work in partnership
to ensure that the conditions these
birds meet in their Scottish and Irish
wintering grounds are as optimal as
possible, ensuring that the population
is as robust as it can be to face
pressures elsewhere.
What does the future hold for these
and other wildfowl, which rely so
much on the UK’s network of
protected areas? A recent study
predicts that the UK will remain
climatically suitable to support large
numbers of wintering wildfowl,
although the species composition of
waterbirds at individual sites will
inevitably change (Pearce-Higgins et
al, 2011). It is therefore important that
we continue to maintain optimal
conditions inside and outside the
UK’s network of protected areas for
our internationally important
populations of wintering wildfowl, to
help maximise their overwinter
survival. As we have seen, it is also
important to maintain a network of
suitable sites for wildfowl and other
migratory waterbirds throughout their
entire migratory cycle.
Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
RSPB nature reserves
support a high
proportion of the world
populations of
Greenland and Svalbard
barnacle geese in
winter.
52 SAV ING NATURE
Destination South-west ScotlandSouth-west Scotland hosts populations of geese from a
wide arc around the Arctic, with RSPB nature reserves in
this region supporting a high proportion of the world
population of several races of goose. The summed
maximum counts of Svalbard barnacle geese at
Mersehead, Kirkonnell Merse, and Campfield Marsh on
the English side of the Solway, are equal to about 80%
of its world population. Loch Gruinart supports about
40% of the world population of Greenland barnacle
geese, with Coll, Oronsay and The Reef also hosting
significant numbers.
South-west Scotland also supports a large proportion of
the world population of Greenland white-fronted geese –
most of the world population winters on Islay and at
Wexford Slobs in Ireland. Loch Gruinart supports about
6% of the world population, with smaller numbers also
found at several other RSPB nature reserves, notably The
Reef and Ken-Dee Marshes.
The only regular wintering flock of taiga bean geese in
Scotland roosts at the RSPB’s Fannyside nature reserve.
The only other regular wintering flock of taiga bean geese
in the UK is at Mid Yare RSPB Reserve in Norfolk.
Crossing the Greenland Ice CapThe migration of Greenland white-fronted geese (shown
above) is particularly amazing. The barnacle and pink-
footed geese which visit the UK from Greenland all nest
on its eastern side. But Greenland white-fronts breed in
West Greenland. This means that the first migratory
journey of young Greenland white-fronts is a 600–700 km
crossing east across the foreboding 2,500 m high
Greenland Ice Cap. They then stage in Iceland, before
all moving on to winter in Britain and Ireland.
Greenland white-fronts have unusually long-lasting
family relationships. Flocks typically comprise extended
families, and offspring have been recorded spending up
to nine winters with one or more of their parents.
Greenland white-fronted geese
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
53SAV ING NATURE
Local Goose Management schemes in ScotlandPopulations of migratory and resident wild geese have increased over recent
decades. This, and an intensification of their use of agricultural land for feeding
– often in response to intensification of agricultural management – has led to
localised but sometimes serious conflict between geese and farming,
particularly in Scotland. Since the early 1990s, a Scottish national goose group,
chaired by Scottish Government officials and on which the RSPB sits, has
advised on the operation of Local Goose Management schemes in seven
locations across Scotland.
These schemes offer affected farmers payments to support management
techniques that alleviate the conflicts and facilitate scaring to protect crops.
Though maintaining a balance between the conservation interests of the
geese, the economic and practical interests of farmers and crofters, and
securing value for the public purse has been challenging and complex, overall
these schemes have been successful in alleviating tensions.
The RSPB’s nature reserves, for example at Loch of Strathbeg and Loch
Gruinart, provide refuge areas for the birds, and our advocacy seeks to
maintain the conservation status of the populations concerned. The schemes
were reviewed in 2011 and, in response to recession and budget deficit,
funding has been significantly reduced across schemes. We are active in
maintaining the schemes successes whilst keeping public expenditure focused
on areas where the highest conservation priority outcomes can be secured,
either through direct benefit to priority goose species such as the Greenland
white-fronted goose, or through protecting High Nature Value farming areas,
such as the machairs of the Uists and Tiree.
References Pearce-Higgins JW, Johnston A, Ausden
M, Dodd A, Newson SE, Ockendon N,
Thaxter CB, Bradbury RB, Jiguet F and
Thomas CD (2011). Final Report to the
Climate Change Impacts on Avian
Interests of Protected Area Networks
(CHAINSPAN) Steering Group. Defra Ref:
WC0750/CR0440.
RSPB reserves support about 36% of the UK’s wintering pink-footed geese.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
54
Ian Hughes, D
ove Stone vo
lunteer
55RSPB RESERVES 2 012
Working in PartnershipOur management of nature reserves is made possible
through a large number of partnerships. These range from
partnerships with other conservation NGOs, statutory
bodies and private companies, to relationships with farming
tenants and local communities.
In recent years, we have developed bigger and bigger
partnerships, such as our joint nature reserve at Eastern
Moors, Greater Manchester with the National Trust, and our
work with United Utilities at Dove Stone in the Peak
District. Partnership working with statutory bodies such as
the Environment Agency has enabled us to add value to
habitat creation schemes, for example the creation of
reedbed at Snape in Suffolk, and of intertidal habitat at
Medmerry in Sussex.
56 RSPB RESERVES 2 01156
In 2010, the RSPB formed a new partnership with United
Utilities at Dove Stone in the Peak District, which builds
on the earlier work of the Sustainable Catchment
Management Project. Improving water quality, carbon
stewardship and biodiversity are key objectives of a
landscape-scale approach to habitat restoration. In this
article we will look at some of the early signs of changes
in water quality and ask how two of the blanket bog’s key
birds, golden plover and dunlin, are responding to changes
at Dove Stone.
ED LAWRANCE, UNITED UTILITIES WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION OFFICER;
DAVE O’HARA, PEAK DISTRICT SITE MANAGER, DOVE STONE
Reversing habitat loss at Dove Stone – frombare peat to a green recovery
Bare peat at Dove Stone December 2007, with heather brash about to be spread.
Andy Kelvin
, CPP Caven
dish Press
57WORK ING IN PARTNERSH I P
The uplands of Britain provide more
than 70% of our drinking water, one of
a suite of vital eco-system services,
including carbon storage and
sequestration. In Northern England,
United Utilities, working with the
RSPB, has implemented The
Sustainable Catchment Management
Project (SCaMP) over a number of
upland water catchments. In the Peak
District, an innovative programme of
conservation management has
included water table restoration and re-
vegetation work on some of the most
damaged blanket bogs in the UK.
Blanket bog – a globally rarehabitatBlanket bog is an internationally rare
habitat; the estimated 23,000 sq km
in the UK representing around 15%
of the global area. Around 9.5% of
the UK’s land area is dominated by
blanket/raised mire, reflecting the
climatic suitability of our uplands for
blanket bog development. Blanket
bogs form the largest areas of semi-
natural habitat found in the UK.
Blanket bogs of the SouthPennines and Peak District – astory of historic degradation Extensive bare peat and eroding
moorland is the legacy of two
centuries of pollution from the
industrial north-west, compounded by
inappropriate vegetation burning and
sheep grazing. The desolate bleakness
of the higher areas of the Peak District
blanket bogs is legend, particularly for
areas such as Black Hill at Dove Stone
that are crossed by the Pennine Way.
Many Pennine Way walkers, most
notably Wainwright, commented on
the gloom of these eroding peatlands.
Contrast this with healthy peatlands; a
subtle richness of green, red and
orange Sphagnum mosses and home
to fascinating flora such as the
carnivorous sundew.
Sphagnum, two species growing together on bog…
The same view as on the opposite page, in June 2010.
Ed Law
rance
58 WORK ING IN PARTNERSH I P
Restoration managementThe ongoing landscape-scale
restoration is happening on a
breathtaking scale; hundreds of
hectares of once bare peat have been
successfully re-vegetated by the
application of heather brash, grass
seed, and a programme of lime and
fertiliser application. Grazing has been
reduced or excluded to allow
vegetation recovery. Thousands of
heather bale or stone gully blocks
have been installed to help reverse
processes of erosion and raise water
tables. We are also starting to develop
techniques for re-introducing
Sphagnum mosses – the building
blocks of blanket peat.
Monitoring the effects onwater quality United Utilities’ main priority is the
quality of raw water coming off the
catchment, and the influence of
catchment management on water
quality. Therefore, at the start of the
SCaMP programme they employed
Penny Anderson Associates to
monitor key changes in hydrology and
vegetation. Of most concern from
these eroded Peak District bogs is
Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) and
Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC).
DOC is particularly expensive to treat
and monitoring changes in the
‘colour’ of water running off the peat
has been a focus for the hydrology
monitoring. Other measurements
include stream discharge, water table,
rainfall and temperature.
The first reports were published in
Spring 2010 and can be found at
http://www.unitedutilities.com/Document
s/scamp4.pdf. Early results show a
small but significant reduction in POC
after the re-vegetation work,
indicating a reduced loss of carbon
from the land. There was also a small
rise in water table within the peat
body. However, there has been no
statistically significant reduction in
DOC as yet. We expected the water
quality response to the land
management changes to be slow
within these systems. Therefore the
monitoring is being continued until
2015 and more reports will be made
available on the United Utilities
website.
Golden plover and dunlin –population change of two keywaders There has been a comprehensive
programme of moorland bird
monitoring over the period of
restoration, including a 12 sq km
moorland sample, initially surveyed
every second year and now annually.
Despite a drop in 2011, since 2005
there has been a moderate increase
in golden plovers. Dunlin have shown
a steady increase (see graph).
Whilst a range of factors might be
involved, such as winter mortality
and wider population changes, it is
likely that these birds will have
benefited from the early stages of
vegetation recovery, higher water
tables and increased surface
wetness. Cranefly (Tipulid)
emergences are the key food supply
for growing wader chicks on blanket
bog, with one species, Tipula
subnodicornis, often accounting for
75% of the above-ground
invertebrate biomass. Research has
shown that re-vegetated ground
retains moisture and wetter peat
supports higher Tipulid numbers.
With re-vegetation combined with
the water table restoration projects,
there has been a clear increase in
wet peat on site. Just as importantly,
restoration of the water table
increases the resilience of both the
peatland and the Tipulid populations
to periods of summer drought.
A more detailed, three-year monitoring
trial is underway to assess golden
plover productivity, following the
progress of individual pairs. The first
year of this saw 10 monitored pairs of
golden plovers all fledge young
The challenge for the futureActive blanket bog with Sphagnum
mosses forming new peat is our long-
term aim. Innovative methods for the
introduction of Sphagnum are being
trialled currently. Detailed monitoring
will allow us to understand how water
quality and key bird populations
respond to this recovery in the
moorland ecosystem.
Laurie Campbell (rspb-im
ages.com)
Restoration should eventually lead
to re-establishment of Sphagnum
mosses and accumulation of peat.
59WORK ING IN PARTNERSH I P
Chris G
omersall (rsp
b-images.co
m)
The graph shows the sum of the
maximum number of golden
plovers and dunlins recorded in
each of 12 1 sq km survey plots.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
2005 2007 2009 2010 2011
Year
Max
imu
m n
um
ber
of
ind
ivid
ual
s re
cord
ed
Golden plover
Dunlin
To hear the haunting calls of peewits, curlews and
redshanks on a May morning has become a rare thing in
most parts of modern Britain. Their decline has been one
of the most serious in bird conservation over the last 40
years. In many parts of England and Wales, this experience
can now only be found on managed nature reserves. But in
some parts of Scotland, these birds are still widespread
and part of the farmed landscape. The question is, how to
keep it that way?
PETE MAYHEW, SENIOR CONSERVATION MANAGER, NORTH SCOTLAND;
KAREN SUTCLIFFE, SITE MANAGER, INSH MARSHES;
BRIDGET ENGLAND, ADVISORY OFFICER, NORTH SCOTLAND
The Strathspey Wader Futurescape
Strathspey still supports good numbers of breeding snipe.
60
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
61WORK ING IN PARTNERSH I P
Waders in StrathspeyThe importance of Strathspey in
Northern Scotland for breeding
waders was only fully recognised in
2000, when the first co-ordinated
survey of the whole area was
undertaken. This survey covered
approximately 50 sites over an area
of 9,000 ha along 130 km of the
River Spey and its tributaries. The
findings surprised even those who
had set up the survey – there were
some 3,000 pairs of breeding
waders. Of these, 2,700 pairs were
associated with farmland (lapwings,
snipe, curlews, redshanks and
oystercatchers). Strathspey was the
most important area for breeding
waders on the mainland of the UK.
Why is it so good?Several factors combine to provide
superb conditions for large numbers
of breeding waders: the extensive
semi-natural floodplain system
stretching over 130 km; the fairly low
intensity mixed farming system,
which has created a mosaic of
habitats, including grazed and mown
grasslands, wetlands and cropped
fields; and the cool climate with a
short and late growing season, which
means intensification seen within
other farming systems in the south is
limited in Strathspey. In particular,
low temperatures in spring delay
grass growth, enabling waders such
as lapwings to fledge chicks before
silage is harvested in July/August.
However, subsequent surveys in 2005
and 2010 showed that the wader
populations were seriously declining.
Between 2000 and 2005, numbers fell
by a deeply worrying 27%, with a
further decline of 19% between 2005
and 2010. Lapwings and redshanks
have fared worst, while oystercatchers
and curlews have been more stable.
Snipe, surprisingly, have shown an
increase over the last five years. The
cause of these declines is not fully
understood, but probably involves
recent changes in farming regimes
and, possibly predation in some areas.
Reserves at the heartAt the heart of the wader population
are two RSPB reserves, Insh
Marshes and Ballinlaggan. These two
wetland sites currently support 350
pairs of waders. In the same way
that the wider Strathspey population
has undergone declines, so has the
reserve population, although at 12%
over the last 10 years the declines
are far less severe. The management
regimes have remained relatively
unchanged over the same period.
Water levels cannot be controlled due
to the natural flooding regime, but in
a normal year the site is relatively
wet throughout the breeding season.
Site staff have been increasing the
stocking levels through an
incentivisation scheme which is run
with our five graziers. Over the last
five years, this has resulted in more
livestock on site, which, along with
topping with a flail and the use of a
specialist Softrak machine for cutting
very wet areas, has lead to improved
sward conditions for waders across
the site. Removal of 15 ha of scrub
has also created more suitable areas
for nesting waders.
The FuturescapeThe fact that a quarter of the wader
population in Strathspey is on nature
reserves could result in one of two
approaches to wader conservation. The
first would be to focus all of our effort
into maintaining good conditions for
waders on these nature reserves. The
second, which we favour, takes the
view that if we do not look after the
wider population, then the reserve
population may continue declining as
well. The RSPB believes that wildlife-
rich habitat should be accessible to
people in the countryside, and not just
confined to nature reserves. These are
the principles behind the RSPB’s
Futurescapes projects, running
throughout the UK. They define a
wider area of countryside, often
surrounding a nature reserve or
designated site, where conservation
work can be targeted to help create
more resilient populations of
threatened species. But what is the
most effective way to go about
conserving this wider population?
We felt that a combination of very
targeted advice, with follow-up
monitoring, along with assistance into
the Scottish Rural Development
John Bridges (rsp
b-images.co
m)
We hope to halt the decline ofbreeding lapwings in the Futurescape.
62 WORK ING IN PARTNERSH I P
RSPB
Partnership with farmersThe partnership is, in part, informed
by a management agreement the
RSPB had entered into at Balliefurth
Farm near Nethybridge. This
partnership has enabled the RSPB to
support the work a local farmer
carries out for waders. Alistair
Maclennan’s family has been farming
at Balliefurth for 50 years, and his
farm supports one of the largest
populations of lapwings and
redshanks in Strathspey. Conservation
work is at the heart of his farming
operations, and Alistair has
demonstrated that economically
viable farming is possible alongside
managing land for waders. So, the job
was to transfer Alistair’s experience to
other farms in Strathspey.
First, we had to ensure that farmers
were aware of the issues, so a fair bit
of time went into raising the profile
of the Strathspey waders and the
threats to them. This was not just
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Oyste
rcat
cher
Lapwin
gSnip
e
Curlew
Redsh
ank
Species
Nu
mb
er o
f p
airs
2000
2005
2010
Programme (SRDP – the agri-
environment scheme in Scotland)
might provide the right combination to
deliver good wader management. The
model was a bit like lots of “light
touch” nature reserves on a grand
scale. The wardens are the farmers,
but they need money and sound
advice that doesn’t just come and go.
So in early 2009 we set up the
Strathspey Wetlands and Waders
Initiative (SWWI). This is a
partnership between the RSPB,
Scottish Natural Heritage,
Cairngorms National Park Authority,
Scottish Agricultural College,
independent advisors and Strathspey
farmers. All signed up to the principal
aim of safeguarding the wetland
habitats, and halting the decline of
the wader population.
An aerial view across Insh Marshes toward Loch Insh.
Changes in numbers of waders
breeding on farmland in Strathspey
between 2000 and 2010
63WO R K I N G I N PA RT N E R S H I P
about the farmers. Agency staff who
make decisions on SRDP applications
also had to be brought up to speed
on these issues. Deciding where to
start work was a combination of
finding open doors, but also targeting
where the best wader populations
remained. Encouraging waders to re-
expand into previously occupied
areas will be for another stage of the
project. The key part of the project is
getting to know the farmer, how he
or she manages their land, where the
waders are on his or her land, and
how they are best safeguarded.
One of the key outputs of survey work
is that every land manager involved
The boundary of the Strathspey Wader Futurescape
receives a feedback leaflet, and a farm
visit to discuss positive wader
management. Once a plan is agreed, it
can be converted into an application to
the SRDP. This is a skilled job as the
system is not simple. Due to the
partnership approach, we have had a
high success rate in SRDP
applications. To date, 46 applications
covering 2,250 ha have been
submitted. The SWWI has also
received funding to purchase topping
equipment for free loan to farmers,
and is investigating other land
management delivery mechanisms.
In addition to delivering positive land
management through SRDP, the
SWWI is investigating a variety of
research options. These include
assessing the effect of predation and
of control of generalist predators on
productivity of breeding waders,
investigating overwintering survival of
waders, and researching historical
changes in land management and their
likely effects on breeding waders.
We do not know yet whether the
recent declines can be halted, and
widespread wader populations can
be retained in Strathspey. But the
level of support for the project from
all quarters really does make this
objective seem achievable.
64
Elean
or Bentall (rsp
b-images.co
m)
64
65RSPB RESERVES 2 012
Reserves and peoplea review of 2011The growth of the RSPB nature reserve network and the
appeal of the reserves to visitors go hand in hand. As we
have increased the land that we have taken into conservation
management we have, at the same time, extended the
opportunity for people to visit our reserves. Inspired by their
visit, many people go on to provide the moral, financial and
voluntary support necessary to acquire and manage new sites
– a virtuous circle which is good for both people and wildlife.
By 2012, we want to extend opportunities for people to be
connected with nature – our nature reserves will represent
the best manifestation of this ideal, welcoming
2.2 million visits per year.
Our aim is that on leaving an RSPB reserve, visitors will feel
they have had a special and enjoyable time. We want them to
have a high quality experience, in which they have connected
with birds, other wildlife and the natural environment, and
consequently feel more committed to their conservation.
Our progress towards these objectives during 2011 is
reported in the following chapter.
People on reserves in 2011I joined the RSPB at Radipole, at seven years old,
whilst on holiday in Weymouth. By the time I was a
teenager, I’d been to many national parks and almost
every part of the English and Welsh coastlines on
family holidays. My interest in wildlife was sparked
by these early visits to RSPB nature reserves. Our
reserves remain as important now as they did then
in exciting today’s children, who, like me, hold a
lifetime interest waiting to be ignited.
BRYAN BLAND, HEAD OF PEOPLE ENGAGEMENT
66
Jesper M
attias (rspb-images.co
m)
Even traditional favourites, such as pond dipping, provide children
with a chance to experience nature directly, in a way that will
stay with them for the rest of their lives.
67RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Dee developmentsBurton Mere Wetlands, on the Dee
Estuary between England and Wales,
is a unique landscape with newly-
restored reedbeds, fenland and
farmland. A new reception hide,
“wader scrape”, trails, car park and
toilets have brought this fabulous
reserve’s visitor facilities right up to
scratch.
Saltholme sensationsSaltholme on Teesside has been a hit
with people and birds from the start:
five years on, a special “Welly Season”
series of events attracted more
families and people new to birds and
wildlife watching, giving the nature
reserve even greater people-appeal.
Play and learn at FairburnFairburn Ings is a long-established
reserve but with a bit of time, money,
effort and imagination even old
favourites can be freshened up.
Themed wildlife play structures, a
large swing and a bug hotel have
gone down really well with families.
Dove Stone Dove Stone is the northern gateway
to the Peak District National Park.
Walking, climbing, running, playing,
cycling and even sailing: if you're into
adrenalin-pumping activity or simply
want to chill out surrounded by
amazing wildlife, streams, waterfalls
and woodland, then Dove Stone is a
must. We had a live interpretation
day to train teenagers in live
interpretation techniques, as part of
their community outreach project.
Middleton Lakes opensAfter four years converting 160 ha of
quarry pits and surrounding land into
a fantastic wetland, the new
67
Balancing noisy enjoyment
with potential disturbance is
usually quite simple: and to see
children enjoying our nature
reserves is a great bonus.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Our superb reserve at Saltholme continues toprovide great and accessible wildlife in an area ofpast environmental damage and deprivation.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
68 RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Vane FarmWe're turning this into a bigger,
better, flatter, wetter reserve. A
refurbished visitor centre and an
improved network of paths help give
better access to its wildlife. The name
has changed to Loch Leven, to help
put us on the tourism map for this
part of Scotland.
Baron’s HaughVolunteers made a big difference,
helping to remove invasive non-native
plants such as Japanese knotweed,
Himalayan balsam and rhododendron,
which had been smothering out
native wildlife and damaging river
banks. With money from Scottish
Natural Heritage and the Community
Volunteer Fund (through Central
Scotland Forest Trust) we recruited
28 volunteers between April and
October, and trained them to use
specialised equipment.
Uwe Stoneman & Vicky Tu
rnbull
Work at Vane Farm has included
some heavy engineering: expensive
and radical, but well worth it for the
improved experience for visitors.
Middleton Lakes reserve opened in
2011. Three viewing platforms, a
viewing screen and an innovative
natural play meadow, offering children
the chance to explore nature in an
unrestrained, hands-on manner, make
the reserve a great place for people
of all ages and experience.
Minsmere magic Minsmere in Suffolk is one of the
RSPB’s premier nature reserves for
watching wildlife and enjoying the
countryside. It has been a long-term
aspiration to widen the appeal of the
reserve to new visitors and in
particular families. In 2011, after five
years of planning, the reserve was
successful in various funding
applications and grants, enabling an
exciting programme of work to begin
in late 2011. The 33-year old Island
Mere hide has been replaced with a
more spacious and accessible hide.
At the visitor centre, a new reception
area allows more space to welcome
visitors. An exciting new Wild Zone
and Wildwood Adventure area allows
families and school children to enjoy
and explore Minsmere, with a range
of structures and spaces to
encourage outdoor play and nature
discovery. This is teamed with a new,
purpose built Discovery Centre.
Children can explore an
artificial sand martin
bank in the Wild Zone
at Minsmere.
Ian Barth
orpe
69RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Crook of BaldoonAt this, our newest south-west
Scotland reserve warden, Paul Tarling
set up a series of walks for visitors
and local people throughout the year,
mostly at high tides to see the best
wildlife spectacle. Volunteers help
Paul at the reserve, and at our new
osprey project in the nearby Wigtown
County Building.
Mull of GallowayAs with many reserves, the Mull of
Galloway saw fewer visitors in 2011 but
the visitor centre was overhauled
during the last two seasons, with
completely new interpretation and
information. This has been extremely
well received, particularly by families,
who now stay longer, talk more to our
staff and enjoy the new nature table, a
display showing the diving depths of
seabirds, a floor map, bird microphones
and a life-size gannet model.
Adam Rowlands
Families and school groups can
learn about Minsmere while
having fun in the Wild Zone.
On the boardwalkIn Northern Ireland, we have a splendid
new, easily accessible boardwalk at
Portmore Lough. This helps everyone
get to the wetland area and hide to see
the breeding wading birds and wintering
wildfowl. A fabulous viewing platform
has been installed, too, giving amazing
panoramic views of the reserve.
Girlguiding Cymru on reserves in WalesRSPB Cymru celebrated its centenary in
2011. As part of the celebrations a
partnership was formed with Girlguiding
Cymru. Guides across Wales took part in
special centenary projects such as
“Operation Tawny Owl”, aimed to get all
members of Girlguiding Cymru to enjoy a
visit to an RSPB reserve, to take part in
activities, learn about wildlife and get
experience of conservation work. This
included vast numbers of guides camping
overnight on RSPB Cymru reserves!
Richard Bosworth
Brownies watching wildlife at Newport
Wetlands National Nature Reserve.
70
Access to Nature – the South Essex Peopleand Wildlife ProgrammeEssex – the very word can conjure up dramatically
different images in people’s minds. For you, is Essex
the home of the Lakeside Shopping Centre, Boy Racers
and Essex Girl jokes? Or is it the county that inspired
JA Baker’s The Peregrine, with a wild and beautiful
coastline rich in birds?
STEVE ROWLAND, PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, EASTERN ENGLAND;
KATE BLINCOE, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, EASTERN ENGLAND
Hannah Chisholm
A Wildlife Explorer enjoying being outside in South Essex!
71RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Essex is certainly heavily populated
with its fair share of social
challenges. The South Essex Marshes
sit within the RSPB’s Greater Thames
Futurescape, which covers more than
1,000 square km. With the creation
of a suite of reserves, we are
transforming the area and a
landscape that was previously
inaccessible has been opened up for
people to discover and enjoy.
The South Essex People and Wildlife
Programme aims to put the local
community back in touch with its
landscape and wildlife. It is the largest
urban community outreach project the
RSPB has ever undertaken.
Of course, it is undeniably
impressive that we have so far made
contact with more than 100,000
people from all kinds of backgrounds
and age ranges. However, what is
really worth shouting about is the
way this has provided not just
fleeting moments of contact, but
genuine improvement in the quality
of many lives.
How have we done this? Well,
money always helps and the
extensive package of funding
awarded to the project has given us
the freedom to be innovative. The
project is supported by £500,000
from Natural England through Access
to Nature (as part of the BIG Lottery
Fund’s Changing Spaces
Programme), and also by £239,168 of
European funding (from the Interreg
IVA 2 Seas cross border programme).
Not forgetting the vital 10% match
funding from our members.
Hannah Chisholm
Warden Days offer teenagers a chance to learn practicalskills, out on the reserve. We are oversubscribed andcurrently taking bookings two months ahead.
Hannah Chisholm
Tiff with Little Owls (under 5’s club). They meet twice a monthand Tiff, a group leader, plans and leads themed sessions.
72 RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
We wanted to provide more
opportunities for local people to learn
about the natural environment and
gain new skills. We set out to
develop a programme of lifelong
learning benefiting 670 adults and
4,600 children over the period of the
project. We’ve exceeded those
targets already.
Children have been an integral part of
this work. We quickly realised that
just because we are here, it doesn’t
mean families will simply start
visiting our fantastic reserves. We
have needed to take our message to
young people. Here are two
examples of how we’ve done it.
Little Owls This popular preschool club has seen
the children getting hands on; they’ve
learnt about farming and have grown
their own vegetables in our wildlife
garden. Nearby woodland has provided
a magical setting for story time,
making musical instruments and
playing hide-and-seek.
Youth Nature OfficersWe’ve employed five local teenagers a
year in just the sort of job many of us
would have dreamed of. They have the
task of attracting more young people
to the RSPB by planning, promoting
and running their own events. They are
currently working on a mini fringe
festival called “Step Up”.
Volunteering has seen exciting results,
too. It is here that we can truly
demonstrate the profound effect this
programme has had on people. I could
give you many examples, but the one
that moved me most was the story of
Tiff and Elliott, her brother.
When we first met Tiff, she had little
belief in her own abilities and she
was unemployed. Having dedicated
herself to caring for others she had
never had the chance to pursue a
career she truly wanted.
Tiff clearly had a real aptitude for
inspiring children and we were keen
to work with her to develop this.
Thanks to our funding we were able
to help Tiff achieve her Forest Schools
Level Three exam, the equivalent of
an A Level qualification. Tiff now
volunteers for us in many capacities,
including as a field teacher. As she
told us, “Volunteering has really, really
changed my life and now I am helping
to change other people’s. It has
tested my bravery but empowered
me. It’s amazing.”
Elliott is blind. Initially very shy, he has
blossomed through the opportunities
and support we have given. Elliott now
helps to lead wildlife walks, picking out
birds by their songs and calls, and he
also writes our volunteers’ newsletter
assisted by voice recognition software.
Now, with the increased confidence
and self esteem that volunteering has
given him, he has taken the plunge
and moved into his own flat.
The RSPB is doing some truly creative,
adventurous and meaningful stuff in
South Essex. Local communities are
learning the value of the habitats on
their doorstep, and we are improving
lives. This is conservation at its most
exciting and sustainable.
Tiff in a tree doing her Forest Schools training, whichhelps children discover nature.
Hannah Chisholm
73RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW OF 2 011
Hannah Chisholm
This popular pre-school club has seen children getting hands on experience of nature.
74
Springwatch at Ynys-hirBBC Springwatch 2011 saw the RSPB take a leading role
in the popular BBC programme, with the shows coming
live from our Ynys-hir nature reserve in Wales. The BBC’s
decision to move the studio location from Norfolk was
extremely well timed, as in 2011 the RSPB celebrated 100
years of its work in Wales.
RUSSELL JONES, WARDEN, YNYS-HIR
The Springwatch presenters Martin Hughes-Games, Chris Packham and Kate Humble.
BBC
75RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
Hosting BBC Springwatch promised
to be a great opportunity to showcase
the RSPB’s efforts to save nature on
our reserves and inspire more
support for our work. It also enabled
us to promote the spectacular and
diverse 700 hectare RSPB Ynys-hir
reserve, with its great variety of
habitats, to almost 3 million viewers.
From the very beginning, good
communication and co-operation
between the BBC and the RSPB was
essential. A project group was created
within the RSPB with representatives
from across the organisation to look at
how to capitalise on the “Springwatch
effect”, all staff at Ynys-hir and a large
(and essential) group of volunteers
were mobilised to help with the
anticipated increase in visitors, and a
member of staff was appointed to be
the main “on the ground” contact
between both organisations.
Due to technical difficulties, the main
Production Village was located off the
reserve, in a neighbouring farmer’s
field. The distance between the main
“wildlife hubs”, the studio, and the
Production Village itself meant that an
ambitious technical rig was required.
This included nearly 40 miles of fibre
optic cables, much of them buried
underground. Both BBC staff and
outside consultants ensured that
Bryan
Bland
Bryan
Bland
everything was completed in time for
the live broadcasts.
On the reserve, to enhance the visitor
experience, some infrastructure work
was also necessary. New signage
was designed and erected, an
over-spill car-park built (with a “park
and ride” facility on offer for visitors
The presenters rehearsing ahead of a live broadcast.
Inside the studio.
76 RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
with mobility issues), new pathways
laid and five extra portaloos brought in
and placed in both car parks.
The live studio was near the Visitor
Centre with an existing tractor shed
extensively modified by the BBC for
this purpose. A number of wildlife hot
spots, away from the visitor trails,
were chosen where cameras were
set up for live web-cams. The BBC
also supplied a live video feed of its
webcams into the visitor centre. This
allowed visitors to feel part of the
“Springwatch experience” as most of
the film locations/studios were
inaccessible and off the visitor trails.
The web-cams at nests provided
intimate views into the family life of a
number of species. Shots of wood
and grasshopper warblers, buzzards
and barn owls were especially
memorable, with the demise of both
pied flycatcher broods a disappointing
reminder of the vagaries of the
British weather. Unexpected stars
were the writhing grass snakes on a
compost heap, and the thousands of
young toads emerging from the pool
below the main car park.
For the viewers, the stars of the
show, apart from the presenters,
were obvious: warblers, redstarts and
other snap-shots of the wildlife of
such a special place. For me though,
the star was the habitat management
team at Ynys-hir, whose hard work
and dedication ensured that there
was a wealth of wildlife for the
camera teams to film. From wetland
to woodlands, and from barn owls to
pied flycatchers, almost everything
filmed was a result of careful
hands-on habitat management.
The programmes were broadcast live
from 30 May to 16 June and were full
of spectacular, informative and
inspiring pieces. From Scotland to
Skomer, and from Ynys-hir to Pitsea
landfill site, the series showed the
best of British wildlife in spring.
In the 2011/12 financial year, we have
increased our visitor numbers by
30% and have easily surpassed our
membership recruitment targets. The
benefits to the local community have
also been substantial with the BBC
production crew and the presenters
staying in nearby accommodation.
It was a fascinating and exciting
period for all members of staff and
our wonderful team of volunteers and
we are all looking forward to the next
series, again broadcast live from
Ynys-hir, in Spring 2012.
Thanks to:Dick Squires and his family for
helping with production of
Springwatch.
Springwatch studio: the former tractor shed is unrecognisable. With filming now over, plans are touse parts of the structure as an outdoor classroom for the reserve.
Bryan
Bland
77RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
Jesper M
attias (rspb-images.co
m)
Stars of the show:
thanks to the heronry
camera, we were
treated to wonderful
footage of grey herons
and their chicks.
Malco
lm Hunt (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Nature CountsIn 2010, the RSPB was successful in gaining support from
the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Skills for the Future
programme. This new programme, Nature Counts, will
provide 18 UK wide training placements over three years.
It will teach people missing skills that are essential to
safeguarding the future of the UK's natural heritage.
Twelve of these placements will provide practical ecology
experience for people who want to start a career in
protecting some of our more overlooked wildlife. So far,
four keen people have completed their nine month
placements – identifying insects, lower plants, and fungi,
and giving advice on their conservation.
MARK GURNEY, RESERVES ECOLOGIST
78
The Nature Counts trainees out in the field.
Mark G
urney
79RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
Each ecology trainee has attended
courses, accompanied RSPB
ecologists as they work, and had a lot
of practice at surveying and
identifying their chosen group of
species. The funding runs for three
years, so with four trainees each year,
we hope there will be twelve new
naturalists who have the skills and
experience to begin their careers in
this important area of conservation.
Our first trainees were Clare Rickerby
(mosses and liverworts), Ndurie Abah
(mosses, liverworts, and lichens),
Colin Lucas (beetles and other
insects), and Phil Evans (vascular
plants). Two report on their training.
Phil Evans writes:
“I was one of the four people given
a fantastic opportunity to re-train
to work in conservation. Right from
the start I wanted to make the best
of this opportunity and get
everything I could from the nine
months. So what have I done?
I started in April, getting to know
the common plants and how to key
them out. In May, I attended my
first training course on habitat
surveys, which I was able to
practice a couple of weeks later
when I helped out with vegetation
surveys. While I was not doing
surveys or attending training
courses, I spent my time in the field
practicing my identification skills
and trying to get my head around
the many identification keys.
I wanted to spend as much time as
I could at reserves in Wales. I learnt
a lot from the staff at Ynys-hir, and
helped them with survey work
throughout the summer. I went to
find and count some of the scarce
plants on the reserves, such as
wood bitter-vetch, South Stack
fleawort, and elongated sedge.
My identification skills were
improving rapidly, thanks to a lot of
practice and a course on grasses,
sedges, and rushes. I also attended
courses on management plans for
nature reserves, using the National
Vegetation Classification, and
identifying mosses and liverworts.
The last nine months were an
opportunity for me to get trained
up so that I can find a career I have
only dreamed about for many
years. I can now identify many
plants, and I can survey and
monitor vegetation. This job has
given me a great sense of
achievement, and lots of
confidence that I didn’t know I had.
For once in my life I can say that I
am extremely proud of who I work
for and where I work.
I have spent my time alongside
some dedicated, knowledgeable
people who have treated me like a
friend and have really made me
feel special. This is why I have
enjoyed myself so much and why
the nine months I spent training
Phil Evans, who spent nine months developing his botanical skills.
Phil Evan
s
80 RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
Ndurie Abah (middle), with Mark Lawley and Liz Kungu at Forsinard, learned how to
identify mosses, liverworts and lichens.
Clare R
ickerby
81RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
has felt like a week. I don’t think
I’ve known a year to fly by so fast,
and at the end of it I realise that
the more I see, the less I know.”
Ndurie writes:
“Last April, we started down an
amazing road thanks to an
opportunity with the RSPB. Our
goal: delving into the murky
waters of the identification of
overlooked species.
Although based in Edinburgh, we
have quartered the country from
Sutherland to Bedfordshire,
visiting more than 20 RSPB
reserves. The RSPB ran courses on
the identification of Sphagnum
mosses, grasses, sedges and
rushes, as well as management
planning and vegetation surveys.
We were supported and
encouraged by working with other
people too. Experts at the Royal
Botanic Gardens Edinburgh helped
enormously with field training and
identification of tricky specimens,
and we went on field trips with the
British Bryological Scoiety and the
British Lichen Society. These were
brilliant intensive training courses
where we were surrounded by
experts on all sides, and it was
always possible to find an
enthusiastic teacher.
Armed with our new knowledge,
we headed out to look for mosses
and liverworts on reserves around
Scotland. On the stunning cliff top
reserve of Fowlsheugh, we
recorded the distribution of the
nationally scarce St Kilda hook-
moss Sanionia orthothecioides.
Now that its location is known,
reserve staff will be able to protect
it when they repair the path. At
Glenborrodale we went to see
whether the plants had responded
to the removal of rhododendrons.
We found an increase in species
diversity and cover, so it looks as
though the bryophytes are
recovering. As the reserve is on the
species-rich west coast, it was also
a great opportunity to see some
lovely oceanic species.
One of our surveys even helped
save an RSPB reserve from being
damaged by developers. The rare
and protected Orthotrichum
obtusifolium, which grows on
aspen trees, was recorded at a new
site at Insh Marshes. This area was
threatened by a proposal to build a
power line, but our discovery
Clare R
ickerby
Ndurie discovered a new site for the rare moss Orthotrichum
obtusifolium, which resulted in the re-routing of a power line.
helped in the campaign to re-route
the line, and the woodland will
now not be felled.
Our nine month stint with the
RSPB has been a wonderful
opportunity, and we have come
into contact with a host of
dedicated people. We encourage
you to follow your own interests in
wildlife, even if it is only finding
out what you have growing in your
garden. With threats from so many
directions, the more we know
about what species are out there,
the better we can protect them.
Happy hunting!”
Thanks to:This project is supported by the
National Lottery through the Heritage
Lottery Fund.
The economic benefits of nature reservesWith 2 million annual visits from across the UK to RSPB
reserves, it is clear that the unique experiences offered by
these sites are in high demand. But the benefits delivered by
the network are far more wide ranging. Under the
intensifying glare of the economic spotlight, we set out to
explore whether investments in conservation around the UK
deliver for the economy, as well as for wildlife and people.
DOMINIC MOLLOY, ECONOMIST
82
Nature reserves are fun, and also provide jobs for local people.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
83RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
With unemployment at a 17-year high
and economic growth struggling to
pick up following the recession, the
economy is understandably a major
current focus for national and local
decision makers. It is therefore more
important than ever to recognise the
links between the environment and
the economy, and the variety of
benefits conservation delivers to
people and communities.
Whilst RSPB reserves are primarily
designed to perform crucial ecological
functions – to conserve wildlife – they
can also be seen as an economic
investment, providing employment and
income to local areas through a
number of means. In 2002, the RSPB
launched the first report in a series of
work looking at the local economic
benefits of our conservation work.
“RSPB Reserves and Local Economies
2002” found that the reserve network
supported over 1,000 Full-Time
Equivalent (FTE) jobs and almost £20
million of spending in local areas
across the UK.
In 2011 this study was repeated,
using a different sample of reserves
and an industry standard
methodology which focused on five
types of economic impact:
� Direct employment – RSPB
employees on reserves.
� Spending by employees and
volunteers – Money spent in local
areas by employees and
volunteers.
� Expenditure by reserves –
Investments on site using local
contractors.
� Grazing lets – Areas of the
reserve used for productive
agricultural purposes.
� Visitor spending – Spending by
visitors in the local area attracted
by the reserve.
The study used the most up to date
RSPB and independent data, and
collated visitor surveys that were
collected in 2009 and 2010 at 10
sample reserves to inform estimates
around the impacts of visitor spending.
Economic assessments were carried
out for these 10 sample reserves
individually, before aggregated
estimates were made for the network
as a whole.
The report found that RSPB nature
reserves supported an impressive
Table 1: FTE jobs and spend supported by RSPB reserves in 2002 and 2009
Economic impact FTE Jobs supported Expenditure supported (£m)
2002 2009 2002 2009
Direct employment 308 553 4.1 11.1
Employee spend 35 61 1.2 2.7
Reserve spend 101 110 2.7 7.9
Grazing lets 234 143 - -
RSPB and farming 678 867 8 21.7
activities total
Visitor spend 335 1,005 11.7 44.2
Total 1,013 1,872 19.7 65.9
Caro
lyn Merret (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Visitors to reserves, such as here at Titchwell Marsh, also spend moneyin the area and thereby benefit the local economy.
84 RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
Dawn at Minsmere in Suffolk. This reserve supports the equivalent of 103 local full-time jobs.
Mike R
ead (rsp
b-images.co
m)
85RSPB RESERVES AND PEOPLE – A REV I EW 0 F 2 011
1,872 FTE jobs and £66 million
expenditure in local communities
across the UK, representing
increases of 87% and 235%
respectively since 2002.
One of the most eye-opening
messages to come out of the study
was the huge increase seen in
tourism, and its economic impacts,
around RSPB reserves in recent years.
Between 2005 and 2009, domestic
tourism trips taken in the UK to the
natural environment increased by
10%, despite tourism as a whole
declining by 9.2%. In this same period
however, visits to RSPB reserves
increased by a staggering 38%. This
illustrates how our conservation
network is at the forefront of green
tourism, a significant growth sector
within the UK economy.
Amongst the findings were also some
standout results from the individual
reserve studies, for example, Titchwell
Marsh (see pages 46–49) and
Minsmere reserves supported an
estimated 132 and 103 FTE jobs
respectively in their local areas. There
were also positive messages from a
range of reserves across the UK, from
coastal and rural to urban fringe,
illustrating that important economic
benefits can be gained from a variety
of conservation initiatives.
The impacts, whilst perhaps less
striking at the national scale,
nevertheless represent important
sources of economic stimulus in the
areas close to reserves. These are
sometimes small, rural and coastal
communities characterised by less
prominent income and employment
opportunities. Seen in this light, it is
clear that there are great potential
gains to local communities from
investing in conservation, with the
opportunities to deliver for nature,
people, and the economy.
For the full technical report including
methodology, or the summary glossy
“Natural Foundations”, please visit
www.rspb.org.uk/localeconomies.
Andy H
ay (rspb-images.co
m)
Rathlin Island nature reserve
supports Northern Ireland’s largest
seabird colony, and the number of
visitors to the island has trebled in
the last 10 years.
86
Caro
line Thomas (rsp
b-images.co
m)
A woman holds a basket of cassava ready to be processed into garri,a local staple, in the village of Gbeworbu, Gola, Sierra Leone.
Supporting partnersaround the worldThe RSPB is part of the BirdLife International partnership
and works in more than 20 countries around the world and
in the UK Overseas Territories. Our work involves building
the capacity of other BirdLife Partners to become strong
and independent nature conservation organisations, and a
strong voice for nature in their countries. We also help
them to set up, raise funds for and implement important
projects in their own countries. We get involved with
training the staff of our partner organisations in areas
such as scientific research, management planning and
management of protected areas. In this chapter, we
describe just one example of the many international
projects on which we are working.
87RSPB RESERVES 2 012
The Gola Rainforest: Sierra Leone’sfirst Rainforest National ParkThe RSPB has the opportunity to work in some of the
most amazing places, not only in the UK but also
worldwide. These include an international partnership
for the conservation of the Gola Rainforest in Sierra
Leone, as part of the RSPB’s Tropical Forest programme.
The work carried out in this rainforest is unique due to
the context, longevity and dedication of these partners.
NICOLAS TUBBS, TROPICAL FOREST CONSERVATION MANAGER
88
Guy Shorrock (rsp
b-images.co
m)
White-necked picathartes – Gola Rainforest is a world stronghold of this enigmatic bird.
89SUPPORT ING PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD
Caro
line Thomas (rsp
b-images.co
m)
The Gola Rainforest is one of the
largest remnants of the Upper
Guinean Tropical Rainforest in West
Africa. It is the largest rainforest in
Sierra Leone, where 327 bird species
have been recorded, 14 of which face
global risk of extinction, including the
endangered rufous fishing-owl
Scotopella ussheri and Gola malimbe
Malimbus ballmanni. Of global
conservation concern, and no doubt
the most emblematic bird species
there, is the white-necked picathartes
Picathartes gymnocephalus. These
bird species are only a few of those
that drove the international
recognition of this area as a global
biodiversity hotspot.
For the last century, unsustainable
mining and timber extraction have
been serious threats to Gola’s
biodiversity, and to the local
communities that rely on the forest
for their livelihoods. Sierra Leone is
ranked as the seventh poorest country
worldwide. The estimated 140,000
people living in Gola’s immediate
surroundings could well be considered
as the “poorest of the poor”.
Commercial logging arose as early
as the 1930s, though the highest
pressure from timber peaked in
the 1980s. The 1990s’ civil war had
major impacts in and around Gola,
especially as the governance of
minerals was long argued to be
at the heart of the conflict.
The RSPB became involved in work
at Gola more than 20-years ago with
a rapid biodiversity survey. This
indicated the importance and the
unique value of this site, as well as
the enormous threats that it faced,
but also the great opportunities that
Conservation of the rainforest
directly benefits local
livelihoods. Here a woman
holds a bag of garri in the
village of Gbeworbu.
elusive pygmy hippo Choeropsis
liberiensis, threatened with extinction
and restricted to forests in this part
of Africa. Many endangered mammal
species also live in Gola, including an
estimated 300 chimpanzees and
populations of 44 species of larger
mammals. However, the
development of the Gola region did
not survive as well as the
biodiversity, and a significant part
of our work has gone towards
supporting local communities.
forest boundaries and running an
environmental education programme.
From the time of a small-scale project
to the current large-scale programme,
regular biodiversity surveys have
been undertaken. The forest
biodiversity proved to have survived
relatively unscathed thanks to the
partners’ dedication, with for example
518 butterfly species recorded to
date, three of which are new to
science. Gola also holds one of the
most important populations of the
existed to protect the forest. It then
led to an appeal to RSPB members
for their support. In 1990, a
partnership agreement was signed
between the Forestry Division of
the Sierra Leone Government, The
Conservation Society of Sierra Leone
(National BirdLife Partner) and the
RSPB to manage sustainably more
than 71,000 hectares of the forest
(just under twice the size of the Isle
of Wight) by developing a
management plan, maintaining the
SUPPORT ING PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD90
Guy Shorrock (rsp
b-images.co
m)
A shy shining-blue kingfisher perches briefly beside a stream.
One of the stunning dragonflies found in the Gola Rainforest.
Guy Shorrock (rsp
b-images.co
m)
S UPPORT ING PARTNERS AROUND THE WORLD 91
Through this collaboration, the local
communities are building better lives
for themselves as well as helping to
save the forest.
Nonetheless, the management
needs to stay particularly vigilant, as
illegal logging and mining remain
significant threats. These issues offer
the prospects of quick gains to a
handful of outsiders, whilst depriving
local communities from their rights
and their dues. The programme is
working with local communities
continuously, so those living on the
edge of the forest can benefit from
its conservation and sustainable
management. This close collaboration
with local communities has resulted
in major achievements. These range
from building of roads and bridges,
the provision of scholarships, and
more recently resulted in the
construction of a district hospital. This
collaboration is the key to the future
sustainability of the park; the
management of Gola Rainforest
National Park is focussing not only on
biodiversity conservation, but also
sustainable management and
working to improve local livelihoods.
The conservation of this rainforest,
the species it hosts, and the range of
services it supports and provides,
including mitigating climate change
through more than 13 million tonnes
of carbon stored, were the catalyst
not only for the protection of this
rainforest itself, but also for the
implementation of a landscape-scale
initiative covering over 2,500 sq km
with neighbouring Liberia. In
December 2011, the President of
Sierra Leone launched the Gola
Rainforest National Park, laying a
tremendous milestone in the 20-year
partnership. The creation of the
National Park (only the second in the
country) is an impressive example of
how a long -term vision, dedication
and effort can have a positive impact
at both site and landscape-scale.
Thanks to:The Global Conservation Fund initially
funded the large programme at Gola
in 2002. Donors since contributing to
increasing the work include the UK
Government, through its Darwin
Initiative; the French Government,
through its Global Environment Fund;
and the European Union.
92
Our conservation work on reserves has been made possible
by a large number of people and organisations. We would
like to thank our members, volunteers, individual and
legacy donors, charitable trusts, business supporters,
public bodies, non-governmental organisations, the
statutory sector and government agencies for the support
we have received. A comprehensive list of our funders and
supporters for the financial years 2010–11 and 2011–12 can
be found in the relevant RSPB Annual Review.
Join usIf you would like to support the RSPB in working for a
healthy environment for birds and wildlife to create a
better world for us all, then please contact us at one of
the addresses on the back cover.
Thank you to our supporters
Mark H
amblin (rsp
b-images.co
m)
Abernethy
Vane Farm
Lochwinnoch
Rathlin
Belfast Lough Mersehead
Haweswater
Leighton Moss & Morecambe Bay Bempton Cliffs
Fairburn IngsBlacktoft Sands
VDearne alley – Old Moor and Bolton IngsSouth Stack Cliffs
Conwy
Freiston ShoreLake Vyrnwy
Ynys-hir Sandwell Valley
Minsmere
The Lodge
Rye Meads
Ramsey Island
Rainham Marshes
Dungeness
Radipole Lake
Arne
Titchwell Marsh
Mid Yare Valley
Lyth Valley
The Crannach
Dove Stone
Eastern Moors
Fetlar
Mousa
Sumburgh Head
North Hill
Mill Dam
Hobbister
Forsinard Flows
Culbin Sands
Loch Ruthven
Insh Marshes
Fowlsheugh
Loch of KinnordyGlenborrodale
Inversnaid
Loch Gruinart/Ardnave
The Oa
Lough Foyle
Portmore LoughLower Lough Erne Islands
Baron’s Haugh
Coquet IslandAilsa Craig
Hodbarrow
Marshside
Exe Estuary
Hayle Estuary
Mawddach Woodlands
Valley Wetlands
Marazion Marsh
Frampton Marsh
Ken-Dee Marshes
St Bees Head
Campfield Marsh
Mull of Galloway & Scar Rocks
Dee Estuary
Coombes & Churnet Valleys
Carngafallt
Gwenffrwd/Dinas
Cwm Clydach Nagshead Otmoor
FowlmereNorth Warren
Stour Estuary
ElmleyMarshes
Harty Marshes
Blean Woods
Cliffe Pools
Shorne Marshes
TudeleyWoods
Northward HillNor Marsh & Motney Hill
Havergate Island & Boyton Marshes
Wolves & Ramsey Woods
Farnham Heath
Fore WoodAdur Estuary
Langstone HarbourPilsey Island
Garston Wood
Lodmoor
Ham Wall
West Sedgemoor
Aylesbeare Common
HighnamWoods
Snettisham
Lakenheath FenOuse Washes
Berney Marshes & Breydon Water
Wood of Cree
Coll
Ardmore
Balranald
Loch of Strathbeg
Corrimony
Nigg and Udale Bays
HoyCottasgarth & Rendall Moss
Marwick Head
The Loons and Loch of BanksBirsay Moors Trumland
Onziebust
Troup Head
Grange Heath
Bracklesham Bay
Lewes Brooks
Broadwater Warren
South Essex Marshes
Fen Drayton Lakes
Saltholme
Wallasea Island
Newport Wetlands
Tay
Meikle Loch
Seasalter Levels
Lydden Valley
Labrador Bay
Langford Lowfields
Vallay
Great Bells Farm
Crook of Baldoon
Yell
Ramna Stacks & Gruney
Loch of Spiggie
Noup Cliffs
BrodgarCopinsay
Priest Island
Eileanan Dubha Ballinlaggan
The Reef
Oronsay
Smaull Farm
Horse Island
Aird’s Moss
Kirkconnell Merse
GeltsdaleLarne Lough Islands
Read’s Island
Tetney Marshes
Dingle Marshes
Nene Washes
Ouse Fen (Hanson-RSPB project)
Church Wood
Grassholm
Chapel Wood Greylake
WarehamMeadows
Brading Marshes
Pulborough Brooks and Amberley Wildbrooks
StoboroughHeath
Normanton Down
Barfold CopseIsley Marsh
Old Hall Marshes
The Skerries
Aghatirourke
Carlingford Lough Islands
Strangford Bay & Sandy Island
Inner ClydeFannyside
Skinflats
Inchmickery
Fidra
Edderton Sands
Fairy Glen
Eilean HoanLoch na Muilne
Colonsay
Hesketh Out Marsh
Malltraeth MarshMorfa Dinlle
Middleton Lakes
Beckingham Marshes
Sutton Fen
Winterbourne Downs
Snape
Dunnet Head
Broubster Leans
Bogside Flats
Durness
Locations of RSPB reservesFeatured reserves
The RSPB
UK Headquarters
The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL
Tel: 01767 680551
Northern Ireland Headquarters
Belvoir Park Forest, Belfast BT8 7QT
Tel: 028 9049 1547
Scotland Headquarters
2 Lochside View, Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DH
Tel 0131 317 4104
Wales Headquarters
Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF11 9AB
Tel: 029 2035 3000
www.rspb.org.uk
The RSPB speaks out for birds and wildlife, tackling the
problems that threaten our environment. Nature is amazing
– help us keep it that way.
As a charity, the RSPB is dependent on the goodwill and financial support
of people like you. Please visit www.rspb.org.uk/supporting or call
01767 680551 to find out more.
Front cover: Red-necked phalarope by Steve Knell (rspb-images.com)The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England & Walesno. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 120-1639-11-12
I N T E R N A T I O N A LBirdLife
We belong to BirdLife International, the global
partnership of bird conservation organisations. RSPB RESERVES 2012