Author: libby ranzetta

We had a very good summer, a little hot for the sort of work we did but we achieved a lot (I do apologise for all the raking, but it is essential work!), we are inching towards reducing the stinging nettle dominance and restoring plant diversity to the water meadows. Bury Water Meadows Group is hugely grateful to our volunteers and we are always keen to have more – hopefully you will find one of the scheduled dates suitable to come and join us.

There is still much to do, for instance we haven’t finished the turf laying that was scheduled in the spring and halted due to the Beast from the East! This is now planned for early November. This involves removal of the vegetation on the river bank, so the turf can go down and keeping up with the leaves which will fall, so much of the work being undertaken will take place in the Abbey Gardens this month and next. We will then move onto tree maintenance, stinging nettle removal and plug plant weeding or planting later on and early next year.

Email us if you are interested in joining in.

Jillian Macready

Liz Cutting, A look at Suffolk Wildlife through the lens of a camera

7pm Thursday 29th November 2018 (preceded by AGM)

Friends Meeting House, St John’s Street, IP33 1SJ

Liz Cutting has been a dedicated photographer for many years and her images have been used by many conservation organisations.  This will be a glorious photographic feast of our local wildlife. (Photo: Liz Cutting)

Jonny Rankin, a fellow Bury resident, has swapped an enthusiasm for heavy metal with inspirational endurance events spurred on by his love of birdwatching and a particular interest in the turtle dove, which has seen dramatic declines in recent years. With help and encouragement from friends and the RSPB he has completed three ‘Dove Step’ journeys – each more strenuous than the last, to raise money for turtle dove research.

To date, Dove Step has raised over £15,000 in support of Operation Turtle Dove. Another Dove Step challenge is in the practice phase. Jonny explained during his talk to the group on 21st June, the declines seen in recent years and the possible causes of this decline in a bird we can’t really call our own; there is an international element to its lifestyle since it migrates over sometimes hostile territory every year. He described in graphic detail his adventures along the way including the sight of the damage to his feet by ill preparation for one of the trips; though that image was not as distressing as seeing a pile of dead turtle doves – this bird is on the brink of extinction remember – next to a gleefully smiling man in dark sunglasses, and a rifle.

Sam Lee of the RSPB’s Operation Turtle Dove came along to the talk, and she explained what some of the research the money Jonny is raising, has achieved. If you are interested in learning more or donating to the fund, see here.

We are now working with The River Lark Catchment Partnership, the group for the whole of the Lark River as this provides direct access to Environment Agency (EA) technical advice, funding and facilitation of formal permits needed to get the work done.

The good news is that the EA has received funding for work on the Lark for 2017-18 and probably the two following years. This can be distributed to partner groups such as BWMG and the angling clubs who have done so much over the years on river restoration work, for projects such as the one we got involved in in March this year to lay wildflower turf and put coir matting in the river for marginal habitat. For this work, we were able to use both our trained in-channel volunteers and planting volunteers. If you want to get involved in volunteering please contact us.

The next Bury site is likely to be where the Lark runs between Bell Meadow and the British Sugar woodlands.​​​​​​​

Here’s an old map from 1823 showing the River Lark from Bury St Edmunds to Mildenhall (from St Edmundsbury Chronicle)

Last October we planted wildflower plugs in No Mans Meadow. In February this year we planted European White Elms which had been supplied by Butterfly Conservation and in March, at the same time as litter picking and the river restoration project mentioned above, we laid turf seeded with wildflowers on the banks of the Lark by the Abbots Bridge in the Abbey gardens. So we have come a long way in a short time! There is a lot more to do and we hope with the support of the EA, through funding and the support of the Borough, we will be able to do more in due course.

Of the 50 Elms planted in the Crankles and No Mans Meadow, not one has failed, despite great competition from stinging nettles. We will be able to do some weeding round the plants in due course. The turf is still looking good despite the driest spring for 20 years in East Anglia – all thanks to the Borough staff who provided the standpipe and hose and some of our own members who have given up time to do watering.