Wildlife at the Long Nanny tern site

As the breeding season draws to a close, Ptolemy, McKinnon one of the assistant rangers at the Long Nanny tern site reflects on some of the wildlife highlights of the season.

 As well as terns and plovers, the site attracts an array of other wildlife. I have been lucky enough to see Arctic skua, curlew sandpiper and white-winged black tern on site. Stonechat and reed bunting are resident, adding to the variety of bird species seen here. The terns have been disturbed by the usual suspects such as kestrel and gulls, but three disturbances stand out: little egret, great white egret and short eared owl. Once discovering the cause, watching the Arctic terns chase the innocent bird flying by has left me and the other rangers stunned.

©Ptolemy McKinnon

Botanically, the area is fantastic. On site, pyramidal orchids are currently in flower. They are beautiful plants and add to the wide spectrum of colour summer brings. The salt marsh has provided lovely pink tones with thrift growing there. Bird foot's trefoil, red clover and bloody cranesbill also add to the wonder of the site. Many offer food for insects. Narrow bordered 5-spot and 6-spot burnet moths feed on the ragwort and common blue butterfly on the bird's foot trefoil.

Five-spot burnet moth on a pyramidal orchid ©Ptolemy McKinnon

On sunny days when topping up the sun cream, common lizards can be seen sun bathing along with plenty of insects. Some of the highlights include cinnabar moths, red-tailed bumblebee, drinker moth caterpillars and heather shieldbugs. Even at night, there are interesting insects. Recently, a moth trap on site attracted a fantastic selection despite it being a clear, cold night. The highlights were golden spangle, garden tiger, single-dotted wave and drinker, all great to see, even with bleary eyes.

Drinker moth from moth trapping ©Ptolemy McKinnon

When wanting time away from the site or in particular to get a shower, the walk to the office through Newton Links has produced some great spectacles. There are many common bird species such as linnet and sedge warbler which are a joy to listen to on the way. I have also seen species which I did not see growing up in Perthshire such as wall butterfly and yellow wagtail. The most amazing sight was one warm day earlier this month, as I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a hummingbird hawkmoth hovering around white campion. This was the first time I had ever seen one and this sighting plus the others mentioned has added to the magic of the area.

wall butterfly at Newton Point ©Ptolemy McKinnon

The Dunes of St. Aidans

Rolling from sandy foreshore to marram covered dune to herb-rich grazing paddocks, St. Aidans dunes are a brilliant example of Northumberland dune habitat. Becoming a multi-coloured swathe of flowers in the spring and summer, they are home to nesting birds, small mammals and hundreds of insects. Although they are naturally very healthy a surprising amount of management goes into ensuring the biodiversity of these dunes is maintained.

 

Digging out pirri-pirri

Invasive species must be managed to ensure native species can flourish. Lines of volunteers walk the dunes, forks in hand and eyes to the ground, looking for the bright green serrated leaves of pirri-pirri. It’s small brown seed heads attach to clothing and animal fur and spread across the dunes, easily setting seed. An invasive plant introduced from New Zealand, we dig out the roots to prevent its long tendrils out-competing less vigorous native species. Garden varieties have encroached onto the dunes and although some species such as Spanish bluebell and daffodil look beautiful during the spring flowering season they can easily dominate areas and threaten the delicate balance of the herb rich grassland.

 

Raking grass in the dunes

The dunes are also home to Exmoor ponies that graze the paddocks at certain times of year. They allow herb plants to flourish by preventing the spread of more dominant grasses. We also cut the grass in certain dune hollows that we are unable to put stock on as a form of artificial grazing. The bright yellow of ragwort is a common site along the coast in the summer months and it flourishes in the dunes. Although it is a native species it is poisonous to livestock and so must be dug out of the areas grazed by ponies and areas adjacent to paddocks. Hundreds of cinnabar moth caterpillars, which feed solely on ragwort, have to be relocated from flowering plants being pulled to the tiny ragwort florets that will hopefully be munched before the next flowering season.

 

Cinnabar moth caterpillar

This management approach is constantly evolving and being assessed to ensure it is as effective as possible. So far it has allowed species such as tufted vetch, meadow vetchling and pyramidal orchids to flourish adding to the botanical mosaic of colour and species. While pulling ragwort our team of volunteers found destroying angel fungi nestled in the grass and an exciting collection of butterflies, such as common blues and painted ladies, could be seen fluttering through the paddocks. Having just finished a big fencing project along the roadside to ensure there any no pony escape attempts this winter, we are now turning our minds to pirri-pirri hunting and other winter management work in the beautiful dines of St. Aidans.

 

 

Common blue butterfly

 

Butterflies at the Long Nanny

The Long Nanny reserve is not just an amazing place because of its nesting Terns; but also for its incredible sand dune system.  Teeming with wild flowers and the pollinators that feed upon them, it's well worth an explore!

© Vicky Knight

This year, the ranger team have spotted 14 different species of butterfly on site.  With 3/4 of the 59 species in the UK declining, the Long Nanny reserve is an important habitat for these beautiful insects.

Butterflies are recognised by the government as indicators of biodiversity.  Their fragility makes them quick to react to change so their struggle to survive is a serious warning about our environment.

Assistant Ranger Vicky Knight has been monitoring the Long Nanny site this summer. "My favourite and probably most common butterfly on this site is the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus)." she says. "In the butterfly family Lycaenidae (or the blues), around 50% of all species are associated in some way with ants.  This relationship varies between species, ranging from loosely and unspecific to strictly obligate.  With Common Blue butterflies, the larvae secrete nutritious droplets from a specialized gland which ants feed upon.  In return the ants protect the larvae from parasites and predators.

© Vicky Knight

"Another welcome visitor to the site is the Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui), one of our largest species.  A very powerful flyer, the Painted Lady is well known for its ability to migrate great distances.  They fly between 500m and 1km up in the sky during migration and can reach a speed of 30mph.  Over a series of steps by up to six successive generations, this species undertakes a 9000 mile round trip from tropical Africa to the Arctic circle- almost double the length of the famous Monarch butterfly in North America.

© Vicky Knight

"Another of my favourites is the Dark Green Fritillary.  The most widespread fritillary in the UK and found in huge numbers at the Long Nanny reserve.  It is a very powerful flyer, being able to live in windy coastal habitats.  Its larva feed upon the Common dog-violet (Viola riviniana) which is plentiful on site.  Thistles are a favourite nectar source- often seeing two or three Dark Green Fritillaries feeding off one flower."

© Vicky Knight

Help Butterfly Conservation get a better understanding of butterfly populations and distributions in your area by taking part in the Big Butterfly Count.  It has all ready started and needs as many people as possible to take part.  Visit www.butterfly-conservation.org/bigbutterflycount2015 for more information.