Report on the core area from to April 16th to July 13th 2007
1 Management
i) Grazing
Seasonal grazing has increased slightly on the previously grazed areas. The
Flats, east of the American Road, were grazed by 19 cattle & 12 calves until
early July. These have been moved to Soay Plain, Lamprey’s Block & Fox Slack
area to join 33 cattle & 15 calves that have been grazing there for the last 2
months. 60 sheep remain on the Flats, to follow the cattle grazing.
ii) Biosphere Volunteers Conservation Tasks
Five volunteers help regularly with tasks such as monitoring the water
tables and recording flora and fauna. This group of regular volunteers has
contributed 18 ‘volunteer work days’ to the Burrows this quarter. The monthly
practical conservation tasks in conjunction with NDCCS have continued, two tasks
have been completed this quarter: collecting beach and foredune litter and
bracken cutting (the former assisted by the loan of a Land Rover and trailer
from Paul Tamlyn of Saunton car park). These tasks have added 28 volunteer work
days to the total of 46 this quarter. The summer task programme continues with
butterfly and water germander surveys, and a moth trapping session.
3 Flora & Fauna
Wet conditions have produced an exceptionally vigorous growth of vegetation
this season, increasing the spread of scrub, mostly bramble, privet and sallow,
that is progressively choking the flora. The regrowth on regularly mown areas
following a year without mowing is now dramatic, for instance, the lush growth
in Sandy Lane Copses has smothered and shaded out the Wasp orchid site. The
scale of the regrowth around Venner’s Pond where volunteers cut scrub last
winter is equally dramatic where open ground is now a carpet of bramble with cut
sallow stumps now showing new growth nearly 2 metres high.
The former car park area in Broadsands where vehicles are now excluded is
showing interesting recolonisation on many of the bare areas with the principal
pioneer species being Sand toadflax and Sticky Stork’s-bill along with the
re-establishment of carpets of Thyme rich turf. The ephemeral Sand toadflax, a
flower unique to the Burrows in the U.K., has responded to the recent wet
conditions by producing larger than usual plants in exceptional abundance in
many open sandy areas. The scarce Lesser Reedmace Typha angustifolia has
colonised one of the scrapes in Partridge Slack.
4 Research & Monitoring
The monthly water table and rainfall readings have continued and the
exceptionally high rainfall has raised water levels with some of the excavated
wet slacks becoming flooded. Seven rabbit counts have been carried out, 3 in the
Training Area and 4 in the grazing trial area, showing no significant change in
numbers. Moth trapping sessions have been held on the Burrows and at local
Reserves – Swanpool, Uppacott and at West Down. Live specimens have been shown
at the beginning of some of the guided walks and have attracted much interest.
5 Undesirable Activities
The dog mess in and around Sandy Lane car park has sigficantly decreased
since 5 new dog bins were placed in and around the car park by the new managers,
Paul & Lucy Tamlyn. The Ringed Plovers nested in the enclosure and hatched one
chick but it disappeared after the busy end of May Bank Holiday when many
vehicles trespassed in the vicinity of the enclosure.
6 Publicity
Braunton Burrows display boards were exhibited and manned at Rock Park for
the Walking Festival and Rosemoor for ‘Go Wild in the Garden’ event, . They were
displayed in Barnstaple Library for a week and at the Landmark Theatre for the
AGM of the Devonshire association and North Devon College for a Science
Conference. Three news releases were prepared and published in the Journal and
Gazette. We were interviewed and helped the producer and presenter on the
Burrows with the recording of an outdoor programme for Radio 4 ‘Open Country’
series. They highlighted the story of the botanical succession and formation of
the dunes, this will form part of a programme focussing on the coastline between
Woolacombe and the Estuary. Handouts and posters for the different events have
been produced and circulated at various local venues. Barnstaple & District
Civic Society awarded a certificate of merit to the Ringed Plover Project,
Maranda Coleman-Cook, Ringed Plover Surveyor, accepted this award on behalf of
the volunteers.
7 Events
Twelve public walks have taken place attracting a total of 191 participants,
most of whom were impressed by the colourful, scented carpets of flowers and the
richness of the fauna. The themed walks have proved particularly popular with
over 30 people on each of the 2 Herbal Plant walks and an average of 25 on the 3
orchid walks. Highlights on some walks included a grass snake trying to swallow
a large frog then releasing it (to cheers from the group!), bright orange
Dark-green Fritillary and Marbled White butterflies, freshly emerged Small
Elephant hawk moths in vivid colours, masses of bright red Poplar leaf beetles
and dense stands of orchids with many visitors becoming fascinated by the Bee
orchids. One of these walks took place as in the Devon Wildlife Trust Reserve at
Swanpool.
The 'Walk and Talk' Walk to Health on the Burrows attracted 15 people and the
shorter fortnightly 1 hour walks in Braunton village between 1 and 7
participants.
A series of 15 evening talks on subjects of local interest are to take place
weekly at Braunton Countryside Centre between July 20th and October 26th.
8 Educational Groups
The following groups (totalling 248 participants) have been guided around the
Burrows and shown various aspects of the sites ecology and management, flora and
fauna: Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, MOD Penhale
Conservation Group, South West Naturalists Union, Lee Abbey Conservation Course,
Saunton Sands Hotel, Croyde Bay Holiday Village, N. Devon Hospice supporters,
staff from RHS Rosemoor, Biosphere Field Seminar, Wellington School, Bideford
College & West Buckland School, Combe Martin Conservation Group, Tiverton U3A,
Oakhampton U3A and Pilton W.I.
The Biosphere Field Seminar on the Burrows was organised by Hallsannery Field
Centre, we demonstrated plants, their adaptations and succession and management
to maintain the biodiversity. The group then recorded the flora colonising the
newly excavated slack near Sandy Lane, an exercise that can be repeated to
record the botanical changes expected on this area. The A level fieldwork
session with Bideford and West Buckland Schools was filmed by Neil Worth for use
in a new interactive website project featuring 5 local schools carrying out
fieldwork in the local environment. It will focus on the Biosphere Reserve and
is grant aided from the Dept. for Education & Skills of North Devon District
Council.
Illustrated talks have been given to the Devonshire Association, Unison at
Croyde, South West Naturalist’s Union and ‘The Good Companions’ Barnstaple.
A brief presentation was given to the Biodiversity Forum held at Bratton
Fleming.
J M Breeds,
Braunton Burrows Education Warden
16.7.07