Heath News
Tribune Articles
The heath articles that have appeared in the Tribune can be found here.
Renew (or new!) FoTH Membership for 2012
Members have had Membership forms sent for 2012.
If you haven't received yours, or want to join FoTH, the membership form can be downloaded from here.
What happened in 2011
Another busy year for Tiptree Heath with many exciting events. Here are some of the things that your support, either financial or otherwise, has helped to make happen.
The entrance to the car park had been gradually breaking up during the last few years, to the extent that there were two large potholes which might cause damage to vehicles using the car park. In April we arranged for a contractor to re-excavate the entrance and build a stronger, longer lasting surface.
There have been numerous children’s events and wildlife walks led by visiting experts, all of which were very well attended. The parents who attend with their children are just as interested and enthusiastic as them, which makes those days a great experience. Three of our experts were from Essex Wildlife Trust, and it is good to have so much knowledge and expertise at our disposal. It was particularly pleasing to have Tiptree Heath Primary School visiting the heath on three separate occasions, not only enjoying the day, but also learning a lot of information from their visits.
Our fundraising group is still working hard, although at times becomes quite stretched, and this year they ran an extra event – the Tiptree Heath Quiz evening. It was highly successful thanks to the support of members and volunteers, and local Tiptree groups. It looks as though there will be another one by popular demand in October 2012. This year’s fair became an Animal Fair, with local charities and agencies on display who deal with animals. Attendances were slightly down on last year, but the income was increased, suggesting that visitors stayed longer. Over 60 people volunteered to help run the fair, either on the day or in some other way – thank you.
Health Walk numbers are going from strength to strength. By the end of the year we were averaging over 40 walkers each week. It is a friendly, happy group who welcome new members all the time. The leaders decided that, due to the large numbers of walkers, they should from now on wear hi-vis waistcoats to help with safety and communication issues (such as, where have the ones in front gone?). Thank you to the leaders who all show their commitment and caring.
The dry, warm Spring slowed down the growth rate of grass, with the result that we only had enough available food to support two cows this Summer. We had spent a couple of years investigating the possibility of grazing ponies on the heath over the winter months, and were given the opportunity by the RSPB at Minsmere to trial 4 Exmoor ponies this Autumn. They have settled in well, finding lots of scrub – and some grass – to eat, and have not been phazed by the many walkers and dogs around them. If you have seen them, I’m sure you will agree that they are beautiful and look as though they belong here. We’re hoping that they will stay on the heath until April, then the cows - which have also settled well, and we love them too! - will return in May.
There has been a full programme of conservation work parties in the winter months, and Tuesdays for most of the year. All have been well supported by people who care about what they are doing and work well with each other, making some excellent teams. Their efforts are much appreciated, as are those of the Thurstable Duke of Edinburgh students who have made major contributions to the work on the heath over the last 2 winters.
Our Higher Level Stewardship Agreement (funded by Natural England) is now into its 5th year and progress is noted in various ways. One of them is to survey the spread of heathland flowers, which was carried out in the summer. We were pleased to record that in some areas the amount of heather had increased from 0% to 90%. These areas were ones where the surface soil had been scraped off using a mechanical digger, releasing the dormant heather seeds in the grey soil below. We also noted reduction in the invasive type of scrub, due to stock grazing and heather taking hold of the empty patches left.
The Trustees of the group work very hard, not only playing a part in most of the heath activities, but also planning and managing the business side of things. Chris Samms has been a Trustee for 5 years, and a valued member of the conservation group, as well as looking after the noticeboard and acting to inform the public in many ways about the importance of the heath. We are sad to say goodbye to Chris and his wife, Joy, who will be moving to Kent later this month, we thank them for all they’ve done and wish them lots of happy times in their new home.
Thanks are due to so many people that it is difficult to mention everyone. We have again been well supported by Peter Wilkin, Tiptree Parish Council, Essex Wildlife Trust, Colchester Natural History Society and our Natural England advisors. We were commended this year by Natural England for the good progress made on the heath in such a short time, and it could not have been achieved without you, our members. I’d also like to thank those members who walk on the heath and report to me any concerns or sightings, all very valuable.
Here’s to a good 2012, full of even more exciting events!
Quiz Time!
On Wednesday 12 October we held a Quiz to raise funds for the Heath. Ray put together 12 rounds of fun questions, with topics ranging from Science & Nature, to Hair (do you know what a 'chonmage' is?*). We had 18 teams and On the Parish won with 93.5 points, but well done to all the teams and it seemed that everyone had a great night.
The Co-op Society donated £50 and we thank them for this - and also the hard work they do for the village.
Thanks again to Ray and everyone involved, from the runners and the markers.
Click here to download the scores.
*its the hair style used by sumo wrestlers
Summer on the Heath
Monitoring of flora
Surveys of plots which have undergone conservation management during the last 3 years all showed a large increase in the spread of heather. A tiny, but significant, amount of young ling was found close to the wood at the western end of the heath, and all areas which had been scraped using a mechanical digger have produced between a 30% and 100% spread.
Birds
The nightingales, at least 3 males, returned after a gap of 2 years to sing for a few weeks in an area from the Birkin pond, by the car park, to the Keyes Triangle, across the B1022 road. Two separate walks to listen for and see birds recorded a total of 32 different species.
Badgers
A walk to search for evidence of badgers discovered that badgers are not resident on the heath at the moment, but forage there and leave tracks and latrines.
Animal Fair
Again about 500 people attended the fair and stayed a long time to enjoy meeting those who deal with animals in one way or another and also the animals themselves. Two Exmoor ponies were there to give a sample of what is to come on the heath this winter. Money raised went to the upkeep of the heath.
Children and Family Activities
Heathland Spring Creatures
Children explored the site to find the homes and habitats of the different mammals, insects and birds.
Nature’s Circus
FoTH joined with Tiptree Library and Tiptree Sports Centre to provide enjoyment in the form of balancing and juggling skills, bug hunts and trapeze birds (crafted ones, not real ones).
Bat Evening
An exciting evening, finding first of all a serotine bat, never seen on the heath before, common and soprano pipistrelles and finishing with food and a camp fire.
Grazers
The cows Medlar and Stella, two black Dexters, came to the heath on May 16th and have just left on September 7th. Although there were only two of them due to the lack of grass which has grown this summer, they have made their presence known by trampling areas as well as eating some of the scrub.
The Exmoor ponies have now travelled from RSPB Suffolk to an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve at Danbury. They will be there until late October when we hope to introduce them to the heath. Before then they will be trained to not approach people and also not to run away from dogs. Leaflets will be handed to walkers on the heath before they arrive explaining how they should behave in the presence of the ponies, and warning that certain actions could damage the welfare of the ponies. So far the pony training is going well and although they may approach to a certain distance they will then trot away if the human makes a movement. Their names are Peregrine, Gadwall, Plover and Petrel. The first two are 2 years old and the others are yearlings. They are all beautiful.
See here for Previous News.
Tribune Articles
The heath articles that have appeared in the Tribune can be found here.
Renew (or new!) FoTH Membership for 2012
Members have had Membership forms sent for 2012.
If you haven't received yours, or want to join FoTH, the membership form can be downloaded from here.
What happened in 2011
Another busy year for Tiptree Heath with many exciting events. Here are some of the things that your support, either financial or otherwise, has helped to make happen.
The entrance to the car park had been gradually breaking up during the last few years, to the extent that there were two large potholes which might cause damage to vehicles using the car park. In April we arranged for a contractor to re-excavate the entrance and build a stronger, longer lasting surface.
There have been numerous children’s events and wildlife walks led by visiting experts, all of which were very well attended. The parents who attend with their children are just as interested and enthusiastic as them, which makes those days a great experience. Three of our experts were from Essex Wildlife Trust, and it is good to have so much knowledge and expertise at our disposal. It was particularly pleasing to have Tiptree Heath Primary School visiting the heath on three separate occasions, not only enjoying the day, but also learning a lot of information from their visits.
Our fundraising group is still working hard, although at times becomes quite stretched, and this year they ran an extra event – the Tiptree Heath Quiz evening. It was highly successful thanks to the support of members and volunteers, and local Tiptree groups. It looks as though there will be another one by popular demand in October 2012. This year’s fair became an Animal Fair, with local charities and agencies on display who deal with animals. Attendances were slightly down on last year, but the income was increased, suggesting that visitors stayed longer. Over 60 people volunteered to help run the fair, either on the day or in some other way – thank you.
Health Walk numbers are going from strength to strength. By the end of the year we were averaging over 40 walkers each week. It is a friendly, happy group who welcome new members all the time. The leaders decided that, due to the large numbers of walkers, they should from now on wear hi-vis waistcoats to help with safety and communication issues (such as, where have the ones in front gone?). Thank you to the leaders who all show their commitment and caring.
The dry, warm Spring slowed down the growth rate of grass, with the result that we only had enough available food to support two cows this Summer. We had spent a couple of years investigating the possibility of grazing ponies on the heath over the winter months, and were given the opportunity by the RSPB at Minsmere to trial 4 Exmoor ponies this Autumn. They have settled in well, finding lots of scrub – and some grass – to eat, and have not been phazed by the many walkers and dogs around them. If you have seen them, I’m sure you will agree that they are beautiful and look as though they belong here. We’re hoping that they will stay on the heath until April, then the cows - which have also settled well, and we love them too! - will return in May.
There has been a full programme of conservation work parties in the winter months, and Tuesdays for most of the year. All have been well supported by people who care about what they are doing and work well with each other, making some excellent teams. Their efforts are much appreciated, as are those of the Thurstable Duke of Edinburgh students who have made major contributions to the work on the heath over the last 2 winters.
Our Higher Level Stewardship Agreement (funded by Natural England) is now into its 5th year and progress is noted in various ways. One of them is to survey the spread of heathland flowers, which was carried out in the summer. We were pleased to record that in some areas the amount of heather had increased from 0% to 90%. These areas were ones where the surface soil had been scraped off using a mechanical digger, releasing the dormant heather seeds in the grey soil below. We also noted reduction in the invasive type of scrub, due to stock grazing and heather taking hold of the empty patches left.
The Trustees of the group work very hard, not only playing a part in most of the heath activities, but also planning and managing the business side of things. Chris Samms has been a Trustee for 5 years, and a valued member of the conservation group, as well as looking after the noticeboard and acting to inform the public in many ways about the importance of the heath. We are sad to say goodbye to Chris and his wife, Joy, who will be moving to Kent later this month, we thank them for all they’ve done and wish them lots of happy times in their new home.
Thanks are due to so many people that it is difficult to mention everyone. We have again been well supported by Peter Wilkin, Tiptree Parish Council, Essex Wildlife Trust, Colchester Natural History Society and our Natural England advisors. We were commended this year by Natural England for the good progress made on the heath in such a short time, and it could not have been achieved without you, our members. I’d also like to thank those members who walk on the heath and report to me any concerns or sightings, all very valuable.
Here’s to a good 2012, full of even more exciting events!
Quiz Time!
On Wednesday 12 October we held a Quiz to raise funds for the Heath. Ray put together 12 rounds of fun questions, with topics ranging from Science & Nature, to Hair (do you know what a 'chonmage' is?*). We had 18 teams and On the Parish won with 93.5 points, but well done to all the teams and it seemed that everyone had a great night.
The Co-op Society donated £50 and we thank them for this - and also the hard work they do for the village.
Thanks again to Ray and everyone involved, from the runners and the markers.
Click here to download the scores.
*its the hair style used by sumo wrestlers
Summer on the Heath
Monitoring of flora
Surveys of plots which have undergone conservation management during the last 3 years all showed a large increase in the spread of heather. A tiny, but significant, amount of young ling was found close to the wood at the western end of the heath, and all areas which had been scraped using a mechanical digger have produced between a 30% and 100% spread.
Birds
The nightingales, at least 3 males, returned after a gap of 2 years to sing for a few weeks in an area from the Birkin pond, by the car park, to the Keyes Triangle, across the B1022 road. Two separate walks to listen for and see birds recorded a total of 32 different species.
Badgers
A walk to search for evidence of badgers discovered that badgers are not resident on the heath at the moment, but forage there and leave tracks and latrines.
Animal Fair
Again about 500 people attended the fair and stayed a long time to enjoy meeting those who deal with animals in one way or another and also the animals themselves. Two Exmoor ponies were there to give a sample of what is to come on the heath this winter. Money raised went to the upkeep of the heath.
Children and Family Activities
Heathland Spring Creatures
Children explored the site to find the homes and habitats of the different mammals, insects and birds.
Nature’s Circus
FoTH joined with Tiptree Library and Tiptree Sports Centre to provide enjoyment in the form of balancing and juggling skills, bug hunts and trapeze birds (crafted ones, not real ones).
Bat Evening
An exciting evening, finding first of all a serotine bat, never seen on the heath before, common and soprano pipistrelles and finishing with food and a camp fire.
Grazers
The cows Medlar and Stella, two black Dexters, came to the heath on May 16th and have just left on September 7th. Although there were only two of them due to the lack of grass which has grown this summer, they have made their presence known by trampling areas as well as eating some of the scrub.
The Exmoor ponies have now travelled from RSPB Suffolk to an Essex Wildlife Trust reserve at Danbury. They will be there until late October when we hope to introduce them to the heath. Before then they will be trained to not approach people and also not to run away from dogs. Leaflets will be handed to walkers on the heath before they arrive explaining how they should behave in the presence of the ponies, and warning that certain actions could damage the welfare of the ponies. So far the pony training is going well and although they may approach to a certain distance they will then trot away if the human makes a movement. Their names are Peregrine, Gadwall, Plover and Petrel. The first two are 2 years old and the others are yearlings. They are all beautiful.
See here for Previous News.