Our dedicated band of volunteers give their time freely each
week to help around the NNR, and are no strangers to a bit of habitat
management and tree felling, so it was a nice change last week to be planting
some instead! Following a successful grant application by the Friends of the
Lower Derwent Valley to the Environment Agency, the team made a start planting
several hundred Crab Apple trees in the hedges surrounding the reserve. These
trees will be a great addition to the landscape surrounding the valley, especially
at North Duffield Carrs and Bank Island in a few years’ time, providing plenty of additional food and habitat for a wide
range of species including wintering thrushes, finches, small mammals and
numerous invertebrates and in turn, increasing the enjoyment of our visitors.
The team also managed to spread and sow the wildflower seeds in the meadow next
to the NNR base, to add to the diversity and attractiveness of this field, as
well as a range of other tasks.
Recently our staff and volunteers have also been busy working between
Wheldrake Ings and Skipwith Common, with the last of the scrub
management work now completed for the breeding season. Over the last couple of
months contractors have been clearing birch scrub from the Common for use on
horse jumps, and in doing so have provided excellent flight lines and feeding
opportunities for heathland species such as Nightjars and Woodlarks, as well as
sunny glades and sheltered spots for basking Adders, Grass Snakes and Common
Lizards. The diverse structure and varied woodland edge will prove more
suitable for moths and other invertebrates, as well as increasing the ground
flora. Our team have been helping the site’s owners, Escrick Park Estate, tidy
the brash resulting from the work (building hibernacula and brash piles for the
reptiles found on the Common), providing cover and micro-habitats for them to
move along. Many thanks as always to our team for doing such a great job on the
NNR, giving up their free time to help improve the site for both wildlife and
people.
The nice weather of last week was not only enjoyed by our staff
and volunteers, but also by our local Adder population, with the warm sunshine
luring them out of hibernation. Whilst carrying out habitat management work on
Skipwith Common NNR, our team checked some of the favoured spots during their
lunch break, and were pleased to spot an Adder coiled up among the bracken and
heather, along with several Common Lizards and the first Grass Snakes of the
year. After a long winter spent in hibernation and months without feeding,
Adders need to use the sun's rays to warm up their bodies to build up their
energy and strength, and to allow their muscles to work properly. Adders are
Britain’s only venomous snake - they subdue their prey (frogs, toads, nestlings
and small mammals) using venom, however they are not a threat to people unless
disturbed – if you are fortunate enough to come across a sighting of an Adder
(or Grass Snake), then please watch from a distance and try not disturb them, thank
you.
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