The Guardian reports that a shorter hibernation period may accelerate demise of Britain’s only venomous snake.
The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake, has for the first time been confirmed as being active in every month of the year.
Adders normally hibernate underground from October to March, a strategy designed to enable them to survive a cold winter, but with warmer weather have now been seen throughout the year.
The BBC report that two schoolgirls have criticised a housing developer for the “devastating impact” its use of hedgerow netting is having on wildlife.
Taylor Wimpey attached netting to a hedge lining a 270-home development in Warwickshire to stop birds from nesting but did so before plans were passed.
Kyra Barboutis and Sophie Smith, who run hedgehog rescue centres, said the hibernating animals would be trapped.
Taylor Wimpey said it would now build tunnels enabling them to escape.
The GUARDIAN reports that naturalists are concerned for early-emerging spring species in UK. Spring is arriving early with swallows, frogspawn and unexpected perfume as temperatures soar up to 20C above this time last year when Britain was blasted by the “beast from the east”. Rooks are nesting, ladybirds are mating and dozens of migratory swallows have been spotted along the south-west coast – more than a month ahead of their normal arrival. Naturalists fear for these early spring species if March does turn markedly colder and wetter.
Photo of ladybird pair by Nutmeg 66 under creative commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode
The TIMES reports on Michael Gove ordering the killing of sick squirrels and deer. It could be Michael Gove’s biggest and bravest mistake, they say. The environment secretary has told animal care and wildlife rescue centres that sick or abandoned grey squirrels or muntjac deer brought in by the public can no longer be released back into the wild and must be killed.
This upcoming news was raised by Nigel Palmer at his talk on Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue to our Friends of Normandy Wildlife group in January 2019. Read more on his talk here.
Photo by Denis Fournier under Creative commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
The Independent reports that a dearth of worms is blamed for dramatic decline in the UK song thrush population. Britain’s first farmland worm survey reveals nearly half of English fields lack key types of earthworm and may help explain a 50 per cent fall in song thrush numbers.
The citizen science project, in which farmers dug for worms in their own fields, has prompted 57 per cent of them to pledge to change their soil management practices – a move that may benefit the song thrush, for whom worms are a vital food source.
Photo by Tony Sutton under Creative commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
The TELEGRAPH reports that Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, announced landowners are to be given powers to protect countryside ‘forever’ under new conservation plans. Woodlands, meadows and other parts of the countryside with a “bit of magic” will be preserved “forever” under Government plans to introduce conservation covenants. Michael Gove wants to introduce new legal safeguards to help ensure England’s countryside can be enjoyed by future generations.
Photo of Farmland near Guildford by Maureen Barlin under Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode
The GUARDIAN reports that Britain’s carnivores must survive government culls, gamekeepers, poisoning, persecution and increasingly busy roads but, in modern times at least, they have never had it so good: badger, otter, pine marten, polecat, stoat and weasel populations have “markedly improved” since the 1960s, according to a new study. The otter, polecat and pine marten have bounced back from the brink of extinction, and the country’s only carnivorous mammal now in danger of being wiped out is the wildcat, with the dwindling Scottish populations hit by hybridisation with domestic and feral cats.
The Telegraph tells how grey squirrel is on the menu, as diners turn to the wild meat to help boost the number of red squirrels.
Thanks to everyone who came for making our Christmas party a wonderfully fun event again. As well as mulled cider, lashings of delicious food and great company, we had quizzes to test our knowledge on our local wildlife and our annual photo competition.
Have a go at one of those quizzes now yourself…..
Proposed development that could have a detrimental impact has returned to the village, with Guildford Borough Council’s (GBC) proposals in the revised local plan. Policy A64 proposes 105 houses at the site between Flexford and Normandy.
We urge you to consider responding to the proposal before the deadline of Tuesday 23rd October (noon), 2018.
If approved this would almost certainly have a detrimental effect on our wildlife through removal of feeding grounds for wildlife and through the destruction of habitats. Development here could impact on the UK’s red listed yellowhammers, as well as barn owl and bat foraging, plus impact on freshwater, pasture and hedge habitats and create potential loss of habitat connectivity. This area is within the Wanborough and Normandy Woods and Meadows Biodiversity Opportunity Area.
The aim of Biodiversity Opportunity Areas (BOAs) is to establish a strategic framework for conserving and enhancing biodiversity at a landscape-scale, making our wildlife more robust to changing climate and socio-economic pressures. Recognition of BOAs directly meets National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) policy for the planning system to contribute to international commitments for halting the overall decline in biodiversity, by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures. Safeguarding BOAs via local plans fulfills NPPF requirements to plan for biodiversity at a landscape-scale.
This land has been offered for sale before and GBC only recently refused a planning application to have 9 houses built on it (which is currently under appeal). However, the government’s Planning Inspector challenged GBC recently to start building houses earlier in the Local Plan and thus this amendment has been proposed.
For more information and other considerations (such as erosion of Green Belt) of this proposal please refer to the Normandy Action Group’s website.
