Nature recovery is a key part of our ongoing work to conserve and enhance the Dedham Vale National Landscape. Our Nature Network Officer, Alex Moore da Luz, provides a round-up from all of our nature recovery projects and volunteer work parties for February 2024.
Tiger Hill
The Nature Network Volunteers were out once again at Tiger Hill carrying out more fantastic work to help the Dedham Vale National Landscape’s flagship species – the hazel dormouse. They helped to plant trees and coppice woodland.
Coppicing (particularly hazel) really helps the hazel dormouse because it allows light to reach the woodland floor which encourages the understorey to grow full of plants that provide food and cover.
Stratford St Mary
A big thanks to the volunteers that helped to plant hedges at a farm in Stratford St Mary. In addition to a contractor sourced through the Hedgerow Heroes Project that planted too, 1.1km of new hedges and gapping up of existing ones was carried out.
Bridge Farm, Dedham
Bird monitoring has been carried out at Bridge Farm in our partnership project with the National Trust and the Environment Agency. Here is a list of some of the birds spotted in February. The number indicates the most seen at any one time:
- Wigeon – 3
- Snipe – 60
- Mallard – 20
- Common Gull – 97
- Teal – 40
- Moorhen – 2
- Mute Swan – 3
- Lapwing – 5
- Pied Wagtail – 1
- Cormorant – 1
- Herring Gull – 1
- Gadwall – 4
- Shoveler – 4
- Red Kite – 1
- Black Tailed Godwit – 2
- Grey Wagtail – 1
- Black Headed Gull – 231
- Egyptian Goose – 2
Dedham – Adjacent to Dedham Mill Pond
Incessant rain scuppered plans on two occasions in February to dig a wildlife scrape and erect three horse proof timber tree guards for Black Poplars on flood meadow habitat in Constable Country adjacent to Dedham Mill Pond.
We hope the conditions will be favourable in March to carry out this partnership project with the Environment Agency and a local landowner. The project is funded through the Water Environment Improvement Fund and it is hoped the scrape will hold onto flood water to create feeding habitats for birds in the winter and early spring.
The Black Poplar trees will enhance the landscape and encourage a multitude of different moths and other wildlife.
Upcoming Nature Recovery Work Parties
- Wednesday 6th March – Shotley Gate – Wader Fencing Erection
- Friday 8th March – Bawdsey – Hedge Planting
- Thursday 14th March – Shotley Gate – Wader Fencing Erection
- Friday 15th March – Higham, Giffords Hall – Giant Hogweed Control
- Friday 22nd March – Task tbc