Wildlife & Conservation

RSPB Broadwater Warren

Broadwater Warren MapAddress: RSPB, Unit 10, Sham Farm Business Units, Eridge Green, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9JA
Contact: 01892 752430
Email martin.allison@rspb.org.uk
Website: www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/broadwaterwarren

FOR PHOTO’S AND REPORTS OF RECENT ACTIVITY AT BROADWATER WARREN, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE.

Broadwater Warren, alongside the Broadwater Forest Lane from the A26 to Groombridge, was bought by the RSPB in 2007 as a new nature reserve, which they will manage in perpetuity.

Events at Broadwater Warren, April to June 2012

 

Sunday 22 April Dawn Chorus Walk – starting at 05:00 (duration about 3 hours)
Get up early and enjoy the special atmosphere of the reserve as the wildlife wakes up.  RSPB staff and volunteers will help you identify a variety of birds as they break into song to welcome the dawn.  Booking is essential.
Saturday  28 April Early Morning Bird Walk - starting at 07:30 (duration about 3 hours)
RSPB staff and volunteers will lead you on an early, gentle walk around the reserve, helping you identify the birds that you see and hear.  Booking essential.
Friday 11 May Early Morning Bird Walk – starting at 07:00 (duration about 3 hours)
Join Martin Allison, RSPB area manager, on an early, gentle walk around the reserve.  Martin will help you identify the birds that you see and hear.  Booking essential.
Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 June         Nightjar Evenings – 21:00 to 22:30
Come along any evening during our Nightjar week at dusk to explor Broadwater’s wildlife after dark.  RSPB staff and volunteers will be on hand to help you look and listen out for the extraordinary and elusive Nightjar, a bird that only comes to life as night falls.  Also look out for Woodcock, Glowworms and other night-time wildlife as you walk in the woodland paths.  Bring a torch.  No need to book.


May Newsletter from RSPB:

· After almost completely drying out in March our ponds are now full to overflowing. At Tudeley Woods, woodland gullies that have been dry for several years are flowing strongly.

· Despite the weather it’s been an interesting month for birds – Woodlark seem to be pairing up and hopefully breeding at Broadwater for the first time in 9 years. They have also been seen at our Tudeley Woods reserve, on newly created heath. The migrant Blackcap returned in March and their lovely song can now be heard. Treecreeper are nesting in an oak next to the Decoy Pond. Tree Pipit and Garden Warbler has recently been spotted at Broadwater, and Ravens have been seen and heard ‘Gronking’ on numerous occasions. Check out our website where you can see and hear all these brilliant birds… http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds

· Lots of people have already attended April’s Dawn Chorus walks and Early Morning bird walks.

· 5 Exmoor Ponies arrived at Broadwater Warren on 4th April and have spent the last month munching their way around the nature reserve. 20 brilliant volunteers stepped up to help with the regular checks and pony welfare. Thank you so much.

· Our Broadwater Doggy Code has been very well received and we are extremely grateful to all the dog walkers who are taking extra care around the reserve to not disturb the wildlife or other visitors. We hope the less responsible dog walkers will appreciate this and adapt their behaviour accordingly. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and speak with people that we meet.

· We are holding a butterfly weekend at our Tudeley Woods Nature Reserve on 12th and 13th May. Drop in any time during the day (10am to 5pm), pick up a butterfly guide, and go for a self-guided walk through the woods and across the meadow. There will be staff and volunteers on hand to show you butterflies, moths and their habitats. It’s possible you will see one of our rarest butterflies, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

· Other butterflies to look out for in May include Orange-tip, Peacock and Brimstone.

Here’s to some sunshine and warmth to really bring the wildlife out!

April Newsletter from RSPB:

Here is the news in brief from the RSPB reserves at Broadwater Warren and at Tudeley Woods.

·    Our summer events season starts in April with Dawn Chorus walks at Tudeley on the 14th and at Broadwater on the 22nd.  In addition everyone is invited to our Tudeley Woods reserve on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th for a weekend of woodland flowers.

·    There are lots of birds on the reserves now.  Chiffchaffs returned in March, as did Blackcaps.  You can find details of both and hear their different songs via our website www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/index.aspx .  Tree creeper, Nuthatch and Jay have all been regularly seen or heard, and Blue Tits and Great Tits have certainly been very busy.

·    A Woodlark was spotted at Tudeley Woods on 21st March on patches where heathland has been created.  It has since been seen displaying and heard singing.  This is the first Woodlark recorded at Tudeley since a brief sighting in summer 2009.

·    Our ponds are alive with frogs.  At the Decoy Pond at Broadwater, the western end has big patches of frog spawn.  Over the next two years we’ll be gently restoring and enhancing this pond.

·    There is now plenty of butterfly and moth activity at the reserves.  Butterflies you might see include Comma, Brimstone, Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Small White, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral and Peacock.  There have been Orange Underwing moths flying around the car park at Broadwater and a Ruby Tiger moth has pupated on the post of the kissing gate.

·    5 Exmoor Ponies arrive at Broadwater Warren on 4th April.  They will spend the summer with us, grazing in the newly cleared areas and in the small wet woodland and grassland paddock.  Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to help with the regular checks.

·    The Broadwater Warren Doggy Code leaflets are now available at all entrances to the reserve.  These remind everyone what is expected.  Crucially, dogs must be kept on the paths and under control (not necessarily on leads).  We hope this will be useful and will also resolve the problems being caused by irresponsible dog walkers.  We’ve also set up an informative web page: www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/broadwaterwarren/dogs.aspx

·    More trail improvements will take place in April and May.  At Broadwater we’re extending the nature trail to include the zig-zag boardwalk and improving several other tracks.  At Tudeley we’re renewing trail markers and refreshing our three different trails.

Please check out our reserve webpages for details of events and to see recent photos:

www.rspb.org.uk/broadwaterwarren

www.rspb.org.uk/tudeleywoods

March Newsletter from RSPB:

What an exciting time on the RSPB Weald nature reserves.
·         Woodlark returned to Broadwater Warren on February 16th, after many years absence.  They have taken residence on areas cleared of conifer.  Their lovely, warbling, descending song might be heard at any time of day but your best chance of hearing them is morning on the eastern side of the reserve.  It’s well worth a listen to the song on our website: www.rspb.org.uk/woodlark
·         Other birds to listen out for at the moment include Yellowhammer, Goldcrest, Blackbirds and Song Thrush.  Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and Crossbills have also been regular visitors.  Some of the Crossbills at our Tudeley Woods reserve have been observed feeding on chestnut buds and grubs, rather than the usual pine cone seeds.  Several Woodcock have been seen and there has also been a report of a Firecrest at Broadwater.  Soon we might hear the Blackcaps adding their tuneful twitter.  You can hear an example here: www.rspb.org.uk/blackcap
·         Our winter work programme is now complete.  The cutting of vegetation, coppicing, scrub clearance, control of invasive species, pond creation, scrapes and fencing are now all done.  It’s now all about seeing and enjoying the wildlife.
·         Five Exmoor Ponies will be arriving in April.  We are looking for volunteers to carry out the checking of the ponies, water and fences one nominated day per month.  Please contact us if you can help. broadwater.warren@rspb.org.uk  or tel:01892 752430
·         Our Broadwater conservation volunteer team planted another 100 trees in February.  The trees are being planted to enhance the woodland and provide more diversity, especially for dormice.  Oak, Hazel, Willow and Mountain Ash have all been planted in abundance, as well as shrubby plants like Hawthorn, Spindle and Field Maple.
·         Three new ponds have been created and we hope these will quickly be colonised by all sorts of wonderful wildlife.  Now all we need is some rain!  We’ll monitor how these ponds and scrapes develop and, based on this experience, develop more ponds and scrapes for wildlife over the coming seasons.
·         A new Doggy leaflet will be launched at Broadwater in March.  This small postcard reminds and encourages dog walkers to follow our code to help everyone enjoy the nature reserve and avoid disturbance to the wildlife.  The code merely states what is already requested and will hopefully lead to a better experience for everyone.  Most of our dog walkers and their dogs are excellent and I’m very grateful to the group of Broadwater Warren dog walkers who have helped to develop this leaflet.
·         A national meeting of Woodland Wardens took place at Tudeley Woods and Broadwater Warren.  As well as RSPB wardens, there were also representatives from Plantlife, Butterfly Conservation, Sussex Wildlife Trust and The Bat Conservation Trust.
·         Our early summer events programme is attached.  We hope you will join us on the reserves.  Most of the events require pre-booking, and places are limited, so please contact us to book your places.
Finally, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to give positive comments and feedback for the work we’re doing.  We really do appreciate it.

The site will be familiar to local people as it was here that a landfill site was proposed in the 1990s, which was successfully fought by the community group, Groombridge and Eridge Alternatives to Rubbish (GEAR).

The vision: The RSPB’s plans for Broadwater Warren are to restore it from the conifer plantations that currently dominate the reserve to the habitats that are shown on old maps of the area – a mosaic of heathland and ancient woodland. It’s a big job and a national priority for conservation, which should allow all sorts of rare wildlife to flourish here again.

It is a rare opportunity to restore a large area of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to its former glory, for wildlife and for people.

Key site on the Weald Forest Ridge: Broadwater Warren is the remnant of one of the four medieval forests of the Weald Forest Ridge, the highest ridge of the High Weald. The original forests were a mix of open heathland areas merging into woodlands.

The UK has over a fifth of the entire world area of heahtland, but over 80% of the heathland that existed two hundred years ago has been destroyed. This is a rare opportunity to put a little bit back.

The work is part of the Weald Forest Ridge Landscape Partnership Scheme, and funding has come from a wide range of partners as well as the RSPB including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Grantscape, and GEAR.

Access: The reserve is open all year round and entry is free. The RSPB opened a small woodland car park in 2009 to stop visitors having to park on the verge – it is open usually from about 7am until dusk.

Nature trails: People can pick up a free trail guide and follow marked nature trails through this quiet and peaceful site The RSPB describe it not as a place of big “bird spectacles” but as somewhere to enjoy bird song, rare habitats and being away from it all.

Improvements so far: Already the RSPB has restored the Decoy Pond, whose dam was broken, and have built boardwalks across the wettest sections of path and into the area of wet woodland where Greater Tussock Sedges grow a metre high.

Habitat restoration: The first phase of habitat restoration began in the winter 2009-10, with the clearance of an area of self-sown conifer trees. The RSPB is at pains to prepare people that this kind of restoration looks very raw to start with. It takes a couple of years for the original vegetation, buried as seeds in the soil, to begin to flourish again.

Future plans: As the heathland is restored, it will be divided into several large fenced blocks, where small numbers of livestock will be used to maintain the habitats, as in years gone by. Access will be maintained through these areas.

There will be path improvements, including an all-user section of path to get less-able visitors into the heathland. The RSPB plan to create a heritage trail in the next year to help visitors understand some of the rich history of the site.

Dog walking: The RSPB welcomes responsible dog owners. Dogs should be under close control and on the paths at all times, both to preserve the wildlife which includes several species of rare ground nesting birds, and for the benefit of visitors who may be nervous of dogs. Please clear up after your dog – dog bins are due to be provided at the entrance.

Conditions underfoot: This is the Wealden Forest Ridge – it gets muddy! Most paths are flat or gently sloping, but there are a few fairly steep slopes.

As a charity, the RSPB depends on the goodwill and financial support of people like you. Please visit www.rspb.org.uk/supporting or call 01767 680551 to find out more.

If you have any questions or comments about the reserve, the RSPB welcomes your feedback.

Recent work includes:-

Monday, 14 February 2011

Busy day at Broadwater Warren

There has been lots of positive work taking place on the reserve this week.

The entrance gate opposite Fairview Lane had been removed and closed to visitors to allow contractors lorries in and out.  The gate is now being reinstated and reopened, in time for Spring.  The work was carried out by our contractor, Rob.

At the Decoy Pond students from BTCV (the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) have been helping to clear the brash from the south-facing banks.

Meanwhile, in the woodlands our coppice worker, Matthew Stuart, has been coppicing birch.  The cut timber will be taken in the summer for firewood.  The woodland flowers should respond well to the increased light and produce a flush of growth.  The regrowing coppice stools will create a dense shrubby area, ideal for dormice.

Saturday volunteers continue the good work

The weekend volunteer team carried on where the Tuesday group left off by clearing more of the brash above the Decoy Pond. We were pleased to be interrupted by a number of reserve visitors who stopped to say how impressed they were with the results of last autumn’s forestry work. It seems that everyone is looking forward to seeing the heathland coming back and to how the plants and wildlife will respond to the removal of the heavy pine tree cover in areas like the bank running down to the pond. The photos show the view from the top of the bank and Janina, Alan and Chris getting “kippered” by the bonfire.