Natural England - Nature at its best
Nature at its best
15 December 2009
Make a date with nature on a National Nature Reserve this winter
National Nature Reserves or (NNRs) - the ‘jewels’ of England’s wildlife and geological treasures – will play host to a range of natural spectaculars this winter, and the holiday season can be the perfect time to see them at first hand.
From seal pups braving winter storms and wading birds feeding on the sand banks to red squirrels and sparrowhawks, stunning scenery and special wildlife are just some of the sights to be seen on National Nature Reserves this winter.
Liz Newton, Natural England’s Northwest Regional Director, said: “National Nature Reserves allow us to retreat from the stresses and strains of modern life and spend a day in the company of England’s amazing natural environment. The winter holidays are a great time of year to visit NNRs and see some of the wonderful sights that nature has on offer”.
Natural England directly manages about two thirds of England’s NNRs and works to ensure that all 223 NNRs in England are properly looked after. Representing much of our finest wildlife, NNRs throughout the Northwest have something to offer over the winter.
Discover for yourself the connections between the plants and animals you love and the landscape they live in. National Nature Reserves will show you the best scenery and wildlife the countryside has to offer. Most have nature trails or guided walks and many have a year-long programme of events. Some even have special hides.
Nature is for everyone, so please come and enjoy it.
A local tour of what to see at NNRs this winter
North Walney, Cumbria
Is a complex coastal site made up of sand dunes, slacks, salt marsh, wet and dry heath, and grassland. Winter highlights include small flocks of snow buntings and twite that feed on the strandlines left by the high autumn tides. The Walney Channel and seaward sand banks are scattered with wading birds feeding on the wide intertidal stretches. As the tide begins to turn, thousands of oystercatchers, curlew, dunlin, sanderling and knot move to safe roosting areas.
Cliburn Moss, Cumbria
Located 8km from Penrith, Cliburn Moss NNR is a basin mire that supports an unusual range of fen, bog and heath communities with several rare and scarce plant species. The Moss formed in a hollow in the glacial drift, but its present varied topography is the result of past peat-cutting activities.
Plant communities range from wetter fen or bog to wet grassland and drier heathland types. In addition, much of the site is densely colonised by self-sown Scots pine and birch. The local plant life includes cotton grass, heather, cross-leaved heath, bog bilberry, dyers' green weed, crowberry and cowberry. Northern marsh and lesser butterfly orchid are also seen. Rare species found in the area include sedges such as lesser tusssock, bog and cyperus.
The site supports large numbers of birds including breeding populations of sparrowhawk, buzzard, treecreeper and great spotted woodpecker.
The local mammal population includes red squirrels, stoats and weasels.
Ribble Estuary, Lancashire & Merseyside
The reserve occupies over half of the total area of the Ribble estuary, including extensive areas of mud and sand flats and almost all of the saltmarsh habitat - one of the largest single areas of saltmarsh in England.
The estuary provides an important link in the chain of wetland sites in western Europe, supporting over 100,000 ducks, geese and swans. In the winter the site is home to around 150,000 waders and is an internationally important refuge for 16 bird species.
In the summer the saltmarshes support large numbers of breeding birds including black-headed gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull, common tern and redshank. Skylark, meadow pipit and linnet nest in significant numbers on the grazing marsh.
Management of the site involves grazing the saltmarsh with cattle and sheep to maintain the short sward on which wintering wildfowl (especially wigeon and pink-footed geese) depend.
The main area of saltmarsh is grazed by over 700 cattle from April to September, forming one of the largest single herds of cattle in the UK. Wildfowling also takes place on much of the reserve and improved management of this activity has contributed to the increase in the number of birds visiting the site.
The best times to visit the site are in autumn and winter, to see the wintering birds.
Please note that, due to the fragility of the saltmarsh and mudflats, access to the site is restricted to public rights of way.
Wybunbury Moss NNR, Cheshire
Wybunbury Moss NNR is situated in south Cheshire, at the centre of the 'Meres and Mosses' Natural Area, where it forms part of a series of peat bogs or 'Mosses'.
Like other Mosses in the area, the origins of Wybunbury lie in the last Ice Age when ice movement and erosion created depressions which over time filled with peat. At Wybunbury subsequent subsidence of the underlying rocks has left a raft of peat floating on an underground lake, one of only three such examples in the UK.
The peat raft is carpeted in Sphagnum (bog) moss, along with cotton sedge, cranberry, bog rosemary and the insect-eating sundew. The Moss is also important for it's insect populations which includes two rare spiders and a beetle which is found nowhere else in England.
As well as the peat raft, the reserve area includes reedswamp, woodland and meadows where marsh violet and heath-spotted orchid can be found.
Please note that access to the reserve is limited to permit holders or escorted tours because of the dangerous nature of the floating raft. However, public footpaths through the surrounding meadows provide views of this spectacular site.
Visit the Natural England website for more information, including a complete list of all National Nature Reserves, or contact the Natural England Enquiry Service on 0845 600 3078
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Notes to Editors:
About Natural England
Natural England is the government’s independent advisor on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.
We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.
We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation.
We run England’s Environmental Stewardship green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.
We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.
We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
About NNRs
National Nature Reserves were initially established to protect sensitive features and to provide ‘outdoor laboratories’ for research. Their purpose has widened since those early days. As well as managing some of our most pristine habitats, our rarest species and our most significant geology, most NNRs now offer great opportunities to the public as well as schools and specialist audiences to experience England’s natural heritage.
Natural England is the body empowered to declare NNRs in England, the Reserves being a selection of the very best parts of England’s Sites of Special Scientific Interest. It is this underlying designation which gives NNRs their strong legal protection. The majority also have European nature conservation designations.
There are currently 223 NNRs in England (and one Marine Nature Reserve, Lundy) with a total area of over 92,000 hectares, which is approximately 0.6% of the country’s land surface. The largest is The Wash NNR, covering almost 8,800 hectares, whilst Horn Park Quarry in Dorset, at 0.32 hectares, is the smallest. Kinder Scout is England’s newest National Nature Reserve. It was declared a NNR on 12 October 2009.
Natural England manages about two thirds of England’s NNRs, whilst the remaining third are managed by organisations approved by Natural England; for example, National Trust, the Forestry Commission, RSPB, many Wildlife Trusts and Local Authorities. Of Natural England’s NNRs, about 30% are owned and almost 50% leased. The rest are held under Nature Reserve Agreements. Nearly every type of vegetation is found in England's NNRs, from coastal salt-marshes, dunes and cliffs to downlands, meadows and the subtle variations of our native woodlands. Scarce and threatened habitats such as chalk downs, lowland heaths and bogs and estuaries are conserved in NNRs.
Many NNRs contain nationally important populations of rare flowers, ferns and mosses, butterflies and other insects, and of course nesting and wintering birds. Examples include unique alpine plants at Upper Teesdale and the beautiful field of fritillary lilies at North Meadow, Cricklade, Wiltshire. We do not always advertise rarities, to avoid attracting too much attention to them.
From The Lizard in Cornwall to Lindisfarne in Northumberland, England’s National Nature Reserves (NNRs) represent many of the finest wildlife and geological sites in the country. The first NNRs emerged in the postwar years alongside the early National Parks, and have continued to grow since then.
For further information contact:
Will Herman North West Regional Communications on 07919 303452, William.herman@naturalengland.org.uk
