Woodlands in Plumpton
The Woodlands in Plumpton booklet, which presents the results of the survey that Jacqui Hutson and the Wildlife Group carried out between 2014 and 2016, is now on sale in Plumpton village shop. Thanks to a grant from Plumpton Parish Council towards printing costs, we are able to offer the booklet at the very reasonable price of £5
Numbers are limited, so get your copy sooner rather than later
Numbers are limited, so get your copy sooner rather than later
Tony and the bat
Plumpton and East Chiltington Wildlife Group founder member, Tony Hutson, features in this tale of the last Greater Mouse-eared Bat.www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jun/12/the-last-bat-the-mystery-of-britains-most-solitary-animal
We have a new name!
We have a new name: Plumpton and East Chiltington Wildlife Group. The change was backed unanimously by members at the AGm and recognises the fact that we have always worked across both parishes and that conservation of wildlife necessarily involves the conservation of its habitats. We look forward to future joint projects including potentially a Phase 1 Habitat survey of East Chiltington (as we did with Plumpton) or perhaps compiling a more comprehensive flora of the two parishes.
The AGM also saw the election of new officers to the Committee. Tony Hutson was re-elected as Chair for a further year. Catherine Jackson stepped down as Deputy Chair and was elected Secretary, replacing Sally Huband, who stood down after her three-year term. Simon Harding was elected Deputy Chair. Jacqui Hutson stood down having served three years as Treasurer and was replaced by Lynn Baxter. Both Jacqui and Sally have stepped down from the committee. A big thanks to both for all their hard work over the lifetime of the group. Happily both have said they intend to stay actively involved as members.
Following a fascinating and humorous talk from Dave Chelmick on Dragonflies and Damselflies, the Chairman gave a report on the past year’s activities.
The AGM also saw the election of new officers to the Committee. Tony Hutson was re-elected as Chair for a further year. Catherine Jackson stepped down as Deputy Chair and was elected Secretary, replacing Sally Huband, who stood down after her three-year term. Simon Harding was elected Deputy Chair. Jacqui Hutson stood down having served three years as Treasurer and was replaced by Lynn Baxter. Both Jacqui and Sally have stepped down from the committee. A big thanks to both for all their hard work over the lifetime of the group. Happily both have said they intend to stay actively involved as members.
Following a fascinating and humorous talk from Dave Chelmick on Dragonflies and Damselflies, the Chairman gave a report on the past year’s activities.
Plumpton station wildflowers
A big thanks to every one who turned out on Sunday 11th October to help us clear up the wildflower areas at the station.
Safari at Knepp Park
Twenty members of PW&HG had an amazing evening in late July on safari on the Knepp Castle Estate, near Horsham in West Sussex. This is an amazing project to ‘re-wild’ some 1,000 hectares of former agricultural land and restore it to a state of ‘natural productivity’.
The project was launched in 2001 by the estate’s owner, Sir Charlie Burrell. He decided to give up conventional intensive farming, take out miles of internal fencing, replace it with miles of external, deer-proof fencing around the estate’s perimeter, and introduce various herbivores that would most closely replicate the creatures who would have grazed Britain’s woods and plains before the advent of industrial farming – in this case, Exmoor ponies, longhorn cattle, roe, fallow and red deer, and Tamworth pigs (see photos, with many thanks to Sue Bromage and Robin Akers). The fields have been left to revert to scrub and sallow. The deer, ponies, cows and pigs influence the vegetation each in their own way: the longhorn cattle create paths through the scrub, spreading seeds and create a distinct ‘browse line’; the Tamworth pigs rootle up the ground looking for food, and the ponies and deer browse the sallow and other tree species. The animal numbers are carefully managed by the estate’s ‘wolf’ (a deer stalker), to ensure neither over- nor under-grazing – and the meat is sold through the estate farm shop. In this way they naturally create a range of different habitats − open grassland, scrub, bare ground and forested groves. The project is also restoring the old ponds and water meadows and returning the River Adur – which was canalised in the 18th century – to its natural meander, thereby allowing the return of seasonal flooding, which will help avert flooding further downstream. Since the project began, wildlife has slowly but steadily regenerated. This year they recorded 126 sightings of the rare Purple Emperor butterfly. In 2014 they recorded 28 species of butterfly – in 2008 only 12 species were recorded – evidence that the rewilding is rapidly bearing fruit (or butterflies). Birdlife include little owl, cuckoo, hobby, nightingale, the highly endangered turtle dove, lapwing, swift, swallow and house martin. A total of 58 bird species were recorded in 2014. We saw a pair of red kites. It's an amazing experience to see nature reasserting itself. The estate offers a range of activities including the safaris, camping, holiday lets, educational events and in October special trips to watch the fallow deer rutting. you can find out more here. |
Notes from our last meeting 15 June 2015
Wildlife camera
We’ve bought two wildlife trail cameras that can be set up to automatically take night-time photos. The cameras are available to PW&HG members to borrow and we are investigating buying a field microscope that will also be available on loan.
Membership
Our membership currently stands at 26 households. We will be running a membership recruitment campaign in the September parish magazine to try to encourage more people in the parish and East Chiltington to join us.
Activities round-up
Woodland survey: We’ve successfully surveyed all five woods on our list, with the help of several members. The survey will be resumed next spring, with the aim to complete and publish in 2016.
Neighbourhood Plan: Tony Hutson has completed a major evidence report on the parish wildlife and habitats for the Plumpton Parish Neighbourhood Plan, and the NP Landscape & Diversity group, which he chairs, has drafted its recommendations for policies on wildlife and habitat preservation and restoration to be included in the final plan.
Plastic litter in the fields: We reported two of the most severe instances of plastic pollution to the Parish Council who contacted the Environment Agency, who contacted the landowners. We will be keeping a watching brief on the problem, which is less evident now the grass/crops are growing.
Visit to Knepp Park: 20 people have expressed an interest in joining the PW&HG visit to Knepp Park on 28 July.
Open Garden 5 July: We will be at the Old Mill House Open Garden in aid of the hospice. We’ll be selling plants, giving out copies of the habitat booklet and recruiting new members (we hope). And eating cake (we also hope).
Annual General Meeting: will be on Monday 23 November in the Church Annexe. Speaker to be confirmed.
We’ve bought two wildlife trail cameras that can be set up to automatically take night-time photos. The cameras are available to PW&HG members to borrow and we are investigating buying a field microscope that will also be available on loan.
Membership
Our membership currently stands at 26 households. We will be running a membership recruitment campaign in the September parish magazine to try to encourage more people in the parish and East Chiltington to join us.
Activities round-up
Woodland survey: We’ve successfully surveyed all five woods on our list, with the help of several members. The survey will be resumed next spring, with the aim to complete and publish in 2016.
Neighbourhood Plan: Tony Hutson has completed a major evidence report on the parish wildlife and habitats for the Plumpton Parish Neighbourhood Plan, and the NP Landscape & Diversity group, which he chairs, has drafted its recommendations for policies on wildlife and habitat preservation and restoration to be included in the final plan.
Plastic litter in the fields: We reported two of the most severe instances of plastic pollution to the Parish Council who contacted the Environment Agency, who contacted the landowners. We will be keeping a watching brief on the problem, which is less evident now the grass/crops are growing.
Visit to Knepp Park: 20 people have expressed an interest in joining the PW&HG visit to Knepp Park on 28 July.
Open Garden 5 July: We will be at the Old Mill House Open Garden in aid of the hospice. We’ll be selling plants, giving out copies of the habitat booklet and recruiting new members (we hope). And eating cake (we also hope).
Annual General Meeting: will be on Monday 23 November in the Church Annexe. Speaker to be confirmed.
Wildflower walk
A small group of us visited a local wildflower meadow on 14 June. A splendid display of orchids, stitchwort, ragged robin and more.
Woodland surveys
We are continuing the woodland surveys that we started last year, to update the information from previous surveys. We recently surveyed Grannie's Wood and Plumpton Wood (South).
These are some photos from the surveys (with thanks to Jeanie Muddle). We'll be producing a full report on our findings and the changes we've found since the last surveys were done in due course.
These are some photos from the surveys (with thanks to Jeanie Muddle). We'll be producing a full report on our findings and the changes we've found since the last surveys were done in due course.
Fritillaries survive Jubilee Meadow massacre!
18 April 2015
Snake’s-head fritillaries are in bloom in what was once the Jubilee Wildflower Meadow in the Plumpton Green playing fields. We planted some bulbs when we established the meadow to mark the Queen's Jubilee year, when we thought that the wildflower meadow was safe. When the Parish Council decided that the meadow could no longer be supported we thought that would be the end of the wild flowers. However, a Plumpton resident has just reported that the fritillaries are up. This photograph was taken in the early morning of the 18th April. The area that was once the wildflower meadow has not yet been cut and if the mowing is delayed until the fritillaries set seed, than they could spread and continue to delight for years to come.
Snake’s-head fritillaries are in bloom in what was once the Jubilee Wildflower Meadow in the Plumpton Green playing fields. We planted some bulbs when we established the meadow to mark the Queen's Jubilee year, when we thought that the wildflower meadow was safe. When the Parish Council decided that the meadow could no longer be supported we thought that would be the end of the wild flowers. However, a Plumpton resident has just reported that the fritillaries are up. This photograph was taken in the early morning of the 18th April. The area that was once the wildflower meadow has not yet been cut and if the mowing is delayed until the fritillaries set seed, than they could spread and continue to delight for years to come.
2014 Chairman's report
We held our Annual General Meeting on 24th November, with guest speaker Iain Parkinson, Conservation and Woodlands Manager at Wakehurst Place. Iain talked about his quest to locate wildflower meadows the length and breadth of England, the beautiful meadows he found, the people who have created and maintain them, and the studies he has led at Wakehurst Place into the best ways to sow and harvest these meadows. By hand, it seems, and with a very big scythe. PW&HG Chair Tony Hutson followed up the talk with his report on our achievements in 2014, which you can read here.
Rebuilding the school's bug hotel
We recently helped Plumptom Primary School renovate their bug hotel. Together, we discovered about 40 different species in their old bug hotel, which the children carefully collected and returned to the new hotel when it was built.
Here are some of the children's comments on the day.
Erris McIlwain. We tried to find minibeasts with these pots. Tony, James and Martin pulled the bug hotel apart! We looked for spiders, woodlice, snails and other insects. It was fun because I got to pick up a snail. The snail had a beautiful shell, it was a baby one. The shell was yellow and black. The bug hotel was put back together. I am looking forward to seeing lots of snails in there.
Freddie Millis. We broke the bug hotel apart and we put the bugs into little pots. We found loads of house spiders and three false widow spiders. We also found three snails and around seven cocoons.
Next we built the new bug hotel and put the bugs into their new home. Hopefully we will find more bugs next time.
Lauren Dejonge. I found woodlice. They tickled my hand. I found slugs and snails, it was fun! I made a bug hotel at home. I got a plastic box and I put leaves in it. Then I put woodlice in it.
Here are some of the children's comments on the day.
Erris McIlwain. We tried to find minibeasts with these pots. Tony, James and Martin pulled the bug hotel apart! We looked for spiders, woodlice, snails and other insects. It was fun because I got to pick up a snail. The snail had a beautiful shell, it was a baby one. The shell was yellow and black. The bug hotel was put back together. I am looking forward to seeing lots of snails in there.
Freddie Millis. We broke the bug hotel apart and we put the bugs into little pots. We found loads of house spiders and three false widow spiders. We also found three snails and around seven cocoons.
Next we built the new bug hotel and put the bugs into their new home. Hopefully we will find more bugs next time.
Lauren Dejonge. I found woodlice. They tickled my hand. I found slugs and snails, it was fun! I made a bug hotel at home. I got a plastic box and I put leaves in it. Then I put woodlice in it.
A round up of our work in 2013
Plumpton Wildlife & Habitat Group welcomed a very special guest speaker at its Annual General Meeting on 25th November 2013. David Lang, a retired veterinary surgeon, amateur naturalist and author, has been documenting the flora and fauna of East Sussex, and more exotic locations abroad, for many years. He has a particular interest in wild orchids and has written several books, including The Sussex Year: A Country Calendar. A packed Church Annexe heard his talk on the flora and butterflies to be found across East and West
Sussex throughout the year, illustrated with his beautiful photographs.
Outgoing PW&HG chairman Jon Wood reported on the work the group has achieved in 2013, including its new website, which includes regular updates on new sightings, and the very popular annual nightingale walk.
PW&HG continues to advise homeowners and landowners about wildlife-friendly habitat management, as well as local groups such as the Tennis Club about their planned expansion and the Parish Council’s plans for the Pocket Park.
The annual dormice survey found a record 15 nests in one site. So far eight sites across the Parish have been surveyed, confirming that dormice,although rare in the Parish, are more widespread than previously thought and,
given the right conditions, can thrive. The population of Violet Helleborines we found in 2011 had a good flowering year in 2013 and we recorded even more plants and spikes than before. Stephanie Miles from Kew collected seed pods from the plants in October and these are now tucked away in the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place.
Our efforts to encourage little owls to use the nest boxes we have erected continue – as does our lack of success. None of the nine boxes have been occupied by owls, although grey squirrels and bees have made good use of them. We will perhaps move them to other sites in the hope of finding the right set of conditions to tempt these birds to use them.
We are steadily continuing our ancient tree survey and surveyed two further areas of woodland in the parish. Less ancient and still thriving, despite a very dry summer, is the Plumpton Elm, part of the nationwide Great Elm
Experiment that is trying to regenerate these trees in the UK with what they hope is Dutch Elm Disease-resistant stock.
Our work on wildflower meadows also continues. The wildflowers at the station are doing very well and the areas along the platforms now have a prolonged flowering period from primroses in the spring through to wild carrots and toadflax in late summer. Guides to the wildflowers have been placed in the new platform noticeboard. We recorded 21 species of butterflies in the area of meadow at the Plough, including Marbled White and Clouded Yellow. The Jubilee Meadow at the playing fields is also flourishing and we planted more wildflower plugs there in the autumn.
We successfully installed a sound system in the All Saints bell tower in the hope of enticing swifts to use the nest boxes that we installed several years ago. But despite playing swift calls throughout the summer, none have yet taken up residence. It usually takes some years for this technique to work.
An unexpected project was the mapping of toad movements in the Parish in late March. Last year’s more concentrated migration, caused by the colder than usual spring that delayed the breeding season, enabled us to pinpoint four major and two minor toad crossing sites in Plumpton and neighbouring parishes. We have registered them with Froglife, a national amphibian charity, and ESCC Highways Department should now set up warning signs for 2014.
We continue our ongoing work to restore local ponds, with the support of local landowners. We have now completed two restoration projects and the removal from one pond of a damaging population of carp.
We have also continued to contribute to the Sussex Butterfly Atlas for Sussex Wildlife Trust and this year found 21 and 20 species in the two areas of the parish we were asked to survey.
Jon Wood stepped down as Chair after two years in office. Tony Hutson was elected the new Chair, Catherine Jackson is Deputy Chair, Jacqui Hutson is Treasurer and Sally Huband is Secretary. The other committee members are Jon Wood, Denise Hall, James Otway and two newly elected members: Lynn Baxter and Simon Harding.
Sussex throughout the year, illustrated with his beautiful photographs.
Outgoing PW&HG chairman Jon Wood reported on the work the group has achieved in 2013, including its new website, which includes regular updates on new sightings, and the very popular annual nightingale walk.
PW&HG continues to advise homeowners and landowners about wildlife-friendly habitat management, as well as local groups such as the Tennis Club about their planned expansion and the Parish Council’s plans for the Pocket Park.
The annual dormice survey found a record 15 nests in one site. So far eight sites across the Parish have been surveyed, confirming that dormice,although rare in the Parish, are more widespread than previously thought and,
given the right conditions, can thrive. The population of Violet Helleborines we found in 2011 had a good flowering year in 2013 and we recorded even more plants and spikes than before. Stephanie Miles from Kew collected seed pods from the plants in October and these are now tucked away in the Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place.
Our efforts to encourage little owls to use the nest boxes we have erected continue – as does our lack of success. None of the nine boxes have been occupied by owls, although grey squirrels and bees have made good use of them. We will perhaps move them to other sites in the hope of finding the right set of conditions to tempt these birds to use them.
We are steadily continuing our ancient tree survey and surveyed two further areas of woodland in the parish. Less ancient and still thriving, despite a very dry summer, is the Plumpton Elm, part of the nationwide Great Elm
Experiment that is trying to regenerate these trees in the UK with what they hope is Dutch Elm Disease-resistant stock.
Our work on wildflower meadows also continues. The wildflowers at the station are doing very well and the areas along the platforms now have a prolonged flowering period from primroses in the spring through to wild carrots and toadflax in late summer. Guides to the wildflowers have been placed in the new platform noticeboard. We recorded 21 species of butterflies in the area of meadow at the Plough, including Marbled White and Clouded Yellow. The Jubilee Meadow at the playing fields is also flourishing and we planted more wildflower plugs there in the autumn.
We successfully installed a sound system in the All Saints bell tower in the hope of enticing swifts to use the nest boxes that we installed several years ago. But despite playing swift calls throughout the summer, none have yet taken up residence. It usually takes some years for this technique to work.
An unexpected project was the mapping of toad movements in the Parish in late March. Last year’s more concentrated migration, caused by the colder than usual spring that delayed the breeding season, enabled us to pinpoint four major and two minor toad crossing sites in Plumpton and neighbouring parishes. We have registered them with Froglife, a national amphibian charity, and ESCC Highways Department should now set up warning signs for 2014.
We continue our ongoing work to restore local ponds, with the support of local landowners. We have now completed two restoration projects and the removal from one pond of a damaging population of carp.
We have also continued to contribute to the Sussex Butterfly Atlas for Sussex Wildlife Trust and this year found 21 and 20 species in the two areas of the parish we were asked to survey.
Jon Wood stepped down as Chair after two years in office. Tony Hutson was elected the new Chair, Catherine Jackson is Deputy Chair, Jacqui Hutson is Treasurer and Sally Huband is Secretary. The other committee members are Jon Wood, Denise Hall, James Otway and two newly elected members: Lynn Baxter and Simon Harding.
Plumpton Mill Open Gardens - 19 May
A very successful day at Plumpton Mill open gardens, courtesy of Carole and Paul Nicholson. The event was to raise money for St Peter and St James' Hospice. PW&HG had a stall and raised £60 towards our own funds in plant sales and donations.
Nightingale walk - 3 May
We had a brilliant turnout - about two dozen people (our largest group yet) ventured out in the evening of 3 May in search of nightingale song. Sadly, the nightingles were less forthcoming. There was a bit of throat-clearing but it was only when the group decided to call it a night and to head home to bed that one bird took pity and burst into glorious song.
Sadly by then half the group had already departed but the rest of us were treated to a glorious concert. Unforgetable.
Sadly by then half the group had already departed but the rest of us were treated to a glorious concert. Unforgetable.
Pocket Park
Plumpton Parish Council has invited PW&HG to conduct a survey of the Pocket Park - the small piece of woodland south of Riddens Lane and north of the Bevern Stream, with a view to managing it as a wildlife conservation area for the whole village to enjoy and for children to use as a educational resource. We have now completed the survey, which we have passed to the Parish Council. The site, while not qualifying formally as Ancient Woodland, dates back to at least 1840, and contains some rare and many important wildflower species. The report can be found here.
Toads
24 March 2013
Following a sudden warm break in the cold weather, hundreds of toads set off in early March to return to their natal birthing ponds to breed. Sadly, as our survey of the nights 7-9 March showed, the toll of road deaths was huge as greater than usual numbers all set off in a conentrated time period. We counted nearly 350 toad deaths on those three nights alone. You can read the full report here.
Having collected the evidence, we will now work with East Sussex County Council and local conservation groups to signpost the toad crossings for next year, in the hope that motorists will be alerted to risk.
Following a sudden warm break in the cold weather, hundreds of toads set off in early March to return to their natal birthing ponds to breed. Sadly, as our survey of the nights 7-9 March showed, the toll of road deaths was huge as greater than usual numbers all set off in a conentrated time period. We counted nearly 350 toad deaths on those three nights alone. You can read the full report here.
Having collected the evidence, we will now work with East Sussex County Council and local conservation groups to signpost the toad crossings for next year, in the hope that motorists will be alerted to risk.