Wildlife News for August

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RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Wildlife News for August

Post by RachelMC »

Wildlife News for August:
Mega machine from USA rolls in to help 'Red List' birds in Chester:

A specialist machine designed to create habitats for threatened wetland birds has been brought into the region by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust as part of their ‘Living Landscape’ scheme.

The ‘rotary ditcher’ is owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and since its arrival in the UK from the United States over ten years ago, has visited more than 100 farms across the country from its Oxfordshire base.

The mega machine which comes with its own heavy-duty tractor, has already been used at Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Bickley Hall Farm where it helped to create ‘wader scrapes’ - long ditches that hold surface water vital for feeding wading birds like Lapwing and Snipe.

The state-of-the-art equipment can create ditches at the rate of up to 200 metres per hour, shifting 10 tonnes of soil a minute – with depths that are laser-levelled to create the optimum conditions needed for particular species.

During its recent visit, the ditcher cut more than 2.5 kilometres of new ‘scrapes’ across several farms within Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Gowy Connect project area around Chester, part of a wider Living Landscape scheme where the conservation charity is working with partners including the Environment Agency to improve wildlife habitats along river corridors adjacent to local farms.

Acting as a ‘hub’ at the centre of the Living Landscape scheme is the Trust’s largest nature reserve at Gowy Meadow’s near Ellesmere Port, where 165ha of floodplain grazing meadow is managed in partnership with neighbouring Essar Oil UK, as a flood defence to the Stanlow Refinery.

One species thought to benefit from the scrapes created by the rotary ditcher is the Lapwing, which nests in grazed fields but then requires shallow water to feed its young, who leave the nest before they are fully able to fly. Lapwings are currently ‘Red Listed’ in the UK, meaning they are of the highest conservation priority requiring ‘immediate action’ to stop population declines over the last 100 years.

Snipe and Redshank can also benefit from ditch habitats and are also listed at the Amber level of conservation concern in the UK as breeding species.

Ben Gregory, Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Gowy Connect project officer said: “A lot of conservation work relies on the hands-on dedication of local volunteers, but sometimes you need to bring in the big guns to make a real and immediate impact for particular species.

“The speed, accuracy and experience of the team who operate the rotary ditcher means we can create hundreds of metres of vital scrapes for birds like the Lapwing in a matter of days.

“A Living Landscape is all about creating links and stepping stones in the countryside, and with the right habitats across a wide area, it gives birds and other wildlife a chance to move around knowing that there will be suitable habitats nearby, whatever changes may come in weather and climate.”

Bird experts believe that long, straight ditches are of most benefit to species like Lapwing and Snipe as they increase the length of ‘edge feeding’ available to chicks, which may not be as high in circular pools. Pools dug by conventional diggers or excavators also create steep sides, making it harder for young birds to access the water.

The Gowy Connect project is supported by WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental) and the Environment Agency.

This article re-posted from Cheshire Wildlife website

RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Great Nature Watch - Canal & River Trust

Post by RachelMC »

Great Nature Watch - Canal & River Trust:

NATURE lovers can play a vital role in documenting mid Cheshire’s habitats and wildlife and helping to protect them for the future.

The Canal and River Trust (CRT) has launched the Great Nature Watch, complete with a free app for smart phones, so that waterways visitors can help create a comprehensive survey.

This follows a national report earlier this year that revealed 60 per cent of more than 3,000 animal and plant species have declined in the UK in the past 50 years.

Freshwater and wetland habitats support around 10 per cent of UK species, despite occupying just three per cent of the country’s surface.

Stuart Moodie, CRT ecologist, said: “Our ultimate aim is to ensure there are plenty of habitats for wildlife to move up and down our waterway corridors, through city centres, as well as remote parts of the countryside. We’re hoping Great Nature Watch can support the great environmental progress we’ve made over the years.

“People power can make a big difference so we hope visitors to our canals or rivers will get round as much of our waterway network as possible and help create a ‘living map’. The countryside has been fragmented over the past 50 years with increasing urban environments.

“The Trent and Mersey’s waterway corridors are unique and we need to do all we can to keep them this way as we’re seeing so many species struggling for survival. To do this, it’s vital that we continue to learn more about the state and health of our habitats so that we can help them flourish through our ecology work.”

By using the free app, called enaturewatch, or visiting the Trust’s website, visitors will be asked a series of questions to help paint a picture of the cross section of canal or river habitat being surveyed.

Visitors can also learn about the wildlife, plants and trees they see from the towpath using a ‘spotters’s guide’ in the app.

For more information visit http://www.canalandrivertrust.org.uk/great_nature_watch

RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Barn Owl breeding at Gowy Meadows

Post by RachelMC »

Barn Owl breeding at Gowy Meadows:

A pair of rare Barn Owls at Gowy Meadows nature reserve have raised a brood of four chicks, bucking the trend in an otherwise disastrous year for the species.

The owls nested in a purpose-built box at the Cheshire Wildlife Trust site - managed in partnership with Essar Oil UK which operates the adjacent Stanlow Refinery.

The surprise large brood comes as the Broxton Barn Owl Group, which monitor owls in the area, has recorded the worst ever year for the species.

Neil Friswell, chair of Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s conservation committee, said: “We’ve seen a dramatic drop in numbers this year, perhaps the worst ever season within the recording area. A combination of a wet end to the breeding season last year affecting fledgling Barn Owls, and the long, protracted winter which extended right into April this spring, has probably led to so many empty nests.”

Last year, there were 225 confirmed breeding sites for Barn Owls across the Cheshire region, with around 600 young Barn Owls noted by local observers from 200 of the nests, up on the previous record of 151 breeding sites in 2007.

The region’s Barn Owl population has been massively boosted by the installation of nesting boxes by local Barn Owl groups across the county, and artificial nest sites now account for the majority of the Cheshire population.

It’s also hoped that habitat management at sites like Gowy Meadows, where Cheshire Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with the Environment Agency to create a ‘Living Landscape’, will allow Barn Owls and other species to flourish.

Richard Gardner, the Trust’s Living Landscape Manager said: “This is extremely heartening news from our largest nature reserve, and hopefully demonstrates that when we’re able to favourably manage the right habitats, iconic species like the Barn Owl can do well.

“It’s vital though that we continue to build on our Living Landscape across as wide an area as possible, as there will only be long-term benefits to species like the Barn Owl if the right habitat ‘corridors’ are in place, so wildlife can adapt to the challenges of weather and climate. The work of local Barn Owl groups remains critical to the ongoing recovery of the species, and hopefully with their support, the owls will bounce back across Cheshire with a better season next year.”

Barn Owls rely on a good supply of small mammal prey of voles and mice, and struggle with extended wet periods, which limits their ability to hunt successfully. They also regularly fall victim to collisions with trucks, due to their low flight over roadside hedgerows.

A Chester farmer within the Wildlife Trust’s Living Landscape scheme, Huw Rowlands at Grange Farm, Mickle Trafford, is hoping to reduce Barn Owl collisions by extending the height of his hedgerows next the A56 in the hope of encouraging the owls to pass up and over the majority of high-sided vehicles using the road.

RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Moor Pool in Knutsford Being Tested

Post by RachelMC »

Moor Pool in Knutsford Being Tested:

KNUTSFORD'S Moor Pool is being tested by water specialists in a bid to tackle the ongoing problem that has blighted the site.

A team of specialist aquatic scientists will begin testing on the Moor Pool in a bid to assess a way forward in tackling the water quality problems that are affecting the popular mere.

Earlier this year, Cheshire Wildlife Trust urged residents to reduce activities like duck feeding with bread to reduce the high levels of nutrients or ‘eutrophication’ that was thought to be a contributing factor behind a reduction in the quality of the Moor Pool and increasing fish deaths.

Increased nutrients and eutrophication can vastly reduce the oxygen levels available in the water, and with increasing fish numbers found the health of the pool rapidly declining.

The Government’s environment and conservation body Natural England have now contracted APEM Ltd to begin a range of tests across both Tatton Mere and Knutsford Moor Pool, with surveys by boat expected to start in the coming days.

The team of scientists will also produce a ‘Lake Management Plan’ that will include; water level management, water quality, habitat quality, fishery management, lake restoration, wetland management and wider water catchment management.

Following the tests, the report will comment on the suitability of restoring the lake habitat, and is likely to make recommendations on what further work is required in order for the lake to be restored to a favourable condition including a potential timetable and costs. Measures to address the fish deaths in the short-term are also likely to be recommended.

Jacki Hulse, Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Estates and Land Management, said: "We welcome Natural England’s decision to contract in specialists to fully assess the condition of Knutsford Moor Pool and look forward to seeing the recommended steps forward and working with our partners to achieve a healthy, sustainable future for the pool and its wildlife. The report will allow us to understand the wider implications and advantages of working across the inflows and outflows of the pool and the water catchment, which in turn should bring a better long-term solution.

"In the meantime, and especially during the warm weather we have recently experienced which can see natural rapid growth in bacteria and algae, we would continue to urge people not to feed the ducks with items like bread, whilst we work towards the improvements to the pool."

Note on "Eutrophication" - this is the ecosystem response to the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system. One example is the "bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Negative environmental effects include hypoxia, the depletion of oxygen in the water, which induces reductions in specific fish and other animal populations. Other species may experience an increase in population that negatively affects other species.

RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Dolphin Spotted Swimming in the Dee

Post by RachelMC »

Dolphin Spotted Swimming in the Dee:

A dolphin which swam miles up the River Dee in Flintshire on Tuesday (20th August) remains in the area, coastguards have said.

The mammal was spotted by the public in Connah's Quay docks on Monday but swam up river to Saltney, near Chester and was photographed breaching near to Crane Wharf.

Today (Wednesday 20th August 2013) the dolphin was again seen swimming upstream from Saltney Ferry towards Chester and there are concerns it could become stranded.

"He's in shallow water and it seems he's trying to find a deep water channel," a spokesperson for Liverpool coastguard said. A coastguard team was deployed to the area to try to ensure the safety of spectators trying to catch a glimpse of the dolphin.

A team of specially trained volunteers from the charity British Divers Marine Life Rescue have been keeping track of the dolphin and will continue to do so until it finds its way back to sea. Stephen Marsh from the charity said the dolphin was swimming upstream from Saltney Ferry, heading towards Chester. "We thought it had gone back to sea last night but with spring tides on the Dee there's a tidal bore which may have swept it back into the river," he said. "It's still looking healthy and it's feeding as it makes its way along the river." He said volunteers and coastguards were tracking the dolphin's progress.

"If it does become stranded we're hoping to call on the local lifeboat crew at Flint to go to its aid and take it back out to sea," he added.

Tom McGovern, who took the photo shown here runs the Wild Area community conservation company in Saltney, said: "I just hope that the professionals are able to do something to help him get back out to sea.

"A lot of people are out there trying to spot him, but hopefully the high tide will take him out again."

Mr McGovern was involved in checking the dolphin's progress in the Dee until late on Tuesday night and at one point went to the mammal's aid when it became stranded on a sandbank near Queensferry.

"I just nudged him along a bit," he said. "We kept an eye on him until it went dark and by that time he was only four or five miles from sea."

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Dolphin Spotted Swimming in the Dee<br />Tom McGovern - Aug 2013
Dolphin Spotted Swimming in the Dee
Tom McGovern - Aug 2013
RachelMC
Posts: 460
Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Chester

Badger Cull

Post by RachelMC »

Badger Cull:

As we hear the news this week of the tragic decision to proceed with the badger cull in the South West, Cheshire Wildlife Trust has called on the public to support a new phase in their bovine TB badger vaccination programme across more than 4,000 acres of Cheshire farmland.

The Trust recently announced that they were working with groups including the National Farmers Union (NFU) on a region-wide bTB steering group looking at ways to tackle the disease which last year cost the UK £91m in compensation payments.

Cheshire is thought to be close to the leading edge of the spread of bTB in the UK and the Wildlife Trust believes this offers an opportunity to target areas for long-term badger immunity, helping to stem the northerly flow of the disease.

After undertaking pilot schemes on two Wildlife Trust nature reserves last autumn, a number of private landowners have since worked with the Trust in 2013 to vaccinate on their own land.

The charity says that a package of measures including better biosecurity, clampdowns on infected cattle being moved and further EU investment in a cattle TB vaccine along with direct vaccination of badgers, could see a reduction in cases in the North West.

A recent campaign by Queen guitarist Dr Brian May calling for a re-think on the Government’s current proposals of a badger cull has now become the most subscribed online Government petition ever, attracting more than a quarter of a million supporters. See: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257

This was backed by a further 100 academics, scientists and celebrities including Sir Roger Moore, Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley and the Wildlife Trust’s UK president, Simon King OBE.

Richard Gardner, who has been leading on Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s vaccination programme said: “This is an important financial boost to our efforts to demonstrate that vaccination has a pivotal role to play in turning the tide for bTB in Cheshire and the North West, however to get the full support of the farming community we would like the public to continue to get behind our campaign so we can secure the full 100% of funds needed to keep our vaccination programme running into the years ahead."

"Like any immunisation programme, success will come with volume and this potential 4,500 acre area will be an important step forward."

“We know many in the farming community simply want a sustainable, long-term solution to tackling bTB that won’t make the situation worse, and for us at the Wildlife Trusts, vaccination rather than a risky cull will remain our priority.”

The Trust’s Badger Appeal continues and can be supported at: http://www.cheshirewildlifetrust.org.uk/badgerappeal

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