RSPB RESERVES - rackspace-web1.rspb.org.uk · The RSPB UK Headquarters The Lodge, Sandy,...
Transcript of RSPB RESERVES - rackspace-web1.rspb.org.uk · The RSPB UK Headquarters The Lodge, Sandy,...
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
Dunedin House, 25 Ravelston Terrace, Edinburgh EH4 3TP
Tel: 0131 311 6500
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: bearded tit by Danny Green (rspb-images.com)The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a registered charity: England & Walesno. 207076, Scotland no. SC037654 120-1396-07-08
a million voices for nature
RSPB RESERVES2008
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.
Abernethy
Vane Farm
Lochwinnoch
Rathlin
Belfast Lough Mersehead
Haweswater
Leighton Moss & Morecambe Bay Bempton Cliffs
Fairburn IngsBlacktoft Sands
Dearne Valley – 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
Migneint
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
Elmley MarshesBlean Woods
Cliffe Pools
Shorne Marshes
Tudeley Woods
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
BalranaldLoch of Strathbeg
Corrimony
Nigg and Udale Bays
HoyCottasgarth & Rendall Moss
Marwick Head
The Loons and Loch of BanksBirsay Moors Trumland
Onziebust
Lumbister
Troup Head
Grange Heath
Bracklesham Bay
Lewes Brooks
Broadwater Warren
Vange MarshesWest Canvey Marshes
Fen Drayton Lakes
Salthome
and Garrison Farm
Wallasea Island
Isle of Tiree
Newport Wetlands
Black Park
Ramna Stacks & Gruney
Loch of Spiggie
Noup Cliffs
BrodgarCopinsay
Priest Island
Drimore Farm
Eileanan Dubha Ballinglaggan
The Reef
Oronsay
Smaull Farm
Horse Island
Aird’s Moss
Kirkconnell Merse
GeltsdaleLarne Lough Islands
Read’s Island
Tetney Marshes
How Hill Fen
Dingle Marshes
Nene Washes
Ouse Fen (Hanson-RSPB project)
Church Wood
Grassholm
Chapel Wood Greylake
Avon Heath
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 Hoan
Loch na Muilne Blar Nam Faoileag
Balnahard
Hesketh Out Marsh
Malltraeth MarshMorfa Dinlle
Middleton Lakes
EA/RSPB Beckingham Project
Sutton Fen
Winterbourne Downs
HMS Cambridge
Snape
Locations of RSPB reserves
Featured reserves
1
RSPB Reserves 2008A review of our workCOMPILED BY JO GILBERT
ContentsIntroduction:The changing role of reserves 5
Challenges in reserve management in 2007 6
Reserves and wildlife – a review of 2007 8
Condition of RSPB-managed SSSIs/ASSIs 10Progress towards species targets 11Other wildlife 16Habitat creation and restoration 16Land acquisition 17
Protecting threatened birds 18
Rejuvenating Leighton Moss for bitterns 20Choughs on the Argyll Islands 24Woodland edge restoration for black grouse 26Trials and tribulations of seabird colonies 30Restoring Ramsey Island’s wildlife riches 34
Restoring lost habitats 36
Acid grassland creation and stone-curlews at Minsmere 38The Otmoor story 42Wetland restoration at Loch of Strathbeg 46Geltsdale reserve – an upland jewel 50Wetland creation at Portmore Lough 54
Beyond birds – improving conditions for biodiversity 58
Restoring the heathlands of Dorset and Devon 60The little-known treasures of Dungeness 64A helping hand for rare moths 68
Reserves and people – a review of 2007 70
Great days out 72Innovative events 73Living classrooms in South East England 74Volunteer to start a career 78The new wilderness of Lakenheath Fen 80Conwy Waterside Coffee Shop 82
Working for the environment 84
Coast in crisis in Eastern England 86Renewable energy on reserves 90
Thank you to our supporters 92
32 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
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
rich in wildlife and, through working with adjoining
landowners, act as catalysts to enhance the quality of
the surrounding countryside. They will be wonderful
places where everyone can enjoy, learn about and be
inspired by wildlife.
Increasingly, we will focus on restoring land of low
ecological interest to that of high quality. Although our
ambition may appear large, we believe it is the minimum
that an organisation of the RSPB’s scale and character
should seek to contribute, given the size of the task
facing us.
Hen harrier hunting over Loch Gruinart, where six nests fledged eight chicks in 2007
Ste
ve R
ou
nd
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
4 5R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The emphasis of the Society’s land
acquisition programme has altered
significantly since the 1970s. At
that time, given weak statutory site
protection legislation, we mostly
bought land already notified as
Sites or Areas of Special Scientific
Interest. Today, by deliberate policy,
the position has reversed, so that
about three-quarters of such
expenditure is on land of low
current ecological value and our
aim is to transform it to high
ecological value.
Acquiring land for habitat restoration
can play an important part in helping
wildlife adapt to climate change. At
Lakenheath Fen, we have turned
carrot fields into reedbeds in just a
decade. These reedbeds are now
bursting with life and provide new
habitat for bitterns whose current
coastal reedbed strongholds,
including our Minsmere nature
reserve, are under threat from sea
level rise and storm surges caused by
climate change. As our understanding
of the impact of climate change
grows, greater investment in habitat
restoration will be required to enable
species and habitats to adapt.
Nature reserve management is also
providing an important role in
securing the future of conservation-
dependent habitats such as reedbeds
and heathlands, where the land-uses
that helped maintain the habitat, such
as reed and furze cutting, and low
intensity grazing, have much reduced.
But our objectives in managing our
reserves remain the same. First,
where a site is designated, we do all
we can to ensure that statutory
requirements for the site to be
assessed as being in favourable
condition are met. Second, we strive
to deliver RSPB species and habitat
objectives for a site, over and above
statutory requirements. Third, we aim
to deliver public benefits such as
enjoyment of the countryside, flood
defence, carbon sequestration and
clean water supply that arise from a
high-quality natural environment.
In general, these objectives are
mutually supporting and good
management planning and execution
can help integrate their delivery.
However, there are circumstances
where the need to deliver objectives
for the wider environment influence
the way in which we achieve those for
birds. A good example is in the
uplands, where achieving favourable
condition for blanket bogs can limit the
use of burning to manage heather, that
if used would raise populations of
some breeding moorland birds such as
golden plovers. Ultimately, we believe
it is more important to achieve
sustainable bird populations, than to
elevate breeding bird densities by
using techniques that result in other
undesirable environmental outcomes.
Looking forward to the next few
years, it seems likely that times will
get tougher for nature conservation.
Increasing grain prices are making
the intensive farming of marginal land
more profitable, development
pressures continue and the economic
outlook is uncertain. Nature reserves
will play an even more important role
in providing crucial refuges for
wildlife, as well as enabling people
to enjoy the natural environment at
first hand.
Berney Marshes, where over 100 ha of wet grassland habitat have been created from former arable land
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
IntroductionThe changing role of reserves
Gwyn WilliamsHead of Reserves and Protected Areas
Dr Mark AveryDirector of Conservation
7R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The unprecedented and widespread
high rainfall last year affected many
reserves, causing delays to planned
management and disrupting work
programmes. Reserves reported a
direct impact on bird breeding
success, for example, on capercaillie
and black grouse at Abernethy and
the bittern nest at Mid Yare reserve,
which was physically washed away.
Flash floods caused landslides at
Abernethy, and at Pulborough Brooks
there was a surplus of water for wet
grassland management for the first
time in four years. Severe flooding at
Fairburn Ings and Dearne Valley
reserves in June caused considerable
damage to footpaths and viewing
screens, and came close to
inundating the visitor centre at
Fairburn. Newly established reedbeds
on the flashes were destroyed and
most nests of ground-nesting birds
and passerines were wiped out.
Although very disruptive, these were
mostly short-lived events; however, at
the Ouse Washes in Cambridgeshire,
washland was under water for most
of the season.
The Ouse Washes were flooded from
6 June for the rest of the grazing
season, restricting habitat
management on 80% of the reserve.
Cattle numbers were reduced to 650
head from the normal 2,000 head,
with grazing restricted to the higher
washes and the flood defence banks,
and some livestock farmed out to
other reserves. Grazing income was
reduced by 55%. The conservation
impact will be felt next season as the
lack of grazing management has left
thick, matted vegetation unsuitable
for returning breeding wading birds.
Much of this will have to be topped.
It also curtailed the work programme,
postponing essential fencing and
ditching. The reserve is in the
Environmental Stewardship HLS
Scheme, and although Defra
accepted the flooding as “force
majeure” and so honoured the annual
grant payments, the scheduled
capital works will have to be rolled
over to next year, squeezing two
years’ worth of work into one.
The continuing poor weather
throughout the summer affected
invertebrate numbers; most notably
butterfly and bumblebee counts were
down. The productivity of birds known
to depend on good June weather,
such as black grouse, was also lower
than usual. On the positive side, most
wetlands did not dry out (except in
West Scotland), giving good
prospects for the breeding season
in 2008.
Thankfully, the foot-and-mouth
outbreak in August, centred on the
Pirbright research establishment, did
not spread further than Surrey.
Difficulties were caused by the initial
ban on livestock movements,
particularly to reserves where roads
separated the grazing units. Our deer
management programme also had to
be held back on a handful of
reserves. Our nearest reserve at
Farnham Heath, although outside the
control zone, closed for a short
period in deference to the wishes
of neighbours.
Of additional concern was the arrival
of bluetongue virus in September,
which, unlike foot-and-mouth, could
not be controlled by culling affected
livestock. After government vets
confirmed bluetongue disease was
circulating in the UK, a widespread
protection zone was established,
covering most of eastern England
and Dorset, with much of the rest of
England in a surveillance zone.
Control zones were established in
localised areas around any outbreak.
This all caused considerable
problems for reserves because of
livestock movement restrictions
between the zones, with the
potential for livestock to be stranded
at a reserve at the end of the grazing
season. The Nene Washes in
Cambridgeshire experienced
considerable problems when, in
October, a suspected local
bluetongue case resulted in a
temporary control zone boundary
being drawn across the Washes.
It was the end of the grazing season,
with 350 head of cattle on a reserve
that was rapidly flooding and a total
ban on livestock movements.
Slaughter of the cattle involved was
only averted thanks to the
intervention of the local MP securing
a last minute movement licence.
Storm and pestilence did seem to be
the theme for the year. One notable
success against this theme was the
reduction in rat numbers on Valley,
North Uist. This has resulted in
corncrakes recolonising areas and an
increase in the number of calling
birds on the island.
Conservation management is tightly
linked with the management of
grazing animals and significantly
affected by weather events. We hope
that 2008 will bring a steadier year to
livestock and reserve managers alike.
Challenges in reserve management in 2007
Reserve management is extremely challenging, and 2007 proved
exceptionally so. It started with a very dry spring, and many
wetland reserves unsure of whether they would hold onto water
levels. However, they need not have worried, as by July there was
widespread flooding, with many reserves affected. Then, in August
there was a foot-and-mouth outbreak in Surrey, and fears that we
would see a recurrence of the devastation caused in 2001. Finally,
just as things seemed to be returning to normal, there was an
outbreak of bluetongue virus in livestock in Suffolk in September.
AUTHORS: STEPHEN HARE, SENIOR LAND AGENT; AND JO GILBERT, HEAD OF ECOLOGICAL
ADVICE AND SUPPORT, RESERVES ECOLOGY
6
The Ouse Washes flood every winter. Ground-nesting birds face problems when flooding occurs in the summer
Mar
k H
amb
lin (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
8 9R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The strategic aims of the work on our reserves are:
• to ensure that all Sites and Areas of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSI and ASSI) site management
units/designated features for which the RSPB is
responsible for delivery of favourable condition are
classified as in favourable or unfavourable recovering
condition by 2012 in Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland, and 2010 in England
• to ensure that populations of 11 key species of birds are
at least maintained at 2005 levels on the existing
reserve network
• to ensure that populations of 15 priority species of birds
are enhanced by 2012 on the existing reserve network
• to achieve new functioning priority habitats on land
acquired prior to 2006
• to ensure biodiversity thrives on reserves
• to acquire further land to support delivery of our
conservation objectives.
Progress was made towards these aims in 2007. Poor
weather conditions during the summer of 2007 hindered
reserve management in some areas.
Reserves and wildlifea review of 2007
Four cirl buntings were present over winter at the Exe estuary, where wild bird cover has been planted for them
Mik
e La
ne
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
10 11R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Condition of RSPB-managed SSSIs and ASSIs
Progress towards
species targets
We aim to maintain the populations
of 11 key bird species at or above
their 2005 levels. Ambitious targets
have been set to increase
populations of a further 15 key bird
species breeding on our reserves by
2012 (see table).
Figures for 2007 show mixed
progress, with 17 species set to
achieve or exceed their 2012 targets,
and seven set to remain below their
2012 targets if current population
Ste
ve A
ust
in (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Almost three-quarters of the land
managed by the RSPB is designated
as SSSI/ASSI, reflecting the high
wildlife value of the RSPB
reserve network.
In England, 24,201 ha (84.6%) of the
26,399 ha of SSSI managed by RSPB
are currently assessed as being in
favourable or unfavourable recovering
condition by Natural England,
compared to 21,272 ha (80.6%) in
2006. This increase has been due to
re-assessment of condition and
remedies by Natural England. Only
557.4 ha (2.1%) are in unfavourable
condition due to factors within, or
partly within, the RSPB’s control. This
compares to 1,049 ha (4%) in 2006.
Plans for remedial action have been
agreed with Natural England for
556.4 ha.
In Scotland, monitoring of SSSI
condition is based on the condition of
the individual features assessed
across the whole SSSI. By March
2008, 1,047 (out of a total of 1,156)
had been assessed as being in
favourable or unfavourable recovering
condition. The 221 features assessed
as being unfavourable declining or
unfavourable no change include 126
which are not within the RSPB’s
control. An extensive programme of
remedial management is being
undertaken to restore favourable
condition to the 95 features (9%
of those assessed) within the
RSPB’s control.
Data are not yet available from the
statutory conservation organisations
for sites in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Species 2005 2006 2007 2012 target
Slavonian grebe 2 2 3 2
Black-necked grebe 0 1 0 5
Bittern (booming males) 18 19 20 34
Common scoter 11 14 10 11
Hen harrier (nests) 49 51 41 55
Black grouse (lekking males) 104 151 189 170
Capercaillie (lekking males) 48 39 47 60
Spotted crake 10 13 14 10
Corncrake (calling males) 242 266 294 330
Crane 0 0 1-2 3
Stone-curlew 6 7 6 20
Lapwing (on lowland wet grassland) 1,311 1,366 1,392 1,650
Snipe (on lowland wet grassland) 542 579 495 700
Black-tailed godwit L l limosa 46 50 43 46
Whimbrel 10 n/a >8 10
Redshank (on lowland wet grassland) 1,070 1,128 1,180 1,300
Red-necked phalarope (males) 18 12 8 18
Little tern 191 127 137 191
Nightjar 90 >85 87 90
Woodlark 83 80 83 83
Dartford warbler 164 122 c 145 200
Crested tit c 200 n/a n/a c 200
Golden oriole 2 2 3 4
Chough 31 34 37 40
Scottish crossbill n/a n/a n/a ?*
Cirl bunting 0 0 0 1
Note: Figures are pairs except where stated otherwise. Scottish crossbills and crested tits are not monitored annually on RSPB reserves.* Target not yet set.
Blanket bog is being restored at Forsinard Flows, where 442 ha of conifer plantation have been felled since 2005
Populations of priority bird species on RSPB reserves
Favourable
Unfavourable Recovering
Unfavourable No Change
Unfavourable Declining
England (Based on May 2008 data)
Scotland (Based on March 2008 data)
Condition of SSSI area (England) and features (Scotland) on RSPB
reserves in 2008
Numbers of lekking male black grouse on RSPB reserves
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year
Lekk
ing
mal
es
12 13R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
trends continue. Numbers of the
remaining two priority species were
not monitored on reserves in 2007.
Species making good
progress towards achieving
their 2012 targets
Five species, the black grouse,
corncrake, redshank (on wet
grassland), chough and bittern are
currently on track to exceed their
2012 targets if recent population
trends continue.
• Total numbers of lekking male
black grouse already exceed their
2012 target. Numbers at
Corrimony are probably increasing
due to the expansion of young,
open woodland (see Woodland
edge restoration for black grouse
on page 26). Numbers at
Abernethy increased, following a
reduction in grazing pressure in
the early 1990s, reaching a peak
of 165 in 1997 then declining until
2005. Following two years with
high productivity, numbers again
increased to 90 in 2007. Increases
in numbers of black grouse at
Geltsdale and Lake Vyrnwy
are likely to be directly due to
the management undertaken
for them.
• Total numbers of singing
corncrakes increased again on
RSPB reserves. The vast majority
of these birds are in Scotland. At
the Nene Washes in England,
where corncrakes are being
introduced, there were three
corncrake territories in 2007
compared to four in 2006. It is
thought that a total of five
different individual calling male
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
corncrakes returned to the Nene
Washes as a whole in 2007. The
first captive-bred birds returned
and called at the Nene Washes
in 2005.
• There was an overall increase of
three pairs of breeding choughs at
RSPB reserves in 2007. This was
due to increases from nine to 13
pairs at South Stack and from four
to six pairs at Ardnave, partially
offset by slight decreases at
several other sites.
• Total numbers of booming
bitterns are increasing on RSPB
reserves, although currently not
at a rate fast enough to achieve
their 2012 target. However, a
reedbed audit undertaken in
2006/07 suggested that the
majority of reedbeds were in
good condition for breeding
bitterns, giving cause for
optimism for 2008. Between
2006 and 2007 there were
increases of one booming bittern
each at Minsmere, Blacktoft
Sands and North Warren, but a
decrease from three to one
boomers at Dingle Marshes (see
Coast in crisis in Eastern England,
p 86). There was a single booming
bittern at Lakenheath Fen for the
second year running, but no
evidence of nesting.
• There was another increase in
total numbers of breeding
redshanks on the RSPB’s principal
lowland wet grassland sites.
Redshanks usually increase
following raising of water levels
and creation of surface flooding
on wet grassland. Unfortunately,
most of the nests of the
estimated 258 pairs of breeding
redshanks at the Ouse Washes
were washed out by floods in
late spring.
Species making
satisfactory progress
towards achieving their
2012 targets
Twelve species are currently making
satisfactory progress towards
achieving their 2012 targets. These
are Slavonian grebe, common scoter,
hen harrier, spotted crake, crane,
lapwing (on lowland wet grassland),
black-tailed godwit, whimbrel,
nightjar, woodlark, golden oriole,
Ch
ris
Go
mer
sall
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Cranes bred for the first time on an RSPB reserve, at Lakenheath Fen
Ste
ve K
nel
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Redshanks increased on wet grassland reserves,
reaching a total of 1,300 pairs in 2007
14 15R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
and cirl bunting. Significant changes
in populations of these species are
described below.
• Although numbers of nesting hen
harriers were lower than in 2006,
the pairs that nested had a good
breeding season and fledged a
minimum of 53 young, compared
to 45 young fledged in 2006.
Changes in numbers on reserves
were within the annual variation
expected for this species.
• Cranes nested for the first time
on an RSPB reserve in 2007. At
least one pair, possibly two,
nested at Lakenheath Fen. The
origin of the Lakenheath cranes
is not known. There were larger
than average numbers of cranes
in southern England in spring
2007, due both to an increase
in the Broads population and
an influx of migrants from
the Continent.
• Numbers of the limosa race of
black-tailed godwits declined from
48 to 41 pairs at the Nene
Washes (their main UK breeding
site), although they are still set to
achieve their 2012 target.
Numbers of breeding black-tailed
godwits at the Nene Washes had
previously increased every year
between 1999 and 2006. The
decline is possibly the result of
poor productivity in 2006 (four
young fledged from 48 pairs) and
2005 (c15 young fledged from 45
pairs). Reasons for this poor
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
productivity are unknown. Black-
tailed godwits had a reasonably
productive breeding season at the
Nene Washes in 2007, fledging 20
young. No black-tailed godwits
bred on the RSPB-managed
section of the Ouse Washes for
the third year running.
• Cirl buntings are yet to breed on
an RSPB reserve. However, four
cirl buntings were present over
winter at the Exe Estuary, where
wild bird cover has been planted
for them, and a pair held territory
there in March. The birds were
not recorded after this and are
assumed not to have bred. This
was the first time any cirl
buntings have been recorded on
the reserve.
Species making
unsatisfactory progress
towards achieving their
2012 targets
Seven species are currently not on
track to achieve their 2012 targets, if
current population trends continue.
These are black-necked grebe,
capercaillie, stone-curlew, snipe (on
lowland wet grassland), red-necked
phalarope, little tern and Dartford
warbler. Significant changes in
populations of these species are
described below.
• There was a recovery in numbers
of lekking capercaillie at their
main RSPB sites, Abernethy and
Craigmore, following relatively
high productivity in 2006 (0.5
chicks per hen at Abernethy, and
1.7 chicks per hen at Craigmore).
Productivity in 2007 was low,
though, with an average of just
0.1 chicks per hen at both sites.
• Breeding stone-curlews increased
from one to two pairs for the first
time at Minsmere (see Acid
grassland creation and stone-
curlews at Minsmere, page 38).
This increase was offset by a
decline from two pairs to none at
Winterbourne Downs. The land at
Winterbourne, though, is currently
beginning its phased reversion to
chalk grassland. During the initial
stages of reversion there will be a
lack of suitable stone-curlew
feeding habitat.
• There was a large decline in total
numbers of drumming snipe on
reserves. This was mainly because
of lower numbers of drumming
snipe at the Ouse and Nene
Washes. Most of the snipe that
were recorded drumming at the
Ouse Washes were washed out by
floods in late spring, together with
most other breeding birds there.
The Nene Washes experienced a
bank-to-bank flood in March, and
then very dry conditions during
April. This combination of
conditions is thought to have
reduced numbers breeding there.
• Numbers of male red-necked
phalaropes declined worryingly,
from 12 to eight pairs on RSPB
landholdings in the Western Isles
and Shetland. Work will be
undertaken in 2008 to investigate
whether this decline is likely to be
due to changes in vegetation at
some of their key breeding sites.
Ben
Hal
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Sutton Fen, in the Norfolk Broads, was acquired in 2007
Ch
ris
Go
mer
sall
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
137 pairs of little terns bred on RSPB reserves during 2007
16 17R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
• Although numbers of breeding
little terns were slightly higher
than in 2006, they are still below
the high numbers attained in
2005 (although not far below their
previous five-year mean of 149).
Scottish crossbills and crested tits
were not monitored on RSPB
reserves in 2007. Scottish crossbills
will be monitored on reserves in
2008 as part of the first national
survey of breeding crossbill species.
Other wildlife
In addition to ongoing surveys of
wildlife on reserves, a major project
was undertaken during 2007 to update
records of rare and scarce species on
reserves onto a centralised computer
database. Seventy thousand records of
species were added to this database,
which now contains over 200,000
records of 7,000 non-avian taxa
recorded on reserves. In total, almost
600 UK Red Listed species, 400 UK
Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority
species and over 2,000 Nationally Rare
and Scarce species have now been
recorded on our reserve network
(categories not mutually exclusive).
Examples of the importance of RSPB
reserves for wildlife other than birds
are described in the Beyond Birds
section, page 58.
Habitat creation and
restoration
During 2006-07, 35 ha of conifer
plantation was felled on reserves to
restore heathland at Farnham Heath
(16 ha), The Lodge (15 ha) and
Pulborough Brooks (4 ha), making a
total of 89 ha felled on RSPB reserves
since 2005. At The Lodge, 19 ha of
humus was scraped off to provide
suitable conditions for heathland
establishment, and 20 ha of previously
felled plantation was seeded with
heather. At Minsmere, heather litter
was spread over 26 ha of previously
acidified ex-arable land.
Reedbed creation and management
continued at nine sites, with 22,330
reed seedlings planted at Ham Wall,
22,000 reed plugs planted at
Leighton Moss, 1,500 reed plugs
planted at Dearne Valley and
maintenance of suitable conditions
for reed expansion at other sites. 28
ha of scrub were removed from fen
habitat and 23 ha of reedbed created
at Strathbeg.
Habitat enhancement work on the
RSPB’s lowland wet grassland
reserves included:
• The construction of water
storage reservoirs at Frampton
Marsh (75 ha of grassland for
the Environment Agency),
Freiston Shore (80 ha of
grassland) and Vange Marshes
(100 ha of grassland) to store
winter rainfall, which can be
used to maintain high water
levels on the grassland during
spring and early summer. At
Freiston Shore, 70 ha of
grassland were also re-seeded,
and wet features were created at
Vange Marshes.
• Improvements made to water
control structures at Ouse Washes,
where 44 ha were converted into
grassland in 2004, and to the ability
to control water levels on parts of
the Nene Washes.
• The creation of 200 small
“scrapes” at Otmoor (see The
Otmoor story, page 42).
• Habitat improvement works on
17 ha of restored wet grassland at
Cattawade Marshes, carried out
by the Environment Agency.
Earthworks have been undertaken at
Hesketh Out Marsh prior to creating
156 ha of intertidal habitat through
managed realignment. At Forsinard
Flows, an additional 172 ha of conifer
plantation on former blanket bog was
felled, making a total of 442 ha felled
since 2005.
Land acquisition
During 2006-07, the RSPB acquired
its 200th nature reserve. During this
time, 3,420 ha were added to RSPB
landholdings, comprising seven new
reserves totalling 1,278 ha, and 16
extensions totalling 2,142 ha at 14
reserves. On 1 April 2007, RSPB
managed 137,445 ha at 202 reserves.
The new reserves were:
• Broadwater Warren, Kent (mainly
conifer plantation for heathland
recreation)
• Fen Drayton Lakes,
Cambridgeshire (partially restored
gravel pits for creation of open
water, reedbed and wet
grassland)
• Hesketh Out Marsh, Lancashire
(arable for intertidal habitat
creation)
• Middleton Lakes, Staffordshire
(partially restored gravel pits for
creation of open water, reedbed
and wet grassland)
• Morfa Dinlle, Gwynedd (wet
grassland restoration)
• Snape, Suffolk (heathland, plus dry
grassland for reedbed creation)
• Sutton Fen, Norfolk (fen).
Our supportersIn 2006-07, we received £5.29 million
in grants for land acquisition – the
most successful year ever. Grants of
£1,696,486 were received from the
Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for Morfa
Dinlle, Middleton Lakes and
Broadwater Warren. The Countryside
Agency, through Defra’s Aggregates
Levy Sustainability Fund, granted
£150,000 towards the purchase at
Middleton Lakes. The Department of
Communities and Local Government
(DCLG) and East of England
Development Agency (EEDA)
provided funding at Fen Drayton
(£1,600,000), and £35,000 came
from Natural England at Campfield
Marsh. The Environment Agency
contributed £268,500 for Abbey
Farm, Snape. With the assistance of
a £187,500 contribution from the LIFE
financial instrument of the European
Community, land was purchased at
Migneint. The Tubney Trust awarded
grants of £515,300 towards the
purchases at Forsinard Flows and
Sutton Fen. The Jordan Charitable
Foundation also awarded £25,000
towards the purchase of Forsinard
Flows. Grants of £50,000 from the
European LEADER+ Fund (delivered
by the WARR partnership) and
£272,000 from Waste Recycling
Group Ltd (WRG) through
Grantscape’s Biodiversity Challenge
Fund were received towards the
purchase of Broadwater Warren. We
are grateful to all of our supporters, a
list of whom are published in The
RSPB Annual Review 2006-2007.
Rathlin
The Lodge
Winterbourne Downs
Forsinard Flows
Lough Foyle
Frampton Marsh
Dee Estuary
Broadwater Warren
Fen Drayton Lakes
Loch of Strathbeg
Cottasgarth and Rendall Moss
Inner ClydeBalnahard
Hesketh Out Marsh
Morfa Dinlle
Middleton Lakes Sutton Fen
Snape
New reservesExtensions
Migneint
Coll
Geltsdale
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
New and extended RSPB reserves during 2006–07
15 ha of conifers and 19 ha of humus
were removed from The Lodge
during 2006/07 to restore heathland
19R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 818
Protectingthreatened birdsRSPB reserves are very effective at conserving bird species with
small UK populations breeding in localised habitats. 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 in greatly aiding the
impressive recovery of others (such as bitterns, avocets and
corncrakes). Our reserves support more than 1% of the UK
breeding populations of 63 bird species. Most of the bird species
that breed on RSPB reserves in UK important numbers have either
increased or remained stable on reserves since 1990.
The number of corncrakes breeding on RSPB reserves increased
again in 2007, to 294 calling males
Dav
id K
jaer
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
21R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 820 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Leighton Moss is the north-west outlier for the bittern
population in the UK, and in fact, the last remnant of
what was once a much bigger north-west population up
until the 1970s. As other reedbeds in the north-west
succumbed to the natural drying-out process, due to lack
of direct management, they were gradually invaded by
scrub and lost their breeding bitterns. This left Leighton
as the only site to hang on to breeding bitterns, due to
the continuous management effort put into the site by the
RSPB since 1964.
AUTHORS: ROBIN HORNER, AREA MANAGER, WEST COAST ESTUARIES;
AND GRAEME LYONS, RESERVES ECOLOGIST
Rejuvenating Leighton Moss for bitterns
At Leighton Moss, there has been a
steady decline in breeding bittern
numbers during the 1990s, from five
booming males down to just one.
Combined with the loss of otters in
1995, this pointed to a possible
problem for top fish predators, and
focused the minds of those in the
RSPB. Detailed bittern research
highlighted several factors:
isolation from the main core bittern
population in East Anglia,
lack of suitable wintering sites close
to Leighton for young birds to
disperse to, resulting in poor
overwinter survival of young birds,
deterioration in the wetland
ecosystem, resulting in adverse
conditions for fish populations and a
possible reduction in food availability.
Isolation is being tackled by a
UK-wide programme of reedbed
creation and rejuvenation being
undertaken by a large number of
organisations. The idea is to establish
a series of stepping stones radiating
out from East Anglia towards other
areas of the UK, including sites
around Leighton Moss in the north-
west, to help encourage dispersal
(see RSPB Reserves 2007, p 18).
The deterioration of the wetland
ecosystem has largely centred around
a reduction in the water quality, as
witnessed by an increase in the
occurrence of algal blooms and a
reduction in the biomass and diversity
of aquatic water plants. This, combined
with a build-up of nutrient-rich
sediments, was perceived to be
causing a reduction in the fish biomass
available to both bitterns and otters.
The natural ageing and drying-out
process of the reedbed was also
reducing the feeding opportunities
for bitterns.
Rejuvenating a complex wetland
ecosystem is far from straightforward,
but the abundance of the thick,
nutrient-rich sediment was seen as the
most important starting point. This soft,
muddy sediment – or “gloop” as it
became known – was up to two
metres deep in some of the ditches,
and up to one metre deep in most of
the pools. In summer, as the water
levels naturally dropped, there were
often fewer than 30 centimetres of
water above the sediment in the
ditches, and fewer than 50 centimetres
in the main pools. These conditions are
hostile to fish, especially when the
shallow water heats up in the summer
and the oxygen levels drop. Also, the
lack of a sufficient depth of water above
the sediment surface as a buffer made
the upper layers of sediment more
susceptible to nutrient release, due to
disturbance from wave action and birds,
and due to the surface heating up.
Nutrient release from the sediments
into the pools in summer was fuelling
an increase in the occurrence of algal
blooms and a decrease in the aquatic
plants, with the added knock-on
effects for fish populations of less
food and less oxygen.
The decision was taken to remove as
much of the sediment as possible
from the ditch system and the key
pools. This amounted to around
40,000 m3 of “gloop”, with an
associated high cost. The Bittern II
EC LIFE-Nature Project contributed
substantially to the cost of this,
enabling us to re-open a number of
ditches to improve the connectivity of
the pools and increase the amount of
reed water for feeding bitterns.
Several areas of drying-out reedbed
were also cleared of accumulated
reed litter to provide some shallow
pools with sparse reed, again
to improve the foraging areas
for bitterns.
Specialist contractors were chosen to
do the work and much of the
machinery was built specially for the
job and to cope with the difficult
There were 20 male bitterns booming on RSPB reserves in 2007
Ger
ald
Do
wn
ey (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Fish density at Leighton Moss
Date
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Dec02
Jan04
Jan05
Jan06
Nov-06
Mar08
Fish
den
sity
(n
um
ber
/ha)
eel
perch
rudd
Note: Sediment was removed during the period 2004–6
22 23R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
on-site conditions. The excavator was
imported from the USA, where they
have much experience of working in
very wet and soft conditions in areas
such as the Florida Everglades.
The pressure exerted on the ground
by this 20-tonne machine was only
the equivalent of someone walking
across it – and amazingly it
could float!
It took three autumn/winters to
complete the works. The contractors
managed to pump all the excavated
sediment and ditch arisings away to
adjacent farmland or the periphery of
the reserve, thus leaving very little
evidence of where they had been.
What we have achieved
An intensive monitoring programme
was instigated to determine the
success of the work. This involved
measuring sediment depth, species
composition and abundance of
submerged macrophytes from a boat
before and after sediment removal.
The results of this monitoring have
shown an impressive recovery of
Specialised low pressure machinery was needed to work in the soft reedbed conditions
Abundant bladderwort in one of the
ditches, two years after it was cleared
of sediment
Ro
bin
Ho
rner
(R
SP
B)
Gra
eme
Lyo
ns
aquatic vegetation in most of the
water bodies from which sediment
was removed. Aquatic vegetation has
also increased in species-richness
and abundance in one of the two
uncleared pools.
The cover of submerged
macrophytes along the ditches
increased from a mean of 21% in
2004 to 66% in 2007. This was mainly
due to large increases in the
abundance of bladderwort (see
photograph) and small/lesser
pondweed. In the two pools that
were cleared, the volume of
macrophytes increased by 25 times
between 2004 and 2007.
The reserve has since been
re-colonised by otters, which
successfully bred in 2007, indicating
that conditions have improved for
those top fish predators. We now
await the final piece of the jigsaw
with a recovery in bittern numbers.
This project has proved to be a
fantastic fix to the build-up of
nutrients in the water-bodies of
Leighton Moss. We are now working
with neighbours and regulators to
reduce the level of nutrients that
continue to wash into the reserve.
Thanks to:European Commission – LIFE-Nature,
Heritage Lottery Fund, SITA Trust,
Lancashire Environmental Trust and
the Co-operative Bank plc.
Otters have returned to Leighton Moss since the restoration works were completed
Mar
k H
amb
lin (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
24 25R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The southern Hebridean islands of Islay, Colonsay and
Oronsay are home to 99% of the Scottish chough
population; over the last 25 years, the RSPB has been
actively managing land on the Argyll Islands to benefit
foraging choughs. During this time, we have acquired four
nature reserves and set up two management agreement
areas, covering over 6,500 ha in total. Recently, a significant
portion of The Oa reserve on Islay and the islands of
Colonsay and Oronsay have been designated as SSSIs and/or
Special Protection Areas (SPA) for choughs, due to their
particular importance to the breeding population.
AUTHOR: GUS KEYS, SITE MANAGER, THE OA
The chough breeding populations on
Islay, Colonsay and Oronsay have had
mixed fortunes over the last 20 years.
A big decline on Islay during this time
has halted in the last five years at
around 50 pairs. However, on
Colonsay and Oronsay, the breeding
population has grown to almost 20
pairs. The precise reason for the
different population trends on the
two islands is complex, with first-year
survival of fledglings and changes in
land management being only part of
the answer.
Work on reserves
RSPB reserves on the Argyll islands
hold a total of 10 breeding pairs of
choughs, and we have been
undertaking grazing management to
provide optimum conditions for
foraging birds. At Loch Gruinart
reserve on Islay, much of the reserve
management is geared towards
managing wet grassland for breeding
wading birds and wintering geese,
but the reserve’s grazing pastures are
managed for choughs, and the
reserve boasts one of the longest,
continually occupied chough nest
sites on the island.
Oronsay reserve holds one resident
pair of choughs and regularly hosts
large flocks of adults and sub-adult
birds, which come to feed on kelp fly
larvae, found amongst the large
aggregations of seaweed deposited
onto beaches after storms.
Similarly, at Smaull Farm and The Oa
reserves on Islay, the extensive
grazing of coastal habitats and
management of in-bye through the
rearing of cattle and sheep enables
us to maintain a mosaic of habitats,
which provide foraging choughs with
a wide variety of invertebrate
sources, mostly accessed when
sward height is low.
The two management agreement
areas at Ardnave (Islay) and Balnahard
(Colonsay) are very important
breeding and wintering sites for
choughs on both islands. The dune
systems and in-bye fields at Ardnave
support a large proportion of Islay’s
sub-adult flock.
Nesting opportunities
on Islay
Nest site provision on reserves
receives high priority. Fifty per cent
of Islay’s chough population nests in
artificial sites, mostly old buildings.
On The Oa reserve, we have
targeted areas with good adjacent
feeding habitats and either re-roofed
old buildings, provided nest ledges
or, in one case, erected a field
shelter typically used for horses as
potential chough nest sites. So far,
we have been able to attract two
“new” pairs of choughs into
previously unavailable buildings.
Managing for
invertebrates
The majority of the chough’s diet
comes from the wide variety of
invertebrates found in soil. In the
spring, leatherjackets form an
important part of their diet.
Leatherjackets become less abundant
as they complete their life cycle, so
other invertebrate sources become
more important, especially when
young choughs fledge in June. During
the warmer months of the year,
when dung-associated invertebrates
are most active, choughs utilise the
high numbers found in cattle dung.
During the autumn, birds can
occasionally be seen foraging on spilt
grain in arable fields and searching
out the larvae of mining bees.
Therefore, managing for a wide range
of invertebrates is as important as
maintaining extensive livestock
systems when considering the needs
of choughs.
What next?
A great deal of research on chough
population ecology has been
undertaken within the Argyll Islands
over the last five years. An ongoing
project undertaken by Glasgow
University and the Scottish Chough
Study Group, funded by the UK
Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC) and supported by
RSPB and SNH, aims to increase our
knowledge of chough ecology on
Islay and develop a wider
conservation strategy for choughs in
Scotland. The RSPB’s network of
reserves will undoubtedly play a
major part in refining habitat
management techniques and using
that knowledge to give sound,
practical advice to landowners and
farmers. Choughs have always been
a part of the make-up of Islay,
Colonsay and Oronsay, and will
continue to be for years to come.
Thanks to:The Heritage Lottery Fund, through
the Nàdair Trust and by Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH).
Choughs on the Argyll Islands
The number of choughs breeding on RSPB reserves increased to 37 pairs in 2007
Dav
id K
jaer
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
26 27R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Black grouse in Britain have undergone a 22% population
decline and substantial range contraction since the early
1900s. Wide-scale habitat and land-use changes have been
the main cause, directly affecting both the woodland and
open ground habitats on which black grouse depend. In
Scotland, black grouse are primarily associated with
woodland edge habitats. At Corrimony and Inversnaid, we
are making particular efforts to manage the complex
mosaic of open ground and woodland habitats for the
benefit of black grouse.
AUTHORS: NICK CHAMBERS, SITE MANAGER, CENTRAL SCOTLAND RESERVES;
DAN TOMES, SITE MANAGER, CORRIMONY; AND NEIL COWIE, RESERVES ECOLOGIST
Corrimony
In the dramatic, mountainous
landscape of the central Highlands,
Corrimony links the Caledonian
woodland of Glen Affric, the
commercial plantations and native
woodlands in Glen Urquhart and Glen
Cannich, and the surrounding open
deer forests.
Here, we are restoring the natural
transition from Caledonian woodland
to open ground for the benefit of key
birds, in particular black grouse.
Habitat management seeks to create
and maintain a balance between
closed canopy woodland and the
mosaic of open woodland and open
ground, with about 500 ha of each.
Management that appears to have
benefited black grouse at Corrimony
includes reductions in numbers of
red deer, targeted cattle grazing,
felling of non-native conifers and
thinning of Scots pine plantations.
Deer fences have also been removed
and trees planted to create patches
of new woodland. All these
management interventions have
helped to create open areas and low
density woodland, particularly
adjacent to open moorland.
Numbers of lekking black grouse at
Corrimony have been increasing over
the last 10 years, from 16 males in
1997 to 57 in 2007. This has been
matched by good productivity. The
sharp fall in productivity in the last
couple of years was possibly caused
by poor weather, notably the cold,
wet spells in June when chicks are
most susceptible.
As part of the planned forest
restoration, around 220,000 native
Scots pines and broadleaf trees have
been planted on the open moorland
at Corrimony since 2000, in areas
that were far from existing seed
sources. These plantings and ongoing
natural regeneration led to an
increase in the proportion of open
moorland with trees and scrub from
35 to 52% over the period
1998–2007 (see figure above).
A proportion of the open ground
habitats are being managed by cattle
grazing, cutting or burning in patches.
This keeps the vegetation more open
and gives it a diverse structure,
creating a plentiful and accessible
food supply for the birds. It also
maintains the flower-rich pastures
and flushes for gentians and orchids
and benefits other wildlife, such as
Woodland edge restoration for black grouse
Black grouse
Dav
id T
iplin
g (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Numbers of lekking black grouse in Corrimony
Distribution of trees on the open ground at Corrimony
in 1998 and 2007
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lekk
ing
mal
es
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
2005 2006 2007
Ch
icks
per
hen
Males
Productivity
Males
Productivity
Year
1998 2007
Birches Juniper Rowan Scots Pine Willows
1km 1km
28 29R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
fritillary butterflies and the numerous
rare lower plant species.
As part of the trial management, we
are investigating the impacts of cutting
and burning field layer vegetation, to
see what effect this has on vegetation
regrowth, the abundance of
invertebrates and use by black grouse.
The trials are still in progress, but
initial findings show declines in some
invertebrate prey following cutting (eg
caterpillars) but increases in others (eg
flies).
Inversnaid
At Inversnaid reserve, on the banks
of Loch Lomond, we are working
with others to establish a landscape-
scale area of woodland habitats and
open ground. Many species will
benefit, including black grouse.
Inversnaid reserve was established in
1986 and extended in 2003 with the
acquisition of Garrison Farm. The
original reserve has extensive oak
and alder woodland and supports a
number of birds of conservation
concern. These include good
numbers of redstarts, wood warblers
and tree pipits. Biodiversity interest is
also very high, with small pearl-
bordered fritillaries, Wilson’s and
Tunbridge filmy ferns, and an
extremely good selection of higher
woodland plants and mammals.
Garrison Farm holds the main black
grouse lek and is being managed and
developed to provide the suite of
habitats black grouse require
throughout the year.
A series of extensive consultations
has led to a planned strategy for
managing grazing on 120 ha, and
establishing a mosaic of woodland
cover and open ground habitats over
another 250 ha. Grazing pressure has
been reduced by the removal of over
1,000 sheep and careful
management of deer.
Managing grazing
The lower ground is managed
through lets to local graziers, farming
both Highland cattle and sheep. This
provides a varied sward height and
keeps the main and subsidiary lek
sites clear of tall vegetation,
particularly bracken. The vegetation
has responded well to the change in
grazing regime, with cotton grass
growing extensively on the wet
flushes and a good variety of
flowering plants providing feeding
opportunities for black grouse.
The higher ground, where the
woodland establishment is being
undertaken, can suffer high levels of
wild herbivore attention. As a
consequence, and to protect the
newly established trees, we contract
a stalker to cull red and roe deer. This
has required careful management
and consultations with neighbouring
estates, the local Deer Management
Group and the Deer Commission, to
ensure our conservation objectives
are met without significantly
compromising the commercial
interests of deer stalking on our
neighbours’ estates. Fencing of the
new woodland was not possible, as
black grouse mortality from deer
fences can be unacceptably high,
even on those marked in the most
visible manner.
Establishing trees
A total of eight blocks, each around
one hectare, have been planted with
a mixture of broad-leaved trees and
Scots pine. These will act as a seed
source for woodland expansion
within suitable open ground habitats
up the hill. As a trial, one hectare of
ground was scarified to assess the
level of natural regeneration. Heather,
blaeberry and many other plants
have regenerated well.
Black grouse respond
The process of establishing woodland
can be very slow, and at present we
are concerned with maintaining the
current small black grouse population,
which has increased from just two
males in 2002 to four males in 2006,
presumably as a result of the
reduction in grazing pressure. In
time, as scrub and woodland
develops, we expect to see a further
increase in numbers. At present, the
grouse are showing signs of
recovery, and the highlight of 2007
was the recording of two separate,
well-grown broods of young.
On a wider landscape level,
neighbouring land has also seen a
huge number of sheep removed,
with management being transferred
from Scottish Water to Forestry
Commission Scotland. In the wider
surrounds of Garrison, we have seen
a dramatic increase in lekking black
grouse. In 2006, about nine males in
this wider area attended three leks.
In 2007, this rose to 29 male black
grouse attending five lek sites. The
increase at Inversnaid reserve mirrors
this wider increase and for much the
same reasons. It is important during
this time of flux that careful
monitoring of all leks in the area is
undertaken, to follow the fortunes of
individual leks and how they
contribute to the area-wide
population.
Thanks to:Forestry Commission Scotland, the
Woodland Trust Scotland, BP through
the Scottish Forest Alliance,
Biodiversity Action Grant Scheme,
and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
Pete
r C
airn
s (r
spb
-im
ages
.co
m)
The small pearl-bordered fritillary benefits from
the vegetation management for black grouse
Tree planting at Corrimony Inversnaid and Garrison Farm
Nei
l Co
wie
RS
PB
Dan
ny G
reen
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
31R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Seabird reserves
Each year, upwards of 120,000
seabirds of 26 species are counted
on RSPB reserves and productivity is
measured for a proportion. This
represents a substantial sample of
the whole UK populations of some
species. We contribute our data to
the annual Seabird Monitoring
Programme, managed by the Joint
Nature Conservation Committee.
Review of 2007
By the very low standards of recent
years, 2007 was a slightly better
breeding season for some seabirds in
some places.
On our Tiree reserve in the Scottish
Hebrides, 36 pairs of little terns
produced 44 fledged young – a
bumper year for this vulnerable
species here. Roseate terns at
Coquet Island in Northumberland and
at Larne Lough in Northern Ireland
also did well, with many pairs there
using artificial nest boxes. These help
chicks to avoid the worst of the
weather and reduce predation risks.
Gannets continued to be one of the
few seabirds in the UK experiencing
long-term success (a 13% increase
since the mid-90s) with the UK’s
newest colony on RSPB’s Noup Cliffs
reserve, Orkney, increasing and birds
at established sites continuing to
expand their numbers. Gannets are
well known as plunge-diving birds,
much less reliant on small, shallow-
water fish than terns and kittiwakes.
Their success suggests a plentiful
stock of small-to-medium sized
pelagic fish such as saithe, pollack
and mackerel in inshore waters.
However, in Shetland, our Sumburgh
Head reserve suffered a slump in
kittiwake numbers and breeding
success, although it did at least
produce some chicks.
The decline in the numbers of
incubating kittiwake adults and their
failure to produce any chicks between
2001 and 2004 are thought to be a
direct result of shortage in available
sandeels in the water around
Sumburgh. Huge numbers of snake
pipefish, a relative of the seahorse,
have again appeared in the diets of
kittiwakes and auks in the North Sea
in 2007. The explosion in their
numbers since 2004 remains
unexplained, but their effects are all
too plain. Pipefish, as the name
suggests, are thin, stiffly-scaled fish
with very poor nutritional value
compared to other fish, such as
sandeels or young herring. As
30
The sight, sound and smell of a seabird colony in June is
an unforgettable wildlife experience. Some of the most
awesome colonies in Europe are at RSPB reserves. At
Sumburgh Head in Shetland, Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire
and South Stack on Anglesey, thousands of guillemots,
razorbills, puffins, fulmars and others jostle for nesting
space in the early summer. Our reserves not only provide
wildlife spectacles, but also act as important indicators of
environmental health in the seas around us.
AUTHOR: DOUG GILBERT, RESERVES ECOLOGIST
Trials and tribulations of seabird colonies
Kittiwakes
Ste
ve K
nel
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Number of gannet nests at RSPB Noup Cliffs reserve
Kittiwake population and breeding success at RSPB
Sumburgh Head reserve
Nu
mb
er o
f n
ests
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year
0
50
100
150
200
01997 1999 2001 2003 2005
02007
Year
Nu
mb
er o
f in
cub
atin
g a
du
lts
Incubating adults
Chicks per occupied nest
Pro
du
ctiv
ity
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
0.2
0.4
0.6
.08
1
1.2
1.4
32 33R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
pipefish increase and sprats and
sandeels become less abundant,
kittiwakes and auks foraging around
our coasts are increasingly bringing
pipefish back to feed chicks that
either starve through poor nutritional
intake or occasionally even choke on
their long, tough bodies. Speculation
that climate change and sea surface
temperature shifts may have driven
this change is strong.
At Troup Head in Aberdeenshire, 2007
saw the latest full colony count
carried out in partnership with the
Seabird Monitoring Programme. The
numbers of adult guillemots present
on the cliffs during the breeding
season has reached an all-time low.
Since 2001, there has been a 70%
decline in adult guillemots on the
same stretch of cliff here. Work on
the reserve to monitor changes in the
diet of these birds continues, in an
effort to pick up evidence for potential
reasons behind this dramatic decline.
Many seabirds on Orkney suffered a
collapse in productivity, with both
Arctic and common terns failing to
fledge a single chick on any of the
sites that are monitored.
The problems that have affected
terns are also having a serious knock-
on effect on Arctic skuas. Worryingly,
of over 90 Arctic skua pairs nesting
on RSPB reserves in 2007, only six
chicks reached the fledging stage.
This echoes the wider picture for this
species in the north of Scotland.
Small stolen fish, in particular from
terns, form the staple diet of these
graceful birds. Kittiwakes on Orkney
fared no better than terns and skuas,
with another year of extremely poor
breeding success.
What can we do?
Throughout the UK, one threat facing
ground-nesting seabirds such as terns
and fulmars, as well as burrow-nesters
such as puffins, is the continued
presence of introduced mammalian
predators, especially rats and mink.
The RSPB has carried out an analysis
of where introduced mammalian
predators might suppress the
breeding success of key bird species,
or where we need to keep island
reserves as rat-free as possible. We
will use this to inform our
management of seabird islands.
Thanks to:We would like to thank Martin
Heubeck, Shetland Oil Terminal
Environment Advisory Group
(SOTEAG) and the JNCC Seabirds
Monitoring Programme for providing
data and Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH) for supporting our
management at these reserves.
Full colony counts for RSPB Troup Head reserve
0
20000
30000
40000
50000
10000
Year
1995 2001 2007
Nu
mb
er o
f G
uill
emo
ts
Gannet colony
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Puffin with sandeels
Ray
Ken
ned
y (r
spb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Better protection
for our seas
Protection of the marine
environment has long been
neglected by governments.
Without better control over
levels of fishing exploitation,
marine pollution and other
developments in our seas, the
degradation of seabird habitats
and food supplies will continue.
The effects of climate change
are already beginning to bite in
the seas that surround us. The
Marine Climate Change Impacts
Partnership, of which the RSPB
is a member, paints a stark
picture of major changes in
winter sea temperatures and the
effects this may have on seabird
breeding success in its 2007-08
Report Card. This should be a spur
to action to prevent wholesale
decline of our great seabird cities.
The RSPB looks forward to
marine legislation that can offer
greater protection for our seas
progressing at both Westminster
and the Scottish Parliament
during 2008-09. We will be
lobbying strongly to ensure new
designations that protect some
of our iconic, nationally important
species not protected under
European designation, such as
the black guillemot, are put in
place. We will continue to urge
the government and devolved
administrations to meet their
international obligations under the
Birds Directive, and bring forward
new proposals to extend SPAs
to the waters surrounding
colonies, seabird foraging areas
and those areas important for
non-breeding ducks and divers.
35R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
We maintain a flock of Welsh
mountain ewes on the island to help
graze the sward to an optimum
height for choughs (ideally between
two and four centimetres). The flock
size varies considerably depending on
the size of the island’s rabbit
population. Getting sheep on and off
the island is no easy task. It requires
a spell of calm weather, a suitably
high tide and the availability of a lorry.
Derek Rees, our contracted
shepherd, has a purpose-built, open
decked aluminium work boat to
transport the sheep. Once loaded on
the mainland, the sheep then have to
cross the notorious Ramsey Sound
with a current running at up to 10
knots on the highest spring tides.
Thanks to Derek’s expert local
knowledge and experience, sheep
movements are well planned and
organised affairs, resulting in minimal
stress to animals (but not necessarily
the workers!).
Ramsey is also an important site for
seabirds. Around 3,000 guillemots
and 1,500 razorbills breed on the vast
cliffs on the west coast. In addition,
the island supports a thriving
population of Manx shearwaters. This
burrow-nesting seabird was severely
curtailed during 200 years of brown
rat occupation. The rats came ashore
from shipwrecks in the 1800s but
were successfully eradicated during a
four-month-long project in the winter
of 1999-2000. At that time, the Manx
shearwater population was around
900 pairs. Eight years later, the
population has increased to around
2,300 pairs. Burrow-nesting birds will
always struggle where rats are
present: this is the reason we no
longer have puffins on Ramsey. It is
hoped that, now the rats have gone,
one day puffins will re-colonise.
Another species that suffered due to
rats is the storm petrel. We have not
lost them from the reserve
completely, as a small population of
around 50 to 100 pairs nest on the
Bishops and Clerks, a small string of
islands two miles off the north-west
coast of Ramsey. It is our plan to
install nest boxes amongst their
favoured breeding habitat of boulder
scree along the west coast of
Ramsey, and monitor these for signs
of activity at the end of the breeding
season. The petrels, like the
shearwaters, only return to the island
under the cover of darkness, so this
year we plan to use a tape playback
of the male song, to try and attract
passing non-breeders from the
nearby Bishops and Clerks colony to
investigate Ramsey, and hopefully
encourage them to breed.
Ramsey also plays host to a number
of nationally important plants. One of
these, a sub-species of juniper,
Juniperus communis subsp.
hemisphaerica, is found at only four
sites in Wales. The low numbers and
skewed sex-ratio of these plants
preclude any regeneration from seed.
The causes of unfavourable condition
in coastal juniper are almost certainly
related to past management –
notably fire and high grazing
pressures – and these populations
are now thought to be incapable of
independent recovery without an
equivalent intervention.
To conserve the population of this
fragile sub-species on Ramsey, in
conjunction with the Countryside
Council for Wales, we collected
cuttings from the existing Ramsey
plants, propagated them at a nursery,
then returned them to Ramsey. They
are now ready to be transplanted
back to their natural environment.
Ramsey hosts three Nationally
Scarce aquatic plants: three lobed
water crowfoot, floating water
plantain and pilwort. All are classic
examples of heathland pool flora and
require open, shallow conditions in
which to thrive. The livestock are
beneficial in this respect too. Their
trampling and grazing help maintain
open conditions and seeds can be
transferred between pools and
ditches on their hooves. In addition to
maintaining suitable conditions in the
existing pools, several new ponds
have been created in recent years,
to encourage the spread of
these plants.
34
The RSPB purchased the stunning island of Ramsey,
Pembrokeshire, in 1992, following an appeal to its
members. The principal importance of the site is its
population of choughs. The island supports between seven
and nine breeding pairs, representing around 3% of the
Welsh breeding population. Visitors are welcomed onto the
island during the summer months. Typically receiving
about 5,000 visitors per year, the island makes a
significant contribution to the local economy.
AUTHOR: GREG MORGAN, WARDEN, RAMSEY ISLAND
Restoring Ramsey Island’s wildlife riches
Ramsey Island
Ben
Hal
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Ro
n M
ello
r
Bringing sheep onto Ramsey Island
37R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 836
Restoring lost habitatsThe main factor causing the loss of biodiversity in the last
century has been destruction of habitat. RSPB nature
reserves conserve more than 5% of the UK resource of
native Caledonian pine, reedbed, Flow Country deep peat
blanket bog, wet grassland and brackish lagoons, and also
significant areas of lowland heath and intertidal habitats.
Nature reserves allow the re-creation of lost habitats in the
areas from which they have disappeared or their creation in
new areas. The RSPB has been particularly active in
creating and restoring reedbeds, wet grasslands and
heathlands where the importance of the habitat for birds is
high, and in so doing has contributed significantly to UK
Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets for these habitats.
Flow Country dubh lochans near Altnahara
Nia
ll B
envi
e (r
spb
-im
ages
.co
m)
39R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Last year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of Minsmere
reserve on the Suffolk Coast. One of our management
successes has been to create two large areas of lowland
acid grassland and heathland on ex-arable land, providing
habitat for breeding stone-curlews, silver-studded blue
butterflies and a variety of rare beetles and plants. The 140
ha of acid grassland created provides a significant
contribution to the UK government’s BAP target for
recreating 500 ha of lowland dry acid grassland by 2010.
AUTHORS: MALCOLM AUSDEN, SENIOR RESERVES ECOLOGIST; AND MEL KEMP,
HEATHLAND WARDEN, MINSMERE
At Minsmere, we have used a range
of innovative management
techniques to create lowland acid
grassland and heathland on arable
land acquired in stages from 1989 to
2004. The project comprised the
following stages:
Initial site assessment
Surveys were undertaken over the
course of 1990-91 to compare soil
conditions on the arable fields with
those on the surrounding heathland,
and to investigate the composition of
the seedbank. The results of these
suggested that the key constraints
for successful development of acid-
loving vegetation on the arable fields
were high soil pH, high levels of
plant-available phosphorus and a lack
of seeds of acid grassland and
heathland plants.
Arable cropping
Cropping was undertaken, mainly
using cereals, with the aim of
reducing soil fertility. This followed
earlier success with the same
technique in Breckland. This period of
cropping at Minsmere had no
measurable effect on levels of plant-
available phosphorus or other key soil
nutrients (Marrs et al. 1998).
Research into methods of
soil acidification
Experiments were carried out by the
University of Liverpool and ourselves
to investigate methods of reducing
soil pH, to negate the effects of
applications of lime while the fields
had been arable. The most promising
treatments were the addition of
sulphur and the addition of a
combination of sulphur and bracken
litter (Owen et al. 2001).
Field-scale application
This began in 1996 and involved
application of the following four
treatments, aimed at creating acid
grassland:
• Addition of 2.6 tonnes of
elemental sulphur per hectare
and re-seeding with an acid
grassland mix.
• Addition of 3.3 tonnes of
elemental sulphur per hectare
plus 2.5 cm depth of bracken litter.
Small quantities of heathland
clippings and litter were also
added to provide heather seed.
• Seeding with an acid
grassland mix.
• Natural regeneration.
Sulphur and heathland clippings and
litter have also been applied to the
margins of some fields to create a
fringe of heathland surrounding the
acid grassland.
Ongoing management
and monitoring
The ex-arable fields have
subsequently been managed by:
grazing with sheep; encouraging
heavy grazing by rabbits; and by
controlling noxious weeds by topping
and herbicide application. The
reserve is also grazed by 250 or
so wild red deer.
Rabbit grazing is particularly important
in providing the short (less than two
centimetres) sward required by stone-
curlews and the soil disturbance
required by annual plants and warmth-
loving invertebrates. Rabbits have
been encouraged to spread into the
interior of fields by depositing brash
piles (see photograph).
Plots have also been created for
stone-curlews to nest on. These
comprise 1.3-ha blocks, created by
ploughing half of each block in
alternate years to maintain the sparse
vegetation and bare ground required
by them. Nesting stone-curlews have
been protected from predation by red
foxes using electric fencing.
A detailed programme of monitoring
has been carried out to determine
the success of the different field
treatments used. This has involved
monitoring of soil chemistry,
vegetation, ground beetles, habitat
conditions for stone-curlews and
breeding birds.
Acid grassland creation and stone-curlews at Minsmere
Dav
e B
evan
/ A
lam
y
A colony of silver-studded blue
butterflies has established on the
newly created heathland at Minsmere
38 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Mal
colm
Au
sden
(R
SP
B)
Rabbits have been encouraged
to spread into the interior of
fields by depositing piles of
brash for them to shelter in
and establish warrens beneath.
40 41R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
What we have achieved
All treatments involving re-seeding,
with or without soil acidification, have
developed grassland with a high
cover of acid-tolerant grasses.
Addition of sulphur, bracken litter and
heathland clippings and litter, has
resulted in a sward with a high
species-richness of acid grassland
plants. Seeds of these must have
been introduced amongst the litter
and cuttings. Fields left to regenerate
naturally had vegetation very
dissimilar to that of nearby, existing
acid grassland, and in some areas –
particularly on the sandiest and most
drought-prone soils – they support
annual plants and ground beetles of
high conservation value. The
vegetation contains a number of
scarce annuals, with smooth cat’s-ear
abundant, and clustered clover and
spring vetch widespread throughout
the sward. The ground-beetle fauna
of the ex-arable fields includes a
range of scarce species characteristic
of warm, dry, sandy soils. Further
details are given in Ausden et al.
(submitted). A colony of
silver-studded blue butterflies has
established on the newly created
heathland, just four years after the
first spreading of heathland clippings
and litter.
Stone-curlews started nesting on the
ex-arable fields in 2003, having last
bred in the Minsmere area in 1969. In
2007, the population increased to two
pairs. Each pair had two broods,
fledging a total of six young.
Breeding stone-curlews are
extremely sensitive to disturbance
and vulnerable to egg collectors. The
priority has been to minimise
disturbance and allow this significant
population to become established. In
2007, Minsmere held one-third of the
coastal Suffolk coast population. At
present, there are no viewing
facilities for the public to see
breeding stone-curlews at Minsmere,
although we are hoping to provide
these in the future.
Thanks to:The project was funded by Natural
England's Higher Level Stewardship,
Heritage Lottery Fund, SITA Trust and
Viridor Credits via Suffolk
Environmental Trust. The sheep flock
grazing the reversion fields have been
supported by a Natural England
Wildlife Enhancement Scheme
agreement.
References:Ausden, M, Kemp, M, Lyons, G and
Telfer, M G (submitted) Creation of
acid grassland on arable land:
vegetation development and
colonisation by ground beetles
(Coleoptera, Carabidae)
Marrs, R H, Snow, C S R, Owen, K M
& Evans, C E 1998 Heathland and
acid grassland creation on arable soils
at Minsmere: identification of
potential problems and a test of
cropping to impoverish soils.
Biological Conservation 85: 69-82
Owen, K M & Marrs, R H 2001 The
use of mixtures of sulphur and
bracken litter to reduce pH of former
arable soils and control ruderal
species. Restoration Ecology 9:
397-409.
Soil pH of acidified and unacidified ex-arable fields
at Minsmere compared to that of nearby existing
acid grassland
The graphs show soil pH nine years after soil acidification. Values are means ± one standard error
3Existing acid
grasslandAcidified with 2.6t
sulphur per ha
Acidified with 3.3t
sulphur per ha plus
bracken litter
Unacidified (1)
Unacidified (2)
So
il P
H
4
5
6
7
The ex-arable land at Minsmere supported two pairs of
breeding stone-curlews in 2007
Ch
ris
Kn
igh
ts (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
A view across one of the blocks of ex-arable land at Minsmere, showing a
mixture of heavily grazed heather and acid grassland.This area was a
cereal field in 1995
Mal
colm
Au
sden
(R
SP
B)
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 43R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Otmoor was a diverse and extensive wetland in the
nineteenth century. Drainage and river engineering have
subsequently reduced the wetland to a few fragments.
Since 1997, in partnership with the Environment Agency,
we have been recreating the riches of the former wetland.
Our reserve now supports a significant proportion of the
Upper Thames river valley’s remaining breeding wading
birds, together with large numbers of wintering wildfowl
and other wetland wildlife.
AUTHOR: NEIL LAMBERT, SITE MANAGER, OTMOOR
In the past, Otmoor was a
magnificent wetland. Flooding could
persist throughout the winter and
some areas would remain wet and
marshy during the summer. A mosaic
of pools, ditches, water courses and
wet grazing marshes developed, and
it was described as “a languorous
East Anglian fen transplanted into the
heart of Oxfordshire”.
In the 19th century, bitterns and black
terns nested, and there is reference
to the vast flocks of wintering
waterfowl, with wildfowl being
collected on “an industrial scale” for
the markets in the city of Oxford and
beyond. In the 1930s, the
Oxfordshire Ornithological Society
estimated 40 to 50 pairs of snipe
were breeding within 11-13 km radius
of Oxford.
The moor has changed dramatically in
the last 200 years. The local river, the
Ray, has been engineered,
straightened and its floods tamed.
Enclosure in the 1830s saw the
division of the open marsh into
hedged fields. The most radical
changes took place between 1969
and 1980. Nearly a third of Otmoor
was drained and arable farming was
introduced. This involved building clay
banks to keep out river water and the
installation of pumps to remove
excess rainwater. A further arterial
drainage scheme for the River Ray,
which would have affected the
drainage of Otmoor, was only
abandoned in the mid 1980s as
Government belatedly recast its
priorities for flood defence.
Remnants of the old Otmoor
landscape remained, particularly on
the 211-ha SSSI encompassing a
military rifle range. These remnants
still held many of the former
wetland species, including birds
such as lapwings, redshanks, snipe
and curlews.
Wetland restoration
The RSPB has purchased nearly 400
ha of grassland and arable land since
1997 and is restoring wet grassland
and reedbeds for a range of wildlife,
including breeding wading birds
and bitterns.
Restoration has involved:
• establishment of grassland on
ex-arable land
• excavation of ditches and pools to
provide shallow water and muddy
margins, for feeding wading birds
and other wetland wildlife
• construction of a 22-ha reed-filled
water storage reservoir. Reedbed
is also being established
elsewhere on the reserve.
The grassland is being established by
a mixture of natural regeneration and
sowing of seed mixes. As our
experience has grown, the seed
mixes have been refined and we now
use seed collected from nearby
grassland sites when possible. For
the first year at least, the grassland
sward is mown regularly to help with
establishment. Seasonal grazing is
then introduced during the dry
summer months for another two
years. During the first few years,
water levels are also kept lower, to
speed up the rate of establishment
of a strong, grass root structure.
The restoration of the grazing marsh
includes the creation or enhancement
of over 60 km of water-filled ditches,
to provide shallow water and muddy
margins for wading birds to feed in.
The aim is to create at least 200 m of
water’s edge per hectare of grassland.
So far, about 450 small, shallow pools
have also been created. The majority
of the ditches are no more than 50 cm
deep. This creates a high proportion of
shallow water, keeps costs down and
reduces the amount of excavated
material that has to be “lost”
elsewhere on the site. A proportion of
the ditches are up to two metres
The Otmoor story
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Cattle grazing alongside ditch at Otmoor
Common darter, one of eighteen species of dragonfly and damselfly
recorded at Otmoor.
42
Tony
Ham
blin
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
45R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 844 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
deep. These act as wet fencing for
livestock, as an arterial system to
move water around the site, and
provide conditions for a different range
of aquatic species such as dragonflies,
aquatic plants and fish.
A unique machine, the “Big Wheel”
rotary ditcher, was imported from
Ohio in the USA to create over 20 km
of shallow ditch features. The ditcher
has two bulldozer blades, which
carve out the ditch. The soil is then
broken up, thrown up to 20 m away
from the ditch by a second part of
the ditcher. This is a 2.5 m spinning
wheel with eight steel blades bolted
onto it. The ditcher has now worked
on a number of other sites across the
UK, where it has created a total of
450 km of shallow ditches.
Construction of the reedbed reservoir
involved the excavation of nearly
three kilometres of new ditches and
six large lagoons. Staff and
volunteers have planted over 150,000
reed seedlings. Seed was collected
from small stands of reed that were
still present on the reserve and
grown in seed trays within a
greenhouse on the site. When the
reed seedlings are around 30 cm tall,
they are transplanted into the
reedbed. At this stage they are at risk
from grazing geese, swans and
coots. Fencing is installed for the first
year until the reeds become well
established – this is the most time-
consuming and expensive part of the
process, taking ten times as long as
the planting itself! The reedbed
provides the essential habitat for
aquatic plants and a healthy fish
population – critical for bitterns.
What we have achieved
In 2007, Otmoor RSPB reserve
supported 45 pairs of breeding
lapwings, 18 pairs of breeding
redshanks and five drumming snipe.
Otmoor RSPB reserve now supports
a significant proportion of the
remaining waders in the Upper
Thames river valleys. The reserve also
supports large numbers of wintering
waterfowl. During winter 2006-07,
maximum counts on the reserve
included 2,800 wigeons, 2,400 teals,
342 pintails, 3,500 lapwings and
2,300 golden plovers. Bitterns winter
almost annually. Other wetland
wildlife includes 18 species of
dragonflies and damselflies, 30
species of butterfly, the red-listed
beetle Badister meridionalis and
tassel stonewort.
The future
The dilemma for the future of
Otmoor is how far we can restore
the natural-functioning of the
floodplain. Reconnecting the wetland
with the river may bring benefits, but
may also bring nutrient-rich water,
invasive non-native species and flash
floods. We are also working with
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and
Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) to
explore where land in the wider area
can be brought into conservation
management to restore the
landscape-scale wetland of the past.
Thanks to:Biffaward, Cherwell District Council,
Defra through Natural England,
Environment Agency, Doris Field
Charitable Trust, Heritage Lottery
Fund, Miss W E Lawrence 1973
Charitable Trust, SITA Trust, South
Oxfordshire District Council, Trust for
Oxfordshire’s Environment with funds
from Viridor Credit’s Oxfordshire Fund
and Waste Recycling Groups Ltd
(WRG) through Waste Recycling
Environmental Ltd (WREN).
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Rotary ditching machine in action at Otmoor
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
There were five drumming snipe on Otmoor RSPB reserve in 2007.
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 47R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Loch of Strathbeg, on the north-east coast of
Aberdeenshire, is the largest sand dune loch in Britain. The
RSPB has had a reserve here since 1979, and it now covers
915 ha, encompassing 70% of the 206-ha loch, plus
adjacent SSSI wetland and some undesignated improved
grassland. The shallow loch is separated from the North
Sea by sand dunes. There is some saline intrusion, but the
loch is generally fresh water.
AUTHOR: SIMON BUSUTTIL, RESERVES MANAGER, EAST SCOTLAND
The bird life using the loch and its
wetlands is rich. Over 29 years, the
RSPB’s management has established
a significant waterfowl refuge, and
numbers of most wintering species
have risen. Up to 20% of the world’s
pink-footed geese arrive at the site in
autumn. Internationally important
numbers of whooper swans, greylag
and barnacle geese and teals also
use the reserve.
Descriptions of the loch from the
1970s speak of being able to see the
bed of the loch through clear water
and of brown trout hiding among
beds of aquatic plants. However, with
a predominantly intensive agricultural
catchment covering 5,700 ha, it is not
surprising that Loch of Strathbeg has
suffered from increased levels of
nitrogen and phosphorous over the
past 30 years. Increased levels of
autumn ploughing have led to soil
erosion and the loch’s sandy bed
being covered in a layer of silt. The
consequences of these man-induced
changes have been a shift in the
character of the vegetation in the loch
from one of macrophytes to one
dominated by epiphytic algae and the
resulting pea-soup appearance of the
water. The increased numbers of
geese roosting on the loch in the
autumn may also have contributed to
this change. The trout have declined
significantly and so too have several
bird species dependent on either fish
or aquatic invertebrates and
vegetation, such as goosanders,
goldeneyes, tufted ducks and
pochards.
Restoring the burn
The Nature Conservation (Scotland)
Act 2004 and the implementation of
the European Union’s Water
Wetland restoration at Loch of Strathbeg
Dan
ny G
reen
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Water voles are spreading across the newly created wetland areas at Loch of Strathbeg
46
Creation of the new channel for the burn
Loch
of
Str
ath
beg
RS
PB
res
erve
Up to 20% of the world’s population
of pink-footed geese use the refuge at Loch of Strathbeg
Ste
ve A
ust
in (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
49R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
challenges, especially in terms of
minimising damage to the
vegetation, and, more importantly, to
the peat substrate. The solution was
to use a huge cutting disc attached
to the hydraulic arm of a 360° digger.
Known as the “birds-eye”, this
mowed mature willows at ground
level, rowed them up and then
burned them at 700°C in a
compressed air burner towed behind
it. This minimised impact on
vegetation and peat and was far less
damaging than the manual cutting
and dragging off site of the cut trees
would have been.
Now, on Mosstown Fen for the first
time in half a century, significant
management of the fen is taking
place. In partnership with a private
contractor, specialist wetland
harvesting machinery has been
purchased and is being used to cut
and remove vegetation, again with
minimal impact on the peat
substrate. We intend to re-introduce
a cutting and grazing regime to this
area, allowing short fen vegetation to
replace much of the thick, rank
impenetrable vegetation. Breeding
wading birds such as redshanks and
lapwings will then be able to return
to this part of the site.
Restoring the loch
These two large-scale habitat
projects are the start of a continued
programme of work to fully restore
the Loch of Strathbeg. We are now
carrying out a full Site Condition
Assessment of the loch. This will
identify the on-site and
catchment-wide factors affecting
water quality and enable us to
propose a range of options for
bringing the site into favourable
condition. Given that the
internationally important numbers of
birds themselves are contributing to
the levels of nitrogen in the loch, our
view is that, in order to achieve the
high water quality standards that it
could, standards in the catchment
must actually be higher.
The future looks bright for the Loch of
Strathbeg. SEPA (Scottish
Environmental Protection Agency) are
targeting pollution reduction
measures at the Savoch catchment,
and options for further remedial work
on the loch are being examined. Over
a quarter of a century we have not
only secured a significant waterfowl
refuge, but begun to create the
conditions the full-scale restoration
and sustainable management of a
spectacular wetland.
Thanks to:The Heritage Lottery Fund, European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
through the Eastern Scotland
European Partnership, Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH), The Gillman
Trusts, Friends of Strathbeg and
Scottish Environmental Protection
Agency (SEPA).
48 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Framework Directive in Scotland
through Water Services (Scotland)
Act 2005 provided the catalyst for a
programme of work to begin
restoring the Loch of Strathbeg. A
review of historic data, supplemented
by further data collation, identified
the Savoch Burn as the major source
of pollution to the loch. The burn had
been straightened and embanked in
the 19th century to drain the
floodplain at the western end of the
loch. Having identified its
pre-canalised course, the RSPB
employed contractors, Alaska
Environmental, to re-engineer the
burn, removing its containing banks,
restoring an inundation regime on the
flood plain and digging a new channel
for it. Freed from its constraints, the
burn can now find its own course
over time. Already, riffles and banks
are beginning to appear in what was
a uniformly flowing watercourse.
Initial monitoring suggests that water
now takes up to 24 hours to reach
the loch, where previously it took two
hours. The result is that the silt in
suspension is deposited in a
specifically designed silt trap before it
reaches the loch. Built with future
access in mind, these will be
periodically dug out and the silt
returned to the farmland. The water
in the burn now passes through a
newly created 23-ha reedbed “cell”,
which adds significantly to the range
of habitats on the reserve and further
slows the flow of the burn, aiding
deposition. Having passed through
the reedbed, the burn is used to feed
water to a 36-ha cell of wet
grassland. This area had previously
suffered from being extremely
difficult to manage, either being too
dry or too wet. Completely
re-engineered, involving the
movement of 30,000 m3 of soil, we
are now able to control water levels
in both cells through single water
control structures.
Within hours of the work being
carried out, brown trout and
thousands of brook lampreys were
seen moving along the re-engineered
burn. Careful measures were put in
place during work to avoid the known
areas frequented by water voles.
Repeat surveys after the engineering
work are showing that they have
benefited and are spreading across
the newly created wetland areas.
Restoring the fen
Agricultural change has also had a
negative impact on the fen and
swamp areas around Strathbeg.
These areas, once grazed and cut for
bedding and fodder, have been
abandoned and are now dominated
by rank vegetation, with significant
areas of willow scrub.
As part of this habitat restoration
programme, Alaska Environmental
also cleared 28 ha of scrub from
Mosstown Fen. Working on
SSSI-quality wet fen posed significant
Water in the burn now takes up to 22 hours longer to reach the Loch
Gw
yn W
illia
ms
(RS
PB
)
Mosstown Fen after 28 ha of scrub were removed
Du
nca
n G
ou
lder
51R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
A brief history
Our interest at Geltsdale comprises a
mixture of different tenures. We have
held the sporting rights over the
entire reserve since 1999. Following
a number of acquisitions, we now
have direct management control
over about 45% of the reserve and
the sporting rights over the
remainder. Geltsdale is managed by
our site team and, since 2003, by a
new tenant farmer. The tenancy is
one of the largest organic enterprises
in England. Geltsdale has a rich
industrial history, with coal mining
taking place through the early
industrial period up until the 1930s.
The land was formerly managed for
grouse and as a hill farm.
A special place
Geltsdale reserve comprises part of
Geltsdale and Glendue Fells SSSI and
is an integral part of the North
Pennine Moors Special Area of
Conservation and Special Protection
Area. The reserve is designated both
for its internationally important
habitats (blanket bog, dwarf shrub
heath) and associated birds (golden
plovers, hen harriers, merlins,
peregrines). The reserve comprises a
suite of upland habitats, dominated
by the core of blanket bog, grading
into a mosaic of heather moor and
grassland habitats. These habitats are
fringed by farmland and woodland
habitats. Over 100 different species
of bird have bred on the reserve
since 2003. A recent survey of land
under our direct control found all of
the blanket bog in good or recovering
condition, representing a marked
improvement since the start of
our tenure.
Managing for a range of
benefits in partnership
with others
The reserve is managed for the full
range of priority habitats and
species. Geltsdale is open access
and we are working to help people
experience its beauty and tranquillity.
In 2007, we completed the
development of a small-scale
information centre at Stagsike.
Our management includes extensive
livestock grazing (increasing the use
of cattle), heather cutting, bracken
management, grip blocking,
re-instating wet features in
meadows, and the establishment and
restoration of woodland and wood
pasture. Agri-environment payments
provide critical support, providing a
financial framework for conservation
farming. It is envisaged that, in the
future, both cattle and ponies will be
used to create and maintain the mix
of vegetation structure and
composition that many of our key
birds require.
We aim to create a more natural and
diverse moorland community rich in
bryophytes (mosses), berry-bearing
shrubs and flowering plants. We aim
to trial a range of innovative
approaches that inform our
understanding of how wildlife and a
range of ecosystem services (eg
carbon storage, clean surface water)
respond to our land management,
and to further our understanding of
the management required to allow
habitats and species to respond to a
changing climate.
50
Geltsdale reserve, located in the north-west corner of the North
Pennines, comprises a mosaic of upland habitats and birds
associated with the English uplands. Our interest dates back to 1975,
when we entered into a wardening agreement with the Nicholson
family (estate owner). Because of the Nicholsons’ positive attitude to
nature conservation, our relationship flourished, allowing us to
increase our influence over the reserve. Today, the reserve extends to
over 5,200 ha, almost half of which is under our direct control. We
have ambitious plans for Geltsdale, where we are working to develop
what we consider to be a more sustainable approach to land
management than is generally found across our uplands.
AUTHORS: DAVE O’HARA, GELTSDALE MANAGER;
PAT THOMPSON, UPLANDS CONSERVATION OFFICER
Geltsdale reserve – an upland jewel
The award-winning information centre at Stagsike Cottages, Geltsdale
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Geltsdale supports 18 to 20 pairs of ring ouzels, a nationally
declining species
Ch
ris
Go
mer
sall
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Breeding farmland waders at Tarnhouse, Clowesgill
and Halton Lea
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Year
Nu
mb
er o
f p
airs
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
3540
4550
LapwingSnipeCurlewRedshank
52 53R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Birds of prey
Geltsdale currently supports six pairs
of merlins and a single pair of
peregrines. Despite attracting
displaying and prospecting birds, hen
harriers have not bred since 2006
when a pair fledged two young. In
good vole years, Geltsdale has
supported up to 10 pairs of short-
eared owls. We are concerned that
the absence or low numbers of some
species of birds of prey at Geltsdale
reflects the persecution that we
believe is taking place across the
North Pennines (and beyond). The
absence of hen harriers is not related
to prey availability.
Black grouse
The black grouse population in the
North Pennines is relatively isolated,
with few birds elsewhere in England.
At Geltsdale, numbers have
increased following targeted habitat
management including reduced
grazing pressure by sheep and the
introduction of cattle grazing, whilst
the woodland planting has created
new habitat for the species. The
number of lekking males has
increased from seven males in 2005
to 22 males in 2008.
Breeding waders
The enclosed grassland consists of a
mix of rushy pasture and meadows.
This is an important breeding wader
habitat across the North Pennines. At
Geltsdale, the introduction of cattle
grazing, wetland creation and
enhancement has been associated
with substantial increases in breeding
waders, particularly lapwings,
curlews, snipe and redshanks.
Golden plover numbers have
remained stable since 1999, with 39
pairs in 2007. Whilst curlew numbers
have remained stable overall,
numbers on the moorland have
recently declined (see figure above).
Understanding the effects
of management change
We conduct research on the reserve
to help us understand how birds and
habitats respond to different
management regimes. Between
1999 and 2006, we assessed the
effects of reducing sheep numbers
on moorland bird abundance and
vegetation condition. Stock
reductions led to declines in golden
plovers and curlews, with the
resultant increase in vegetation
height and density being the probable
cause. These findings illustrate how
alternative management will have to
be deployed (eg cutting and cattle
grazing) to maintain the necessary
open vegetation under a regime of
low sheep stocking densities.
Ground nesting birds such as waders
and black grouse are often vulnerable
to the effects of predation, which can
act to cause declines or limit
recovery. For this reason, we
currently undertake carefully targeted
control of crows and foxes at
Geltsdale. This is particularly
important for black grouse because
of the need to maximise the chances
of the population both increasing and
expanding range.
Thanks to:
Our work at Geltsdale is supported
by Cumbria Waste Management
Environment Trust, European Regional
Development Fund, The Famous
Grouse, Forestry Commission,
Natural England through Defra’s
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund,
North Pennines AONB Partnership’s
Sustainable Development Fund and
SITA Trust.
Species Popn. size Status Comment
Hen harrier 0-1 SPA Last bred successfully in 2006
Peregrine 1 SPA Occasional second pair
Merlin 6 SPA Stable
Barn owl 5 Increasing
Short-eared owl 8 SSSI Fluctuates with vole population
Black grouse 22 Increasing
Corncrake <1 Confirmed breeding 2006
Golden plover 39 SPA Stable
Dunlin 1-2 SPA Stable but vulnerable
Curlew 123 SPA Stable
Lapwing 46 SSSI Increasing
Redshank 14 SSSI Increasing
Snipe 19 SSSI Increasing
Ring ouzel 20 SSSI Stable
Current priority breeding bird populations
Recent management includes:
• between 2002–2007, blocked 80
km of grips (artificial drains) with
peat dams
• sheep stocking reduced from two
ewes/ha to 0.6 ewes/ha and
switched to extensive organic
farming system
• currently cut 20 ha of heather
each year to create heterogeneity
and to help restore areas of
heather-dominated blanket bog
that were formerly burnt
• we no longer use fire to manage
active and recovering blanket bog.
Restoring pasture
woodland
We have established 200 ha of new
woodland on bracken-dominated acid
grassland slopes and aim to
introduce extensive cattle grazing into
the wood when the trees are
established. This is part of a
commitment to re-establish scattered
woodland and scrub around the
moorland edge.
Restoring wet meadows and the
upland in-bye farmland
Through close work with our tenant
farmer, the farmland has seen
dramatic change. There has been a
major reduction in sheep numbers
and an increase in cattle grazing. The
meadows are late-cut, with inputs
restricted to use of organic manure.
Restoration work includes drain
blocking, scrape creation and
naturalising of canalised water
courses.
Monitoring
In addition to priority birds, we also
monitor other key moorland fauna,
including meadow pipits, voles and
red grouse.
Restoring blanket bog
Geltsdale includes 2,600 ha of
blanket bog, a habitat made up of a
variety of peat-forming plants, which
over thousands of years have
resulted in the formation of a layer of
deep peat which stores vast
quantities of carbon.
Sphagnum mosses are recovering where cutting has replaced
burning on the blanket bog.
Ste
ve G
arn
ett
(RS
PB
)
55R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The water level in Lough Neagh has
been lowered twice to create
additional farmland. The last lowering
was completed in 1959 and as
Portmore is connected to Lough
Neagh it was also affected, causing
the fringe of reed surrounding the
Lough to dry and willow, and alder
scrub to take hold.
A survey of the scrub fringe adjacent
to RSPB-owned meadows at
Portmore Lough showed that the
scrub consisted of 86% willow and
14% alder, none of which was
estimated to be older than 40 years.
Restoring the fen
Following a consultation and approval
process with the Forest Service,
Environment and Heritage Service
and local residents, we started the
scrub clearance project in 2005. The
first stage was to bore and inject
every individual stem with 10 ml of
herbicide in late summer. This killed
almost 95% of all the trees injected.
This method was chosen as it
prevented re-growth from stumps
and brash; allowed the standing
deadwood to dry which when
chipped made it commercially viable
to burn in wood chip burners; and
reduced its mass, lessening the
negative impact on sensitive ground
conditions when being removed. The
fringe area where the scrub was
removed from has a layer of
approximately six inches of
vegetation and thatch and then
several metres of silt. Therefore, low-
pressure machines had to be used to
avoid breaking the surface and
disappearing.
Managing the fen
To keep the scrub from regenerating,
we have acquired a small herd of
Konik ponies. They will roam the fen
at a density of 0.75 LU/ha. These
ponies are the closest relative of the
extinct tarpan horse and are utilised
on many nature reserves due to being
hardy, self-sufficient and requiring
little husbandry. They are tolerant of
wet conditions and graze the interface
between the meadow and fen,
creating an invertebrate-rich area.
Managing the wet
meadows
The meadows adjacent to the area
cleared of scrub also underwent
major restoration to create suitable
habitat for breeding lapwings. These
meadows were dominated by soft
rush and although the meadows had
been mown and arisings removed for
nine years, it had a marginal impact
on the rush cover, which only
reduced to 80%. Following
consultation with Environment and
Heritage Service and Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development,
we were given consent to weed
wipe the meadows with a digitally
controlled anti-drip hydrostatic weed
wiper. The rush cover was mown as
short as possible and all arisings
collected, the new growth was then
weed wiped with 1:1 water herbicide
mix and cut again 60 days after the
herbicide application. This project will
take three years to clear the
meadows of soft rush, but in the first
year we succeeded in reducing the
cover to approximately 30%.
54
The RSPB’s Portmore Lough reserve lies to the south-west corner
of Lough Neagh (the biggest inland lake in the UK) in Northern
Ireland. It is linked to Lough Neagh by two canalised waterways.
Portmore Lough is designated ASSI, SPA and Ramsar for
breeding waders, wintering wildfowl and terrestrial
invertebrates. It is becoming increasingly important as a key area
for lapwing recovery in Northern Ireland. We have restored nine
hectares of fen and 20 ha of wet grassland to connect Portmore
Lough to the wet meadows, and provide suitable habitat for
breeding lapwings and snipe.
AUTHOR: JOHN SCOVELL, SITE MANAGER, PORTMORE LOUGH
Wetland creation at Portmore Lough
Nine ha of fen have been restored by scrub removal, so reconnecting it to the Lough
Joh
n S
cove
ll (R
SP
B)
Low pressure machinery was used to avoid breaking the ground surface
Joh
n S
cove
ll (R
SP
B)
56 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
What we have achieved
Between September 2005 and
January 2008, we have removed
1,000 tonnes of wood chip, restoring
nine hectares of fen.
Water levels were raised by installing
sluices and bunds, creating damp
conditions and splashes on the
meadows. To create shallow muddy
margins, 0.5 km of ditches were
re-profiled. Two kilometres of foot
drains (one metre wide and 30 cm
deep) and 4,000 m2 of scrapes
were excavated.
Raising the water levels and creating
muddy fringes has benefited
breeding lapwings and snipe.
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Four pairs of breeding lapwings, and
two pairs of snipe were recorded in
2007, and 12 species of odonata
were also recorded.
Looking to the future
Portmore Lough is now being
managed as one of five key recovery
areas for lapwings in Northern
Ireland. It is the last substantial area
of wet grassland in the south-west
Lough Neagh area and it is within six
miles of Maghaberry prison, which
has a core breeding population of 20
pairs of lapwings inside the perimeter
fence. The range expansion of this
population is very limited, due to
restricted habitat in the prison and on
its margins. Portmore Lough is the
closest available suitable habitat.
Thanks to:Craigavon Borough Council through
Ulster Wildlife Trust’s Landfill
Communities Fund, Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development,
Environment and Heritage Service
and the Lough Neagh Partnership.
A small herd of Konik ponies now graze the fen to prevent scrub from regenerating
57
Lapwing numbers are recovering at Portmore Lough, where four pairs bred in 2007
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Joh
n S
cove
ll (R
SP
B)
59R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 858
Beyond birdsimproving conditions for biodiversityRSPB nature reserves make a major contribution to the
conservation of all wildlife, not just birds. At least 95% of
the UK’s species of dragonfly, 76% of spiders, 60% of
moths, and 65% of ground beetles are found on RSPB
reserves. Data for other groups are less complete, but it is
clear that RSPB reserves must support a high proportion
of the 88,000 species of terrestrial, freshwater and marine
organism found in the UK.
To ensure that management for birds does not damage any
key species in other taxa, and to improve management for
biodiversity generally on its reserves, the RSPB funds an
ongoing, targeted programme of surveys by taxonomic
specialists at potentially important reserves. These surveys
have confirmed that the reserve network plays an
important role in the conservation of UK BAP Priority
Species. Around 400 non-avian UK BAP species are
present on RSPB reserves.
RSPB nature reserves support
76% of UK spider species
Ern
ie J
anes
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Restoring the heathlands of Dorset and DevonWith its mild, maritime climate, south-west England
provides ideal conditions for lowland heathland. The region
boasts a quarter of the UK’s heathlands, around 14,500 ha
in total, and is extremely important for heathland birds,
holding 48% of the national populations of Dartford
warblers, 31% of nightjars and 8-10% of woodlarks.
AUTHOR: JENNY GOY, DORSET ADMINISTRATOR
60 61R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The RSPB’s involvement with
heathland in the south-west goes
back to the 1960s, when cold winters
proved too much for our delicate
heathland birds and Dartford warbler
numbers crashed. Lack of
management and understanding of
heathland needed to be addressed.
Now, we have heathland reserves at
Aylesbeare in Devon and Arne,
Stoborough Heath and Grange Heath,
forming the Arne reserves in Dorset.
We have also been working in
partnership with Dorset County
Council (DCC) to manage one of their
flagship Country Parks, Avon Heath,
on the Hampshire border.
Arne reserves
Located on a peninsula to the west
of Poole Harbour, the 750 ha of the
Arne reserves form one of the finest
examples in the UK of lowland heath
and valley mires with a maritime
influence. The reserves hold
nationally important breeding
populations of Dartford warblers and
nightjars. There are many species of
plants, vertebrates and invertebrates
of Red Data Book or national
importance.
Since 2004, we have removed 7.1 ha
of trees from 865 ha of heath,
opening up the habitat for heathland
birds. In 2007, 4–5 pairs of woodlarks
bred; in 2006, 80 pairs of Dartford
warblers bred; and in 2004, 27–28
pairs of nightjars bred on the
Arne reserves
Farewell to Avon Heath
In 1998, the RSPB entered into a 10-
year partnership with DCC to manage
the heathland SSSI at Avon Heath
Country Park. Supported by
Countryside Stewardship and later by
a grant from the Heritage Lottery
Fund through Tomorrow’s Heathland
Heritage, RSPB began the restoration
work needed to move the habitat into
favourable condition.
By the last year of the agreement,
the RSPB had achieved most of the
ambitious restoration targets for the
park: 156 ha of tree removal on
wooded heath and scattered tree
reduction; 10 ha of improvements to
wet heath; an annual 15 ha of
bracken control and five hectares of
bare ground creation.
Although the RSPB will now be
reducing its presence at Avon Heath,
we will continue to have a strong
working relationship with DCC and
the rangers on site. DCC are now
responsible for delivering their
favourable condition requirements
and the RSPB Dorset Heathland
Project will continue to provide
management work for them on a
contract basis.
The RSPB would like to thank the
ranger team at Avon Heath for all their
help and support during the past 10
years. This agreement has proved to
be a very interesting and rewarding
partnership, full of learning
experience, and we are pleased that it
has strengthened our friendship with
DCC. We look forward to continued
close working in the future.
The heathland at Arne is home to all five of the UK’s native reptiles
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
RSPB Dorset Heathland Project (DHP) to RSPB
Habitat Management Services
Since 1989, DHP has restored over 1,300 ha of heathland in Dorset for
many different clients. We have monitored the success of our work by
regularly surveying the birds, insects and plants, which have benefited as
a result. This work was largely funded by EC LIFE-Nature and Heritage
Lottery Fund grants, sponsorship from BP and contracts with landowners.
DHP now has a new role – acting as a contractor with conservation in mind
– and thereby continuing to aid the restoration and maintenance of habitats
and species. The wealth of experience and knowledge built up on heathland
is also applicable to other habitats and we now cover wetlands, woodland
and grasslands. We offer a wide range of services from scrub and tree
clearance, tree work, tackling invasive species on land and in ponds,
surveys of birds, mammals and invertebrates, tractor work and forage
harvesting, as well as GIS mapping, strategy development and FEPs. We
work across the south-west and south-east, with clients in Hampshire,
Kent, Somerset and Devon, as well as Dorset. We are always happy to
discuss how best to achieve your conservation objectives, so please contact
Sarah Alsbury, [email protected], tel. 01929 555987.
62 63R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Southern damselfly
One non-avian species to have
benefited from our heathland
conservation work is the southern
damselfly, Coenagrion mercuriale.
This internationally endangered
species, listed as rare in the British
Red Data Book, is a UK Biodiversity
Action Plan priority species. The
south-west holds a few small
colonies concentrated in Devon and
Dorset. They breed in heathland
streams and runnels, and, more
rarely, rhos pasture, chalk streams
and calcareous mires. Its decline
follows loss of suitable habitat due to
lack of appropriate heathland
management, including reduced
grazing, over-deepening of shallow
breeding streams, drainage and
dredging of breeding sites.
A colony of southern damselflies has
been recorded at Aylesbeare
Common in Devon since 1956, where
they occupy a two-hectare area of
shallow runnels and pools, fed by a
neutral, base-rich spring. The water
filters through a network of natural
and hand-dug runnels in a mire
dominated by black bog-rush.
Early work at Aylesbeare included the
creation of shallow depressions and a
small pond, plus hand-clearance of
runnels, but numbers of southern
damselflies remained low. In 1990,
grazing was introduced to open up
the rank vegetation and create
trampled areas, resulting in a marked
population increase, with maximum
counts of over 100 individuals in
most years between 1999 and 2007.
Summer grazing with Galloway cattle
has continued and been extended
over the whole site. During winter
2007, the animals were retained on
the southern damselfly area to
enhance conditions. Occasional scrub
control has been needed, as has
annual management of runnels and
cutting of vegetation; small pools and
waterfalls have also been created.
This continued management seems
to be having a very positive effect,
with 145 individuals counted in 2007.
The Southern Damselfly Action Plan
seeks to increase the species’ range,
mainly through natural
re-colonisation. However, it is unlikely
that southern damselflies can
disperse more than two kilometres
from an existing site. We are
assisting in this re-colonisation by
restoring a potential new site for
southern damselflies on our
Stoborough Heath reserve, part of
the Arne reserves, less than one
kilometre from an existing colony at
Creech Heath. Scrub has been
removed from a valley mire and
stream edges, and water control is
being improved. The site has been
fenced and was grazed with ponies
during summer 2007. Two sightings
of the damselfly have already been
made during early morning visits, so
we are hopeful for positive results
when the formal surveying starts at
Stoborough in summer 2008.
Thanks to:The Environment Agency for financial
support of the southern damselfly
work, and the British Dragonfly
Society.
Peak counts of adult southern damselflies at Aylesbeare since grazing introduced
The southern damselfly has suffered a 30% decline in its UK
distribution since 1960
Jack
ie C
oo
per
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Black bog-rush, which occurs in the flushes used by the southern damselfly at Aylesbeare
Year
0
50
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
Nu
mb
er o
f ad
ult
s p
er c
ou
nt
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
65R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
RSPB Dungeness, currently the
oldest RSPB nature reserve, was set
up originally to protect nesting
seabirds and other rare species such
as Kentish plovers and stone-curlews
that nested on the shingle beaches.
In recent years, as we have become
more aware of the importance of the
site for a range of nationally scarce
and rare non-avian species, we have
devoted a lot of our management
effort to sustaining and enhancing
the populations of species such as
Jersey cudweed, great crested newt,
medicinal leech, bumblebees and a
rich assemblage of ground beetles.
Stinking hawksbeard
We are working closely with Natural
England to help re-establish the
endangered stinking hawksbeard.
Whilst the presence of a seed bank
here cannot be discounted, there
have been no records of truly wild
plants since 1980, when the last
native specimen was observed at
Dungeness. Experimental plots have
been set up, and the survival and
seed production of introduced
stinking hawksbeard plants inside and
outside of the enclosures is being
monitored by the University of
Greenwich.
Management for
bumblebees
Dungeness nature reserve is home
to 11 of the 16 species of true
bumblebees that occur in Britain,
including the BAP priority species
brown-banded carder-bee, large
carder-bee and red-shanked carder-
bee. Dungeness was the last known
location in the UK for the short-haired
bumblebee, a species not seen in the
UK since the 1980s. Research into
the habitat requirements of these
bees showed that a long flowering
season of plants in the pea family
(legumes) is important for the
survival of populations of these long-
tongued bumblebees. Pollen from
clovers, especially red and white
clovers and vetches, predominated in
the pollen baskets of foraging bees
returning to their nests. Thus, we
have adapted the management of our
enclosed grasslands by:
• rotating the grazing in the
enclosed grasslands to provide a
succession of flowering plants
during the bees’ flight season
• shutting off the most botanically
rich fields to exclude grazing in
the late spring and summer, so
The little-known treasures of DungenessThe unique landscape of Dungeness, with its vast area of
exposed shingle, shaped into a series of ridges by storm
waves over the centuries, has long been known as a
premier birdwatching site. Less well known is its botanical
diversity, and the fact that Dungeness is one of the richest
sites for invertebrates in the whole of the UK, supporting a
number of rare and localised species that do not occur
elsewhere in Britain.
AUTHOR: BOB GOMES, SITE MANAGER, DUNGENESS; GRAEME LYONS, RESERVES
ECOLOGIST; AND MALCOLM AUSDEN, SENIOR RESERVES ECOLOGIST
64
Bare ground around the pools at Dungeness is important to a number of rare plants and invertebrates
Ben
Hal
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
that forage resources are not
grazed off at their peak flowering
time
• holding back the topping dates in
fields until August or later, to
allow clovers and vetches to set
seed and replenish the seed bank
• spreading red clover seed,
collected locally, on site, to
increase the abundance of clover
in the sward
• establishing clover along track
edges by the spreading of
clover- rich hay, gathered
elsewhere on the reserve.
The effect of this work has been
monitored by the collection of
quadrat data to measure the
Su
e K
enn
edy
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Red clover is an important source of nectar for long-tongued
bumblebees. Its abundance at Dungeness has been increased by
various measures, including spreading seed
66 67R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
frequency of legumes in the
grassland, and by timed walks to
count bumblebees. The results show
that the abundance of clovers has
increased in many of our fields.
Silt margins and beetles
Dungeness reserve contains a
number of water-filled gravel pits,
where gravel has been extracted to
provide aggregate for the
construction industry. During the
restoration of these pits, silt from the
washed gravel was pumped around
the margins of the larger pits to
soften the edges and provide a
shallow gradient into the deeper
water. The damp silt habitat created
by this work, where there is summer
draw down in water levels, has been
found to support a rich assemblage
of ground beetles including
Omophron limbatum, and Acupalpus
maculatus. The silt margins are also
the habitat of the critically
endangered Jersey cudweed and the
rare mosses sea bryum, Bryum
warneum and Bryum dyffrynensis.
Colonisation of this early
successional habitat by plants has led
to the habitat becoming less suitable
for these specialists, which live in the
bare silt. To try and maintain the
populations of these rare ground
beetles and the cudweed, we have
carried out experimental
management of small plots, using a
360° excavator to turn over the silt.
This arrests plant succession and
creates new areas of bare ground.
The management has been
successful at exposing bare ground,
but the initial effects on rare beetles
have been varied (see graph). For
example, pitfall trap catch rates
of Omophron limbatum were
significantly higher on the managed
half of only one of the plots. Pitfall
trap catch rates of the rare ground
beetle Acupalpus maculatus, a recent
colonist in Britain, were significantly
lower on both managed halves of
plots. Jersey cudweed has also
seeded into these areas and is
colonising the bare margins.
Re-profiling of islands within the
gravel pits, to provide habitat for
breeding seabirds, has also provided
new bare sand and shingle which
should benefit the above species.
Thanks to:The research into bumblebee habitat
requirements was supported by
Natural England, Defra through the
Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund
administered by Natural England, and
the Heritage Lottery Fund. Habitat
management work was also
supported by the latter two
organisations, and by the European
LEADER+ fund (delivered by the
WARR Partnership).
References:Allcorn R.I. Akers P. & Lyons G.
(2006). Introducing red clover
Trifolium pratense to former arable
fields to provide a foraging resource
for bumblebees Bombus spp. At
Dungeness RSPB reserve, Kent,
England. Conservation Evidence 3,
88-91.
Omophron limbatum, sometimes called spangled button beetle, is a distinctive ground beetle, restricted to
damp, silty areas around gravel pits at Dungeness and just a handful of other sites in the UK
Bo
b G
om
es (
RS
PB
)
Lydd Airport
There are proposals to expand
Lydd Airport, next to Dungeness
nature reserve, from under 5,000
passengers a year to 500,000. If
approved, these plans will be
disastrous for the area. They will
damage or destroy the area’s
internationally protected wildlife.
This includes internationally
important populations of birds
and a unique range of other
plants and wildlife.
The sensitive vegetation that
clings to the shingle ridges is
particularly threatened. Air
pollution around Dungeness is
already high and pollution from
an expanded airport could be the
final straw. The RSPB is objecting
to the development in view of
the bird strike risk and damage
to the area’s unique wildlife.
Results of trial management to create bare ground
habitat for two rare ground beetles at Dungeness
(a) Bare ground
(b) Pitfall trap catch rates of Omophron limbatum
(c) Pitfall trap catch rates of Acupalpus maculatus
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
% b
are
gro
un
d
Area A(soil not
disturbed)
Area A(soil disturbed)
Area B(soil not
disturbed)
Area B(soil disturbed)
Area and treatment
0 .0
0 .5
1 .0
1 .5
2 .0
2 .5
3 .0
3 .5
Nu
mb
er o
f b
eetl
es c
aug
ht
per
tra
p d
ay
Area A(soil not
disturbed)
Area A(soil disturbed)
Area B(soil not
disturbed)
Area B(soil disturbed)
Area and treatment
0 .0
0 .1
0 .2
0 .3
0 .4
0 .5
Nu
mb
er o
f b
eetl
es c
aug
ht
per
tra
p d
ay
Area A(soil not
disturbed)
Area A(soil disturbed)
Area B(soil not
disturbed)
Area B(soil disturbed)
Area and treatment
Note: Monitoring was undertaken in July/August 2006, following soil disturbance in March 2006.Values are means ± one standard error.
69R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The effort to create breeding habitat
for bitterns over the last two decades
has benefited a range of reed-
dwelling moths. These include Fenn’s,
flame and white-mantled wainscots,
nationally rare specialities of our
coastal reserves in East Anglia, and
the scarce reed dagger, which has
been recorded at 14 reserves in east
and south-east England. While the
wet reed swamp favoured by bitterns
provides suitable habitat for the twin-
spotted wainscot, the other species
need drier reedbeds, and the reed
leopard requires a long period
between reed cutting because its
larva spends at least two years
feeding within reed stems.
Management of our reedbed
reserves tries to provide a range of
successional stages from open water
through to wet reed and dry reed, to
cater for this range of interests.
The very local marsh carpet was
discovered in 2002 at Lakenheath
Fen in a wetland we have created on
former carrot fields. Searches for the
beautifully camouflaged green and
brown caterpillars, which feed
among the seed-heads of meadow-
rue, have revealed a flourishing
population of this moth. When they
are flowering, stands of the plant are
now carefully marked to facilitate the
annual survey of larvae in late July,
and small areas of reed surrounding
the meadow-rue are cut to enhance
the growth and spread of the marsh
carpet’s larval foodplant.
Hazel coppicing for dormice at
Garston Wood in Dorset has
encouraged wood spurge. This is the
larval food-plant of the drab looper,
and we expected that this BAP
priority moth would be found there.
So we were pleased when it was
discovered in 2004.
One of the few British sites for the
olive crescent is an RSPB reserve.
Butterfly Conservation and RSPB
staff have investigated the
requirements of the larvae of this
moth, which at this site feed on
withered leaves of sweet chestnut in
the autumn. By cutting leafy chestnut
branches and hanging them at
different heights in the trees, we
discovered that the larvae prefer
branches at breast height, and that
high forest is favoured over coppice.
The woods are now managed to
provide these conditions.
The Kentish glory is a charismatic
moth of birch woods of the Highlands
of Scotland and it occurs at Abernethy
and Insh Marshes reserves. The
Kentish glory needs open, sunny,
sheltered areas with young birches.
The habitat is therefore managed to
make sure there are always trees of
the right age and in the right sites for
the larvae.
Sea level rise and the increasing
incidence of storm surges threaten a
suite of scarce moths of saltmarshes
and coastal reedbeds at Titchwell,
Dingle Marshes, Minsmere and
Havergate Island. These reserves
support nationally important
populations of ground lackey, scarce
pug, starwort and white-mantled
wainscot. New reedbeds created for
bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded
tits, and new saltmarsh for redshanks
will provide suitable habitat for these
moths. We hope they will colonise
these new areas by themselves, but
we might have to consider
translocation in some cases.
A helping hand for rare mothsWith their broad range of habitats, it is not surprising that RSPB
reserves support a rich variety of moths; over 60% of the 2,400
species on the British list have been recorded at our reserves. More
than 140 species of scarce or threatened macro-moths probably breed
on our land, and we have a responsibility for monitoring these
species, finding out how habitat management for birds might affect
them, and managing habitat for the moths themselves.
AUTHORS: GRAEME LYONS, FIELD ECOLOGIST; AND JAMES CADBURY, FIELD ECOLOGIST
68
White-mantled wainscot has benefited from reedbed
management at our East Anglian reserves
The population of marsh
carpet larvae is flourishing
at Lakenheath Fen
Kentish glory is found in the young birches
at Abernethy and Insh Marshes
Jeff
Hig
go
tt
Lee
Gre
go
ry
Joan
Ch
ilds
(RS
PB
)
71R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 870
Reserves and peoplea review of 2007Involving people in our conservation work and enthusing
them about wildlife is important to us. By opening up the
majority of our land to visitors, we enable people to connect
with nature, get some healthy exercise and enable them to
find some quiet and peace in our increasingly hectic world.
Our network of nature reserves provides a unique
opportunity to connect people with nature. In 2007:
• more than 1.7 million people visited RSPB reserves across
the UK. Around half of these were members
• almost 70,000 people attended activities and events on
site, giving them an opportunity to experience wildlife close
up while building an understanding of the conservation
importance of habitats
• vice-president Kate Humble helped start building work at
our new reserve at Saltholme, on Teesside, which will be our
largest visitor, education and community centre when it
opens in 2008
• our reserves on the beautiful Scottish island of Islay – Loch
Gruinart and The Oa – played host to Simon King and BBC
Springwatch for three weeks, showcasing a range of special
species and raising awareness of our work to conserve them
• Lakenheath Fen, in Suffolk, opened to the public just 12
years after being transformed from a carrot field into a
wetland area full of wildlife
• around 60,000 children attended field teaching schemes on
our sites during 2007, undertaking a range of activities as
part of the National Curriculum
• volunteers gave us more than 342,000 hours of time to
support our conservation work on nature reserves. This
included many people working directly with the public.
Pond dipping is a popular activity for children and is held on many reserves
Ste
ve K
nel
l (R
SP
B-i
mag
es.c
om
)
72 73R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Almost 70,000 people attended
our special events and activities
in 2007.
Our birdwatching members and
visitors have long been well catered
for, with special events and walks.
However, we are constantly looking for
ways to connect more people with
nature, people for whom birdwatching
per se is not that compelling.
Many of our reserves have tackled
this challenge with gusto and
imagination. One technique has
been to build something different
onto some of the special dates in
the calendar:
• At Old Moor, we ran an event at
Christmas which involved lantern
making, using natural willow and
tissue paper, for a candlelight
procession. The event attracted
180 visitors to the classroom
alone, and over half of them were
completely new to the reserve.
• Instead of having the usual family
fun day at Rye Meads, we had
Christmas with a twist! So many
decorations are made of plastic –
not great for the environment – so
we showed people how to make
beautiful natural decorations using
pine cones, leaves and willow
twigs; all natural and recycled!
• Rainham created a Christmas
grotto with a real woodland feel in
the classroom. Kids (accompanied
by their parents) registered at
reception, where they were sent
on a trail to meet Santa, looking
for clues to answer the questions
of a quiz along the way. Once at
the grotto, they were welcomed
by Santa’s elves, who took them
to meet the man himself and
receive their gift. They then
returned to the centre, armed
with the answers to the quiz,
where they entered a lucky dip to
get their prize. Comments about
this event included: “Much better
than Harrods”, “I’m not going to
bother going to Lakeside next
year, this was far better!”, and
“Mummy, that’s the real Santa,
isn’t it?”.
• After Valentine’s Day at Conwy,
we ran a singles stroll for people
who didn’t receive a Valentine’s
card. This proved very popular,
with around 30 people attending.
We ran a “People Bingo” game
for everyone to get to know each
other, and some people made
new friends; we are getting many
enquiries about another one!
• At Halloween, Pulborough hosted
a Trick or Tweet event, which
could have been filled three times
over. It included apple bobbing,
crafts, hot chocolate,
marshmallows, carved pumpkins
and a visit to the Intrepid Forest.
R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 7
In 2006-07, around 1.7 million visits
were made to our reserves, a new
record. Our most popular sites
played host to 1.2 million visits in
2006-07. At these reserves, we are
often able to offer tea, coffee and
Great days out Innovative eventslight meals, and the option of
supporting conservation by buying
things in our on-site shops. We have
concentrated most of our resources
for visitor facilities into these
reserves, where we can be most
effective at connecting people
with nature.
We developed new facilities for
enabling access to the countryside at
Rainham in London, and at
Lakenheath in the fens of Suffolk. On
Rathlin Island, off the coast of
Co. Antrim, we built a new toilet
block and developed a new sheltered
information area for visitors to the
West Light viewpoint.
We had the best year yet for
recruiting new members at reserves
and generating support for our
conservation work through retail in
our shops and cafes. The on-site
shops and cafes contributed almost
£600,000 to our conservation work,
and 9,841 new members joined us.
Nia
ll B
envi
e
isto
ck.c
om
Visits to all RSPB reserves
Nu
mb
er o
f vi
sito
rs
Year
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
2,000,000
1999
/00
2000
/01
2001
/02
2002
/03
2003
/04
2004
/05
2005
/06
2006
/070
(The major foot-and-mouth outbreak affected 2001 to 2002)
Our reserves help people to enjoy and connect with natureThe Trick or Tweet event at Pulborough included apple
bobbing, as well as a visit to the Intrepid Forest
74 75R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Inspiring the next generation and
improving environmental
knowledge is at the heart of all
that the RSPB does.
Without education, long-term
conservation work is unsustainable.
Across the country, RSPB field
teaching schemes deliver hands-on
outdoor education activities to over
60,000 schoolchildren a year, at over
40 reserves.
Eight such schemes are run in
south-east England, and five of
these are on RSPB reserves at
Rainham Marshes, Rye Meads,
Pulborough Brooks, Dungeness and
the North Kent Marshes. The
remaining three are successful
partnership arrangements working
with the Royal Parks, the City of
London and West Berkshire Council.
Over 11,000 children passed through
the south-east schemes last year,
and our aim is to increase this to
nearly 18,000 over the next five
years. The plan to bring more
children closer to nature comes
aswe proudly celebrate 40 years of
providing out-of-classroom learning
on our nature reserves.
RSPB reserves tend to be very
different in habitat and wildlife, so
offer a variety of experiences for
schoolchildren under an overall
banner of Living Classrooms.
has developed an exciting team-
building course for secondary pupils,
using natural elements and a series
of challenges. Combined with the
more traditional pond dipping and
sweep netting, the children have fun
and learn about sustainability and the
natural environment. Very good
feedback has been received from
schools, and many are now booking
up for the more traditional courses in
ecology and geography fieldwork.
Rye Meads
At Rye Meads, dedicated areas for
education have been designed so
that field teachers can safely
introduce children to the wide variety
of wildlife and birds that live there.
Along with the other reserves, Rye
Meads has developed an innovative
climate change game to introduce
children to the challenges that both
they and wildlife may face in the
future. Children leave having had fun
learning, and also with the feeling
that they can do something positive
for wildlife by making small changes
in their day-to-day lives at home.
Dungeness
Dungeness offers a unique
environment for adults and children
alike. Pond dipping at Dungeness
does not involve dipping platforms
and safety rails; instead, children can
stand on the gently sloping shingle
bank and dip for the medicinal leech,
among other aquatic invertebrates
that live there. Pupils with special
needs also get a huge amount from
the hands-on experiences on the
reserve, and welcoming these
Living classrooms in south-east EnglandAUTHOR: CAROLYN MAXWELL, REGIONAL EDUCATION OFFICER, SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
Dav
id L
even
son
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Rainham Marshes
Rainham Marshes has undergone a
transformation over the last two
years, and can now offer three
different “Discovery Zones”:
Reedbed, Marshland and Woodland,
together with the classroom in our
innovative new Environment and
Education centre. Rainham Marshes
prides itself in offering something for
everyone. This is certainly true of the
activities we offer schoolchildren,
some of whom come from the more
socially deprived London boroughs
and do not have much opportunity
for contact with wildlife or the
outdoors. With this audience in
mind, the team at Rainham Marshes
groups is highly rewarding for all
concerned. Field teachers at
Dungeness believe in “catching them
young” – nursery and pre-school
children have taken part in Meet the
Birdwatcher sessions, where
youngsters are encouraged to make
bird feeders and learn how to
use binoculars.
Pulborough Brooks
Pulborough Brooks has always been
a popular destination for schools to
visit and is booked almost to capacity
every year. Here, the education team
offers something different to schools
on Saturdays, as part of an Able
Pupils scheme. Children come along
We have been running field teaching schemes on our reserves for 40 years
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
School group on a bug hunt
Local schoolchildren are encouraged to take part in Big Schools’ Birdwatch
Dav
id M
cHu
gh
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
76 77R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
to take part in activities such as Birds
as Indicators and Wetlands under
Threat, all designed to challenge the
more able pupils and provide a wider
curriculum. A Home Educating group
also regularly visits the reserve for
different activities, such as
investigating soils, rocks, woodland
trees and birds.
North Kent Marshes
Northward Hill is among the group of
reserves that make up the North
Kent Marshes, and it is here that one
of our newest field teaching teams is
reaching out into the local community
by taking activity-based roadshows
into schools. Hundreds of
schoolchildren have learnt about the
birds and wildlife on the Marshes in
this way, encouraging teachers to
book up a visit to the reserve.
Beyond reserves
Away from RSPB reserves, our
education staff at Hampstead Heath
and in Regent’s Park use these
important open spaces in London to
enthuse local schoolchildren about
the wildlife and birds in their own
locality, many schools being able to
walk or use public transport to
get there.
Recent research has shown that the
ability of UK pupils to name common
bird species, even those they are
likely to see daily, is quite poor, so
the opportunities to learn more about
animals and the environment offered
by field teaching can only improve
their knowledge and identification
skills. All field teaching reserves
encourage local schoolchildren to take
part in national initiatives such as Big
Schools’ Birdwatch. To back this up,
we run a popular outreach
programme, as part of which field
teachers visit schools to run activities.
It is not just schoolchildren who benefit
from the enthusiasm, dedication and
experience of RSPB field teachers.
Agricultural colleges, U3A groups,
Brownies, Scouts and Cubs also visit
our reserve-based schemes.
We all have an impact on the natural
environment and the more we know
Dav
id N
ort
on
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
We also offer field teaching off-site, in places such as Regent’s Park
and understand how it works, the
better we are able to protect it as an
essential element of our quality of
life. RSPB field teaching, in the south-
east and elsewhere in the country,
offers a high quality start to the
learning process that will hopefully
lead on to a lifetime’s enjoyment of
and support for wildlife and the
natural world.
Our Living Classrooms and education
work is supported by a large number
of organisations, and we are grateful
for their ongoing support to make
this work possible.
‘I felt lucky to have the opportunity to
be part of the fantastic new project at
Saltholme, and really excited by the
prospect of my role in delivering it.’
EMMA BIRNIE
WARDEN, SALTHOLME
342,335 hours of work
were carried out by
4,694 volunteers – the
equivalent of 176 extra
full-time staff working
on the reserves. This is
worth over £2.14 million,
at £6.25 per hour.
78 79R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The investment paid off, and in 2005
a vacancy arose at Leighton Moss,
which Emma successfully secured.
Over the next year and a half, Emma
demonstrated a hunger to learn
about the workings of Leighton
Moss, from reedbed management to
the tea room, from formal education
to producing the annual report.
This hunger was supported and
encouraged by the Warden and
Site Manager, and backed up with
formal training.
Emma has now taken on the role of
Warden at Saltholme, the fledgling
reserve on Teesside. This role is
complex, and will involve the
management of a team of staff and
volunteers, as well as playing an
integral part of what will become one
of the RSPB’s busiest sites.
Ever one for a challenge, Emma is
considering the RSPB’s intensive
site managers’ development
programme. This two year pilot
scheme has been designed to equip
successful participants with the
skills they need to become
managers of complex sites.
As well as residential volunteers, over
4,000 people volunteer on reserves,
carrying out a range of tasks from
scrub clearance to conducting guided
walks. We would like to thank each
and every one for their gift of time.
The management of RSPB
reserves is undertaken by a large
team of staff and volunteers with
an exceptionally wide range of
skills, from the monitoring of
remote seabird colonies to the
management of major tourism
attractions with large trading
operations. The management of
large, complex sites such as
Minsmere, Abernethy and Old Moor
requires a particular set of skills and
attributes – from practical
conservation management to
leadership, from organising events to
advocating policy to politicians.
Attracting people with the passion
and potential to undertake these
roles is increasingly competitive.
As an Investor in People, the RSPB
has a belief that, in many cases, the
best way to fill these challenging
roles is to develop people in the early
Volunteering to start a careerAUTHOR: HARRY BOWELL, RESERVES MANAGER, NORTHERN ENGLAND
Dav
id B
rait
hw
aite
, RS
PB
stages of their careers, to furnish
them with the key competencies.
Many people use volunteering as a
way of garnering the initial skills
required to gain employment on
reserves. The Residential
Volunteering scheme run by the
RSPB on 36 reserves gives people
the opportunity to get in-depth
experience of the reserves and
allows site staff to invest time in
developing people with an interest
in a career within conservation.
Emma Birnie is an excellent example
of a member of wardening staff for
whom this development path is
working. Emma graduated from
Newcastle University in 2004,
having studied zoology. This course
has provided the foundation for
various kinds of work undertaken on
RSPB reserves, such as the
interpretation of monitoring data.
Emma had an ambition to work on
nature reserves since volunteering
at Leighton Moss during her time at
university. “I was inspired by my
first day working in the reedbed and
seeing my first bittern as I left that
evening,” says Emma.
“On graduating, I immediately
started volunteering full time for the
RSPB at Leighton Moss and
Cumbria Wildlife Trust (CWT).
At Leighton Moss, I undertook a
wide variety of practical tasks,
most of which involved getting wet
and muddy.”
Recognising her professional
approach and potential, the Site
Manager invested in some practical
skills training, such as brushcutting
and use of the Countryside
Management System software.
Emma Birnie, a volunteer, now Saltholme Warden
A volunteer building a ramp
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
The new wilderness of Lakenheath FenThe Fens was once a vast wetland wilderness. Over three
hundred years of drainage has reduced this magnificent
landscape to a few remnant areas. A number of
organisations are working to restore lost Fenland
biodiversity, through initiatives such as The Great Fen
Project and the Wicken Fen Vision. At Lakenheath Fen, we
have re-created over 200 ha of vibrant reedbed and
wetland habitat in just 13 years. The reserve now resounds
to the calls of reedbed birds. Last year, we opened a
visitor centre to give visitors the freedom to experience
the wetland close up, with staff on-hand to help
understand this amazing new wilderness.
AUTHOR: NORMAN SILLS, SITE MANAGER, LAKENHEATH FEN
80 81R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
We bought over a square mile of
carrot fields in the Fens in 1995 and
called it Lakenheath Fen reserve.
Now it’s a reedbed, supporting reed
warblers, sedge warblers, reed
buntings and bearded tits. We
wanted to tell people, and show
people, how we’ve made this new
reserve and we want people to
experience the colours and sounds –
and solitude – of a large expanse of
wildness. So, last year we opened a
visitor centre.
Knapped, black flints of some of the
buildings’ walls recall ancient industry
based on Breckland flints. Other walls
recall the yellow-clay brick of Fenland
cottages, homes that often would
have been lapped by flood-waters
before man finally drained and tamed
the Fens. Roofs are made of
stonecrop and fake-lead and solar-
collectors: modern protecting
traditional.
It was reeds and water that we put
into the arable fields; the sedge
appeared on its own. Once the
diggers had re-shaped the flatness
into deep hollows and wide, winding
trenches, water emanated from the
underlying sand; hollows became
meres and trenches became channels.
Next came teams of volunteers, who,
between 1996 and 2003 planted over
300,000 reeds by hand! The reeds
took a few years to establish and
during that time the embryonic
reedbed remained open, sunlit and
wet. These conditions suited well the
seeds of fenland plants that were
lying dormant in the moist, peaty soil.
So the seeds felt the warmth of day,
germinated and grew tall: purple
loosestrife, marsh woundwort, great
reedmace, yellow iris, water violet,
meadow rue and over 90 others!
Near the visitor centre, a grass path
winds around several shallow pools
that were recently cut into the black
peat; you can walk near to the plants
if you wish or go for a squelch to get
close to brooklime, brookweed,
water milfoil and other low-growing
types. Not far from the pools is a
patch of meadow rue that is
important for a rare moth. If, in
July/August, you hold a flower-head
and look closely at the developing
seeds, you may find the tiny, highly
camouflaged green and brown
caterpillars of the marsh carpet moth.
We hold a programme of guided
walks, where you can get down –
sometimes literally, on hands and
knees – to see, hold, identify and
understand dragonflies, grasses, fen
plants, bats, moths and bird song.
Many of our 20,000 visitors take part
in these “theme” days, while others
prefer more general events; perhaps
ones that add a sunset through reeds
or a mist over still water.
One early spring morning in 2006 we
were pleased to hear a male bittern
booming in the reedbed (and
reassured when it returned in 2007).
To our surprise, two pairs of common
cranes arrived in 2007. Although
common, perhaps, in the Fens of the
16th century, they hadn’t nested
there since about 1600. But now, in
winter and if you’re lucky, you can
peer through the reeds and see them
rooting about in a new paddock. Did
they come from the tiny population
of cranes in the Broads? Will they
stay to trumpet the revival of a Fens-
wide population? Whether they do so
or not, they were certainly a
remarkable addition to the colourful
display of plants, birds and insects
that arose from the re-wetting of
monotonously flat fields.
Lakenheath Fen visitor centre was opened in 2007
Over 60 pairs of bearded tit were
heard pinging in the reedbed in 2007
at Lakenheath Fen
Gw
yn W
illia
ms
(RS
PB
)
Dav
id T
iplin
g (
rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
Thanks to:Heritage Lottery Fund, EU
INTERREG North Sea Programme –
Transnational Ecological Network
(TEN) III (Norfolk County Council),
Suffolk County Council, Suffolk
Development Agency and Waste
Recycling Group Ltd (WRG) through
Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd
(WREN).
Conwy Waterside Coffee ShopThe RSPB’s Conwy nature reserve in North Wales has
received a Marine Stewardship award from The Crown
Estate, enabling it to enhance the experience enjoyed by
thousands of visitors every year.
AUTHOR: JULIAN HUGHES, SITE MANAGER, CONWY
82 83R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
The popularity of the reserve has
grown substantially since a new
visitor centre was opened in October
2006 and the old centre was
transformed into the Waterside
Coffee Shop. Visitor numbers have
almost doubled in two years, with
nearly 100,000 people coming to
Conwy last year, and feedback has
been very positive. The Marine
Stewardship Award recognises the
new centre as a prime example of a
successful, innovative and
sustainable business that
demonstrates environmental care.
It is a far cry from the origins of the
reserve, which grew from the silt and
spoil excavated from the UK’s first
immersed tube road tunnel in the
early 1990s, and landscaped to create
two freshwater lagoons. The nature
reserve’s industrial creation and its
location, adjacent to the main A55
trunk road and the London-Holyhead
railway line, enabled the RSPB to
design a nature reserve with
opportunities to see wildlife as a
priority. The lagoons provide a
valuable high-tide resting area for
waterbirds from the nearby estuary,
while lapwings – now a scarce
breeding bird in Wales – nest on its
grasslands each spring.
Conwy is very much about people,
with strong community involvement
and a thriving programme of
educational activities for schools. One
example of the former is our monthly
Farmers’ Market, which attracts
hundreds of people and enables local
farmers and food producers to sell
food directly to visitors. It fits well
with encouraging people to reduce
their carbon use, without being dull
or patronising about it.
More than 2,000 school students
have used Conwy as an outdoor
classroom during the last year, with
structured educational programmes
for groups from nursery class to
secondary schools. The new visitor
centre incorporates a classroom that
can be used as a base for visiting
groups, which is also used by other
members of the community –
wildlife-themed children’s birthday
parties are a popular request!
Around 60 local people volunteer
regularly at the nature reserve, and
fundraising for the new visitor centre
involved a large number of them. The
most frequent comment I hear made
about Conwy is the warmth of the
welcome and the friendly, informative
people. That’s down to volunteers,
whether they are helping visitors to
identify birds in the hides, advising on
binoculars or books, chatting to them
in the coffee shop or helping to
maintain the paths and buildings.
During last winter, a community team
built a nesting bank for sand martinsNearly 100,000 people visited Conwy in 2007
Good views of the reserve can be enjoyed over a coffee and cake
Ben
Hal
l (rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
and kingfishers on the edge of one of
the lagoons. It is close to a
viewpoint, providing an opportunity
for people to get an insight into the
family life of popular birds.
While Conwy attracts many regular
visitors from the locality, we want
visitors here on holiday to discover
the natural environment through the
RSPB. With the coast and Snowdonia
a firm favourite with tourists, a visit
to a nature reserve can be an extra
dimension to a family holiday. Conwy
is one of the RSPB’s reserves where
we can experiment with new ways to
bring people closer to nature. Judging
by the response from visitors, getting
close to nature is a popular cause.
The RSPB expresses its thanks to
the Cemlyn-Jones Trust, The Crown
Estate, Environment Wales, the Miss
Trevor Fund, Waste Recycling Group
Ltd (WRG) through Waste Recycling
Environmental Ltd (WREN) and the
Welsh Assembly Government.
Kei
th W
ebst
er (
ww
w.q
-im
ages
.co
m)
85R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 884
Working for theenvironmentNature reserves contribute to the environment beyond
their boundaries. They provide environmental benefits such
as absorbing high energy waves to protect property inland.
Some reserves are washlands and receive floodwater at
times of high rainfall, releasing the water more slowly
after the storm has passed. Other reserves are natural
water-harvesting areas for water companies.
As far as possible, our nature reserves are managed to
minimise their carbon footprint and maximise their value
in demonstrating good environmental practice.
Getting the most out of RSPB nature reserves is made
possible with the help of a great many partnerships.
These include statutory bodies, private companies,
farming tenants and other nature conservation NGOs,
to name but a few.
Dav
id B
road
ben
t (r
spb
-im
ages
.co
m)
The RSPB has a nature reserve agreement with Severn Trent Water over the land surrounding Lake Vyrnwy.
Environmentally sensitive habitat management helps safeguard water supplies to customers
Coast in crisis in Eastern EnglandThe wildlife-rich, low-lying coastline of East Anglia is
facing a greater relative rate of sea level rise than almost
anywhere else in the UK. The RSPB has ten reserves on
this coastline, supporting a mixture of important
freshwater and intertidal habitats, all threatened by
climate-induced sea level rise.
AUTHOR: KIRSTY TURNER, CONSERVATION OFFICER, EASTERN ENGLAND
86 87R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Intertidal habitats are threatened by
‘coastal squeeze’. This is the process
whereby intertidal habitat is lost at its
seaward side due to rising sea levels,
but replacement habitat does not
form to its landward side due to the
presence of ‘hard’ coastal defences.
The only option for maintaining the
overall extent of intertidal habitats is
to allow the formation of new areas
of intertidal habitat by setting back
existing sea defences. The flow of
intertidal water into and out of these
areas can be either unregulated
(managed re-alignment) or regulated
through a water control structure
(regulated tidal exchange).
Freshwater and brackish habitats in
coastal areas will also eventually be
lost through sea-level rise. There are
two approaches to maintaining the
extent of these valuable habitats. The
first is to protect these areas from
increased incursion by seawater by
strengthening the coastal defences
to their seaward side. The second is
allow an increase in the frequency of
saline incursions, but create
replacement freshwater and brackish
habitat further inland. Below, we
describe the approaches we are
taking on reserves in Eastern
England aimed at maintaining the
overall extent of these valuable
coastal habitats.
Saline incursion
In Suffolk, the frontages at Minsmere
and Dingle are particularly vulnerable
to sea level rise and increased storm
activity. Minsmere has a shingle and
sand beach, with two lines of sea
walls, the outer of which was pushed
back over an approximate 500 m
length to join with the inner one in
the surge tide of November 2007. The
majority of the Minsmere frontage is
sustainable in the medium term, but
there is an area, fronting the
sensitive North Marsh reedbeds, that
is likely to be lost to saline incursion.
The Environment Agency and Natural
England have agreed that this
reedbed needs to be protected for
the next 20 years, to allow time for
compensatory reedbed habitat to be
created elsewhere. Meanwhile, we
have developed contingency plans
involving works within the reedbed
and drainage systems to minimise
and contain any salt water, should
there be another, larger, surge event.
Tidal surges are likely to cause more damage to coastal sea defences as sea level rise progresses
Freshwater and brackish habitats at Titchwell are threatened by
catastrophic floods as coastal erosion has accelerated
Su
e K
enn
edy
(rsp
b-i
mag
es.c
om
)
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
Dingle Marshes are protected by a
shingle beach barrier, which used to
be maintained in an unnatural profile
by the Environment Agency.
Following the cessation of
maintenance operations in 2006, the
surge tides of November 2006 and
2007 have moved this ridge around
50 m inland. The ridge now has a
much broader profile, with gently
sloping sides. The freshwater grazing
marshes of Dingle, managed by the
Suffolk Wildlife Trust, have been
affected by saline incursion, although
the impacts on breeding birds are not
yet known. The vulnerable freshwater
88 89R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8 R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
reedbed of Point Marsh at Dingle is
fronted by a low secondary defence.
Natural England and the Environment
Agency have agreed to maintain this
line of defence at an acceptable level
for site management for the next
20 years to allow compensatory
habitat to be created elsewhere,
before allowing the site to start to
evolve more “naturally” and the
freshwater habitats to become
increasingly saline.
For both Minsmere and Dingle
Marshes, the works required to give
20 years protection have not yet
been approved, nor has finance been
secured, so the freshwater habitats
are still vulnerable to saline incursion.
Wetlands in the Broads, including the
RSPB reserve at Strumpshaw Fen,
have also suffered from saline
incursion increasingly in recent years,
and further consideration will need to
be given as to how to manage
this risk.
At Titchwell, the sea walls enclosing
the brackish and freshwater habitats
have deteriorated, due to coastal
erosion, to the extent that there is a
risk of a catastrophic flood, which
would severely damage these
habitats. Currently, the RSPB is
investigating a number of options
that would secure the long-term
future of the site. Various surveys and
assessments are ongoing, and we
hope to be able to make a decision
as to the best course of action in the
near future.
Intertidal habitat creation
In order to compensate for continuing
losses of intertidal habitat through
sea level rise, the RSPB has so far
created 66 ha of mudflat and
saltmarsh at Freiston Shore,
Lincolnshire, in partnership with the
Environment Agency (lead partner),
Natural England and Her Majesty’s
Prison Service, and eight hectares of
mudflat and saltmarsh at Havergate
Island, Suffolk.
We are now also managing the Defra
habitat creation project at Wallasea
Island in Essex, which has created
115 ha of mudflat and saltmarsh to
compensate for damaging port
developments in the 1990s. We are
currently working to develop a
landscape-scale coastal habitat
restoration on a further 720 ha of
Wallasea Island through the Wallasea
Island Wild Coast project.
This project will develop innovative
ways of creating and managing
coastal habitats, possibly using a
mixture of managed realignment and
regulated tidal exchange, a series of
culverts or weirs allowing limited and
very shallow amounts of tidal water
onto and off the site, but leaving the
existing sea walls in place. This new
Wild Coast will support nationally and
internationally important bird
populations, and, we hope,
re-establish lost breeding populations
of birds such as spoonbills and
Kentish plovers in England.
Minsmere
Titchwell Marsh
Strumpshaw Fen
Dingle Marshes
Freiston Shore
Havergate Island
Wallasea Island
The tidal surge in November 2007 pushed the outer sea wall at Minsmere back to join the inner sea wall
Flooded visitor trail at Strumpshaw Fen following a tidal surge from the
River Yare.The reserve is approximately 15 km upstream from the sea
Ro
bin
Har
vey
(RS
PB
)
Dav
id T
ub
by
66 ha of mudflat and saltmarsh have been created at Freiston Shore
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
91R S P B R E S E RV E S 2 0 0 8
Geothermal heating
Our new award-winning
Environmental Education Centre at
Rainham Marshes in Essex has a
closed loop “geothermal” energy
system installed to provide heating
and hot water in the building. Below
the frost line, the temperature of the
earth stays fairly constant at around
12°C. The ground source heat pump
system consists of a heat exchanger
with six ‘U’ loop pipes set in steel
pipes buried 80 m below ground.
Fluid flowing through the heat
exchanger in the building returns
some two degrees warmer, and
when this passes through the heat
exchanger using a thermodynamic
compression process, the water
temperature is increased up to 35°C.
An additional benefit from this type
of heating is the ability of the system
to work in reverse, with excess heat
generated during the warmer
summer months discharged into the
ground, effectively using the ground
as a heat sink and thereby cooling
the building. Although the heat pump
uses electricity, for each unit of
electricity used it produces the
equivalent of four units of heat.
Biomass fuel
In addition to the geothermal
technology, we are also using
biomass as a source of heating,
notably at our Old Moor reserve near
Barnsley and at the new centre at
Saltholme in Stockton-on-Tees. These
systems can use either wood chip or
compressed wood pellets. At Old
Moor we have a complex of
buildings, which include a visitor
centre and tea room, classrooms,
offices and residential
accommodation, all run from a
100 kW biomass boiler.
Biomass fuel supplied for commercial
use can come from a variety of
sources, typically forest residues,
sawmill co-products or managed
woodland sources. Currently, a vast
untapped resource is wood
recovered from waste streams in the
UK, estimated at around 7.5 million
tonnes a year, of which 80% is
currently disposed of at landfill sites.
Although very early days, we have
been investigating the feasibility of
converting waste generated from our
own extensive reedbed
management, for use as a
commercial biomass product.
Solar power
In addition to these emerging
technologies, we continue to use the
more established renewable products
such as photovoltaics and solar
collectors (solar panels). Over the last
five or six years, we have installed
some 60 kWp of electricity-
generating photovoltaic solar panels,
equating in size to over three
badminton courts or over 40 standard
car parking spaces.
Voltage optimisation
At The Lodge, the RSPB’s UK
headquarters, our energy usage is
greater than the combined total of all
our reserves and regional offices,
split equally between gas and
electricity. In order to reduce our
carbon emissions, we intend to
install a Voltage Power Optimiser on
the site. The declared electricity
supply in the United Kingdom is now
230V with a tolerance of +10% to
–6%, therefore anywhere between
216V and 253V. Most electrical
equipment manufactured in Europe
and the UK is rated at 220V and will
effectively operate at voltages down
to 200V.
By optimising the voltage to the site,
we can reduce our demand from the
grid, effectively saving on energy
used, cost and carbon emissions.
The VPO was developed in Japan for
sites that have three-phase electricity
and is now installed on many sites
across the UK for Local Authorities,
HM Prisons, Defra and supermarket
chains, to name but a few.
After monitoring energy used on site
for a period of time, a feasibility study
has been produced that shows savings
of approximately £10,000 a year, with a
payback period of a mere two years,
saving some 13% of electrical energy
consumed; this is in addition to the
374,000 kg of CO2 saved over a five-
year period. We are now undertaking
feasibility studies on other sites that
are suitable for this technology.
Changing habits
Technology and the general
acceptance of the need to
accommodate alternative renewable
energy systems is growing, but it is
essential, if we are to combat climate
change, that we all commit to reducing
our carbon emissions.
Thanks to:Our work to install renewable energy
technology is funded by a large
number of organisations, and we are
grateful for their ongoing support to
make this possible.
Renewable energy on reserves
90
Installation of solar panels at Sandwell Valley
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)
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 year 2006–7 and 2007–8 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
An
dy
Hay
(rs
pb
-im
ages
.co
m)