Upper Clun Community Wildlife Group


For more information please contact Leo Smith (acting chair) Tel: 01588 638577 Email: leo.smith@dsl.pipex.com Address: 8 Welsh Street Gardens, Bishops Castle, Shropshire, Sy9 5BH 2012 Survey Programme now available

About the group

The 2012 annual public meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 9th November at the Newcastle Community Centre. For further Information click here.

The Group is for everyone in the community, not just experts. Local people are shaping our work. They cover the catchment area of the River Clun west of Clun, including the valleys of the River Unk and the Folly Brook, plus the part of the Bettws y Crwyn parish that is outside the River Clun catchment area. It is open to anyone who lives or works in the area, and who wants to actively contribute to local knowledge and conservation.

Birds and plants have been surveyed each year since the Group started in 2007, and butterflies have been covered since 2010. Well over 100 local people have undertaken surveys or provided information on the Group’s target species. The mailing list includes over 150 local people at 120 address, plus representatives of various organisations.

Full Annual Reports, setting out survey results and action to promote conservation of Target Species, have been produced (copies available on request) and presented to annual public meetings held each November. Each Annual Meeting has been well attended by members, who considered results of surveys and future plans, and elected the Management Committee.
Management Committee

Aims and Objectives

The overall objectives of the Upper Clun Community Wildlife Group are;

Undertake survey work to establish the status of key bird and plant species and habitats
Encourage and enhance local interest in wildlife
Actively promote conservation.

The group is aiming to find all breeding pairs of Lapwing and Curlew, monitor other important farmland birds, and promote their conservation. Barn Owls, Dippers and woodland birds are also helped through nest box schemes. Specific wild flowers, typical of important habitats, have been searched for, and we are now conducting full plant surveys where they were found to see if these places should be adopted as County Wildlife Sites. As knowledge has increased, the Group is actively promoting conservation of popular “flagship” wildlife species by working with farmers, landowners and Government Agencies to protect and restore important habitats and sites, especially the “wetlands”.

Survey Work

Most of the Birds, Plants and Butterflies surveyed are target species in the Shropshire Biodiversity Action Plan. Four years results (2007 – 10) have now been presented in Annual Reports to Public Meetings. All members carrying out the surveys have received personal encouragement, training and support.The Lower Short Ditch / Turbary SWT Nature Reserve was surveyed in 2007, mainly to find the typical heathland birds. The extremely important local Snipe population at Rhos Fiddle SWT Nature Reserve was resurveyed in 2009, and 4 pairs were found, more than in 2004 and 2007.

The Bird Group

Found only two pairs of breeding Lapwing in 2007 and 2008, none at all in 2009, and only one in 2010. Lapwings are on the verge of local extinction, unless immediate and effective action is taken to save them. Curlews have continued to decline as well – even fewer were found in 2010 (9 – 11 pairs) than in 2009 (10 – 14 pairs), which was less than 2008 (14 - 17 pairs) and 2007 (20 - 22 pairs). At the current rate of decline Curlews too will be locally extinct within a few years. Another 13 species were also surveyed in 2010, mainly those using “wetland” habitat. Well over 60 people have undertaken surveys or provided information. Also, 14 breeding pairs of Dippers were found in 2009 and 2010, but only 1 pair of Barn Owls. Red Kites returned to breed in 2007 after a gap of over 130 years, and 4 nests were found in 2009 (3 were successful) and 2010 (two successful).

The Plant Group

Searched for 36 different plants in 2008, 12 typical of each of grassland and woodland, together with the 12 started in 2007. In 2009 and 2010, full surveys were carried out at existing Wildlife Sites and other areas identified through the previous work. Ninety target species, the Shropshire ‘axiophytes’, were recorded in both 2009 and 2010. These plants are good ecological indicators because they are uncommon and indicate unspoilt habitat that has escaped agricultural improvement, usually because the ground is too steep or wet. Fourteen existing Wildlife Sites and an additional 23 other sites were visited in 2010, and 11 potential new Wildlife Sites have been identified. Altogether, over 50 recorders have undertaken surveys, and many other people have provided information.

The Butterfly Group

This group started in 2010 and embarked on a survey of fritillary butterflies, finding several important sites for Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

2012 Survey programme

Survey activities for 2012 have already been arranged. This will include surveys for;

Lapwings, Curlews and other birds
Wildflowers
Butterflies
Ancient trees
Wetland and Wildlife Sites

To see the full programme, or to get involved click here.

Conservation Action

As well as working with individual farmers and landowners, we have promoted conservation by publishing, including the following documents
• Please Conserve Our Curlews
• Please Help Hedgerow Birds
• Managing Wetlands For Wildlife
• Response to Shropshire Hills AONB Management Plan 2009-14 Consultation

The three survey groups covered the same “wetland” sites in 2010, and our results highlighted some of the best sites for wildlife. We therefore produced a new statement Farmland of High Conservation Value, Wildlife Sites and Environmental Stewardship Higher Level Scheme Agreements. This has been agreed and endorsed by Natural England, and it will be used in discussions with farmers and landowners in the coming months. Several new County Wildlife Sites have also been identified and adopted.

All these leaflets have been included in an Annual Report, and further copies are available on request.

Management Commitee

Role
• organise survey work
• involve more local people
• work with local people and other groups to develop a policy for Conservation Action
• seek to influence other organisations
• obtain and manage funds to continue existing work and develop new projects

Current Membership
Leo Smith (Acting Chair)
Mervin Mullard (Treasurer from 1/4/2011)
Michelle Frater (Birds Recorder)
Fiona Gomersall (Plants Recorder)
Rob Rowe (Publicity Officer)
Joy Grenall
Cath Landles
John Swift
Trevor Wheeler
Bill Hendley

The post of Secretary is currently vacant.

Co-operation with Farmers, Landowners & Other Organisations

The vast majority of the area cover by the group is farmland, and almost all of the birds and plants that the group wishes to conserve live on it. Close co-operation with farmers is therefore crucial to our success. Five farmers have already received increased payments from Natural England, in return for managing their farms to provide better habitat for our target birds and plants, as a direct result of the group’s work.

The committee, and the survey groups, have the support of three professional advisers: Cath Landles (Shropshire Hills AONB Community Officer), Leo Smith and Fiona Gomersall.

The Group work closely with individual farmers and landowners and Government Agencies. They have established working links with the local Branch of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, and the Clun Forest Land, Life and Livelihoods Steering Group. The group also have the support of the Bishop’s Castle SWT Branch, and the Shropshire Hills AONB Partnership.

	Report and annual meeting
The group have produce full annual reports of our activities and results since 2007, including the conservation actions outlined above. These have been presented to well attended annual public meetings each November. Copies of the report can be obtained by contacting Leo Smith.