Local Wildlife News
December 2009 - April 2010

Suffolk Wildlife Trust Ipswich Group website

Chairman:	David Munday	01473 217310
Secretary:	Wendy Brown	01473 259674
Treasurer:	Tony Clarke	01473 741083
Newsletter Editor:	John Ireland	01473 723179

Chairman's Letter

An extraordinarily dry summer for us in this part of the country.  I had a week’s walking in North Wales at the beginning of October and it was a pleasant surprise to see green grass.  My lawn has been brown nearly all summer!

Local Wildlife News
As you are reading this it means you have received your copy of the new “Local Wildlife News” which now incorporates our Newsletter together with details of other activities in and around Ipswich. Your comments on this new concept will be greatly appreciated.   Please note that material for the next edition should reach the Editor by 14th February, 2010.

50th Anniversary
A milestone for Suffolk Wildlife Trust is its celebration of its 50th birthday in 2011 and so we are looking for ways of marking this great event at both local and county levels. Any suggestions as to how we at Ipswich or HQ could celebrate this great achievement would be appreciated.

Meetings and Events
We are once again holding a Quiz evening at Henley Community Centre on Saturday 13th March. This is a really enjoyable evening with supper included, all for the great cost of £8 per person.  There is a bar available too.  More details on the “Dates for your Diary” page.
Plans for future events are already underway, but there’s still time to incorporate any wishes or ideas you may have. Let’s have your suggestions for good speakers you have heard, or ideas for summer trips you that you would like us to organise.

Christmas
Well, if the shops are now selling mince pies, perhaps I can mention it!  In the monthly meetings leading up to Christmas we will have copies for sale of the lovely new book by Simone Bullion, “The Mammals of Suffolk.”  A snip at £20.  Do come and get a copy for yourself, or as an ideal present.

- Dave Munday

HEATHER, HENSLOW AND TREE OF HEAVEN
Visit to Sandy Lodge, RSPB Reserve and Cambridge Botanic Gardens, July 11

A full coach-load of us arrived at Sandy on a grey cloudy morning. To our surprise we were not taken to the area best known to the public where there are bird hides, woodland and ponds.  Indeed almost the only birds we spotted that morning, apart from the tits and greenfinches at the centre’s feeding station, were a kestrel and a few pigeons.

Instead we walked a large area currently being re-created as heathland using modern management techniques. This looked to the untutored eye quite barren, but the enthusiastic guide of our group, site manager Peter Bradley, told us to look out for tiny heather and broom plants which have already successfully seeded after a huge conifer clearing operation took place over the last few years. Vast machines were employed to cut down conifers, grade them by size, and cut them into appropriate lengths in a matter of seconds.  More machines were used to take away fallen branches and remove layers of pine needles to expose the sandy soil of the original heathland.  As it is 200 years since heath flourished here and heather seeds lie dormant for only about 60 years, it was necessary to harvest the minute seeds from the locality, have them sorted, mixed with bran for easy detection and then scattered by hand. The whole process was more laborious than was employed at Minsmere where heather seed was still viable. Now broadleaved trees are to replace conifers and 5 miles of paths are planned.  It is hoped that one day this heath, the largest in Bedfordshire, will attract nightjars, Dartford warblers and other typical heathland birds.  There is plenty of evidence of ancient human habitation on the site. The farthest point of our walk was to a large Iron Age fort.  Much older flint tools have been exposed by the removal of topsoil and one of our number actually found a worked flint.

As we left Sandy it began to rain but the weather miraculously cleared to allow us a perfect summer afternoon in Cambridge.  The gardens, founded in 1831, cover 40 acres and are a beautiful tranquil oasis in the city and a valuable source for university research into plants and bird breeding. Once more we had superb knowledgeable guides who showed us round. In the genetic garden varieties of food plants are grown in chronological order, demonstrating, for example, how wheat was bred progressively shorter once the need for thatching declined.  The chronological garden showed the dates when familiar garden plants were introduced to Britain. The huge systemic garden, whose plants are grouped in families, was intended as a teaching aid about the forms of plants.  John Stevens Henslow, whose students included Charles Darwin, and who was president of Ipswich Museum for several years, was the great instigator here and he was also responsible for planting in family groups many rare and beautiful trees. We saw the Dawn Redwood, once thought to be extinct and the “living fossil”, the Wollemi pine and many other living wonders as well as national collections of lavender, alchemilla and geranium.  Our group, resting our tired feet in the café at the end of the afternoon, agreed that the Botanic Gardens is a fascinating and beautiful place.

Our grateful thanks are due to Pam Ireland whose superb organisation of the trip made for a most enjoyable day.

- Diana Grace

A WALK ON THE NOT VERY WILD SIDE
Bats in Chantry Park, 19th August

20 would-be bat hunters joined Peter Scotcher in Chantry Park about 7.30pm on a lovely August evening. Following a brief diversion to admire some truly impressive but un-identified fungi, we gathered for some background information before the bat hunting started in earnest.

Peter explained how bats hunt by sending out pulses. The time these pulses take to return and the degree of fade tells them the distance to tasty insects. These sounds are at high frequency making them inaudible to humans so we used bat detectors to change these signals and try and pick them up.  There are 17 species of bat in Britain though not all of them are breeding populations. Peter introduced some of them: tiny pipistrelles, which weigh the same as a 2p coin and can turn in a matchbox, horseshoe, long-eared brown, Daubenton and noctules. Bats are very vulnerable when resting so safe roosts are essential to protect them from predators such as sparrowhawks, tawny owls, rats, cats and woodpeckers. He explained that noctules are the largest British bats, weighing about the same as 3 £1 coins, and are usually the first to appear in the evening.

As if on cue we spotted our first noctule just before 8.30pm, giving a display of diving and darting. They roost and feed in Chantry Park and then move on to the River Gipping where insects are plentiful. Bats are long-distance fliers covering 13-15 kms A to B when hunting, although their zig- zag paths to avoid predators mean this figure is often much higher. A few keen-eyed humans also spotted a sparrowhawk out hunting before it too moved to the Gipping to try its luck.

We had an amusing demonstration of bat wing structure which involved a torch and a rubber bat (not sure which species) plus some hints on bat noises to help us identify the species most likely to be found in Chantry Park. Pipistrelles make irregular smacking noises, Daubentons’ regular series of clicks resemble a machine gun and noctules have an alternating type of call which produces a chip-chop sound. We picked up all three calls during the evening, hearing pipistrelles at about 8.45pm as they sought some of the 3,000 small insects they eat on average per night.  Just before 9pm the group moved to the pond to try and spot Daubentons.

With early warning from the bat detectors and the help of torches, we were able to pick up Daubentons as they skimmed low over the water to catch insects in their claws. It was fascinating to sit watching as they flew in and out of the beams of light and very soothing. Bats don’t get into ladies’ hair (they have more sense), but delightful though they are they must not be touched or interfered with.  For one thing they can inflict a nasty nip, but in any case they are powerfully protected by law.  If you have bats where you want to do building work you can get advice from the Bat Conservation Trust’s helpline on 0845 1300228 or www.bats.org.uk.

Many thanks to Peter for an altogether very informative and enjoyable evening.

- Bev Young

Ipswich Wildlife Group website

Spring Wood - Ipswich’s best kept wildlife secret

Did you know that within 3 miles of the town centre there is an ancient wood that gives stunning displays of wild flowers, contains very old coppice stools of small-leafed lime and provides shelter and winter quarters for the largest reported toad colony in England and Wales?

On a 1676 tithe map of Thorrington Hall, the wood is called New Fell'd Wood. This tells us what the wood has been used for and where it gets its name - the wood has been repeatedly coppiced by generations of local people and then allowed to re-grow. This re-growth was known as the Spring - hence Spring Wood.

From the end of March to the end of May a sequence of woodland flowers creates an ever-changing tapestry carpeting the woodland floor. We start with primroses, celandines, sorrel and a profusion of anemones which in turn give way to archangel, stitchwort, red campion, wood spurge and a sea of bluebells.

Spring Wood is a key factor in 3 important local environmental campaigns. These are as follows:

1. The Don't be a Tosser campaign

This was instigated by Radio Suffolk after 2 presenters had seen the amount of litter deposited in the A14 lay-by adjacent to the wood. For the past 2 years, a large number of volunteers have turned out to litter-pick the wood and its surroundings, and the campaign has now spread to other parts of Suffolk.

2. Save Kiln Meadow

Kiln Meadow borders Spring Wood and offers food and a migration path to the local toad colony. Ipswich Borough Council has obtained outline planning permission with a view to selling the land for residential development and IWG has been conducting a campaign to persuade the council that the wildlife value of the site must be taken into consideration when planning its future.

3. The British Beanpole Campaign

Power lines run over some parts of the wood and so IWG volunteers make a virtue of necessity by maintaining a regime of coppicing under the wires and selling the products as beanpoles, peasticks and firewood at the Ipswich Beanpole Festival.

To manage and maintain the wood, IWG runs volunteer work parties on the third Sunday of every month from 10:30am onwards - see the events listing for further details.

So where is this fragment of paradise? It is next to the A14, but to get there you need to go down Bobbits Lane (the wood is on the right-hand side and there is a car-park at the end of the lane.) It is also on the BBC's Breathing Places website, where full directions can be found.

- Ray Sidaway

Why did the toad cross the road?

Early last spring, a small group of volunteers spent many evenings and very early mornings patrolling up and down Bobbits Lane with buckets and torches, catching and moving over 5,400 toads as they made their way from Spring Wood, Millennium Wood and Kiln Meadow - where they had spent the winter - toward the wet meadows across the lane to breed. In one evening alone the volunteers moved over 800 toads. This year, the toads will march again, and more volunteers are needed!

The population has been increasing for the last 5 years now, and is the largest recorded toad road crossing in the entire UK according to the national organisation Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, which co-ordinates toad crossing patrols, and the colony has even featured on the BBC's World on the Move series on Radio 4. It is certainly the largest known toad colony anywhere in Suffolk.

Among our native amphibians, only toads migrate to their breeding ground in such large numbers. They prefer to breed in large ponds - where the tadpoles will form shoals in the deeper water - unlike frogs or newts which tend to breed in smaller, shallower ponds and ditches, and so do not occur in such large populations. However, the numbers found at this site over the last couple of years are truly outstanding

The lane is not heavily used by traffic, but what there is can wreak havoc among the vast numbers of toads as they cross, so the volunteers really are needed to help the toads across safely.

Once the temperature reaches around 6°C in late January or February, the toads will begin to move from their chosen hibernaculae and start the annual migration toward their breeding ponds. Last year, although a few toads moved earlier, the migration began in earnest in the last week of February and continued right through March until the early days of April. They prefer to move in mild damp conditions, and really large numbers are best found after rain on a mild evening. A few may move during daylight, but the vast bulk of them wait until after sunset. A surge of toads can then be found making their way towards the ponds for a couple of hours after which the numbers decline a little. They will move throughout the night however, if the weather is warm enough, and can still be found in large numbers on the road in the early morning before the sun rises, when the traffic builds up once more.

Would you be prepared to spend some evenings or mornings this spring helping with the toad patrol? Torches, buckets, gloves and high visibility clothing will be provided, as will training. The critical times for patrolling are the two hours or so immediately after sunset, and the hour before sunrise for a few weeks from February into March and, possibly, into April. You need come only for the times that you choose, and I will ensure that everyone can work in pairs or small teams.

If you would like to help, or just find out more, please contact me on 07736 826069, or email iwg@greenlivingcentre.org.uk

- Dave Fincham

SKiM update ~ the ombudsman case

The campaign to Save Kiln Meadow had two main strands - the first part was to persuade Ipswich Borough Council to re-consider their plan to sell the land. The second part was to investigate the outline planning permission granted by Babergh District Council (BDC) in October 2007. This proved trickier than expected. An internet search gave us the planning application number B/02/01984 but not much other information on-line. So we phoned up BDC and said we'd like to view the planning documentation on this one; they said it had been archived - onto microfiche. Well, I've no fear of microfiche - I've done family history research! But - shock horror - sorry they couldn't find it. For three weeks. Finally, they realised we weren't going to give up and we were allowed to view it. We spent a jolly morning going through this archive - it was unindexed, out of order, some papers duplicated, altogether a researcher's nightmare. We also looked at BDC's policy on wildlife. What we found was:-

• The planning permission, applied for in 2002 had taken 5 years to be granted.
• The delays were mainly due to various discussions with IBC and others about numbers and classification of housing units, the parish hall, school provision etc. etc.
• Suffolk Wildlife Trust, who were usually consulted on wildlife issues, had not been consulted.
• An ecologist from Suffolk Wildlife Trust told them about the toad numbers in March 2007. BDC planners ignored this.
• Babergh's wildlife policies on paper are good, but there was no evidence of implementation in this case.
• The planners seemed completely unaware of the two new nature reserves that were created in the area (Bobbits Meadows and Millennium Wood)
• Legislation known as the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 (aka NERC 2006) was ignored.

We felt that wildlife hadn't been given a look-in on this one, so we wrote to the CEO and leader of the council. We had an exchange of letters with planning officers. Their response, loosely translated from the pure bureaucrat-ese in which it was expressed, can be summarised as : 'Tough luck sunshine, it's too late and you can't do anything about it.' We were not entirely satisfied with this response. So we thought about the Local Government Ombudsman. I approached Friends of the Earth for advice, they weren't particularly helpful, seeming disorganised and lacking knowledge. So we decided to go ahead anyway. Our complaint to the Ombudsman was that BDC failed to take into account NERC 2006, and their own wildlife policies, when granting the planning permission. It took several months, we didn't really know what to expect from the process but I think as long as you can clearly state the grievance it's a very straightforward procedure. BDC continued to argue that they didn't have to take NERC 2006 into account.

Finally, considering all the arguments, the Ombudsman suggested a 'local settlement' and wrote to the council stating that 'While I note your comment that any subsequent application will be looked at in accordance with current law and policies, it remains the case that, at the time outline planning permission was granted in 2007, the existing law and policies which had changed from 2003/2004 were not considered. I consider this to be fault by the council'

Which meant we'd won. Also, we have a statement made by BDC's Deputy Chief Executive who wrote to us:-

'I hope our correspondence with the Ombudsman does reassure you that Babergh takes nature conservation interests and biodiversity very seriously, especially when dealing with developments such as the one at Thorington Hall. In the case of this development, Babergh will ensure that these interests are fully taken into account when any further planning applications are submitted on the site

The ombudsman also suggested that BDC should give us £100 for our time and trouble. They got this time and trouble cheaply, though I don't think the amount is important; we donated the money to IWG. The real victory is that BDC planners should not, in future, ignore wildlife legislation. Unless they want to go through another Ombudsman case.

- Jen Jousiffe

Join Ipswich Wildlife Group!

If you aren't already a member of Ipswich Wildlife Group, please consider joining - it won't break the bank, and here are a few good reasons to take the trouble!

You get the opportunity to take part in a very wide range of activities to help your local environment; receive this regular newsletter and programme featuring interesting articles and events run by many local conservation groups; the chance to get out on sites and work to keep fit - better that going to a gym! You can learn new skills both informally 'on the job' and via formal training courses; attend social events and talks; help apply for grants to improve local wildlife areas and through our input into various local fora, you can help to shape the local environment for the better.

The group also benefits from your membership: Each member gives IWG more influence and credibility; the more members we have, the more likely we are to get successful grant applications; every new member brings new ideas and is a potential new committee member; the more members we have, the more volunteers we should have helping at events and practical tasks.

If you prefer not to become a full paying member, you can instead become a supporter: you will still receive the newsletter, with details of all the events, but have no voting rights at the AGM.

To join the group visit the IWG website or phone James Baker on 01473 433995

Thank you.

Greenways Countryside Project website

River Ranger

My name is Peter Scotcher and I have just started in the new job of River Ranger working for the Greenways Countryside Project. The job is externally funded by the Haven Gateway Partnership.

Some of you will know me through my past work for nine years as an IBC Ranger, or through my work on the committees of the SWT Ipswich Group and Friends of Holywells Park Group. I live locally and know Ipswich and the river well. Prior to moving to Ipswich in 1999, I undertook a degree in nature conservation management and worked as a volunteer for Essex Wildlife Trust.

The River Ranger job entails improving, enhancing and promoting the river corridor from Stoke Bridge, Ipswich to Sproughton. Through this work, it is intended to increase usage and enjoyment of the river corridor, which with its footpaths, cycle-ways, views, green open spaces and wildlife provides environmentally-friendly opportunities for both moving about Ipswich and recreation, whether commuting, getting away from things for a few minutes or exploring the length of the river. In due course I hope that more people will discover their river and that it can truly become a River for All.

I am already involved with the 'Wild About Westgate' group which wishes to improve an area within their stretch of the river corridor and I hope to work with other communities too.

If you would like to help improve the river corridor, raise issues or get involved in any way please contact me (details below). I will also be running volunteer work parties on Thursdays (not during Christmas!) meeting at the Stable Block at Holywells Park, Ipswich at 09:30 or picking up at Bibb Way, Alderman Road Recreation Site at 09:45.

River Ranger contact details:

Peter Scotcher   01473 433995, 07736 826054, greenways.project@ipswich.gov.uk

Midweek volunteering opportunities

The Greenways Project's main volunteer group meets every Tuesday (except one or two around Christmas!), leaving Holywells Park at 9.30am and returning by about 4.30pm. The group is very well established and essentially carries out the practical management work on about 45 nature reserves and green spaces in and around Ipswich. The group is very friendly and welcoming to new volunteers, as well as being highly productive.

Typically there are between 12 and 15 volunteers each Tuesday, all of whom are extremely keen to look after and improve their local wildlife sites. We provide tea, coffee and biscuits, all the necessary tools and equipment - volunteers need to bring a packed lunch and drink, wear suitable clothes for the work and the weather, and simply enjoy a productive day!

A smaller group of volunteers meet most Fridays, with similar arrangements to the Tuesday sessions, but it is important to contact us prior to attending as transport is more limited, and tasks are not always taking place. Similarly, we now have a regular Thursday work party run by our new River Ranger, please call 01473 433995 for more information.

Midweek group activities are not pre-planned in the programme section - if you would like to know what work is planned for any Tuesday, you can call us on the Monday or join our 'mobile phone text group' - receiving a text each Monday with details of the following day's task and location.

There are always other opportunities to help the Project - either on other days by arrangement, or in other ways, such as: delivering leaflets, conducting visitor surveys etc.

More details about the midweek groups and other volunteering opportunities are available by 'phoning 01473 433995 or email: greenways.project@ipswich.gov.uk

- James Baker

Haven Gateway grants

The Haven Gateway grants, awarded to the Project to deliver green infrastructure improvements in the Belstead Brook Park and along the river corridor, are being spent on target. The funding for next financial year is still uncertain, but we are very hopeful that it will come through. Between now and the end of March 2010, we will be dredging the wetland in Bobbits Lane Meadows to improve the site for many species but the very large colony of common toads in particular. Access improvements in Belstead Meadows will include newly surfaced paths, new seats and benches, and much more. Already completed - about 100m of raised timber boardwalk in Ashground Plantation and 650m of surfaced path in Bobbits Lane Meadows.

- James Baker

Millennium Wood - 10 years old!

Many local volunteers may remember helping with the creation of this new woodland adjacent to Spring Wood in the Belstead Brook Park. Several planting days were held with as many as 100 local people turning out to help plant oak trees to act as a nursery crop for natural regeneration of a wide range of tree and shrub species from seed blown from Spring Wood itself. The new woodland is thriving and today has the general appearance of a woodland - not bad for just 10 years. It will take much, much longer for the wood to even approach having the same biodiversity value as Spring Wood, but it is gradually improving. Volunteers have helped to coppice willow and hazel under the powerlines, replicating the traditional coppice structure of part of Spring Wood; and large pieces of dead wood have been placed in the wood along with stag beetle habitat piles etc. The meadow area within the wood is developing well with an increase in species diversity despite the continual encroachment of willow.

A leaflet about the creation of Millennium Wood will be available before Christmas - please get in touch if you would like a copy.

It seems appropriate at this stage to say a big thank you to everyone who has been involved in the establishment of the new wood.

- James Baker

Megabash 2009 - 2010

This year's bash in BBP was favoured with rather better weather than some and brought a very respectable turn-out - including several new faces which are always good to see. Volunteers got stuck into the willow that continues to dominate a large part of the developing Millennium Wood, and another party carried on this years coppicing in the adjoining Spring Wood, to make beanpoles and peasticks. A good big bonfire produced baked potatoes for everyone at the end of the day!

Don't worry if you missed this one, there are two other megabashes to look forward to in the New Year - Purdis Heath on Saturday 23rd January and Martlesham Heath on Saturday 20th February - more details in the events programme. Please do come and join in if you can - the more the merrier!

- James Baker

Promoted walks

The Fonnereau Way and Churchman Way - virtually traffic free routes from town to country, are set for a re-launch with a reprint of updated leaflets planned for the new year. When originally launched a few years ago, the walks were an instant success and the leaflets were snapped up very quickly. The new leaflets will be available to anyone who requests one, and should also be downloadable from the Project's website.

- James Baker

Chestnut Pond, Rushmere St Andrew

This winter, the Project is helping Rushmere St Andrew Parish Council to improve the pond opposite Chestnut Close on The Street. For several years the pond has suffered from a lack of oxygen in the water caused by considerable leaf drop into the water along with large scale duck feeding. The preliminary tree work has been carried out to reduce the amount of leaves dropping into the water and to facilitate access for a digger which will hopefully be on site during October to remove the accumulated silt.

Once the pond has been de-silted, we hope to be able to create a new path and viewing platform over the pond along with an information board. In order to keep the pond as valuable for wildlife as possible, we will be trying to discourage duck feeding. Whilst feeding ducks is a very popular and enjoyable past-time, it is ultimately self defeating, as it is extremely harmful to wildlife in the following ways:

1 - In many cases, the bread and other foods offered are not appropriate for a duck or goose to be eating, and can be harmful.

2 - Feeding almost always leads to an artificially high population of ducks and geese that then destroy the natural habitat by denuding the area of invertebrates and vegetation.

3 - Duck food either sinks, uneaten, to the bottom of the pond, or is 'deposited' in the pond by the ducks, leading to a lack of dissolved oxygen (required by other pond life) as bacteria break down the rotting material.

4 - The practice impacts on other species in a more direct way when, inevitably, rats and other vermin are attracted by the plentiful supply of bread etc., and visitors call upon pond owners to control rats. The rat poison used, almost always, ends up killing other small mammals and thus higher predators such as owls and foxes.

It is a difficult subject to tackle, but an important one nevertheless. Perhaps signs saying Duck feeding kills wildlife will do the trick?!

- James Baker

2009 Rivers Clean Up

The September Rivers Clean Up was very successful once again, despite far fewer volunteers that we have had in previous years. The 50 volunteers who did join in on the Gipping or Belstead Brook must have worked hard however, as just as much rubbish was cleared as ever! Litter pickers ranged from the Skate Park on Stoke Bridge upstream to the old sugar factory collecting the usual haul of bikes, trolleys, life belts, road cones and even an army helmet! On the Belstead Brook, the most unusual find was a bath - floating gently downstream - with no occupant!

An alarming proportion of the litter collected was alcohol bottles and cans, highlighting the growing problem with alcohol abuse in Ipswich, particularly along the river corridor. The new River Ranger will be collecting statistics about the type of litter being collected, and will be recycling everything possible, including keeping aluminium cans for their scrap value!

With the River Ranger working along the river corridor on a regular basis, we expect the Rivers clean up to take a different form next year, probably focussing on the tidal Orwell and the Wet Dock - watch this space for details next year.

For any further information about the Greenways Project, its work or how to get involved, please contact us on 01473 433995 or greenways.project@ipswich.gov.uk or see our website at: www.greenlivingcentre.org.uk/greenways

- James Baker

RSPB Ipswich Group website

New website

The Ipswich Group of the RSPB now have a brand new website which is linked into the main RSPB site. The direct address of the new site is: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/ipswich .

The new website will carry all the info you need to get the most out of local birding with the Ipswich Group, including the full programme of events and field trips, trip reports and items of news as they happen. There are also links to local sites and ideas for local birding. This is your local website so give us a look.

Friends of Holywells Park website

The Friends of Holywells Park is a voluntary group established by local people wishing to work with Ipswich Borough Council in improving and enhancing Holywells Park, Ipswich. The Friends Group undertakes practical work and holds events to celebrate and encourage people to use and explore the Park.

- Peter Scotcher

Friends of Belstead Brook Park

Update

The following brief update was written by Steve Thorpe prior to his recent, sad death. The next issue of LWN will include a tribute to Steve and his invaluable work with the Friends of Belstead Brook Park and many other local organisations.

Another year has quickly passed and we look forward to 2010 with the major improvements to Belstead Brook Park, from the grant obtained from the Haven Gateway. We must pass our thanks to all who have made it possible a special thanks to James B for his hard work. On our work parties we hope to help out where possible and continue our endeavours. I thank all the volunteers for their commitment and look forward to their support next year. We have a further event on Saturday 5th December and I look forward to seeing you there. We still would like to see new faces!

Ipswich Green Drinks website

The Ipswich Green Drinks meetings are informal monthly pub get-togethers for anyone local who works in, or just has an interest in, environmental issues, be it Wildlife, Recycling, Global Warming, Renewable Energy, Organic Gardening or well, you name it: anything green. It's not a formal meeting - there's no agenda or committee, no invited speakers etc.- it's just a chance to meet and chat with a selection of like-minded people over a drink.

Ipswich Green Drinks is part of an international movement that now has meeting in over 600 towns, cities and villages - Green Drinks International. You can read more about it at: www.greendrinks.org.

- David Fincham

IBC Wildlife & Education Rangers website

Orwell Estuary

If you think of the Orwell Estuary what images conjure in you mind? The Orwell bridge, the river, ships, boats, water sports, fisherman, bait diggers, a place to walk your dog, a place to visit with the family, or unfortunately, anti-social behaviour?

Yes, the Orwell Estuary is a hive of activity. Over hundreds of years it has been an important trading route and is by far the most commercialised of all of Suffolk's estuaries, having a significant economic role as the location for nationally important ports which, together with marinas, fisheries and other industries, provide many jobs to the surrounding communities. Being within the Suffolk's Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty also makes it very popular for a wide range of recreational activities including walking, bird watching and sailing.

If this does not make the estuary busy enough, during the winter months it becomes even busier with a huge influx of visitors. They start arriving in autumn and by spring they have all disappeared again. From October through to March the Orwell and Stour estuaries becomes home to over 63,000 waterfowl. Ducks, geese, grebe and a plethora or wading birds over winter on the estuary feeding on the tens of thousands of invertebrates that lives in the estuaries mud.

The Orwell Estuary is a lowland coastal valley of international importance comprising of extensive mudflats, low cliffs, salt marsh and small areas of vegetated shingle. It provides habitat for an important assemblage of wetland birds in the non-breeding season and supports internationally important numbers of wintering and passage wildfowl and waders.

The Orwell is designated as a special protected area (SPA) under European Law, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar site (for wetland habitats) because of the number of birds and range of species that are present on the estuary during winter. The Stour and Orwell Estuary Management Group, a partnership of more than 20 organisations has duties to protect the designated sites. The group's aim is to 'promote the sustainable use of the Stour and Orwell estuary through management of human activity in a way that is compatible with the conservation of the estuarine ecosystems.'

Little is known about the impact of the current levels of activity on the estuaries bird populations. The intensity of activities is expected to increase as further industrial and residential developments around the Orwell estuary is planned. Low water counts of birds on the Orwell are showing a decline in wading bird populations, which is bucking the trend of other estuaries in East Anglia. Studies have been carried out on the Orwell Estuary which have found that dogs off leads cause the most disturbance to birds. Hopefully with good foresight and sustainable management the Orwell Estuary can retain it's integrity.

When I think of the Orwell Estuary, my mind wanders off to cold windy autumn days with grey overcast skies, when it is a stark lonely place and the only company you have is the wildlife and the estuaries own beauty shining through.

If you enjoy the estuaries and coastline of Suffolk you can become a Volunteer Warden to champion the coast and estuaries of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by being their eyes and ears, monitoring all activities and wildlife, collecting and providing information, helping visitors and being a regular presence. If you are interested contact the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Unit on 01394 384948.

- Richard Sharp

Portal Woodlands Conservation Group website

Hello, here is a brief introduction to who we are and what we do: We are a local Conservation Group (a Working Group of Martlesham Parish Council), that meet monthly in Portal Woodlands. This woodland lies behind the Suffolk Police HQ at Martlesham Heath and is generally used by residents living in the area, but is open for all to enjoy. It is a small woodland, but to my slightly biased mind perfectly formed! It is home to many different species of wildlife and also houses a wildlife pond. The wood is also of historic interest with some good examples of WWII artefacts and ancient tumuli.

This month, we are very proud to announce that: we won the 'Anglia in Bloom' award for 'Best Conservation Project'. It is really fantastic to win this award and be recognised for all the hard work that goes on in our little wood. Well done to all volunteers and supporters. (I am secretly sitting here feeling rather proud and smug about this, and have patted myself on the back!) Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Ok, I could not contain it a moment longer!!

We are friendly bunch of volunteers and we always welcome new people along. For more information about PWCG and its activities, please access our website at www.martlesham.org.uk/portalwoodlandsgroup, or if you have any questions please phone Martlesham Parish Council on 01473 612632. A monthly update is also available on the website.

As well as monthly work days, we also hold a Nature Watch Club during March-October for children. This club is aimed at children 4-11. Again for more details, please use the contacts above. The club has covered subjects such as: Wild Flowers and Wildlife Habitats, Reptiles and Amphibians, Butterflies and Dragonflies, Mini Beasts, Moths and Small Mammals, Bird Nests and Eggs, and Bats.

- Jocelyn Cook

Snippets

Notes from a Diary

Tuesday 28th July 21:05 - 21:25

Quite an incredible sight and I'm sure it will be one of my best wildlife memories for 2009 - just after sunset but whilst still quite light, ten to twelve noctule bats are criss-crossing the sky hunting over my house, just north of the River Gipping in western Ipswich. They are feeding on high-flying insects, presumably borne over my garden by a slight breeze from the River. More typically I can expect to see just one to three noctules hunting over the river for a few minutes only or just flying through.

Saturday 15th August

Saw a pair of male and female long-winged coneheads (a bush-cricket) courting in my back garden. Ten years ago this species was only recorded in southern Dorset and Hampshire. Seemingly responding to climate change and a lack of severe winters, this species has now colonised much of southern England to a line including Lincolnshire.

Also nearby but on the banks of the River Gipping western there is a substantial colony of its near relative, the great-green bush-cricket. I was really excited when I first found this colony, almost on the very doorstep of my house - for it's an animal I had long wanted to see but always failed to find! The great green bush-cricket is a truly spectacular beast and Britain's largest Orthopteran (cricket/ grasshopper), at about 5cm from head to wingtip, - all green, long wings and very loud by day and night (in fact it is a bit of a nuisance when using a bat detector!).

Friday 25th September

Today I have seen a buzzard, a little egret and a grey seal. Have I been to Cornwall, Scotland, Orfordness or Minsmere? No. - I saw all of these in Ipswich. The buzzard was circling and following the river east from the railway station, the egret hunting at the river's edge near the Sir Bobby Robson Bridge and the seal was in the wet dock (I just hope it gets out before it exhausts its food supply). All these animals were carrying on their business seemingly oblivious to the people around them and I seemed to be the only person to have noticed any of them, two of which (the buzzard and egret), were until only recently, extinct in Suffolk. By contrast a friend tells me how a large crowd formed on Station Bridge to marvel at an otter eating a fish in the river near the railway station at midday.

Saturday 9th October 00:10

Walking back from Ron's house at ten past the witching hour, I can hear the contact calls of thrushes (redwings or possibly song thrushes?) flying overhead in the darkness. These winter migrants will have flown hundreds and possibly thousands of miles to over-winter in Britain.

- Peter Scotcher

Bridge Wood bats

After putting up around 30 bat roost boxes in Bridge Wood last December, I was very pleased when carrying out a check on the boxes this autumn to find three pipistrelles occupying them, and droppings in another box, showing that it had been used as well. Bats can be very conservative in their habits, so I wouldn't have been at all surprised to find that no bat had ventured into the boxes for the first year or two. These, the UK's smallest bats, were building up fat reserves before hibernating elsewhere over the winter months. I look forward to checking the boxes again in Spring 2010, once the bats have emerged from hibernation.

- David Fincham

Siberian Visitor - the Yellow-browed Warbler

A visitor from Siberia has been observed in Holywells Park late in September, the tiny yellow-browed warbler. Just a little bigger than Britain's smallest bird, the goldcrest, the yellow-browed warbler spends its summers in the forests of Siberia before migrating to over-winter in south-east Asia. Every year a few birds, instead of flying east and south, fly west and pass through the south and east of Britain (or maybe try to over-winter?). The yellow-browed warbler is one of the 'leaf-warblers' - so named because of their predominantly green upperparts. In autumn it often associates with goldcrests. Its call is variously described as 'sweest', 'tsoeest', 'tsueeht' or 't'sweeet', - not unlike a coal tit.

- Peter Scotcher (Friends of Holywells Park)

'A dormouse on my shoulder!'

Whilst drinking tea and enjoying the peace of Priestley Wood in Barking the other day, a fellow volunteer suddenly pointed out that there was a small mouse on my shoulder! Once recovered from my neck, I could see that it was a young dormouse. Having been involved in the reintroduction of the species to the Barking woods some nine years ago, and having followed their progress over the years, I was truly delighted to have the chance to see one of these most beautiful creatures again. We will probably never know how it got to be on my shoulder (I had been standing in an open clearing), but the fact that it was an incredibly windy day may lead one to think that it was blown out of a nearby hazel tree??

The young dormouse was offered and gratefully accepted a piece of apple before being shown back into the relative safety of a hazel - which it climbed very swiftly and disappeared.

It is these chance encounters with our wonderfully varied wildlife that make conservation volunteering such a joy - I shall remember that day for some time!

- James Baker