The dominant theme for all our wildlife projects this year, was to find suitable weather to undertake them. The warm summer period was not a problem for undertaking breeding checks, but we were struggling with a backlog of other seasonal tasks due to the intensely wet early months of the year which had prevented scheduled work from being undertaken. Too many delayed tasks had to be addressed in the period of dry weather that followed. Then the summer interval was followed by yet more continuous wet weather, which further compounded our difficulties. Despite this our volunteers responded magnificently to all requests to check wildlife, even in the latter months, when we were once again grabbing at any dry interval that suddenly appeared in the fluctuating but predominantly wet forecast.

Our barn owl, kestrel and tawny owl breeding checks were fortunately undertaken in the calmer period of weather that followed the early season ‘monsoon’ period. The earlier weather throughout winter and spring had unfortunately, dramatically reduced the breeding of the voles, mice and other prey that these species rely upon to raise their young. Without sufficient prey to raise their offspring , nature instills the sense into these species to refrain from breeding. This was certainly the case this year with our adult barn owl population, and this resulted in one of the worst years for breeding for decades across the majority of the country.

In our huge owl conservation area in southern Mid Sussex, we only had one pairing of barn owls that produced young. All other adults were found roosting in pairs in their boxes but many had entered their moult phase, which normally happens after they have raised their young and are freed from the responsibility of nurturing them. It generally is a sign that no further breeding will take place that year.

 

Many boxes like this one, contained only feathers from the occupants beginning their moult.

 

In every box where adult pairs were found roosting together, the same layer of feathers were discovered. 

 

The one successful pairing had produced three bonny chicks which when first visited, were accompanied by their mother who refused to leave them. The first visit was therefore concluded quickly, so that she wasn’t disturbed for too long, having already estimated the age of the youngsters for a return visit later to ring and record them.

We had two other boxes elsewhere in our conservation area which had four young kestrels breeding in each and another which was being utilised by tawny owls with a solitary youngster present. Other than those, our boxes were not the nursery of next generation birds that we usually experience. With survival expectancy of barn owls and kestrels in the first year being only one survivor for every three born, too many winters like the last one will erode their population numbers over time, and make their breeds endangered again. Barn owls were on the amber list of endangered species until 2015, when thanks to efforts from groups like ours across the country, their numbers progressively rose and they were green listed once again. Kestrels are still amber listed. With the populations having crashed last year, recovery is dependent on a good year in 2026. With over 80% of barn owls now reliant on boxes to survive, and less than a third of kestrels born surviving the first year, the work of licenced volunteer groups like The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group who dedicate a considerable amount of their time to nurture these species, is vital to their survival.

In June we returned to the boxes with the breeding kestrels in to ring and record them. Later in the month we returned to the box with the young tawny owl in, but unfortunately it had disappeared from the box. Whether it had emerged from the box to take up residence in the tree, as they normally do for the latter weeks of their development, and been predated by one of the many buzzards that also inhabit the area, we will never know. The barn owl chicks however, had developed nicely and we returned at the predicted time in July when they were large enough to ring and record.

 

The picture shows the box which had a mother and three young in it on our initial visit. The mother was determinedly protecting her young, so was not disturbed further.

 

On our return visit when they had grown more, each young owl was removed from the box and weighed….

 

….had a ring placed on its leg….

 

….and was measured for growth and age determination.

 

They also had their sex identified, with all the results recorded.

 

This process was repeated for each young barn owl.

 

Every one was recorded separately…. 

 

….and then when the process was finished, was allowed to appreciate the world outside the box it was born in for the first time.

 

Each owl appeared interested in its surroundings. 

 

This endearing final one was given a gentle stroke on its face, which by the closed eyes that resulted, seemed to indicate that it was perhaps being enjoyed.

 

We were very pleased that all young barn owls initially found on our first check had survived and were healthy, so we gently placed each one back in the box to continue development until they were ready to fledge. This was a gratifying result in a year that had proved so barren for breeding elsewhere.

 

With the task completed, team members gathered up the ladder and equipment….

 

….and departed the area, only returning weeks later to confirm that all had fledged successfully.

 

On our initial visit to this box in May, we found five kestrel eggs.

 

On our second visit in June we found four kestrel chicks in it, who provided us with the familiar aggressive greeting from this feisty species. One egg had perished.

 

Always defiant, they tend to huddle together, making number-counting difficult.

 

Eventually they were separated, but still voicing their opinions strongly about being disturbed.

 

This was the second box found with again four kestrel chicks in. They were a little better behaved….

 

….but generally, a little more unruly than barn owls to ring and record. All kestrels found were processed in the same way.

 

This was the young tawny owl found in one of our boxes on our initial visit in early summer. It unfortunately was missing when we returned to check on it a short time later.

 

With the constant erosion of open countryside due to development, owls are reduced to hunting for food in the long grass growing on roadside verges. When disturbed by passing cars, they take flight and invariable collide with them. This was one such tawny owl found dead and bloodied on a roadside near to the box containing the young tawny owl, and was probably one of its parents. Road deaths are one of the main causes of death for owls, and together with the steady loss of suitable countryside habitat, are why their populations remain threatened.

 

Our bat box checks were pushed back later than we normally undertake them due to both the work backlog, and the abysmally wet weather experienced later in the late summer and autumn. The temperature had also begun to drop in the latter months of the year, and we were anticipating that this would affect our population findings. To a degree it did lessen the number found, but we still encountered some interesting occupants which are shown below.

 

Once again we began the journey around all our installed boxes carrying the heavy ladder sections required to reach them.

 

Each box was opened and the contents examined.

 

Every box was cleaned out and the fixings checked. 

 

All bats found were identified, their welfare and number determined, and photographed for record purposes.

 

Initially our findings were mostly common pipistrelles as seen here….

 

….but as the teams progressed around the different woodlands, other species were found.

 

Spurred on by these encouraging results, every dry interlude was capitalised upon, and every box visited with renewed vigour.

 

In this wood we were interrupted by a few light showers, but managed to continue until all boxes had been visited.

 

These were five more common pipistrelles found huddled in the roof of one of the boxes.

 

This box contained a lone one, crawling slowly up to the roof of the box.

 

Nowhere can we escape the attention of the destructive grey squirrels. This box replacement will be a costly expense for us.

 

Lone pipistrelle bats appeared more often, this year.

 

Helpers foot the ladder on the uneven ground at each box.

 

Manoeuvring the ladders through the tangled bramble understorey is extremely difficult.

 

….and slows the progress of each survey. 

 

This was one of the 30kg bat hibernation boxes we have installed at some sites, where even removing the door to inspect the contents requires strenuous effort.

 

The wet weather had made the ground at every site slippery and hazardous in places.

 

The task was hard work for the team, but seemed worth the effort when discovering the varying species of bats, like this noctule bat shown here.

 

Considering that the poor weather this year had reduced our expectations of the number of likely occupants we would find, this box always contains a number of pipistrelles, so did not disappoint us.

 

This box contained six brown long-eared bats, with their long ears tucked under their wings.

 

Some were hanging on the back of the box interior….

 

….and others were hanging on the openable lid of the box, so great care had to be taken when closing it to ensure all occupants were clear.

 

We are grateful to all team members who responded to the urgent calls for help when dry opportunities appeared at short notice, in an otherwise continuous wet weather period. Without this help the bat box inspections could not have been concluded satisfactorily.

 

Our dormouse box checks this year, found upheaval at most of the sites due to many landowners felling the dead or dying ash trees suffering from ash die-back disease. This upheaval had severely affected their suitability to provide the surroundings to encourage dormouse populations. Falling trees had also inflicted a lot of damage to hazel bushes and other trees housing dormouse boxes, as well as many of the boxes themselves. We spent much of our time searching for box locations amongst the chaos and retrieving damaged or missing boxes. This obviously affected our results this year.

 

The boxes proved difficult to find amongst the fallen trees and movement between them was like manoeuvring around an obstacle course.

 

Amongst the boxes remaining in place, some were damaged and required repair.

 

Many were occupied ….

 

….but not with the anticipated occupants. Birds of many species had capitalised on the shelter the box provided to make their nests and breed, like this one shown. All old nests were removed to allow dormice to occupy the boxes again.

 

In each box visited it was not known what we would find….

 

….with caterpillars, spiders, earwigs, millipedes and moths amongst the many insects found.

 

Wasps and hornets nests were also discovered on many occasions.

 

Other boxes were used as wood mice food stores….

 

….and nests, with each tailored to meet the occupants requirements.

 

This was typical of the other many wood mice nests we found….

 

….with many wood mice found occupying them.

 

Each mouse was left undisturbed, as so much preparation had already been undertaken by them to prepare their homes to survive summer and the oncoming winter.

 

These were not the species we sought but the boxes were serving as assistance to other wildlife survival. Every one was replaced in readiness for hopeful future occupation by a dormouse.

 

Our attention then shifted to the end of season cleansing of all our bird box installations to make them ready for new nesting arrivals in the spring. With the boxes in the Albourne Millennium Garden already completed earlier, we visited the large number installed at Talbot Field in Hassocks and began the task there. Almost every box had an old nest in it, indicating that a lot of breeding had taken place in this location. All old nests were removed and the boxes were disinfected with bird-friendly ant-bacterial spray.

 

After emptying the box, anti-bacterial spray was applied to the interior.

 

All boxes were of different shapes and sizes to cater for the varying requirements of each species.

 

This was a box of a type favoured by nuthatches, and every year we find their old nests inside.

 

When cleaned and disinfected, the box fixings were checked.

 

The majority of occupants this year, in addition to the nuthatches, were bluetits, and great tits. Their old nests were as shown in this picture.

 

In this woodland, the bramble understorey growth is managed and controlled by us, so transporting the ladder between box locations is far easier.

 

Each nest is examined for breeding success and obvious signs of disease or misfortune.

 

This was the last box checked with the total number of nests found reflecting the site’s considerable value to wildlife.

 

The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group were approached by Albourne Parish Council in the last few months of this year, to ask if we could organise and help with the creation a joint wildflower planting venture with Albourne School. This was to be located in Albourne Millennium Garden, where we had already installed bird nesting boxes for the Parish Council. We were of course, very pleased to help and ordered 500 bluebell bulbs for a class of Albourne School children to plant. With a little nervousness about choosing a day which could produce some dry weather for the occasion, in an otherwise very wet period, we agreed a date for the children to undertake the task. We were surprisingly lucky with the date chosen and benefited from a short period without rain. The pictures below show the occasion and how the task was achieved.

Initially some of our group members attended and placed white plastic markers correctly spaced for planting. Holes were then made beside each marker with dibbers. When the children arrived they were presented with a box of bluebell bulbs and shown how to plant them in each hole, and which was the correct way up.

 

The children arrived and had the task explained to them.

 

They were very keen and tackled the task with enthusiasm.

 

Taking a bulb from the box each time, they began filling the holes.

 

Group volunteers, a parish council representative and the teachers guided the children throughout the task.

 

The children embraced the activity wholeheartedly and created a momentum of their own, as seen in the pictures below.

 

 

Apart from a few requests from the children to remove a small number of bulbs from the holes when they realised that they had planted them upside down (some bulbs were not immediately obvious to differentiate the top from the bottom) they did magnificently well. So much so, that we will be forming a queue to try to recruit them as group volunteers when they are older. The completion of the task was unfortunately interrupted by a heavy rain shower which forced a speedy conclusion, but group volunteers returned several days later to ensure the remaining bulbs were planted, and all the holes filled in. Hopefully next year will see a proportion of new shoots appearing ,despite the fact that most of the bulb energy may be taken in the production of roots and shoots in the first year of growth. The following year however, should see them in full bloom, and should be a display the children can be proud of.

 

Later this year, despite the difficulties we were encountering to catch up with the work backlog caused by the continuous wet weather, our attention turned back to addressing some of the outstanding owl box requirements. Some boxes had been identified in last year’s owl box maintenance program, to require replacement due to weather, squirrel and other damage. We also had a number of boxes that were waiting to be fitted to fulfill requests from landowners and others. Some were undertaken but other seasonal demands had prevented all of the work being completed. The first of these was a tawny owl box promised to one of our keenest supporters and a valuable volunteer.

 

In a dry opportunity, a small team was hastily assembled and the box was erected in a location in Hassocks.

 

With tawny owls often breeding in late spring, it was erected quickly to allow the owls to familiarise themselves with it.

 

Then we turned our attention to an unfulfilled undertaking to erect one of our new boxes in the north of our conservation area, and shift an existing box originally erected by a landowner years before which had been unsuccessful in its previous position to attract any owls. 

 

The volunteer team worked together to prepare the box for barn owl residency….

 

….and cleared away all resulting debris accumulated through the site preparation exercise. 

 

When completed, the box was left for owls to familiarise themselves with it, and hopefully occupy in due course.

 

The landowner’s box was erected nearby.

 

Our attention was then given to replacing a severely weather damaged box in the south of our conservation area.

 

The box was removed by another team of volunteers who were assembled to capitalise on a dry weather opportunity….

 

….and began mounting a new one in its place.

 

Each stage was undertaken as speedily as possible….

 

….to ensure the task was completed….

 

….in the time available….

 

….to meet volunteer availability restrictions….

 

….and the short day length….

 

….as we approached the shortest day of the year.

 

The final tasks….

 

….were completed….

 

….as the sun began to approach the horizon….

 

….and lengthening shadows appeared.

 

With the replacement box now completed….

 

….we quickly moved on to clean and maintain a second box located nearby as pictured here, before transporting all our equipment on the long journey over waterlogged fields, back to our vehicles. 

 

Days later, in another dry interval following heavy rainfall for the whole of the preceding day, another team undertook the replacement of second badly damaged box in the south-east of our large conservation area.

 

Again we grappled with wet ground conditions and a short daylight time frame to complete it in. The volunteers worked very hard and this was the finished result.

 

The owl box maintenance and damaged box replacement activity has to be performed when the boxes not being utilised for breeding. This forces it into the late autumn/winter months to prepare them for the oncoming breeding season. The weather at this time of the year is usually very cold and in recent years often exceedingly wet. This creates great difficulty in finding enough suitable days to undertake the many visits required, and the availability of team volunteers to match those days. As we approach this period of intense work, which will go on for many months, we are sincerely hoping that the weather will produce sufficient opportunities to undertake it. Our next report will cover this work and reveal how successful it was.

With the group activities continuously expanding as we try to further enhance countryside and wildlife survival prospects, pausing to recount the achievements has to take second place to the tasks themselves. This means that there have been less reports produced than normal to keep supporters abreast with group work. For this we apologise. In an attempt to redress this, we include the following group activity update as the first step to catch up with our work achievements.

 

GROUP ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND TALK.

On May 30th we held our annual general meeting to discuss group business that had taken place over the last year. At this meeting we said a fond farewell to our treasurer, Terry Harper, who had been a valuable supporter since the group began in 2004 and latterly group treasurer for at least a decade. During this time he had steered the group finances to allow full visibility of funds and accommodating the multitude of costs and payments necessary to keep group progress moving forward efficiently. For this we had become very dependent on his expertise, so when he reluctantly decided that he would like to leave the role for health reasons, we were deeply saddened.

We therefore showed our gratitude for the huge time and effort he had contributed to the group by presenting him with a gift of glasses engraved with owls as a token of our appreciation. The picture below shows the gift being presented.

 

Our valued friend and supporter, Terry Harper being presented with a token of our appreciation for his years of service to The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group.

 

Following our AGM we held a public talk for our supporters which was provided by the naturalist, author and wildlife guide, Michael Blencowe. It was well attended and received by the audience, as shown below.

 

Michael Blencowe gave a talk on The Wildlife of Sussex to the attendees of the event. 

 

TALBOT FIELD NATURE AREA.

Following our earlier clearance work this year undertaken at Talbot Field Small Nature Area in Hassocks, some areas of the meadow were cleared and wildflower plugs planted. The existing grass was so thick, that to give the plugs a chance of survival, the turf had to be removed. This was not easy, but gave the plants better chance to flourish. The downside of this was the amount of attention required to keep them alive during the very hot spells that occurred this summer, with constant visits to water them and repair damage caused by local wildlife and passing dogs.

 

Many water runs were required to keep the plants alive in the hot weather.

 

Damage caused by passing dogs scratching plugs out of the ground, scavenging rabbits and burrowing moles had to be repaired on each visit. Any covering of protective sticks applied tended to be used by dog walkers to throw for their dogs to retrieve, so are no longer used.

 

Despite this unwanted animal attention, a good number survived to add to the floral richness of the meadow.

 

BERRYLANDS POND.  

Earlier this year The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group assumed responsibility for another site to further the prospects for nature in our local area, and began work at Berrylands Pond in Sayers Common. The area had been a longstanding source of complaint from local residents due to its overgrown state which to many had become an eyesore. The maintenance of this pond was the responsibility of Mid Sussex District Council, but due to funding pressures and staff shortages, it had become neglected. With complaints rising and the council unable to find a solution, Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council asked our group if we could take over the maintenance of the site and improve its value for nature.

We were aware that not all residents had the same vision for the transformation outcome, and whatever we did would please some but not others. This was a different scenario to all our other nature sites where the results sought were primarily for nature enhancement and improvement for the survival prospects of wildlife. After due consideration we agreed, and are pursuing a strategy to make it visually more appealing to local residents, whilst boosting the site’s nature credentials. We listened to the differing opinions of many of the residents and are steering a course of achieving our objectives for the pond area, and embracing as many of the comments as possible. Our volunteers, who include some of the Sayers Common residents, are working hard to achieve this.

 

This was the pond area as it was presented to us.

 

Volunteers worked hard to improve the site for nature.

 

All debris produced was piled into a stack for later removal by MSDC contractors as site disposal in a built-up area of housing was not an option.

 

Work there has continued to generally tidy the site and remove falling or leaning trees across the pond to allow more light to penetrate.

 

Work was undertaken to allow more light penetration into the pond, as shown here.

 

With most of the cut branches falling into the pond, ropes had to be tied around them before they were cut, so that they could be hauled to the banks for disposal.

 

This was how the pond appeared when the overhanging tree growth was removed.

 

All twigs and small branches were again heaped for later removal by council contractors, and all main branch sections were stacked in a wildlife wood pile in one corner of the site.

 

With the water level in the pond receding due to the hot weather as the work progressed, the organisation of the next work phase became increasingly important. A large amount of silt, mostly consisting of rotting organic matter from fallen leaves was appearing, emphasising the need for dredging to be carried out to restore the pond to its original depth.

To achieve this, The Woodland,Flora & Fauna Group have obtained quotations from specialist companies, for the pond to be dredged and the silt removed. These quotations have been passed to Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council for consideration and approval of costs, which will be borne by MSDC funding. A response is still awaited.

Since then, further work requested by residents in neighbouring properties has been undertaken, to lower the height of some of the trees around the pond to provide more visibility of it.

 

Volunteers again attended while waiting for the dredging response from MSDC, to reduce the height of surrounding trees.

 

The result allowed even more light to penetrate the pond area.

 

GROUP ATTENDANCE AT COUNCIL AGM.

Group members once again set up a publicity stall at the Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council AGM in the early summer to advertise our work and achievements.

 

Photo boards highlighted group’s achievements at the event.

 

POND LYE SITE OF NATURE CONSERVATION IMPORTANCE.

Our calendar is dictated by seasonal demands, so we were then required to direct our attention to the meadow area at Pond Lye which was becoming punctuated with emerging ragwort and thistle. These species are normally not a problem if controlled, but both generate anxiety and complaints when viewed by neighbours. We therefore returned to ensure they did not cause any problems in this respect, and to prepare the site for the meadow cut scheduled for late summer.

 

Ragwort and thistles were diligently removed by volunteers.

 

 

This was a huge task across the whole meadow area but was eventually achieved.

 

We then turned our attention to clearing the edges of the meadow in readiness for the later meadow cut.

 

Bramble spread into the meadow area is a constant battle we have to undertake each year.

 

It also obscures ground undulations which the person undertaking the cut has to be aware of for safety reasons.

 

Once this was achieved we advised our valuable volunteer with a tractor and he commenced cutting. 

 

The cut has to be carried out just before the day we receive help from local college students.

 

This ensures the cuttings can be gathered up easily.

 

The tractor operator did a fantastic job covering the whole of the large meadow in a couple of hours. This picture shows him finishing the work for which we are hugely grateful for. Without this help we would be slaving away for months doing it by hand.

 

We then arranged for the students to attend quickly afterwards to help us rake up all the cuttings.

 

They join us every year to lend a hand, and we are very grateful to them also for this help.

 

They have become quite familiar with the task and quickly rake the hay into rows. 

 

This is then collected up and heaped into piles to be dealt with later.

 

They worked hard for a whole day and achieved a tremendous amount. The disposal of the hay piles and the completion of those areas left unraked would be undertaken later by our group volunteers.

 

Following the college volunteer day, our own volunteers gathered to complete the task.

 

Quickly the piles of hay were disposed of….. 

 

….and the remaining area cleared of cuttings. This concluded the huge annual effort surrounding the task to keep the meadow in good condition.

 

ANNUAL SPECIAL PUBLIC TALK.

In August each year we hold a special public talk to help us raise much needed funding for our group work. For this we invite a distinguished speaker to share his/her knowledge with the audience. This helps all of us enormously to learn more about the nature or wildlife topic they specialise in. This year a large audience gathered to listen to Keith Kirby, the author & CIEEM medallist for the outstanding lifelong contribution to the advancement of  ecology, forestry, and woodland management.

 

This talk was held in Hurstpierpoint Village Centre.

 

This picture shows Keith Kirby as he prepared to begin his presentation.

 

His talk was entitled ‘Woodland Flowers’.

 

It appeared to be well-received by the audience, many of whom gathered afterwards to speak to him….

 

…..and purchase copies of his books.

 

This whole event held each year is a massive undertaking for our volunteers to organise and run, so we are extremely grateful for all their hard work to make it a success. This picture is of one of our group volunteers providing refreshments.

 

ALBOURNE MILLENNIUM GARDEN.

Later this summer we returned to the Albourne Millennium Garden to check on the usage of the bird boxes we had installed at the end of last year. We examined every box and found that all but one had been used. The occupants had been blue tits and great tits, who were no doubt very grateful for the nesting opportunities provided. Each box was cleaned out and sterilised in readiness for next year’s residents.

 

We returned to the Millennium Garden to examine the bird boxes.

 

All but one of the boxes had been used by the local bird population.

 

The old nests were removed from each box….

 

….and the boxes were sterilised with bird friendly disinfectant to kill any avian infection and harmful bacteria. 

 

 This was one of the old nests removed.

 

When the work was completed the cleaned boxes were left awaiting future bird occupancy.

 

The year has been a very busy one for our group and only a percentage of the activities undertaken have been included in this report. The others will be described in a subsequent ones which will follow in due course. Our supporters and volunteers are of great value to us and essential in supporting our ongoing activities. We therefore strive to keep everyone informed of all work that is carried out by our group.

 

The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group is a volunteer organisation dedicated to protecting local countryside and wildlife, and we would like invite you to a Special Talk to be given by the renowned author and woodland ecologist, Keith Kirby. It is entitled ‘Woodland Flowers’.

 

It will take place on Wednesday, 20th August at 7.30 pm in the Main Hall at Hurstpierpoint Village Centre, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint, BN6 9UY.

 

Keith Kirby is a visiting researcher at the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Oxford, who previously worked as a woodland ecologist with the government conservation agencies, Nature Conservancy Council, English Nature and Natural England. He was awarded the Royal Forestry Society Gold Medal for Distinguished Services to Forestry in 2011 and the CIEEM Medal for his outstanding lifelong contribution to the advancement of ecology, forestry and woodland management in 2014. He has written widely for journals, the press, and is author of many books.

 

Come and hear this inspiring talk about his exploration of how the woodland plants of Great Britain have come to be where they are, have coped with living in the shade of their bigger relatives, and responded to the continuous threats posed by storms, fires, floods, grazing herbivores and changing seasons. This talk is highly informative to all who value nature and is of special interest to those who appreciate and wish to learn more about British woodland and its flora.

 

This presentation has been arranged as one of our series of special nature talks held each year, which provide public learning opportunities that do not come very often, so please join us to hear from a leading authority in this field. It will immediately follow a brief introduction by The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group, the organisers of the evening, who use these events with distinguished speakers, to generate any voluntary donations people can spare to support their nature conservation work around Mid Sussex. The natural world is struggling to survive and needs all the help it can get, so any help received is invaluable.

 

Entry is free and all are welcome. There is a car park opposite the building.

 

Michael Nailard.

 

Our year began as normal, with our attention focussed on maintaining our huge installation of barn owl and tawny owl boxes which are installed throughout Southern Mid Sussex. This year the weather was unusually wet for the first few months of 2025 and finding dry intervals in which we could carry out this work were few and far between. Often we had to resort to snatching at any moving dry interval that appeared, and try to recruit available volunteers to capitalise on it.

 

This made the exercise a prolonged one, and one which was subjected to increasing pressure to get it completed before the breeding season in late spring. When the owls begin breeding, we have to cease any maintenance work so that they are not disturbed.

 

The maintenance task is a hard one, and one that involves transporting considerable equipment and ladders on a hand-cart across wet and soggy fields for great distances. For this terrain just walking is not easy, and pulling this heavy weight requires a team of volunteers to achieve.

 

 Each site is visited…..

 

….and every box is cleaned out and maintained.

 

The amount of cleaning out required…..

 

….depends on who has occupied it. This one had been utilised by visiting hornets. If squirrels or jackdaws have nested in them, a major effort is required to clear the resulting debris which can completely fill the whole box.

 

Usually, any occupying barn owl flies out as we erect the ladder.

 The winter weather can be very cold with biting winds. It therefore relies on dedicated volunteers to undertake it.  

 

Each person fulfils an interlocking role to ensure the work is completed as quickly as possible.

 

The team visiting this site were not prepared for their findings in this box.

 

The whole farm had been subjected to flailing to remove lower branches on every tree to give clearance to large farm machinery. Note the ripped branches remaining around the box.

 

Although this clearance had missed the box, the regular pair of owls that had been roosting inside…..

 

….had been so traumatised that they had both died. The bodies were sent for analysis and confirmed this cause of death. This was such a tragic waste of a healthy, breeding pair of barn owls, but one that typifies the many hazards facing these beautiful creatures in their fight for survival, despite all our efforts.

 

As only one person can be working up the ladder at any time at each location….

 

….all other members of the team anticipate their next requirement and are ready to hand this up to them.  

 

This allows the task to be completed more quickly, and reduces the amount of time anybody has to stand around waiting for their next role to be performed. In the bleak mid-winter this is obviously of benefit to all.

 

Every box is sited in different terrain, and all team members have to be aware of the requirements for safe working, and ensure all items of equipment to facilitate this are transported to every location.

 

Much work is required to ensure the boxes are maintained in the best condition. We are therefore regularly disheartened when squirrels occupy the boxes, and reduce them to the condition of this tawny owl box pictured above, with their constant gnawing. It also cost us a lot of money for replacements.

 

When the maintenance was finally finished we then had to install all boxes requiring renewal through deterioration or damage, and those requested by many landowners following our Special Public Talk given by David Ramsden of the Barn Owl Trust last year. Surveys were undertaken by our group for the requested new boxes, but only sites that were compatible with the requirements of owls in terms of surrounding terrain, their ongoing welfare and roosting preferences were selected. No boxes were erected where these parameters were not met, as maximising the survival prospects for these species are paramount in our consideration. All were thanked for their kind gestures of offers of support for owls regardless of the outcome.

The installation work started at a location in Mid Sussex where barn owl eggs had been found last year in a box location which was to be unknowingly compromised by unanticipated activity in the area. This activity had unfortunately resulted in the mother abandoning the nest, causing the eggs to perish. With the activity proving increasingly likely to be repeated, agreement was reached with the landowner for the affected two boxes to be re-located in a more suitable location nearby. This was undertaken by a team of group volunteers before this year’s breeding season, with a lot of valued support from the landowner. We are hopeful that the new location will be perfect for any future breeding to take place without any disturbance.

 

These were the four barn owl eggs that had been abandoned by the mother last year in one of the boxes we subsequently moved before this year’s breeding season.

 

The next site was a new location requested for us to survey for installation of one of our boxes by another nature conservation group in Mid Sussex.

 

Having selected the most suitable site in advance, a volunteer working party began clearance work around the tree to begin installation.

 

The box was then quickly erected by the experienced team of volunteers…..

 

….before finally departing to leave the new accommodation for local owls to discover.

 

We then moved on to another site we had selected for the replacement of established boxes that had become badly damaged in a nearby location. The original site had become a difficult one for the teams to access in safety, so the new ones were fitted in a location very close to it. This box was the first of the pair to be erected. 

 

This was the location selected for the second box which was effectively mounted by the members of the team. 

 

 When the work was concluded, the team members departed leaving the new boxes ready for barn owl roosting and breeding in the season ahead.

 

Afterwards time was taken to make friends with local neighbours.

 

A further request was received from a local landowner in Hurstpierpoint for a barn owl box to be erected in an agreed suitable location. The team began installing the box on the tree shown above.

 

The erection was undertaken in managed progressive stages….

 

….until final completion was achieved.

 

When finished, the team stood back to appreciate the finished installation….

 

….before loading all the equipment back onto their vehicles.

 

The next location requiring attention, was one where the existing landowners had barn owls roosting in boxes in their barn. 

 

With the barn designated for conversion in the near future, we were asked to install boxes on trees nearby to provide alternative accommodation for the regular owl inhabitants. This was the first tree selected.

 

The box mounting was speedily completed and we moved on to the second tree.

 

The second tree required the clearance of a lot of ivy and interfering branches to make it suitable to mount a box.

 

The team members determinedly undertook the work required….

 

….and soon the task was finished. We were very grateful to the landowners for their consideration for the welfare of these local barn owls.

 

Work then shifted to the installation of a number of tawny owl boxes that had been requested by other landowners in our Mid Sussex Conservation Area. This was the first to be erected by team members.

 

This was the second, which was quickly completed.

 

A further suitable site was selected and the installation of a third box began.

 

This was eventually finished….

 

….and with work completed for that day, the boxes were left to the local tawny owl population to become familiar with.

 

We returned on a later day to complete a fourth box shown here, that we hadn’t managed to include on the previous visit.

 

On a further occasion, a volunteer team was assembled again, and two tawny owl boxes were installed for a landowner in a hillside location in our Southern Mid Sussex Owl Conservation Area. This was one of the boxes erected. A considerable amount of time had been spent beforehand on clearing surrounding foliage, to make the location suitable to meet the tawny owl’s requirements. This clearance exercise was also required before the second box could be mounted. 

 

Further boxes were requested for two landowners in Hassocks. This one was in a woodland where we already had an installation of successful bat boxes. It possessed all the requirements to attract tawny owls. 

 

The box for the second landowner was mounted in woodland on the tree shown. 

 

We now wait to see how successful they are in attracting the required residents.

 

We are still have more boxes to erect and these are being dealt with as soon as possible. We are grateful to all the landowners where the recent new installations have been completed, or have been agreed for future fitting, for donating the cost of the new boxes. This helps us considerably with the costs we already bear for painting them and providing the fixings required. Ongoing cleaning out, maintenance, and inspections are routinely undertaken each year by us to ensure their continued well-being, to provide the maximum benefit for owl re-production and species population survival. With all this nature conservation effort given by volunteers utilising their own time and relying on grants, donations and fund-raising events to undertake it, any financial assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

 

We have arranged a public talk on Friday, 30th May 2025 in the Club Suite of the Village Centre, Trinity Road, Hurstpierpoint, BN6 9UY. The speaker is Michael Blencowe the naturalist, author and wildlife guide. The title of his talk is ‘The Wildlife of Sussex’. It commences at 7.30pm.

The diverse habitats of our southern county support a range of amazing species. Michael Blencowe takes you on a guided tour from the rock pools, through the woodlands and up to the South Downs, meeting some amazing wildlife on the way. The talk will follow a brief introduction by The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group and a quick summary of the work undertaken by the group over the last 12 months.

This talk is to preceded by the group’s AGM commencing at 6.45pm for anyone who wishes to attend earlier to hear about or discuss group activities. There will be an interval with refreshments served between the two events.

We hold talks by informed countryside and wildlife speakers several times a year and use these events to generate any donations people can spare to support our nature conservation work around southern Mid Sussex and adjacent villages. The natural world is struggling to survive and needs all the help it can get, so any help received is invaluable to further this cause in the countryside around us.