Birds Flock into Sinker’s Fields for Winter Respite

December 11, 2020

To us, the UK winter may seem chilly, if not downright cold. But to the thousands of teal, wigeon, shovelers and shelducks that spend their summers in the Arctic, winter on Sinker’s Fields near Whixall Moss is just the ticket to a warm winter habitat. They join flocks of mallards and other birds that enjoy the food and habitat they encounter at Sinker’s Fields.

Named for Charles Sinker who was one of the people drawing attention to the need to protect and restore what is now known collectively as the Marches Mosses: Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR, Wem Moss and Cadney Moss.

Teal (Anas crecca) are the smallest ducks that live in or visit Britain, weighing less than half a kilo. They’re distinguished by the teal-green facial markings – almost like goggles. Their favourite habitat is shallow acidic pools with nearby vegetation. This makes Sinker’s Fields ideal for them as the fields sit on top of peat – already a flock of over 100 birds has been seen roosting at the fields. Teal are typical ‘dabbling’ ducks, feeding on the surface while swimming or wading in shallow water. Flocks build up in the UK from August to a peak in December of some 2,000; they stay until early March when they make their way back to Northern Europe.

You can spot teal as they feed in large groups. They’re agile flyers, often bursting straight up in the air in the evening. They fly in tightly packed groups, twisting and turning as they go.

The teal’s call is a very clear ‘krit-krit ’. Some bird writers describe the call this way: “as good a winter sound as a wigeon’s whistle”. Since they’re often found together at Sinker’s Fields, you can hear them both on your winter walk.

Wigeon (Anas penelope) are medium-sized ducks. Mainly chestnut and white with a tucked-in head, high forehead and short bill, the drake is considered one of the prettiest of UK waterfowl. Wigeon fly by the hundreds in irregular lines. In flight, their long, pointed wings and white belly are noticeable. The wigeon whistle is distinctive – drakes sound a loud, musical ‘whee-ooo’, while the female’s call is described as a ‘purring growl’. That whistle is, again, one of the great sounds of a British winter.

Shovelers (Anas clypeata) also join the flocks at Sinker’s Fields. Larger than teal and wigeon and squatter than a mallard, they’re distinguished by their huge, spade-like bill, hence their name. The edges of shovelers’ bills are lined with comb-like ‘teeth’ that the birds use to sift food as they sweep their bills from side to side to capture seeds from reeds and sedges, algae and small mollusks from the water.

Sinker’s Fields and Whixall Moss are an important breeding site for shovelers; numbers peak in the late autumn and winter and include some birds that carry on to France and Spain.

Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna) sit between the duck and goose families. About the same size as mallards, they have very distinctive white, chestnut and black patches with a glossy, dark green head. Their red bill has a distinctive ‘knob’ at the base. You can spot them in the air by their arched wings and slow, goose-like wing beats, and hear them by their nasal, knocking call: ‘took-took’ from the drakes and a similar, wheezy ‘kerr-kerr’ from the female.

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) round off the most-often seen birds on Sinker’s Fields. While present in the UK throughout the year, numbers swell during the winter as birds from far northern Europe head south. Mallard drakes are distinguished by their iridescent, bottle-green head and white neck ring and their waddling walk caused by the position of their legs well back on their body. They’re the largest surface-feeding duck in the UK, often up-ending and using their broad, flat bill to filter plant and tiny creatures from the water.

Mallards can spring straight up with a powerful whirring of their wings, usually in pairs or small groups. The drake’s call is a hoarse-sounding ‘raaarb’ sound.

These ducks and more are among the hundreds you can see at Sinker’s Fields. It’s well worth choosing this area for your winter walk – a great route is to park at the Morris’ Bridge car park and walk a circular route to the bird fields, then across Morris’ Bridge to walk on Whixall Moss, and then back to the car park for your warm thermos of tea or coffee. Whatever your route, please view birds from the lane or from along the canal towpath and don’t wander out over the fields – that will disrupt the birds and they might not return.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust Helped the Wem Youth Group Explore the Rare Habitat at their Doorstep

December 2, 2020

A group of 15 young people from the Wem Youth Group met at the Morris Bridge Car Park one morning in October and set off with their Shropshire Wildlife Trust guides to explore a rare habitat – Fenn’s and Whixall Mosses, part of the Marches Mosses BogLIFE regeneration project.

Many had never been to the Mosses before and weren’t sure what to expect. What they found was a vast area of open land – and wide, open sky – as the entire Marches Mosses covers some 2,500 acres. Some of the children said the Moss looked like the African Savannah and asked, “Are there  lions out there?

To learn more about some of the wildlife that has made their home in the harsh environment of the Mosses, the group looked at snake skins, dragonflies, tiny frogs, Sphagnum moss and fungi. They were fascinated by the acidic nature of the rainwater that sits on top of the peat, keeping it moist. One young person asked a very insightful question: “Has anyone dipped a finger into the bog water to see what it tastes like?”

One of the important stories about the Mosses is the work that the BogLIFE team are doing to regenerate this rare peatland. As they listened to Anna describe the work, the group began to understand what’s being done to save this precious land, and how peat stores more carbon, acre for acre, than the same amount of forest.

The youth group had such a good time, learned so much, that they asked to go back again during the October half-term break. And they did! As it was half-term, the youth group members could spend a full day out on the Mosses with Anna and the other guides.

Anna takes up the story: “The first trip was a bit like a ”trolley grab” – quick snapshots of lots of topics. When the group asked for a return trip, we organised a full day of activities. We used Halloween as our theme, focusing on spiders. I started by asking them how they felt about spiders – found a near even split between those liking spiders and those really, really not liking them.”

From that point, the group learned about three spider species that live at the Mosses – water spiders, the famous raft spider and the rare jumping spider that was re-discovered at the Mosses after being thought to be extinct.

It’s amazing how much the group covered in a day as they reconnected with nature: they went pond dipping for raft spiders, saw fungi and sundews, bounced on the peat surface, went on a treasure hunt to look for autumn colours, even learned about bog bodies. The Halloween spider theme reappeared when the group made their own spiders out of natural materials.

They loved wading through the peat and puddle jumping and, more quietly, did an amazing job of remaining silent on a two-minute walk – and were amazed at what the silence really sounded like, compared to the noises in their busy daily lives.

Ah, those Halloween spiders – by the end of a great day, some people reported that they liked spiders a little more than they had in the morning.

Will the Wem Youth Group return to the Mosses? Will they bring their families to walk the trails and get closer to nature? I’m sure we’ll hear more from the group members about their adventures on the Marches Mosses in the future.

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Short-eared Owls Winter at the Mosses

November 24, 2020

Main photo credit: Stephen Barlow

If you’re out walking on the Mosses, you might, just might, catch a glimpse of a rare creature overhead – an owl out hunting for its dinner during the daytime. If you do, that will likely be a short-eared owl (Asio flammeus), which are the least nocturnal of all owls.

The Mosses are a great habitat for the short-eared owl. With its wide-open skies and flat landscape, it’s easy for the owls to spot their prey, generally voles and other small rodents. Numbers increase in winter with birds heading south from Scandinavia, Russia and Iceland. They nest in scraped-put hollows that are lined with soft materials – grass, downy feathers and the like.

Short-eared owls are not only the most-often seen owl during daylight, but they might also be the most handsome.

They indulge in “aerial antics” in courtship and territorial displays. The male’s call is a frequently-repeated “doo-doo-doo”. This has been described a similar to the sound of a distant steam engine puffing its way along the track.

They’re medium-sized at 35-40cm – similar size in fact, to a barn owl but with long, dark-tipped wings. Their feathers are mottled yellowy-brown above and paler underneath and they sport a wedge-shaped tail. Yellow eyes are surrounded by broad black circles. Short ‘ear tufts’, which are often invisible, provide its common name as well as their nickname of ‘Shortie’.

Numbers have decreased significantly since sightings in the 19^th Century. Protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, short-eared owls are classified as Amber in the UK Red List.

If you’re lucky enough to spot a short-eared owl in flight over the Mosses, you’ll see a pale, narrow-winged bird that will often glide with its wings in a wonderful V shape.

So, if you need another excuse to get out for a winter’s walk on the Marches Mosses, watching for a short-eared owl should do it.  Let us know if you spot one!

Bird’s Eye View of the Mosses Taking Shape

November 23, 2020

If you’ve been out for a walk on Whixall Moss lately, you may be wondering what’s going on – there’s a large structure going up on the edge of the Moss. Well, wonder no more: it’s the start of a five metre high viewing tower that will provide an incredible bird’s eye view over the expanse of the Marches Mosses.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust are leading the project as part of the overall BogLIFE work to regenerate the Mosses and provide more opportunities for visitors to share the mystery and the magic of the Mosses.

Helen Trotman of Shropshire Wildlife Trust explains: “We’re thrilled to see the platform taking shape and can’t wait to sample the view of the Moss from the top. This is the first of a series of new installations that are aimed at improving the experience for visitors. We’re currently developing the interpretation that will support the platform and which will be in place by the summer next year.”

The Marches Mosses are a great place for a walk and while you’re there, you can check on the progress of the viewing tower – or just take in the sights and sounds of autumn on the Mosses which are magical, even at ground level.

Peatbogs are gaining recognition in the fight against the climate crisis

November 19, 2020

Note: Please be aware that links on this page take you to third party websites.

Peatbogs are becoming recognised as a key part of the fight against the climate crisis. Two recent articles provide more detail:

The Flow Country, a 4,000sq km area of blanket bog in northern Scotland, is the subject of a recent article in The Guardian. The UK government is considering asking Unesco to add the site to their list of candidates for World Heritage status. The article’s author explains: “The Flow Country’s candidacy could have a profound impact on the global fight to combat climate heating.” You can read more in this article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/13/world-heritage-status-for-scottish-peat-bogs-could-help-uk-hit-net-zero-goals

Closer to home for us in Shropshire, our very own Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR, part of the overall Marches Marches BogLIFE project, are cited as an outstanding example of a raised bog by author Mark Griffiths in this article:

The Bogs of Britain, from ‘godforsaken wasteland full of dangers’ to one of our key tools in tackling climate change

The Mosses are a great place to get your daily exercise during the current lockdown – or anytime throughout the year! Check our “Visiting the Mosses” section of the website for map and directions.

2020/2021 Restoring the Marches Mosses Traineeship Placement Programme Continues

November 18, 2020

The Marches Mosses Traineeship Programme continues for 2020-21 with the appointment of Nathan Brake.  Nathan started on 2 November, taking over from Christian Pearce, who moves on after successfully completing his placement.

The traineeship is a great opportunity for people looking for experience in a wide range of conservation work, as Steve Dobbins, Marches Mosses Reserve Manager, explains: “The traineeship role covers many aspects of practical conservation work, from carrying out monitoring work along hydrology transects and assisting with our nest box scheme, to carrying out tree felling works that enable our bunding work on the Mosses to continue. Our trainees also help to supervise the volunteers on the task days we run.

“Nathan will benefit from the many training courses we provide for our trainees in areas such as the safe use of chainsaws and brush cutters, pesticides, 4×4 operation and All-terrain Vehicle licences.”

Christian Pearce, who had a very long run in the trainee role due to the three-month COVID-19 lockdown in the Spring 2020, described his experience this way: “I was looking for practical work to complement the experience and training I have. The role was perfect for me – a variety of work and training. This included working across the whole team, for example with Sophie, the Monitoring Officer, and Andrew and Paul, the Reserve Wardens. I enjoyed leading the volunteer task days and helping with public engagement events and meetings. Each day was different, challenging and interesting.

“The traineeship gave me practical site management experience. This is similar to what I’ve done at the Marches Mosses and is what I want to concentrate on when I look for future roles.”

Steve Dobbins continues: “Christian did a great job. He missed the months during lockdown but picked up right where he left off when we could get back on site. He’s been involved in a variety of areas across the project. He helped with planning and marking out boundaries for bunding and tree work contracts, fence removal ahead of the project to divert the Bronington Manor Drain, and helping to survey and mark out locations of protected species on the Mosses. Christian is passionate about conservation and we’re hopeful his experience on the Marches Mosses restoration project will stand him in good stead for his future.

“Now we’re planning to give Nathan the same wide range of activities and training as we gave Chris. We chose Nathan out of the more than 100 applications we received. He is currently completing a Foundation Degree in Countryside Resource Management at Reaseheath College and has been volunteering with us for the past year.

“The shortlisted candidates were all very impressive, but Nathan stood out with his experience, preparation for the interview, and his keen attitude to learning. We know he’s a team player, practically minded and able to get on with people.”

Nathan comments on his new role on the Marches Mosses: “I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in with my traineeship while continuing my studies. My second-year project at Reaseheath will be to research different kinds of peatland management. I’m hoping I’ll be able to use my research to benefit the project, while gaining a wide range of experience here on the Mosses that will tie into my course. I believe it will give me a better footing in the future to have both practical conservation work and a college degree.”

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Shropshire Wildlife Trust Helps Students to Reconnect with Nature at the Marches Mosses

November 11, 2020

In October, Shropshire Wildlife Trust led a total of nearly 200 children from schools in North Shropshire on a visit to the Marches Mosses, which includes Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses. The children, aged 8 to 11 from St. Peters School in Wem and Prestfelde School in Shrewsbury, put on their wellies and went out in groups of 20-30 to experience for themselves the wonder and mystery of the Mosses.

The school groups spent half a day outdoors at the Mosses as part of their work to earn a John Muir Award, in which they discover and explore the outdoors and learn conservation skills. Out on the Mosses, Ellie Larkham and her Shropshire Wildlife Trust helpers led the children through a number of activities, including:

• Pond dipping – looking for the elusive raft spider in the ponds on the Mosses. One of the iconic species of the Marches Mosses, raft spiders  walk on the pond’s surface, finding their dinner by the vibrations of insects landing on the water. They’re great fun to spot, look at in a bucket and then return to the pond.

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• Peatland history – studying the formation of the peatbog, which began at the end of the last Ice Age; learning about the work being done now to restore the peat; and some of the history – including three Iron Age bog bodies found in the peat in the 1800s.

• The importance of peat bogs – the younger children compared the climate benefits of peatland to that of rainforests, which they’re studying in class,. The older year groups learned how species such as the sundew have adapted to the harsh environment of the bog.

• Mindfulness – it’s quite an experience to sit quietly on the Moss, listening to the sounds – and the silence – all around. The schoolchildren really enjoyed hearing the difference between the quiet of the Mosses and the noise that often surrounds them at school and town.

• John Muir treasure hunt – as part of the students’ John Muir Award work, the leaders prepared a treasure hunt that looked at Muir’s life and conservation work.

• And finally, bog bouncing – the children could just jump up and down on the open peat to feel the ground under their feet wriggle and jiggle! It’s a great way to really understand what healthy, regenerated peat is like.

Ellie is pleased with the outcome of the groups’ visits to the Marches Mosses: “It’s a great way for young people to reconnect with nature by spending more time outdoors, even more so during the stress of the pandemic. It’s especially good for them to experience the rare habitat of the Marches Mosses, which is on their doorstep but often overlooked. I hope they’ll make a return visit with their families.”

Storytelling on the Mosses

November 5, 2020

Note: Please be aware that links on this page take you to third party websites.

Peatbogs are places of great beauty – and great mystery. We have joined forces with local storyteller, Jake Evans, to re-tell some of the tales of mystery associated with peat bogs. The story in this link is about Will o’the Wisp. Let us know what you think of it!

Tony Juniper Visits Nature Recovery in Action at Marches Mosses BogLIFE Project

November 3, 2020

Tony Juniper, Head of Natural England, had the opportunity to see nature recovery in action when he visited the BogLIFE project at Marches Mosses earlier this year.

The BogLIFE team gave Tony a tour of the innovative £5 million project to revitalise Fenn’s, Whixall, Bettisfield, and Wem Mosses SAC and NNR, Britain’s third-largest lowland raised bog. The Marches Mosses BogLIFE project is a five-year project to restore this Shropshire peatland and contribute to the Government’s peatland restoration goals in the 25 Year Environment Plan. This work is being funded by the European Union’s LIFE Nature and Biodiversty Programme and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is a cooperative scheme that includes Natural England, Natural Resources Wales and the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

The site covers 2500 acres, and this project is working to restore 650ha (1,600 acres) of degraded, carbon-emitting peat into a functioning bog, not only restoring the amazing biodiversity but also regulating water quality and flow, preventing carbon emissions and providing future carbon sequestration.

The project has many unique elements and challenges, especially the focus on restoring the edge habitats including ‘lagg’. This habitat is interesting as it forms a transition zone between the very acidic peat environment of the bog and the mineral soils found in the wider countryside, and often supports a rich mixtures of wildlife species as a result.

Tony Juniper was impressed with what he saw: “With the Government on the verge of a major investment in peatlands, it was great to visit the BogLIFE team and see some of the innovative ways being trialled to tackle the challenge of restoring damaged peatlands back to thriving bog habitat and hearing about the lessons learnt.”

Highlights of the day

Highlights of the day included a demonstration by contractors busy restoring a 50ha area of degraded bog. The land, acquired as part of the project, had been a conifer plantation since the 1960s. Following the felling last year, the dry and degraded peatland surface was revealed.

To reverse the damage, the natural clay-like property of saturated peat found 0.5-1.0 metre below ground is being used to re-wet the surface using the technique of ‘cell bunding’ developed in Cumbria. This creates a honeycomb pattern of cells 30m by 30m using specialist excavators to bring wet impermeable peat to the surface and block any drains or cracks as the peat is repacked. This has proven very effective at ‘corralling’ the rainfall in small compartments and raising the water table to kick start re-establishment of the healthy bog community.

It’s good for carbon capture, too, and recent research on ex-forestry sites has demonstrated that it will begin to sequester carbon at significant rates. It’s also great for wildlife; as an example, snipe have been recorded breeding on the bunded areas of Whixall Moss following an absence of 25 years.  

Tony later visited the former car breaker’s scrapyard established 50 years ago on deep peat at Whixall. Helen Trotman of project partner Shropshire Wildlife Trust explained how the Trust took the leap of buying it when the operator went into administration in 2016. The BogLIFE project brought in a specialist company to clean up the site. They removed an astonishing 80,000 abandoned tyres and 700 tonnes of assorted automotive scrap. The project partners agreed a remediation plan to bring the scrapyard site back closer to nature.

The last phase of the remediation plan

The supply of turf for the scrapyard is the by-product of another of the project’s trials. This aims to revert five acres of drained and neglected peatland to thriving active bog by creating bunds to hold water, raising the water table to just above the height of the peat.

This will be followed by planting and spreading BeadaMoss™and BeadaHumock™ which are novel, nursery-grown, micropropogated mixes of the Sphagnum moss species found elsewhere on the site. The planting work is planned for Autumn 2020. The hope is that, in time, healthy thriving mire habitat can be re-established on the peatland edge. The mire will contribute to supporting the whole bog in its important climate change and flood mitigation roles as well as its role as an outstanding wildlife haven.

This July work started on the last phase of that remediation plan. Specialist contractors moved turf from a nearby site on the Moss edge to cover the edges of the scrapyard surface. This will allow the area to re-naturalise and revert to wet woodland, a habitat typical of bog edges.

This partnership project is a fantastic demonstration of how we are recovering nature: delivering massive benefits for people and wildlife.

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Can You Spot the Mosses from Space?

September 29, 2020

A couple of weeks ago, we posted an infrared photo of the Marches Mosses from the EU Sentinel satellite. That got us to thinking, so we emailed Chris Hadfield, the Commander of the International Space Station from 2012-2013, asking if he’d taken any photos of the Mosses.

He was happy to help, and sent us this photo. We’re pretty sure the Mosses are in the photo, but we’d like your help. Can you spot them? If so, please send us a comment with where you think they’re located in the photo. We’ll post your comments and what we think is the Mosses next week.

Chris Hadfield took this picture from the ISS using his Nikon D3S on 13 April 2013. You can read more about Commander Hadfield on www.chrishadfield.ca.

Remember – you don’t need a space station to visit the Marches Mosses. You can enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Mosses any day of the week, right here on earth.