Rewilding Diaries - January 2024
Each month we share news with you on the fantastic progress and comings and goings at Nattergals site in Boothby, Lincolnshire. It’s certainly been a busy month, here's some of the highlights
Bird ringing flies into action
‘Ringing in the New Year’ is a tradition where bells are rung to celebrate beginnings and endings but, in this sense, we want to introduce you to a different type of ringing….bird ringing! This is the process of capturing wild birds and fitting them with a lightweight, uniquely numbered metal leg ring. This provides a harmless and reliable method of marking birds as individuals.
Our ranger, Lloyd, is a qualified bird ringer and has begun using these skills to study some of the birds around Boothby. (Pictured above is a young male sparrowhawk, with its ring visible on its right leg.) So far, more than 50 birds have received a ring and this will continue through 2024. Lloyd is establishing long-term studies that will help us better understand our changing bird populations at Boothby as the land rewilds. All the records will be submitted to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO, which coordinates UK bird ringing), contributing to important scientific monitoring at a national level as well.
But why do we ring birds? The main aim is to monitor bird populations. For example, it allows us to study how many chicks leave the nest and survive through to adulthood and then how they fare with the pressures of migration, breeding and severe weather.
January Floods
We’re only a few days into January 2024 and we’ve already seen high rainfall causing widespread flooding as Storm Henk wreaked havoc across the UK. Our local area was no exception, with water running off the fields in numerous locations. The West Glen River breached its banks along much of its course in Boothby Wildland, as well as flooding the road on the B1176 in Corby Glen and again in Creeton. This has resulted in abandoned cars, road closures and calls out to the fire service.
Our aim in restoring the 2km of the West Glen River flowing through Boothby is to ‘slow the flow’ and help prevent or reduce future flooding incidents. We’re already experiencing warmer, wetter winters due to our changing climate and unfortunately extreme events such as this are likely to become more commonplace in the future.
We appreciate lots of local people are keen to hear our plans on restoring the West Glen and what benefits there will be for people, wildlife and the climate. Watch this space as our February newsletter will feature some important news and details about the consultation we’re planning with our local community.
No more tree guards
In line with our rewilding principles, we have been removing plastic tree guards across Boothby Wildland (above). We don’t mind a bit of browsing by deer as it is a vital natural process, and spiny shrubs like blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) often act as natural tree guards, protecting oak saplings growing beneath their branches until they grow large enough to fend for themselves (blackthorn is sometimes known as ‘mother of the oak’ for this reason).
Rewilding kick-starters
As we enter the New Year, we continue our rewilding plans. To really get things going, we can help ‘kick-start’ the land and soil’s recovery. You may have already spotted some willow whips appearing, or piles of deadwood and brash in the middle of the large fields – encouraging new growth as well as animals to visit and play their part in spreading seeds.
One kick-starter we’ll be trialling in the coming months is the creation of some ‘rough and loose’. Rough and loose is a conservation term for creating some small ‘hills and hollows’ that will, put simply, end up something akin to a lunar landscape!
The aim is to create diversity in structure across a site. Although the land is sloping in parts, our large fields are incredibly flat. Rough and loose will help give variety, creating areas for water to sit, as well as establishing south facing banks as well as more shady patches.
We’ve also identified areas where the limestone bedrock, which is very characteristic of the wider area, sits not far below the surface. By creating areas of thin limestone soils, we’re helping increase the diversity of plants across Boothby. Limestone grasslands are known to be rich areas for wildlife, supporting a variety of specialist plants, which in turn host different types of insects.
So, watch this space as we begin some initial trials. And don’t be alarmed if you see us digging… we’re just doing some exploring and giving nature a helping hand.