2023 was an abysmal year for undertaking wildlife checks in the latter months. These checks were required to be undertaken on dry days but the weather proved to be so changeable that they couldn’t be planned very far ahead. Dry windows suddenly emerged in a persistently wet forecast and arrangements to undertake them had to be made hastily. This led to problems finding volunteer help to form the teams at short notice. It also made it difficult to run them concurrently with our major site volunteer days as they competed against each other for the help required. This problematic weather pattern affected our 2023 bat survey in late summer as we not only experienced continuously wet days but also periods of high winds, two of the least favourable elements to encourage bat box occupancy. The weather also cooled dramatically adding another negative factor to the activity.

The bat box checks were therefore commenced with very low expectations of finding any bat occupants. It had a big impact on our results in terms of numbers of different species found but proved not to be a complete waste of effort as many boxes showed evidence of occupancy at some time even if they did not contain bats at the time of the survey. The results we achieved therefore, were disappointing compared to other years but showed us that occupancy overall was being maintained. Some of the results are shown below.

 

Volunteers capitalise on dry intervals to undertake the bat box surveys.

 

Aware of the short duration of each dry opportunity….

 

….the inspections were progressed as speedily as possible.

 

Every box in the wide area of local countryside was carefully inspected and the occupants recorded.

 

Team members worked together….

 

….to transport ladders over the long distances it was necessary to travel.

 

At the end of the final woodland survey and the last record is entered, the team members relaxed.  

 

Due to the unfavourable weather conditions…. 

 

….only the hardy Common and Soprano Pipistrelles were found in the majority of boxes.

 

Most boxes however, were found to be full of droppings….

 

….indicating that they had been well-used prior to the onset of the bad weather.

 

Bats were present only in ones and twos in many of the boxes….

 

….making it initially appear their numbers were down on previous years.

 

Other boxes however, told a different story….

 

….and were found to contain clusters of up to seven.

 

This was still less than previous years when groups up to a dozen were often found.

 

The number of boxes occupied were similar to recent years….

 

…but the variety of species normally found….

 

….were sadly lacking.

 

It is hoped that the next season’s weather is significantly better and the number of species found are greater and include the rarer ones we have previously found in our boxes. The results overall were however, higher than we had anticipated in such unfavourable conditions.

 

Our dormouse checks this year followed a similar pattern but with much more warm, dry weather to capitalise on. We visited all sites at intervals from April until November. The checks revealed no dormice in residence in any of our boxes this year. This followed a similar national trend, as revealed in the People’s Trust for Endangered Species 2023 report on the state of Britain’s dormice. This document highlighted an alarming progressive decline in the country’s hazel dormouse population which since 2000 had seen a reduction of 70% in total numbers. This reduction which has been tracked by the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme into which our results are fed, was found to be mainly due to loss and degradation of natural habitat, climate change and less effective management being applied to hedgerows and woodlands. Despite these alarming figures, it is not a completely lost cause, as conservation work continues with volunteers and partner groups in an attempt to combat it. Habitat restoration and re-introduction of dormice in selected areas they have previously completely disappeared from is being attempted nationally, to give the species as much help as possible to survive. 

All our dormouse box locations are in areas where we have previously seen them or detected a presence, so we will continue with our efforts in the hope of an improvement in our results. Our results this year indicated a growing wood mouse presence with the early season addition of many blue tit’s and great tit’s nests. The following pictures illustrate some of our findings.

 

The boxes were visited at monthly intervals when possible.

 

Occupancy of each was recorded. This one contained one of the many resident wood mice found. 

 

These inspections were undertaken by working parties of licensed volunteers.

 

Each volunteer undertook a different role to make the operation proceed as smoothly as possible.

 

This box contained a wood mouse nest.

 

This one contained a nest of birds eggs.

 

A devoted bluetit mother remained firmly on her eggs in this box. She was disturbed as little as possible.

 

 This box contained young chicks who were at a more advanced stage and obviously very hungry.

 

Young birds were found in many of the boxes in early summer.

 

These eight great tit youngsters were almost fully feathered. Once all birds nests were emptied after the birds had fledged, the nesting debris was removed so that they were available for dormouse occupancy again.

 

Inspections carried out in mid summer after the birds had vacated the boxes, found wood mice had moved into many of them.

 

Again, the occupants were treated delicately with as little disturbance as possible.

 

All boxes containing food stores were left intact to benefit the breeding mice.

 

Each member of the team worked together to ensure inspections were carried out as efficiently as possible.

 

This mouse was found having a meal in a food store.

 

Each finding was recorded….

 

….to create a comprehensive annual record of everything found.

 

Inspections undertaken at the end of the season found an increasing number of boxes occupied by wood mice….

 

….with a large number utilised for food storage….

 

….and new nests….

 

….to ensure the mice successfully survived the imminent winter conditions.

 

Once the final check was completed all results were collated and the data forwarded to the national database.

Every year we visit all our barn owl boxes at least twice in a year. The first to clean out and maintain each box and the second to return in the breeding season to check whether any owls have produced eggs or young in them. The first visit is undertaken in the winter months in less than pleasant weather and the activity lasts for many months due to the amount of work that is required.

 

The barn owl boxes are mounted in suitable locations across the owl conservation area.

 

The second is in the early summer and is always far more pleasurable. It is on this visit we see a result for all the hard work previously undertaken. It involves transporting and carrying a ladder around the scores of boxes we are required to visit in our barn owl conservation area and carefully checking inside for any young produced.

 

Each box is visited to check if breeding has occurred.

 

With the birds being classified as a Schedule One Protected Species, the person checking has to be a qualified, registered permit holder by law. The discovery of young is very rewarding as we peer into each box’s dark interior. If young birds are present we establish their stage of development and record it. With the original batch of eggs usually hatching progressively over a three week period there is often a staged difference in their achieved growth.

 

Eggs found with the first one already hatched.

 

It then has to be calculated when the average brood size will be ready to record sex, age and have legs large enough to accept an identification ring. This is then noted and a return visit is scheduled to undertake the task.

Having established a presence, intermediate return visits are undertaken to ensure their ongoing welfare until they fledge successfully. This captures any reduction in the number of chicks in the brood occurring as they develop, or any poor health or other condition that might threaten their survival. Often in times of food shortage, the largest chick can consume the smallest one to ensure the survival of the fittest. On occasions, previously healthy developing birds can be found dead, either singly or collectively, or missing completely due to predation.

 

This picture shows two healthy chicks found on an initial inspection. On the next visit they were found to have been predated and had vanished without trace. 

 

Deaths can also sometimes be attributed to disease or poisoning. The poisoning can occur if the prey the parent birds catch for them have been subjected to herbicide spraying in fields where the mice or voles reside, or vermin poisons to reduce a pest presence. Wherever possible a cause of death is sought.

 

Two dead partly grown barn owl chicks found in a box situated in a meadow that had recently been sprayed with herbicide by the landowner to remove ragwort.

 

The stage of growth the young have reached varies from box to box. The checks are undertaken in a short space of time but the young found can vary from eggs to very large youngsters almost ready to fledge. This means that the timings of the return visits to record and ring them are spread over many weeks to catch them at the optimum stage of growth when they are large enough for recording but not too large to be difficult to handle. The curved talons on the bigger youngsters are often identical to those of their parents, and once embedded in the flesh of your hand are difficult to remove. Thus, the preferred size is opted for where possible. Whatever stage they have reached, they are always handled very sensitively with minimum distress being caused. They are gently returned to the safety of their boxes afterwards.

 

Each young barn owl is handled very sensitively and gently returned to its box when recording is completed.

 

This year’s results for the number of broods found in our barn owl conservation area were remarkably high and so took many weeks to monitor and record. This success is due mainly to the care and attention we give to our boxes and the welfare of the birds, and the plentiful availability of the prey they rely on. The prey numbers can vary from year to year depending on seasonal weather, and owl breeding numbers tend to fluctuate to match it. The more prey available, the larger the broods generally are. With each of our boxes positioned in areas with suitable surrounding habitat to readily provide prey, the good results we experienced this year reflect that all conditions were favourable.

 

One of the boxes found where voles caught by the parent birds at night were left to sustain the youngsters during the day.

 

Owls tend to mate for life and select a home range to live in. There is a one to four kilometre radius barn owl requirement around each box for different times of the year depending on food availability. There can be two or three boxes in this range which they frequent regularly. Once a barn owl has established a home range, it will usually remain there for the rest of its life with its mate, as they are very faithful to each other and their area.

Box selection for breeding depends on them selecting the most suitable for their needs in any given year, but they generally use one or two. It is important that barn owls stay in one area so that they can memorise their favoured roost sites, the best hunting places, and the clear flight paths that connect them. These flight paths are important so that they don’t fly into anything in the darkness which is their favoured time for hunting. It can also be critical for their survival in the winter or other times of food shortage, and especially when they have young to feed.

 

Boxes utilised regularly by barn owls within their home range.

 

This makes the surrounding countryside of paramount importance to provide adequate foraging to owl populations and why development incursions into this home range not only displaces roosting sites, but destroys the habitat that is so vital for their survival. We are constantly having to represent such countryside interests in all greenfield development proposals for these reasons. Representing the interests of the owls is vital to maintaining their populations, as their future is badly threatened by the  steadily increasing loss of natural environment.

 

Another swathe of vital greenfield habitat utilised by foraging barn owls in our conservation area is lost to development.

 

Our barn owl conservation area has been expanded many times to off-set some of this damage and now encompasses most of southern Mid Sussex and adjacent settlements. This expanded area causes us a tremendous effort to maintain the boxes over the vast distances we are required to travel, but at least we are successfully sustaining their population. The owls within our conservation area are flourishing and this is reflected in this year’s results. Some of these results are illustrated below.

 

One of the first boxes visited this summer found these three occupants. Note the difference in their stages of development.

 

The next box had four very young barn owl chicks in.

 

On the same day this box was found with just a single but very healthy occupant.

 

Another box visited that day had one unhatched egg and four youngsters of varying sizes.

 

This box had two chicks occupying one side….

 

….and two on the other side, making a grand total of four very healthy youngsters.

 

One to four owls were found in most of our breeding boxes this year.

 

It has been one of our most successful years for young owl occupation of our boxes to date….

 

….with the majority of box locations visited revealing yet another family of barn owl chicks.

 

The age of each chick was recorded on the first visit….

 

….and an estimate was made of timing of the return visit to record them.

 

Due to the considerable variation in the ages of the youngsters found….

 

.…the sequence of return visits to record them at the required size….

 

….meant that the huge owl conservation area was required to be criss-crossed many times over several weeks.

 

This ensured that they were all dealt with at a stage they had grown sufficiently to be able to accurately record sex, development and age…. 

 

….whilst still being of a size that could easily be handled.

 

Even on the first visit some chicks were small, cute and downy….

 

….while others were already large enough to be dealt with immediately.  

 

For these larger birds a very quick return was made.

 

Not all owls were pleased to see us on the second visit and were determined not to co-operate….

 

….but the authorised team gently took charge and each was meticulously recorded with an identification ring placed on its leg.

 

The team was formed of a sufficient number of people to carry all the equipment required over the large distances across fields.

 

In some boxes we found a number were almost full size and ready to fledge.

 

The larger the birds found, the more difficult they were to handle, but they were all recorded in the same way…. 

 

….but with a greater respect being given to their sharp talons.

 

The smaller chicks were more easily dealt with….

 

….and seemed to appreciate the smart leg bracelet we fitted.

 

When recording had finished, they were carefully placed back into their respective boxes.

 

It was ensured that all the birds were completely settled before we departed. 

 

This one had its plumage almost completely in place, but still retained an amount of down beneath.

 

These siblings demonstrated their staggered development due to progressive egg hatching, with the oldest on the left and the youngest on the right.

 

On their return to the boxes, they usually scurried to the furthest corner….

 

….a little unsure if they were to be disturbed further….

 

….or whether they could once again relax.

 

They are without doubt one of the most beautiful of all the birds in our local countryside….

 

….and worthy of the considerable effort we expend to sustain their population.

 

We engage fully with all landowners within our conservation area and provide any help or advice they seek so that we can jointly safeguard the interests of our local barn owl population. We are very grateful to them for their continuing support for our conservation effort and to our group volunteers who willingly form the teams to allow us to undertake the large amount of work required to meet their needs. Without this effort and support, the future of the barn owl would be severely threatened.

 

From the start of each year the work activities always progressively increase in intensity for The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group. 2023 has been no exception. Each activity broadens in scope as we achieve increasing success with each project. We readily embrace the increased work effort when we witness the gains being made for both local countryside and wildlife.

 

TALBOT FIELD.

In January we began at Talbot Field to clear bramble and spreading scrub from the small nature area. This allows spring and summer wild flowers to flourish more readily in the woodland and meadow area.

 

Volunteers gather to tackle the clearance task.

 

Following the winter storms, one of the first tasks was to clear the fallen branches and invasive scrub from throughout the site. The branches are stacked into small wildlife piles strategically placed to aid wildlife without impeding the sprouting spring flowers. The work this year continued until the flowers began to emerge when we stopped to allow them to flourish.

 

This was an example of the floral display that resulted from the group work effort.

 

During this period, the bird boxes located all around the site were cleaned out and disinfected with bird-friendly, anti-bacterial spray in readiness for the spring nesting season.

 

Each bird box was checked and cleaned.

 

All recently planted trees were also examined to ensure no winter damage had occurred and they continued to be well-supported.

 

The newly planted tree to replace the felled unsafe oak was checked.

 

To capitalise on the increased light caused by the removal of the felled oak, 500 bluebell bulbs were purchased and planted around the newly planted replacement tree. These will not flower for a year as the bulbs initially utilise their energy forming roots and shoots, but should be a wonderful display in the future.

 

The bulbs were progressively planted to increase the biodiversity richness of the area. 

 

When established, the bluebells should provide a further boost to the attractiveness of the woodland and value to wildlife.

 

Once the site’s spring flowers had emerged in early 2023, the work here was halted and we moved on to the next seasonal location for our weekly project days.

Periodic returns to site were made to ensure that our newly planted wildflower plugs and trees did not suffer from the hot, dry spell the early summer provided. Too much work has been incurred to ignore the nurturing required to allow them to flourish to increase the site’s biodiversity value.

 

Water was transported in drums to site….

 

….and all trees and wildflower plugs were kept watered.

 

Later in the summer we became aware of invasive scrub penetrating one section of the meadow following the removal of a row of root spreading trees that had caused concern to the neighbouring properties. Volunteers gathered on  several weekends to remove them.

 

Volunteers gather on a Saturday morning to address the problem.

 

Wild flower meadows are always vulnerable to invading brush and scrub and require regular attention to keep them in good condition.

 

The tree saplings had surged in intensity this year and had to be removed.

 

It proved more difficult than it at first appeared, as their roots had quickly established themselves firmly in the ground….

 

….but eventually the task was achieved.

 

BARN OWL BOX MAINTENANCE.

Running concurrently with this work, we once again had to visit all owl boxes in our huge group barn owl conservation area to clean them out and maintain them. This year’s visits had resulted in many boxes having to be replaced due to damage or deterioration. Many had been in place since we began our owl conservation work in 2007.

 

All boxes were checked, cleaned out and maintained.

 

The task of replacing the damaged boxes proved to be a considerable additional burden to this annual maintenance activity and has cost us a lot of additional money to date. We have been holding many group fund-raising events since to compensate for this.

With the box maintenance normally taking several months throughout the winter, the replacement requirement for many extended this considerably. It also proved gruelling for the team to achieve.

 

 The damaged boxes were removed…..

 

 ….and replacement boxes were provided in their place.

 

 Each heavy box had to be carried up to box height….

 

 ….and securely fixed in position.

 

The worst boxes were dealt with first and the others were programmed for ongoing replacement when time allowed to prevent any delay to the seasonal work timetable.

 

All this owl box activity was closely scrutinised by the indigenous wildlife population sharing the location with us.

 

SAYERS COMMON WOODLAND POND.

While the owl maintenance task was proceeding between major site activities, the main project days had switched to the woodland pond at Sayers Common.

 

This area was becoming increasingly more attractive to wildlife….

 

….due to the care and attention it was receiving from group volunteers.

 

Many hours are spent each year keeping the site in prime condition.

 

All volunteers engaged fully with their tasks….

 

.…and ensured each was completed satisfactorily.

 

However busy the volunteers were, time was always found to appreciate the surrounding natural environment.

 

This volunteer attention is increasingly benefitting the indigenous wildlife, like this slow worm witnessed on the site this year.

 

POND LYE SITE OF NATURE CONSERVATION IMPORTANCE.

From the Sayers Common Pond we quickly moved on to Pond Lye where the major task of the late summer annual meadow cut required to be undertaken. Initially, our regular volunteer with a tractor and cutter arrived to cut as much of the meadow as the rough terrain allowed him to cover.

 

Our tractor volunteer began the huge task of cutting the meadow.

 

With such a huge area to tackle it took many hours to complete.

 

When all cutting of the accessible areas had been completed, we were joined the following week by over 50 volunteers from a Sussex College, who kindly offered to lend a hand with the massive task of raking up all the cuttings to ensure no enrichment to the meadow soil occurred. This was vital to allow the continuation of all the distinctive meadow species growing there.

 

The college student volunteers methodically began tackling the task before them.

 

They progressed from one end of the meadow leaving the hay in lines for later collection.

 

Progressively, the work spread across the area.

 

Some students found time to enjoy the presence of the local wildlife.

 

A common toad seeks shelter from all the activity.

 

A caterpillar scurries to the sanctuary of some surrounding untouched habitat….

 

….and a shield bug observes all from a distance.

 

After the raking into rows, the hay was then transported to central stacks for eventual disposal.

 

All this work was undertaken in addition to the seasonal annual requirement for checks to monitor the progress of each of the wildlife conservation initiatives undertaken by the group, which will be reported on another occasion. The overall intensity of all these nature activities plus all fund-raising, volunteer recruiting and other group public events, makes it a continuous year-round activity requiring as many volunteers as we can muster. Any help anyone feels able to provide would be warmly welcomed, so if you are interested , please complete the website contact form provided.

Fitting between these commitments we also had to address our group administration activities and other events. Some of these are described below.

 

GROUP EVENTS 2023

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APRIL GROUP AGM & PUBLIC TALK.

Our group publicity and fund-raising events began with an illustrated  talk in April in conjunction with our group AGM, by Clare Blencowe, the manager of the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre. It was entitled ‘Making nature count’.

 

 

 

Clare’s talk gave a detailed description of the work of the Biodiversity Record Centre which was informative and well-received by the audience. It followed the group’s Annual General Meeting.

 

MAY PARISH COUNCIL AGM VOLUNTEER GROUP EVENT.

In May we manned a group stall at the Hurstpierpoint & Sayers Common Parish Council’s AGM/volunteer group event to advertise our work and to recruit more volunteers to help us.

 

Volunteers man a group publicity table.

 

AUGUST TALK GIVEN BY LIEF BERSWEDEN.

This year we resumed our August Public Talks given by distinguished speakers. We had previously held these major talks every year up to the pandemic and had always had a very good attendance, boosting our much-needed revenue and volunteer recruitment. We were unsure of the likely attendance after a three year gap, but were really pleasantly surprised with the number of people who had returned.

 

 

 

This was mainly due to the chosen speaker, Leif Bersweden, the distinguished author, botanist and science communicator. He gave an excellent illustrated talk entitled ‘Where the wild flowers grow’ to an audience of 150 people. It was very well received and helped tremendously with our group funding and volunteer recruitment to assist us with our work achievement.

 

The audience gather for the evenings events.

 

A refreshment break opportunity was taken between the host group’s introduction and the main talk.

 

Leif then gave them an extremely interesting talk for the rest of the evening which was very well received.

 

In the intervals between, Leif sold his book that the talk was based on.

 

He personally signed all of the large number of copies sold.

 

The event was extremely successful for The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group in terms of increased public support and funding, but also gave us a welcome opportunity to meet a very nice person who increased our knowledge and awareness of our natural environment with his highly informative talk.

 

SEPTEMBER HURST FESTIVAL SUPER SUNDAY EVENT.

The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group once again ran a stall at the Hurst Festival Super Sunday Event in September. Volunteers took turns to man the stall for an all day event on 17th September.

 

The stall as it appeared after being set-up.

 

The stall was initially set up in dry weather on the Sunday morning. Unfortunately, immediately afterwards we were subjected to high winds and torrential rain which required a tarpaulin covering to be provided for the items on display on the table. The gusty high wind was not helpful and eventually the tarpaulin was blown away taking many of the display items with it. When the sun eventually emerged again and the weather calmed, the table was reset and people began arriving.

 

Volunteers took turns to demonstrate the work of the group to visitors.

 

The stall remained on display until 6.00pm when the Super Sunday event closed.

 

Many people visited our stall, a lot of people discussed nature issues with us and a good number signed up to our Register of Interest to be kept in touch with our group activities. The day therefore, proved a productive one overall.

These events are very hard work and time consuming to organise and undertake but allow us a good platform to advertise our work, discuss issues with interested people, and recruit much needed volunteers and funding. They do make an already very busy activity schedule very congested to achieve all however, so this is why we need more supporters and volunteers to assist and share the work-load. Please contact us if you are interested in joining. There is no fee for adding your name to our Registered Supporters List to be kept informed of group activities.

 

Please note the poster below advertising the talk.

 

The Woodland, Flora & Fauna Group is supporting a talk by Hurst ReThink group by Edward Mayer of Swift Conservation UK entitled  ‘Swifts and our local Biodiversity’. It is to be held in the New Inn, Hurstpierpoint High Street on Wednesday, 14th June at 7pm. We actively support any event promoting the interests of wildlife and countryside and will be attending to assist this cause. We have already assisted this group by erecting some swift boxes on a building at their request, to provide nesting opportunities for these valued birds in an area they used to be regularly witnessed. If you live locally and are able, please attend to support this event and possibly learn how you can help the swift population to flourish.