South East

Pledge a pitch for Kent turtle doves!

2019-08-29T12:36:00Z

Pledge a Pitch for turtle doves and help save them from extinction in the UK!

Kent is one of the few remaining UK breeding strongholds for turtle dove, but a lack of suitable habitat still means these birds are not breeding here as successfully as they once did. Turtle doves have suffered a 94% UK population decline since 1995 and are now Vulnerable to Global Extinction.

If we don’t act now, these iconic birds could disappear forever.

The ultimate ‘love birds’, turtle doves are recognisable by their purring call and tortoiseshell feathering. They are often seen in pairs and are featured as romantic icons throughout music and literature by writers such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and Carol Anne Duffy. If you’ve ever hung a dove shaped ornament on your Christmas tree, it is likely to be based on the two turtle doves mentioned in the 12 Days of Christmas carol.

Managing a small pitch of land, around the same area as a family size tent (approx. 5 x 8 foot) can make all the difference for these evocative birds and help them to inspire art and culture for generations to come.

With your help, we want to create a patchwork of ponds, scrub and native wildflower plots throughout Kent, to help these special birds breed more successfully across the county.

You don’t need to personally own the land you pledge, it can be community land such as a park or greenspace, a local school grounds or even the edge of a local golf course! You just need to make sure you have the landowner’s permission to make some small changes for nature.

What do turtle doves need?

Unlike many other threatened species, turtle doves can become regular visitors to gardens, community green spaces and churchyards; provided there is the right food, water and shelter to attract them.

We’re working with campsite, vineyard and even business park owners to help create better habitat for the rare turtle doves that have been spotted there!

They have three basic requirements; turtle doves choose to nest in a tangle of dense native hedgerow and scrub, like to forage on the ground for native wildflower seed and need water sources with shallow edges to drink from.

Young turtle doves do not venture far when they first leave the nest, so the key thing is to have all of these features close together in known nesting areas.

I'm keen to help! What can I do?

Feed the birds

Feeding the birds is a great way to encourage wildlife into your garden. We are getting increasing reports of turtle doves feeding in Kent gardens, so you may even attract your own. Ensure you follow a hygiene regime for seed feeders. If you have a large garden and are in an area you know has turtle doves, you could try putting down a special supplementary feed mix designed specifically for them. Learn more

Create a native foraging patch

Either plant a small patch of native wildflowers such as birds foot trefoil, early white clover and fumitory, or if you are on a light soil, you could try cultivating a small patch of ground and allow for natural regeneration. Turtle doves feed on seeds of native wildflowers, but it’s important that these areas are not too high or dense – they need patches of bare ground within the foraging habitat to allow them easy access to get at the seeds. The great thing about creating native wildflower areas is that this habitat will have benefits for many other species too – including other birds, bees and butterflies. Learn more

Create a wildlife pond

Turtle doves, like all birds, will need somewhere to drink. A wildlife pond would be the ideal – with gentle slopping edges to allow birds easy access to the water’s edge. Look to install native oxygenating plants to help keep your pond clean and healthy. If you don’t have room for a pond, putting water put for the birds is always a good idea (i.e a bird bath). The key thing is to maintain good hygiene and ensure the water is changed regularly. Learn more

Nesting habitat

If you are fortunate to have an area of scrub or hedgerow in the garden, then the best thing to do would be allow these areas to thicken up. Turtle doves use thick scrubby areas for nesting and particularly like species such as hawthorn and blackthorn with native climbing plants such as bramble and old man’s beard. If you don’t have any native trees or shrubs in the garden, you could always consider planting your own hedgerow or scrubby patch. It may take some time to get to the size and height for turtle doves to use but the great thing is other species will be likely to use it in the meantime. Learn more

When do I need to pledge by?

Early Autumn to Winter is the best time to work on turtle dove habitat, as the birds will be safely sunning themselves in Africa, September is the perfect time to get started! Turtle doves return in April so to attract them to your land next summer, we would recommend that any habit works should be ready by then.

Our Conservation Advisor, Nicole Khan, can give you all the advice you need to help manage your pitch!

What if I don’t have any land to pledge?

We are always looking for volunteers, we may be able to pair you up with a community pitch near you or you could help us with surveying for turtle doves in your local area. Do get in touch if you want to help out!

How can my efforts help other wildlife?

The ideal turtle dove habitat can also be great for other birds, butterflies, bees and mammals too, so by helping them, you can help a whole host of wildlife in your local area. Some of our project partners have attracted other threatened species such as yellowhammer, linnets, yellow wagtails and hedgehogs.

It’s a great project for teaching kids and communities about conservation too, so if you’ve been looking for something positive to do to improve your local area for wildlife, why not choose this?

What is the RSPB doing for turtle doves?

Since 2012, the RSPB has been working as part of Operation Turtle Dove to help ensure that these rare migratory doves continue to breed where they still hold breeding territories, mainly in Kent, Sussex, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. We have also been undertaking research into the declines, both in the UK and on migration routes. You can find out more about Operation Turtle Dove here.

Working with farmers and landowners, we have already helped protect acres of suitable habitat across Kent. Many of these sites now have regular returning birds and enjoy the sight of fledgling turtle doves feeding on the specially created plots.

For larger landowners, where turtle doves hold breeding territories, Operation Turtle Dove has developed a specialist seed mix, which can help supplement the bird’s diet during the key breeding season.

We are also helping farmers and landowners to access government funding to manage this important habitat, through agri-environment schemes. If you are a larger landowner in Kent or Sussex and want more information on managing your land for turtle doves, please do contact us!

To find out more about turtle doves, including details of the seed mix and the reasons for their global declines, visit www.operationturtledove.org or watch our short video below

Our response to hedge cutting by Thanet District Council

2019-06-10T13:02:00Z

We have seen the upsetting images of the hedging works undertaken at the Winter Gardens, Margate and share your concerns over the destruction of important wildlife habitat during the sensitive breeding season.

We've received messages from the public asking us to investigate this situation and we've been in conversation with both Thanet District Council and Kent Police.

We understand that Kent Police are now conducting enquiries into the actions of Thanet District Council. We will be looking to Kent Police to provide us and the public with updates on these enquiries.

The Police have responsibility for enforcing the law which protects nesting birds (The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) If you ever have evidence that a wildlife crime has been committed, please ensure that you contact the Police directly, using the 101 telephone number. They have informed us they cannot act on social media reports.

The RSPB is not the authority responsible for enforcing the law; our role is to offer expert advice on how best to protect wildlife.

Had Thanet District Council sought our advice before commencing these works, we could have discussed how best to do any essential works while minimising the disturbance to wildlife. As soon as concerned members of the public made us aware of the issue, we contacted the Council and made them aware of our advice and concerns, in case further hedgerow or tree works were planned. Thanet District Council have assured us that no further hedge cutting works are scheduled, which they have also stated in a statement they have released online.

Our advice on hedge and tree maintenance is always to avoid undertaking this during the sensitive breeding season (March-August for most bird species). Given the current climate crisis, the RSPB strongly advises that people should be doing more to protect nature, not just the legal minimum. We want to see better planning for nature, to ensure that hedgerow and tree works are always done outside of the breeding season and those that are unavoidable, for health and safety reasons, should be done in the least disruptive way to wildlife.

We have also updated our position on undertaking hedge and tree works during breeding season.

We urge local authorities and developers to read this before scheduling works at this sensitive time.

Our nature is in crisis and we all have a responsibility to do more to protect it.

It's back! Book your Big Wild Sleepout places today!

2019-05-31T10:29:00Z

Join the RSPB’s annual Big Wild Sleepout this summer and spend an exclusive a night under the stars on an RSPB nature reserve!

Offering truly unique camping environments, these events are about much more than just pitching up. Packed with fun-filled family activities, our Big Wild Sleepout events are designed to entertain and educate families about nature.

At RSPB Pulborough Brooks in West Sussex, you can uncover moths, bats and enjoy unrivalled night skies at this stunning South Downs location. The reserve is within one of only 11 Dark Skies Reserves in the world, offering campers the chance to enjoy exceptionally clear skies at night and enjoy activities in beautiful surroundings during the day. Particularly great for little ones, we’ve recently invested in fantastic wild play equipment at this reserve. Event runs Saturday 3^rd to Sunday 4^th August.. Visit http://bit.ly/BWSO19PB to book your place.

Right on the edge of London, our RSPB Rainham Marshes reserve is a city break with a difference! Replace the noise of city life with the plop of a water vole searching for food and the calming call of lapwing as they look after fluffy chicks. You might even spot a ‘ghost’…the pale, silent form of a barn owl hunting over the marshes! Event runs Saturday 3^rd to Sunday 4^th August. Visit http://bit.ly/BWSO19RM to book your place.

Head to RSPB Farnham Heath, Surrey to explore bug traps, wildlife walks and search for a toasting stick before tucking into marshmallows cooked on the campfire. The reserve is part of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and campers can explore the stunning heathland before sleeping under the stars. Running Saturday 27^th to Sunday 28^th July. Visit http://bit.ly/BWSO19FH to book your place.

This event is now full! Watch the sunrise over the UK’s only desert landscape at RSPB Dungeness, on the Kent coast. This unique corner of the UK is home to lots of weird and wonderful wildlife. Search for dragonflies and moths on a bioblitz and watch to scores of swifts screaming across the skies as they pick off flies above huge lakes. Last year’s campers found glow worms before bed and woke up to marsh harriers gliding across sunrise skies! Event runs Saturday 27^th to Sunday 28^th July.

For prices, tickets and more information please visit www.rspb.org.uk/sleepout. Booking in advance is essential for these events. Discounts are available for RSPB members.

Experience the Dawn Chorus with the RSPB!

2019-04-02T09:25:00Z

Have you heard about and been inspired by our Let Nature Sing single? Why not come and hear this spring spectacular in all its glory?

RSPB South East reserves are great places to get up close to nature and hear the wonder of the dawn chorus in person. Join us at one of our special Dawn Chorus events throughout April and May, where you can experience the performance of our feathered friends, as they sing to attract a mate and defend their territory! Birds can be at their noisiest and most tuneful first thing in the morning, and what starts off as delightful chirping with a few birds – such as robins and blackbirds – builds and reaches a beautiful crescendo as more and more in the area join the choir.

Late April through to early June is the best time to hear the dawn chorus and a great time to get outdoors and experience the joy of nature as it awakens with the sunrise. Studies have shown that hearing birdsong appeals to our subconscious – it makes us feel relaxed, our heart rate lowers and we feel all is right in the world.

Whether you’d like to try and catch the boom of a bittern at RSPB Dungeness, hear a nightingale at RSPB Pulborough Brooks or a woodlark at RSPB Broadwater Warren, we have lots of great options for you to choose from – find an event that most suits you:

Dawn Chorus at RSPB Rainham Marshes
Experience the magic of dawn with a guided walk with one of our experts that will help you identify what birds are singing at this time of year - and then head back to the café!
Sun 5^th & Sun 12^th May (4-7am).

Note: The following Dawn Chorus events are now fully booked:

Bittern Breakfast at RSPB Dungeness
Experience the distinctive call of a booming bittern echoing from the reedbeds, followed by a tasty breakfast!
Sat 27^th April (7-10am) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Dawn Chorus Walk at RSPB Broadwater Warren
As they warm up their vocal chords, learn how to identify between a melodious blackbird, a rather intense wren, a newly-arrived warbler and perhaps the beautiful song of the woodlark. Other woodland birds such as the Song thrush and nuthatch might even join the choir!
Sat 4^th May (5-7.30am) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Up With The Lark at RSPB Farnham Heath
Farnham Heath reserve provides the stage for tree pipet, woodlark, redstart and Dartford warblers. Experience the dawn chorus on this gentle 1.5-2 hour amble around the reserve, with refreshments provided!
Sun 5^th May (5.15am) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Dawn Chorus at RSPB Pagham Harbour
Close your eyes and soak up the sound of birdsong as it gathers from a single voice into the crescendo of a full orchestra in a ‘secret’ part of our reserve, followed by a well-deserved breakfast!
Sun 5^th May (4.30-7am) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Dawn Chorus Walk at RSPB Hazeley Heath
Experience the dawn chorus on this gentle 2 hour amble around the reserve listening for the specialist heath species together with the more common birds.
Sat 11^th May (5.15-7.15am) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Birdsong Masterclass special edition at RSPB Pulborough Brooks
Start the day out on the reserve enjoying the birdsong (most likely including the beautiful voice of the nightingale!), before returning to the centre for a workshop to hone your birdsong identification skills - with a delicious breakfast sandwiched in between. Then you’ll head out again to explore and put your new found skills to the test!
Sat 18^th May (8am-12pm) - NOW FULLY BOOKED

Visit the RSPB Dawn Chorus webpage to book your place on these special events (which are selling out fast!) and for details on these and other events happening at our reserves. http://bit.ly/DawnChorus2019

Go wild at our South East RSPB reserves this Spring!

2019-03-19T16:31:00Z

We’ve got some great family events in London, Sussex and Kent this Spring! Take a look below for some inspiration for the school holidays…

Get active in nature at RSPB Rainham Marshes, London

Investigate the weird and wonderful creatures that lurk in the watery depths of our ponds with our pond dipping events on selected days between 9-25 April, or hire an explorer bag from reception (£3) at any time during the holidays. Spend the day discovering this fantastic reserve on the edge of London, which is suited to the whole family, with adventure and toddler playgrounds, climbing boulders and bicycle hire – all surrounded by wonderful wildlife. Have a browse in our shop and refuel on food and snacks in our award-winning café.

Pond dipping takes place Tuesday 9-Thursday 11 and Tuesday 23-Thursday 25 April, 10.30 am-12 noon or 1.30-3 pm. For more details please visit www.rspb.org.uk/rainhammarshes or call the reserve on 01708 899851.

Wild families will love our RSPB Pulborough Brooks reserve, West Sussex

Events include our ‘Mousehunt’ where you can become a wildlife detective looking for poo, prints and nibbled nuts to track down some amazing mammals or you can try your hand at pond dipping. For more details on dates, times and costs of events please visit www.rspb.org.uk/pulboroughbrooks. Our springtime wildlife quiz trail activities will also run daily between 6-21 April from 9.30am-5pm. Nature trail entry fees apply (£6 adult, £3 child, free to RSPB members).

Choose to be beside the sea at RSPB Pagham Harbour, West Sussex

Learn about the bugs that live on the reserve before creating your own mini-beasts to take home. Plus, meet some of the weird and wonderful creatures that lurk in the watery depths of our pond (with the help of a net!). Family events will run on Tuesday 9, Thursday 11, Tuesday 16 and Thursday 18 April from 10.30-12.30 (£3 per child, £2 RSPB members) and for more details please visit www.rspb.org.uk/paghamharbour or call 01243 641 508.

Discover all things weird and wonderful at RSPB Dungeness, Kent

Dungeness is home to many special animals including lizards and great crested newts, a variety of rare bumblebees and is a magnet for huge flocks of birds – a joy to watch for all the family!

Join us on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 18 April, 11am-3pm for our ‘Wild Families’ days, packed full of activities to get you excited about wildlife and the great outdoors. There is plenty to keep you busy, including bug catching, den building and pond dipping - where you will discover the weird and wonderful creatures that lurk in the watery depths! Prices: £8 per child, 20% discount for RSPB Wildlife Explorers and £2 per accompanying adult. For more details please visit www.rspb.org.uk/dungeness or call 01797 320 588.

Contact a reserve now to book, and check out the RSPB webpage for other events.

Bittern breakfast events back by popular demand!

2019-02-19T14:04:00Z

At RSPB Dungeness, one of the first signs of spring is a booming sound that carries far across the water.

This strange call is great news for the reserve team. It means Britain’s loudest bird, the bittern, has returned to breed again.

Once extinct in the UK, bitterns have only been booming at RSPB Dungeness since 2009, yet despite the relatively recent appearance, they are now regular visitors. Last year, bitterns even expanded their South East breeding range, with a pair recorded as nesting on our RSPB Brading Marshes reserve, in the Isle of Wight for the first time in history.

This highly secretive type of heron lives in dense reed beds, making them very difficult to survey, but the UK population has now reached its highest count since records began.

So many visitors are keen to see the rare birds that the reserve now offer special ‘bittern breakfast’ events, where guests can walk the reed beds just after sunrise; when the chance of hearing, or even seeing, a bittern is highest. Running every Saturday morning between Saturday 6, 20 & 27 April, and due to popular demand, a Sunday date on Sunday 14^th April.

Events cost £20 per adult (with discounts for members/ and children) and sell out fast. To book your place visit our Dungeness events page.

Image by Graham Parry

Discover the Brighton and Hove Swift City Project

2019-01-31T10:39:00Z

In spring and summer, the skies above Brighton and Hove come alive with swifts, as these aerial acrobats dart and dash through the skies, chasing insects for dinner.

But across the UK, swifts are in trouble, with their breeding numbers plummeting fast.

The number of UK swifts has dropped by more than 50% over the past 10 years and they need our help.

Across Brighton and Hove, residents are already hard at work to help ensure swifts still have a home here as part of the Swift City project, and you can help too.

Why are swifts in trouble?

Swifts are urban birds, and are very site faithful. Each year, they leave our shores, migrate over 1,000 miles to Africa, then return to exactly the same nest spot in the UK. This is usually a small space between roof tiles or tucked under the eaves of older buildings.

Yet more and more swifts are returning to discover their nest is gone or access has been blocked, as our older buildings get knocked down or patched up while they are away.

As swifts only visit the UK between May & August, people often don’t realise that swifts were using these holes and buildings.

But for swifts, this unexpected change can have serious consequences. Swifts cannot perch, so they are unable to land until they reach their nest. After a long migration they need to rest and recharge to make sure they are in prime condition before breeding season, but many now waste valuable energy looking for new nesting sites.

How can I help?

By helping us identify and record active nest sites around Brighton and Hove, you can help ensure that these swifts have a safe home to return to after their perilous journey. Our Swift Community Champions have already helped us to:

• Survey 105 nest sites since 2016

• Identify 81 nest sites in 2018, and they confirmed 51 of these as active.

• Install 20 new nest boxes in 2018

• Confirm that 30 sites identified 2016-17 were re-occupied 2018.

But sadly 24 sites where we expected to find nesting swifts were not active 2018, showing there is much more work to be done.

Volunteer Karolina really enjoyed her volunteering experience:

"Last spring I got involved with surveying swifts in Brighton and Hove. I would go out once or twice a week in the evening, with another surveyor, for couple of hours and we would look for low flying swift parties. I had never seen a swift before, or heard its iconic call, so it was all very exciting to see the first one.

When we found several nests, we felt very lucky, as it’s not easy to find them. It just makes you smile a lot when you see this little bird flying in to its nest for the night after hours of socialising up in the air, suddenly it’s all quiet.

Everyone can get involved in different ways. It doesn’t have to be a whole day, it can simply be a conversation with neighbours about the importance of providing future nesting sites. I even have a swift box now and hope swifts will choose to breed in it at some point!"

We need even more people like Karolina to help others install special swift nest boxes, identify active nest sites and spread the word about the project. If you could spare just a few hours a week you could help make a massive difference for swifts, right on your doorstep!

I can spare 5 minutes: Thank you! Please take 5 minutes to log your swift sightings online here

I can spare an hour or more: Thank you! We would love to hear from you and get you involved in swift volunteering, please email us at bhswifts@rspb.org.uk. Alternatively why not install a swift box on your home - visit our web page to learn how here.

I want to find out more about swifts: Visit our website!

Swift facts:

• Swifts are the fastest bird on the planet in level flight.

• They are in constant flight for 9 months of the year!

• They eat, sleep and mate on the wing.

• They are one of the last migrating birds to arrive in the UK and one of the first to leave

• Unlike most birds, they rely solely on urban developments for nesting.

Images by Ben Andrew

Doing more, together, to save South East nature - Day 7 - Halting declines

2018-12-16T10:30:00Z

We can do more for nature when we work together! We've pulled together some great examples of how businesses, partners, supporters and individuals have helped us achieve even more for nature in 2018.

We know that some UK species are in serious decline, and we've been investigating the best ways to help halt declines and create more robust populations. One of these species is the iconic turtle dove.

Most often associated with Christmas, these migratory birds are actually wintering in sub-Saharan Africa right now, but that doesn't mean we've stood still! Teams of farmers, landowners, donors and conservationists across Kent and Sussex are working hard to create habitat for them so that they can come back to safer, better breeding grounds in the spring!

Since 1995 we’ve lost 94% of turtle doves in the UK. No UK bird is declining faster.

Earlier this year, we ran a national fundraising appeal to help us save this species and thanks to the generosity of our fabulous appeal donors we’ve reached our target of £265,000 and that this sum raised will finance our turtle dove recovery work across the RSPB over the next two years. This money will help us to give them back the seeds, hedgerows and ponds they need.

We've already made great progress on creating new habitat in Kent and Sussex through our work with Operation Turtle Dove.

Operation Turtle Dove is a partnership project dedicated to tackling the issues turtle doves face in the UK, such as lack of food, safe nesting habitat and diseases. Our RSPB conservation advisors have been working with all kinds of landowners, from heritage sites to farmers, community groups and even in rural back gardens across Kent and Sussex!

We've offered advice on managing land for turtle doves, sown special seed mixes and helped create a vital mosaic of high quality breeding habitat across the South East. It's amazing how much impact lots of little pockets of habitat can make and we are hopeful this work will help to give turtle doves a brighter future in the UK.

We've been working with over 30 landowners this year, and are keen to work with even more in 2019! If you think you could create turtle dove habitat on your land, visit the Operation Turtle Dove website for more information and advice.

We've also received some fantastic support from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, who donated £10,000 towards bespoke turtle dove seed mix in Kent, and John Swire who donated £5,000 towards special turtle dove feed in Kent and Sussex. Over the last few weeks, the Sussex Ornithological Society have also committed over £4000 to support this work in Sussex.

Together we can help give UK turtle doves a brighter future.

This blog was written by one of our South East volunteers, Libby Morris. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities visit our website

Doing more, together, to save South East nature - Day 6, inspiring people!

2018-12-15T10:00:00Z

We really depend on donations made by our members and our communities to fund important projects and to protect our most vulnerable UK wildlife. Christmas is the perfect time to give thanks to our members, funders and volunteers and we wanted to give an extra special thank you to some of our youngest South East fundraisers this year!

One of those people is nine-year-old Isabell Haskell, who raised more than £500 by cutting off her hair, which she’d been growing for three years! She was inspired by the story of the persecution and decline of Hen Harriers in the UK. Half of the money that she raised was donated to the RSPB and the rest to other charities. Her hair then went to an organisation that provides wigs for children who’ve lost their own hair due to illness or cancer treatments.

Isabell, accompanied by her father Charles, was invited along to the RSPB Rainham Marsh’s Hen Harrier Day 2018 where she was thanked by the RSPB’s Conservation Martin Harper for her dedication and support for the persecuted birds of prey.

Isabell was too shy to comment but did say she had really enjoyed the day at Rainham and it’s a memory that will stay with her forever!

Another brilliant fundraiser for us this year is six-year-old Lorcan, who cycled 20 kilometres and raised £1,100 for the RSPB via his JustGiving page! Accompanied by his parents, Lorcan did two circuits of the 10km river wall trail at RSPB Rainham Marshes. They brought their own bikes - but if you want to recreate Lorcan’s ride, you can rent bikes from the Rainham Marshes visitor centre.

He decided to raise the money for us because “They [the RSPB] help protect the habitat and I love birds.” We are humbled and in awe of his dedication and achievement.

Lorcan said that if he was spending the money he’d raised then he would “just get a few jeeps that run on bio-gas for people to ride around in, so they wouldn't pollute and they'd be quiet but they could check on birds and if any birds were trapped it would have a claw that could release them so they could fly safely away". Or "we could do quiz games for schools so children know about birds and want to protect them." And his final words for others considering a fundraising cycle ride: "Pack loads of snacks. And drinks, just in case." "Tell them how important birds are and go very far on your cycle".

Been inspired to raise money for the RSPB? Challenge events are a great way to get started. By signing up to one of our challenge events you can push yourself to achieve a personal milestone whilst helping vital conservation projects. This April we supported ten runners to achieve their own goals in the Southampton Half Marathon, and they in turn helped us by raising vital funds to help water voles, skylarks and short- haired bumble bees. Between five of our entrants over £1050 was raised, which is an incredible outcome. The entrants achieved a fantastic accomplishment and we were able to secure extra funds for our most vulnerable wildlife.

In 2018, our South East supporters ran 143 miles, swam 4,828 metres and cycled 800 miles for the RSPB. They raised over £5,500 to help us with critical conservation projects, an amazing feat (and probably some sore feet too!)

There are plenty of our volunteers who don’t run marathons though - one of our most successful ongoing fundraising campaigns is our pin badge boxes. You’ve probably seen the badges of native birds, flowers and other wildlife in shops, bars, cafes and venues across the country. They’re an important part of our fundraising mix and, like many other RSPB activities, only work thanks to the wonderful volunteers who support us. In the South East and London we have over 270 volunteers who look after around 1020 of our pin boxes. These volunteers find new locations for boxes, collect the donations and keep the boxes fully stocked for us. This year we have raised £110,000 from pin badge boxes and collection tins!

We quite simply could not do the work that we do without the help of our community fundraisers. They help us achieve far more for wildlife and the new fundraising ideas that our supporters come up with never fail to amaze us! Thank you to all of our volunteers and fundraisers – 2019 is going to be a critical year for saving UK nature and your support will really help us make the best possible difference.

This blog was written by one of our South East volunteers, Libby Morris. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities visit our website

Save Lodge Hill - Campaigning together to save special places

2018-12-14T13:29:00Z

The battle to Save Lodge Hill is so important and has such far reaching consequences for wildlife that it brought together the leading conservation charities with one voice.

The Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Buglife, Friends of the North Kent Marshes and Medway Countryside Forum have all been fighting to #SaveLodgeHill for wildlife too. Together, our members and supporters have been taking action to help save this site, repeatedly asking Medway Council to find alternatives to building here, as the nation's planning rules say they should.

The huge numbers of nightingale lovers have been heard and Homes England have announced that they are revising their housing plans for Lodge Hill. The proposed reduction in the number of houses is an important step in the right direction, although we remain concerned should housing still be proposed right next to the site. We will continue to work to ensure that Homes England's final plans safeguard Lodge Hill and its wildlife for the nation.

Lodge Hill was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because it is the most important site for nightingales in the whole of the UK. Its designation was also because it is home to other rare and threatened species too, including owls, reptiles, bats, ancient woodland and rare grassland. Purple emperor butterflies, another species with a limited range, were also rediscovered in the area last summer. Who knows what other secrets the site holds?

Chris Corrigan, Director, RSPB England said

“Lodge Hill in Kent is recognised as the most important site for the nightingale in the UK, so plans to cover the area in concrete were met with shock and astonishment. As a recognised Site of Special Scientific Interest we should all expect it to be protected from development. Over 10,000 people have repeatedly voiced their objection.

The 10,000 voices of RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust supporters have been heard and Homes England are revising the plans. We still need to see the final plans, so there is still some way to go, but this is an important step in the right direction. We will continue to work to ensure that the final plans safeguard Lodge Hill and its wildlife for the nation.”

Doing more, together, to save South East nature - Day 5, improving habitats!

2018-12-14T09:00:00Z

Our reserves are constantly evolving landscapes and need a lot of maintenance to ensure that they are in the best possible condition to attract and provide great homes for our most vulnerable wildlife. This can require anything from coppicing (cutting back plants to encourage new growth) to scrub clearance, grazing or even large scale changes to our coastlines! Whilst we have a fantastic team of volunteers, sometimes larger and more complex projects require outside help.

The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is an innovative tax credit scheme enabling operators of landfill sites in England and Northern Ireland to contribute money to environmental organisations

Through the Landfill Communities Trust, over £1.4 billion has been spent on more than 53,000 projects across the UK since 1996, allowing many charities and organisations to undertake large scale, time sensitive and internationally important conservation projects that could have otherwise taken years of grass roots fundraising!

Here are a couple of major projects that we have undertaken thanks to the Landfill Communities Fund, and we are already starting to see great results for wildlife!

RSPB Broadwater Warren has had a great breeding year, with threatened species including nightjar, lesser spotted woodpecker and woodcock choosing to raise their young in the carefully managed landscape.

Despite the recent State of Nature announcement, which highlighted the alarming decline of over half (56%) of UK species assessed since 1970, special places for nature including RSPB Broadwater Warren, aim to reduce and even turn around, the fates of species most at risk.

Now, thanks to generous donations of over £50,000 from four environmental organisations, a new Forestry and Wildlife corridor has been built, allowing RSPB staff, and staff from the adjoining Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve, to manage a further 100ha of habitat for specialist wildlife.

Donations of £25,000 from Cory Environmental Trust in Britain (CETB), £20,000 from Ibstock Enovent Trust and a further donations of £7,700 from the Sussex Ornithological Society and £4,480 from The Chalk Cliff Trust meant that the work was able to be completed ahead of the spring 2018 breeding season.

Nick Feledziak, Assistant Warden of the RSPB’s Weald reserves said that the corridor would help to “improve woodland management for threatened species, such as lesser-spotted woodpecker, spotted flycatcher and the EU protected hazel dormouse. Allowing more sunlight to the woodland floor will provide habitat for wildflowers, pollinators and birds that depend on scrub for nesting, cover and foraging.”

The work that has been undertaken has seen the reserve transformed from dark conifer plantation to an open landscape. By 2018 around half of the reserve (85ha) was restored to open heathland, seasonally grazed by fifteen Exmoor ponies. The ponies spend the summer on the heath, mainly eating purple moor grass and generally keeping the sward length short, allowing slow growing heather to flourish and benefiting ground nesting birds by creating spaces where they can nest and feed. The ponies’ presence has other impacts too; their dung attracts insects for birds to eat and their hooves lightly ‘poach’ the ground, exposing bare soil and creating little niches that benefit different flora and invertebrates.

RSPB Broadwater Warren has an exciting future - it is now a fantastic place to hear and see woodlark, tree pipit and nightjar (with breeding numbers all on an upward trend). Over 100 bird species, 28 species of butterfly and 18 species of dragonfly/damselfly have been recorded here since we started restoring the site and reptiles including adders, grass snake, common lizard and slow worm can be found across the heath. This is an incredibly exciting result, which would not have been possible without help from the Landfill Communities Fund or Ibstock Enovent Trust.

Angela Haymonds, Trust Secretary for Ibstock Enovent Trust, said that the company was “delighted to be helping the RSPB to further protect our precious wildlife. We hope the corridor will help to further improve the growth of threatened species for many years to come.”

RSPB Northward Hill was able to safeguard an area equivalent to 34 football pitches on ‘Richardson’s Marsh’ - an area of the reserve heavily used every year by breeding waders such as lapwing and redshank.

The project, funded by funds from WREN and the Landfill Communities Trust, grants and donations, cost £94,000 and meant that the marsh benefitted from more than two-thousand metres of fencing which had been put in place to protect the eggs of ground nesting birds and their chicks from predators. Feeding areas within the protected area were also improved with this investment. Lapwing and redshank pairs both increased at the reserve in the 2018 breeding season.

Site manager Julian Nash said: “We do enjoy success here, but this fence will make a huge difference and will mean that vulnerable eggs and chicks have a far greater chance of life. Working with others like these funders and landowners, we are confident we can save species like lapwing so future generations can witness and enjoy the sight of their wings flashing in the sun as they wheel across the skies over the Thames in huge flocks”

The money was sought as part of our conservation work in the Greater Thames Estuary, which aims to improve the whole estuary for nature and people. Contributions include:

£67,727 from FCC Environment through WREN (via the Landfill Community Fund), part of a £249,900 grant towards projects in the Greater Thames Estuary, with the rest of the money going towards improvements at West Canvey Marsh six miles away across the estuary in Essex.
£12,112 from Ibstock Cory Environmental Trust (via the Landfill Community Fund)
£2,000 from the Douglas Glanfield Memorial Trust
£500 from Kent Ornithological Society.

Numbers of breeding waders have been falling across the UK, so the RSPB is working hard to address the many issues behind their decline, from loss of habitat and shrinking food supplies to predation and climate change.

Ben Walker, Grant Manager for Waste Recycling Environmental Ltd, said: “WREN is pleased to have played a part in the delivery of this internationally important project to protect and increase the number of breeding wader pairs at the site, as well as improve the survival rate of the eggs and chicks for future generations. The improvement works, which WREN and others have contributed towards, has certainly delivered the necessary infrastructure to see breeding waders succeed at the site.”

Thanks to a BIFFA Award of £50,000, we have also been able to install a fence at 'Whalebone Marsh', protecting more vital breeding habitat.

This blog was written by one of our South East volunteers, Libby Morris. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities visit our website

Doing more, together, for South East nature - Day 4, Fighting climate change!

2018-12-13T08:00:00Z

The effects of climate change on our reserves is becoming more apparent year upon year. From rising sea levels at RSPB Dungeness, to threats to heathland at RSPB Blean, we’re facing new challenges all the time to try and preserve our wildlife and the habitats that it is dependent on.

With help from The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF), we’ve been able to undertake a number projects over the years. The Government introduced tax on landfill waste in 1996 to reduce the amount of land-filled waste and to promote more environmentally sustainable methods of waste management. The LCF allows Landfill Operators to contribute a portion of their overall tax to community and environmental organisations. This scheme has allowed many charities and organisations to undertake important projects that may not otherwise have gotten off the ground. Here are a couple of projects that we have managed to complete this year thanks to the Landfill Communities Fund:

Biodiversity blooms at RSPB Blean

RSPB Blean Woods is an ancient woodland near Canterbury, Kent. If you visit in August you will notice the bright purple of the heather and coconut-scented gorse. These heath areas were once non-native conifer plantations but are now the breeding and feeding grounds for nightjars hunting moths at dusk. They’re also one of the best places in the country to see the Heath Fritillary butterfly, one of the country’s rarest and most threatened butterfly species.

The reserve has been traditionally managed using ancient coppicing techniques, but extra funding has enabled wardens and volunteers to work with contractors to achieve more in a shorter time span.

Money from the Landfill Communities Fund has allowed wardens to expand the area of woodland they coppice at RSPB Blean Woods, creating new and improved rides and clearings.

Over time, this habitat maintenance has increased the abundance of common cow-wheat, the heath fritillary caterpillar’s main food source. The yellow-flowering plant needs open sunny glades in order to grow and can take three years to start thriving once the glades have been cleared! The Heath Fritillary is one of the many benefactors of this work, which was carried out with funding from Viridor Credits.

The warden of Blean says: “The old idiom of not being able to see the wood for the trees is being made reality here as the way we coppice or thin growth is enabling a much healthier and biodiverse woodland. Cow-wheat only truly thrives in the first three to ten years after an area has been coppiced. Making sure there’s always enough woodland in the right condition is essential to maintain and grow our heath fritillary population here at Blean.”

Coppicing is the cutting of trees with stumps left to regenerate until the new stems are large enough to be harvested for firewood, timber or other uses. It makes use of the natural regeneration properties of many trees, including native oak, hazel, sweet chestnut, lime and ash.

Gareth Williams, Operations Manager at Viridor Credits, says: “improving the UK’s biodiversity is a major aim of both Viridor Credits and the Landfill Communities Fund. We are grateful to the RSPB for helping to deliver this aim through the invaluable work they do for our environment.”

Reducing climate change risks for terns at RSPB Dungeness

Visitors to the RSPB Dungeness reserve in Kent can now get even closer to wildlife, thanks to a major uplift to Burrowes pit. Funded by money raised from RSPB memberships and visitors to the site, as well as a donation of £48,200 from environmental company, Viridor Credits, we have raised 45 islands with RSPB ecologists advising on the specialist nesting requirements for a number of threatened species, including little terns and Mediterranean gulls.

Terns need raised shingle in which to nest, but in previous years the shingle islands have been submerged during breeding season as water levels have risen in the old quarry. Using shingle excavated from below the water level on the reserve, we have been able to safeguard breeding birds from rising water levels. The project has encouraged rare terns, as well as more common species, to flock to and breed on the shingle islands overlooked by the visitor centre.

To complete the unique redevelopment project an excavator was mounted on a floating pontoon and ferried into place across the large flooded quarry pit, before excavating submerged shingle from around the foot of the islands.

The Whitehead Monckton Charitable Trust donated a further £3,000 to help pay for a boat, which will enable the reserve team to undertake future habitat management on the islands more easily. The works were due to be completed by late October (when the RSPB reserve becomes a haven for thousands of wintering wildfowl) but were finished over six weeks ahead of schedule.

Many migratory birds, including spoonbill and a roost of over 500 Oyster Catchers used the site over winter, and this summer the reserve fledged its highest number of tern chicks since the early 1990’s!

Going solar at RSPB Rainham Marshes

One of our biggest projects at RSPB Rainham Marshes has been the installation of three solar powered water pumps on the nature reserve to ensure breeding conditions are perfect for wetland waders this coming spring.

Staff have been battling the effects of climate change in recent years, struggling to keep the site conditions just right for breeding waders, but had to stand and watch as nests failed, as the marsh just hasn’t been wet enough. After much research into saving our threatened bird species in an environmentally friendly way, RSPB staff found a solution in the Netherlands - in the shape of solar pump manufacturers, Aqua Delta. The project won generous funding, primarily from Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Community Fund and also from the Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership Scheme through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The introduction of the pumps means that water can now be moved around a network of specially created ditches and channels, ensuring conditions are right to allow chicks to fledge. We’re now looking forward to increased numbers of young lapwing and redshank after next years’ breeding season, proving the time, effort and the £50,000 investment were not in vain!

RSPB Rainham Marshes site Manager Andrew Gouldstone says: “We’ve really struggled over the past couple of years to keep this area on Wennington Marsh wet or damp through spring and early summer. Wet, muddy areas are crucial for lapwing and redshank in the breeding season as they are rich in insects, allowing the parents to successfully feed and raise their young. Both species have seen population crashes and need our help. These environmentally friendly pumps are the difference between death and survival for lapwing and redshank chicks here.”

Paul Taylor, Executive Director of The Veolia Environmental Trust said “We’re glad to be able to support this innovative biodiversity project with a grant through the Landfill Communities Fund. Managing wetland landscapes and delicate habitats such as those at Wennington Marshes is vitally important, and we’re looking forward to seeing an increase in wetland waders as a result.”

You can find out more about this project in our short videoyoutu.be/pF3OU4FzOoA

This blog was written by one of our South East volunteers, Libby Morris. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities visit our website

Doing more, together, to save South East nature - Day 2, field crickets!

2018-12-10T08:00:00Z

Bringing field crickets Back from the Brink

Earlier this year, a team of volunteers, led by species expert and license holder Mike Edwards, set out to find field crickets at a secret location, and then relocate them to new specially-made sites at RSPB Pulborough Brooks as part of the Back from the Brink project. Mike explained the donor site’s importance and why its precise location should stay secret.

The soothing ‘harp’ of field crickets has always been a noise familiar to many areas in rural England. It was almost lost forever in the 1980s however, when there were less than 100 field crickets to be found in the whole country.

Today, its high-pitched and rare chirrup is a sound heard only at a few locations, making it one of the UK’s rarest invertebrates. Without intervention, the likelihood of this species going extinct is extremely high which is why we, along with our partner Back from the Brink, are working hard to increase their numbers.

Back from the Brink is a Heritage Lottery Funded project run in collaboration with Natural England and Rethink Nature. The aim is to bring some of nature’s most at risk species back from the brink of extinction. Together, we hope to make field cricket populations more robust by extending and joining patches of habitat, and starting new populations by releasing crickets on restored heathland – known as translocation.

Translocation is the most promising way to protect field crickets against extinction - as they can’t fly, they don’t travel far from their burrows. To make sure the species could survive environmental or climatic disaster like a heathland wildfire, it’s important they form more colonies.

We walked to the colony, and were instructed on cricket-catching. This involves ‘tickling’ the crickets - inserting a blade of grass down a potential burrow and waiting for the tug of a cricket climbing up it! Volunteers successfully found six pairs of field crickets. Then they moved them carefully to an area of suitable habitat, and watched with trepidation as the field crickets chose their preferred location to dig their burrows, amid high hopes that the new population would thrive.

The ‘harping’ of several males at RSPB Pulborough Brooks was heard not long after their move. A previous translocation of 12 crickets to RSPB Farnham Heath yielded an increase to 300 individuals in five years!

By the end of the project, we hope there will be more field cricket populations in England, and that there will be more habitat for them too. Existing habitat will be in good condition, with small patches joined to create larger areas so they can reach new areas.

Without the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund we would not have been able to create the habitat necessary for the introduction field crickets at RSPB Pulborough Brooks.

By creating the perfect habitat for field crickets, we’re also helping species such as the woodlark, common lizard, slowworm, grayling and the silver studded blue butterfly too! You can find out more in our short film, below.

www.youtube.com/watch

If you've been inspired by this story, and are looking to make an individual difference, why not volunteer or join as an RSPB member?

Breeding bitterns at RSPB Brading Marshes set records as Isle of Wight first!

2018-12-07T10:32:00Z

One of Britain’s loudest birds, the bittern, had never been heard booming on the Isle of Wight before this spring, when its distinctive mating call was heard by staff at RSPB Brading Marshes.

We can now reveal we are confident that the secretive birds successfully bred at the newly restored wetland, making this the first ever bittern breeding record for the Isle of Wight.

Bitterns are highly camouflaged and can be hard to monitor, but wardens observed regular feeding flights over the summer, indicating young were present. Luke Gaskin, Assistant Warden, even managed to capture photographs of a bird that may be one of this year’s fledglings, peeking out from the dense reedbed.

For conservationists, attracting breeding bitterns is widely considered one of the best indicators of successful wetland management. Expert habitat management at RSPB Brading Marshes reserve has already seen three new wetland species; marsh harrier, little egret and great crested grebe, successfully breed on the Isle of Wight. The restoration of the historic wetland made possible through partnership working with Natural England, the Environment Agency and thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

In the South East, bitterns had previously recolonised restored wetlands at RSPB Dungeness in Kent, and three booming males recorded there this year. However, there are still less than 200 bitterns at fewer than 75 UK sites, making the discovery of new pair breeding on the Isle of Wight even more remarkable.

Keith Ballard, warden of RSPB Brading Marshes said; “Hearing a booming bittern on a wetland reserve is like receiving a Michelin star as a restaurant; it’s one of the highest marks of success we could hope for. Bitterns have very selective habitat needs, and to attract them you need a truly thriving ecosystem. The work we have done to manage the reserve for insects, fish, reptiles and mammals, as well as birds, now means we have one of the most UK’s most sensitive species choosing to raise its young on the Isle of Wight.”

The distinctive ‘booming’ mating call is best heard early in the morning, as the sun rises, and staff at RSPB Dungeness, Kent will be running a number of events in the spring, to help people spot and hear this elusive species. For more information watch our video or visit www.rspb.org.uk/dungeness

Doing more, together, to save South East nature - Day 3 - Connecting communities!

2018-12-04T15:03:00Z

Helping everyone get closer to nature at RSPB Pagham Harbour

RSPB Pagham Harbour is nestled just on the coastline below Chichester, West Sussex. Its coastal location, combined with wide open farmland, a maze of reedbed, saltmarsh and mudflats make it one of our most diverse nature reserves, but also one of Sussex best kept secrets.

Now, thanks to support from funders including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Sussex Ornithological Society and the Friends of Pagham Harbour, improved facilities have been installed - including a newly-elevated wildlife-watching hide. Along with improved disability access, the hide now leaves you spoiled for choice when it comes to wildlife! Users can either enjoy the view over Sussex Wildlife Trust’s wetland from the front, or the brand new pond and bird feeding station that is visible from the rear.

RSPB Pagham Harbour has also recently completed a major face-lift to the Discovery Zone – with thanks to the Friends of Pagham Harbour and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Visitors can now enjoy the re-built dipping pond for children which boasts two platforms for wheelchair access. Teams of corporate and Pagham’s own volunteers have sown a wild flower meadow and have just finished a bee bank which was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Friends of Pagham Harbour (who have raised and donated over £35,000 to RSPB Pagham Harbour over the past two years) have also contributed an outdoor classroom shelter complete with bug hotels and other educational features. The shelter also captures rainwater that keeps the dipping pond full!

This enhanced Discovery Zone allows the RSPB staff and volunteers to expand on the educational events programme they offer, making the site an even better destination for local schools and families. Reconnecting children to nature is vitally important for both children’s development and helps to inspire the conservationists of the future, making centres such as the one at RSPB Pagham Harbour invaluable.

“Our reserves are not just places for nature, they are places for the whole community to discover and enjoy. RSPB Pagham Harbour is a living classroom, and with support from local funders and National Lottery players through the Heritage Lottery Fund we hope to educate and inspire people of all ages to care for the wildlife around them.” Nic Scothern, RSPB Regional Director.

The reserve, which is free to visit, is home to many rare species including breeding little terns, avocet and peregrines. Seals have been spotted in the harbour and it is considered one of the best sites to spot birds on migration in Sussex. Self-led discovery trails have been developed to encourage visitors to explore the wider reserve and discover the varied wildlife and heritage of the site. For those looking for family-friendly activities that are educational for all ages, RSPB Pagham Harbour also offers a range of hands-on activities and events all year round, giving every single visitor the opportunity to get closer to wildlife when they visit.

We would also like to thank Bruce Wake Charitable Trust, Hall Hunter Charitable Trust, Mrs Mary EA Watkinson, Mrs MJ Crawshaw, The Violet Flanagan Charitable Trust, The John Coates Charitable Trust, The Bassil Shippam and Alsford Trust, The Steven Bloch Image of Disability Charitable Trust, The Patricia Routledge Charitable Trust and all the donors who supported the Friends of Pagham Harbour ‘Buy a Plank’ initiative for their continued support of our work!

For more info about our events and the reserve visit RSPB Pagham Harbour.

Learning through wild play at RSPB Pulborough Brooks

Another reserve that has benefitted from improvements this year is RSPB Pulborough Brooks The reserve has always been great for wild families, but now, after working with Sussex-based, Playsafe Playgrounds Ltd, the reserve has installed state-of-the-art wild play equipment. Learning through play is an important part of child development, and we are keen to ensure that all children have a safe space in which to get outside and play in nature.

The new play equipment includes balance beams and ropes, a clambering wall, a swinging hammock and more. Made from natural materials where possible, the structure has been designed for all ages and capabilities, including those with limited mobility. The path to the play area has also been resurfaced and is now fully accessible.

The playground project was funded by LEADER, an EU-funded rural grant programme designed to support local businesses as part of the Rural Development Programme for England and the Postcode Local Trust, which is supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.

For families looking for family fun throughout the year, RSPB Pulborough Brooks also offers a range of hands-on activities and events all year round, giving every young person the opportunity to get closer to wildlife when they visit. Our herd of Longhorn cattle, which graze the reserve are always popular with families too but these magnificent beasts need to be watched from a safe distance! We are grateful to Sussex Lund who donated £10K to Pulborough last year, to upgrade the cattle handling facilities.

For more info about our events and the reserve visit RSPB Pulborough Brooks or watch this short film! www.youtube.com/watch

Please remember to check our reserves Christmas opening hours if you’re planning on visiting them over the holidays!

This blog was written by one of our South East volunteers, Libby Morris. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering opportunities visit our website