Our October indoor meeting was a talk by Ailsa Claybourn entitled Storks over Sussex.
Ailsa, a former English teacher, has been a lifelong enthusiast for birds and nature in general and her enthusiasm has led her to explore in depth what can and is being done to remedy the lamentable state of nature in the UK.
The UK ranks third from the bottom among European countries for biodiversity with huge and ongoing declines in birds, mammals, insects and plants and one in every six species facing extinction.
The title of the lecture was inspired by the return of White Storks to the UK with successful breeding in 2020 for the first time since 1414.
The Storks bred at the Knepp estate in Sussex which is home to the Wilding project which has generated both controversy and hope for the future of UK biodiversity.
Knepp was, for many years, a loss-making farm, and in 2001 set out to establish a functioning and sustainable ecosystem inspired by a successful and much larger scale project in Oostvaardesplassen in the Netherlands.
Longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, Red Deer and Exmoor ponies provide the grazing and soil disturbance to create the wooded pasture which enables a vast range of species to flourish. Rootling pigs enabled scarlet pimpernel to flourish and the seeds of the pimpernel are loved by Turtle Doves, numbers of which increase year on year.
The pigs also encouraged the growth of sallows on which purple emperor butterflies lay their eggs. On one day in 2018, 388 purple emperors were counted.
Knepp is not intended as a model to replace farming but rather as a teaching tool for what can be achieved on wasteland and poor quality farmland. The hope is that wildlife corridors can be created to link sites and enable species to spread from one area to another.
The idea of Rewilding has helped to spawn the Regenerative Farming movement which is gaining popularity among young farmers. The aim is to run productive farms while enhancing the environment.
The practice of mob grazing in which sheep are allowed to graze a small area for between one and four days and then moved to a different area rather than being left in a large area for up to four months, means that the grass and other plants are never grazed right down and so produce new growth quickly and the soil is not compacted.
This greatly increases biodiversity, invertebrates increase, small mammals still have grass to shelter in and barn owls can flourish.
The restoration of ponds and hedges on these farms further increases the predators needed to control pests and the pollinators vital for successful crops.
Ailsa ended her fascinating talk with a reminder of the wonderful range of farmland birds which nest in hedgerows and field edges.
On Sunday, October 15, six members of the group met up at Titchfield Haven nature reserve on the Hampshire coast. This site has been in the local news a lot recently as Hampshire Council have decided to sell the visitor centre for redevelopment, but that did not affect our visit, though we met some locals who are trying to save the building.
It was sunny but cold and despite the approach of winter, a small number of Swallows and a Wheatear were still about.
A Knot was with the Turnstones on the beach; usually Knot live in large flocks of their own kind.
We saw a good selection of waders and ducks on the river and scrapes, including quite a few Snipe and Oystercatchers.
A Jack Snipe had been seen earlier in the day but could not be found when we arrived, but we had a good view of a Kingfisher instead. We had a good day out and recorded 54 species of bird.
On Tuesday, October 17, we visited Cowleaze Woods just north of Christmas Common for a walk through the woods and into Aston Rowant nature reserve.
It was a bright day with a cold east wind. Redwings and Fieldfares coming in for the winter were flying about and some landed to feed in the bushes on the berries. A couple of Skylarks put in a brief appearance and a sighting of a Sparrowhawk made a change from the ever present Red Kites and there was also a Buzzard about.
A Raven and Green Woodpecker also showed. The woods were quiet but we did see a Nuthatch. A pleasant walk and we recorded 23 species of bird.
On Tuesday, November 14, we will be transported to Ecuador and Colombia by Andy Tucker from Naturetrek.
On Sunday, November 19, there will be a minibus trip to WWT Slimbridge and on Tuesday, November 21, a trip to look for winter ducks at Staines Reservoir.
All indoor meetings are held in Pangbourne Village Hall starting at 8pm.
Visitors are very welcome. There is an entrance fee of £5 for non-members, juniors half price. New members are always welcome with annual membership set at a modest £15 (£10 for juniors).
For more information visit: group.rspb.org.uk/reading
