Leader: Matt Wickens Coordinator and Reporter: Sue Gale There was a good turn-out for the visit to Sweet Briar Marshes NWT, probably because people had been enthused by the talk in August by Matt Wickens, Urban Reserve Manager. He had agreed to take us round the recently acquired reserve to demonstrate what he had been talking about. Most of us met in the car park on Hellesdon Road and took the very overgrown riverside path to reach Marriott’s Way. Over the bridge and it was only a short walk to the main entrance, where we met up with Matt. We set off to walk around the dry sandy grassland in the upper (8m high!) part of the reserve, much of which had been arable land until around 20 years ago. Now it is species-rich grassland interspersed with scrubby bushes, although by mid-September the flowers were mostly over. Between our path and the river were the wet grasslands, where we could see the last of the Meadowsweet flowering and where we had seen a Grasshopper Warbler earlier in the year. Along its edges there were some signs of Himalayan Balsam, which volunteers had spent time pulling out in the summer, but Matt advised that we leave it alone for now rather than risk spreading seeds around the reserve or the Valley. We admired the ‘Robin’s Nests’ on the Dog rose bushes – wasp galls that look very attractive and often house a complicated series of parasitic wasps. We found some Hare’s Foot clover – an indicator of the dry sandy soil. So far, no snakes have been seen on the reserve, and the single Lizard sighting has not been repeated. At this time of year there is not much evidence of birds, although we heard plenty of Robins singing. A Kestrel hovered over the wet grassland and we watched a Buzzard being mobbed by 4 very persistent Crows. As we moved on into the mature woodland a Great-spotted Woodpecker made its presence felt, and we admired the nest sites used by two pairs of Treecreeper this summer. We also
saw the woodland pools, the result of periglacial ground ice depressions, although the water levels were quite low at this time of year. These pools are rain-fed, so obviously not reliable in dry weather, and although the frogs have done well this year it is possible insects such as dragonfly larvae may struggle. Also looking very much at home in the woodland was the small herd of British White Cattle. They are constrained by electronic collars within chosen areas of the reserve, and currently have the run of the higher ground, including the wood. Matt intends to move them on to the wet grassland soon, while the going is not too wet. We saw several oaks that had succumbed due to the very wet conditions earlier this year and had uprooted. This provides ongoing habitats for all manner of species and also helps to create gaps in the woodland to provide the desired dappled sunlight. During the walk Matt pointed out several areas away from the public paths where there might be birds of interest, and we will be spending some time with him to modify our recording route to take account of these. I think we were all impressed by the size and potential of the reserve. Those of you not already involved in bird recording here, please consider joining us. You would only need to do between 2 and 4 visits a year to contribute. Meanwhile many thanks to Matt for a truly interesting visit on what turned out to be a beautiful morning. Bird List Magpie Woodpigeon Blue Tit Lesser Black-backed Gull Blackbird Robin Kestrel Jay Jackdaw Kingfisher Buzzard Greenfinch Blackcap Carrion Crow Great Spotted Woodpecker Green Woodpecker Bullfinch
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January 2025
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