At their February meeting, members of Ferring Conservation Group turned out in good numbers to hear an excellent presentation by their own committee member and wildlife expert, Tricia Hall, on a recent organised trip to the wildlife rich country of Costa Rica in Central America.

They learnt that this country makes up just 0.1% of the world’s land mass but is home to 5% of its wildlife species, with many different climates and habitats which support in the region of 500,000 species of plants and animals. Incredibly, Tricia told the audience that there are around 50 species of Hummingbirds in Costa Rica and more butterfly species than in the whole of North America and Africa. Tricia said that the government had a very strong policy on conservation, saving money on defence and paying landowners to plant trees on their land.

The virtual tour of the country took the audience in an anticlockwise circular journey including both the coasts of the Caribbean and the Pacific oceans, as well as a wide variety of inland areas – the highlight of which was probably the volcanoes of the Arenal area in the west of the country. Some of the wildlife highlights illustrated by some brilliant photographs were such creatures as Iguanas, Caymans, Crocodiles, Toucans, Capuchin and Howler monkeys, as well as Sloths and a wide variety of exotic birds. Amazingly, many of these were seen within the grounds of the hotels where the party stayed.

One very amusing story Tricia told was about their coach driver who had to answer a call of nature behind a tree and when looking up he saw what turned out to be an Eyelash Pit Viper just above him. He didn’t stay close for too long!

It was a most enjoyable and entertaining talk, and was followed by a presentation by Julie Toben from local animal welfare organisation, WADARS, on the recent planning application to develop their rescue and re-homing centre in Hangleton Lane, Ferring. She outlined all the relevant points in the application, and carefully debunked a small number of negative comments made by others. At the conclusion, members voted on how the Group should formally respond to the application, and the 70+ members present voted unanimously to support it as an important and welcome addition to local animal welfare facilities.

For the first meeting of 2020 Ferring Conservation Group, with a near record attendance, welcomed back Lee Morgan from Lutra Wildlife, a British Columbia based travel and Ecotourism Company offering guided natural history and wildlife holidays. On Lee’s second visit to the Group he gave a fascinating presentation entitled ‘The Natural History of the Canadian Rockies (Beyond the Roads and Rails).

Lee explained that to optimize your chances of spotting the iconic wildlife of the Canadian Rocky Mountains a lot has to do with luck and being in the right place at the right time given the vastness of the area. There are certain places where animals are known to frequent, but part of the magic is that you never know when you are going to see something. Many tourists to the region make the mistake of trying to cover a large area to see as much as possible not realising that this would entail hour upon hour of driving with little time to take in the spectacular scenery, let alone get close to any wildlife. Lee advised the audience that the best time of the year to witness wildlife in their natural habitat is during the slower tourist seasons of spring, autumn and winter. This is when many of the animals move to lower elevations and near towns for mating rituals and food. As an example he informed the audience that during the elk rutting season from mid-September through October the bulls concentrate in the lower elevation meadows to fight over females. The bulls are extremely aggressive at this time so it is advisable to keep your distance.

Autumn is also the time when bears are actively foraging as they need to put on as much fat as possible before going into hibernation. Bighorn sheep are visible all year round but autumn and winter are the best times to spot the males as they are actively searching for mates.

In the spring as the snow begins to thaw in the lower valleys, the wildlife can be seen foraging for grass along the road sides. You may see female elk grouped together in meadows with their new calves. Bighorn sheep and deer start to bring their young to the grassy areas as well. The odd bear can sometimes be seen as early as mid-March but most will start to come out of hibernation in late April.

As summer approaches the temperatures rise and this causes wildlife to head higher up the alpine terrain. Lee commented that, surprisingly, the lesser visited Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay National parks can offer some of the best opportunities to see wildlife. These parks have a lower level of tourist traffic and a more varied habitat than the area of Banff.

Lee illustrated his presentation with a series of stunning photographs.

Ed Miller took to the floor to give an update on planning issues by advising the Group that the application for an additional property in the grounds of Elm Lodge, Tamarisk Way had been refused by Arun DC. There are two new applications: at 40, Little Paddocks to demolish the existing property and build 2 x 3 bed detached chalet bungalows and a 3 bed residence has been proposed at the Equestrian centre alongside Littlehampton Road. The office block at McIntyre’s Lane and the extended delivery times at Quercus Nursery have not yet been decided.

Tricia Hall concluded the meeting with her popular Nature Notes saying that it had been reported on the television news that a byelaw is to be introduced to prevent trawlers from entering the kelp bed areas along the Sussex coast .This will hopefully result in these vitally important regions recovering over time. Tricia also reported that the National Big Bird Watch revealed that sparrows were the most plentiful bird seen followed by bluetits in second place.

For the last monthly meeting of the Group in 2019 Ian Everest came along to enlighten us and also create some nostalgia with a fascinating film and narration of life on a Sussex downland farm. Ian’s interest in the history of Sussex farming dates back to his childhood, which was spent living on a 1,000 acre downland farm on which his father worked.

In his teenage years Ian worked on farms in the Ouse Valley before attending Plumpton Agricultural College. After further practical farm activity, he worked at a farm animal-disease research centre before entering into farming-related commercial activities.

His talk looked at life on Manor Farm, Bishopstone, during the 1950’s and is based on a cine film made by farmer John Willett. After attending the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, John was keen to start modernising the farm by adopting new techniques and acquiring modern machinery.  His father was reluctant to change with the times, and the film gives an interesting insight into the demise of the old ways of farming practices and the gradual change with the introduction of modern labour saving machinery.

More than thirty men were employed on the farm at harvest time but reducing to twenty at other times of the year. It was a tough life with little financial reward for the workers, but the men were highly skilled in many aspects of their work. Skills not learnt at school or college, but passed down to them by their forbears.

Due to their differing ideas on running the farm, John and his father did not always see eye to eye, so the filming sessions had two purposes. Curiously one was to keep John occupied and away from his father (!) although it was soon apparent that the farm labourers worked much harder during the making of the cine film.

Sadly the farm was eventually split up and sold but some of the farm buildings still exist and have been converted into residential premises.

After attendees enjoyed tea and mince pies Tricia Hall and Graham Tuppen took to the floor to jointly present the popular Nature Notes slot. The renowned broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough is supporting a campaign to help save the kelp forests off the Sussex coast. Kelp is the name given to a group of brown seaweeds; usually large in size and these plants are capable of forming dense aggregations in underwater forests.  Tricia and Graham were keen to inform members of the damage that has been caused to this most vulnerable biodiverse environment. According to one estimate, globally it can absorb about 600 million tonnes of carbon a year, twice as much as the UK emits annually. This campaign was launched by the Sussex Wildlife Trust and the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority to introduce an inshore trawler exclusion zone to help the kelp regenerate.

An impromptu collection in aid of the Woodland Trust appeal to ‘Plant a Tree to Save the World’ resulted in attendees donating £90 which will be matched from Ferring Conservation Group’s fund.

Ed Miller concluded the meeting with planning news and advised members that a revised planning application had been submitted by the owners of Elm Lodge in Tamarisk Way, Ferring for an additional property to be built in the back garden. Also the proposal for 465 homes to be built on the Northern Goring Gap is expected soon.

Kate Bradbury, an award winning author and journalist was warmly welcomed to Ferring Conservation Group’s October meeting. Kate is the author of several books including ‘The Wildlife Gardener’ and is the editor of the wildlife pages of BBC Gardener’s World Magazine. She regularly writes articles for newspapers and often appears on BBC Spring and Autumn Watch programmes.

Kate is passionate about organic, wildlife-friendly gardening and can see the potential in our gardens for preserving many species. She gardens on a small patch of land in Brighton and delights in the wildlife it has attracted in a relatively short space of time. Her many tips include growing native plants (just one native tree can support hundreds of different species – providing flowers for pollinators, leaves for caterpillars and then seeds or fruit for birds in autumn). Kate explained that non-natives have a great role in gardens too – especially for pollinating insects, but it is the natives that attract the leaf munchers, such as caterpillars, that also need leaves to assist breeding. Being at the bottom of the food chain these invertebrates are vitally important to anything from hedgehogs to frogs, toads, newts, birds and bats. In a small garden Kate recommended forget-me-knots, primroses and foxgloves as ideal plants to attract pollinators and if you have the room for a tree, a Silver Birch or standard Hawthorn would be ideal. If a small pond is viable then it should be shallow for insects to breed and pebbles should be placed on one side to create a beach, so that birds and bees can drink from the water’s edge.

Graham Tuppen took the floor at the second half of the meeting to deliver the Nature Notes slot. He informed the audience that the lagoons by the Rife were at last full from the recent rainfall and went on to report that the wet fields had attracted plenty of wading birds and gulls. Parasol mushrooms were abundant along the Ilex with the flowering ivy keeping bees busy and were attractive for hoverflies and wasps. Also many acorns were evident as well as seed from sycamore and hawthorn trees; again very helpful for wildlife. Graham also reported the sighting of a seal in the sea near to the Bluebird Café.

Planning news concluded the meeting with Ed Miller reporting that the planning application submitted by Worthing Council for the erection of beach huts along the seafront in Goring-by-Sea, had been withdrawn. The two warehouse units proposed on land adjacent to McIntyre’s Lane had been refused by Arun DC, along with the additional house in the back garden of The Old Flint House within the Ferring conservation area. Ed also advised that Arun DC had received a new application by Peugeot for an advertising sign on the forecourt of their garage along the A259. It was also reported that according to Persimmon’s architect, present at the public consultation afternoon held on 7th October at the Assembly Rooms in Worthing, the submission of an outline planning application to Worthing DC and Arun DC for 465 homes in the Northern Goring Gap was imminent.

Charlotte Owen from the Sussex Wildlife Trust (SWT) was welcomed to Ferring Conservation Group’s September meeting to tell members and visitors about her role as a Wild Call Officer, which she described as ‘the best job in the world’. Charlotte illustrated her talk with many delightful photographs.

Based at Wood Mills, the headquarters of the SWT, Charlotte mans a helpline for the 1.6 million residents of Sussex answering a huge variety of wildlife related questions. A lot can happen in a year and with between 1500 to 2000 inquiries it is a not only a very busy job but also a very interesting one.

As Sussex is blessed with contrasting landscapes such as the coastline, the South Downs, heathland, woodland and wetlands that attract a diverse range of wildlife there is never a dull moment. The seasons often give a clue to the type of questions posed. In early spring newly emerged hedgehogs, toads, grass snakes, lizards and adders become more active and are easier to spot and can bring forth a variety of questions from the public – such as how to attract hedgehogs into gardens and how to deter squirrels. Also help is requested in solving mysterious footprints in gardens and the appearance of holes in lawns.

Charlotte admits to sometimes using Google to help answer questions and this helped enormously when an email popped into her inbox from a sender asking advice as they had two Black Bears in their garden (unusual for Sussex she thought!). Fortunately the request came from overseas and Charlotte was able to quickly refer the sender to a website dedicated to Black Bears.

After a break for tea and biscuits Graham Tuppen took the floor to deliver the ever popular Nature Notes. Graham advised members that the September working party had tidied the wildflower bed in Little Twitten and the cut grass had been raked up on the verge along Sea Lane with help from volunteers from ‘The Good Gym’. A variety of birds had been spotted including a Kingfisher on the Rife together with a Grey Wagtail. Unfortunately all of the ponds and lagoons next to the Rife had dried up.

Ed Miller concluded the meeting with planning news by advising that the application for the large lit advertising sign proposed by the Peugeot Garage on the A259 had been refused. There were still some undecided applications and also three appeals awaiting decisions by the Planning Inspector.

Bernie Forbes, the current President of the Shoreham and District Ornithological Society, was welcomed to Ferring Conservation Group’s July meeting to impart his vast knowledge of birds and his favourite locations in the county to view them. Bernie explained that lesser known bird spotting areas such as Shoreham Napoleonic Fort, the Downs around Lancing College, Cissbury Ring, the Norfolk Estate at Burpham, Amberley Castle and strangely, old sewage works, were popular areas that attract many varieties of birds. Bernie is regularly accompanied by his good friend and fellow bird enthusiast Dorian Mason, a resident of Ferring and also a member of Ferring Conservation Group, whose many excellent photographs were utilised by Bernie to illustrate his talk.

Bernie has demonstrated his proven track record for finding rare species including the Gyr Falcon and the first and second Pallid Harrier in the county of Sussex. As an active RSPB volunteer and a participant in work around Pagham Harbour Bernie contributes to local bird reports and is also renowned for constructing the many benches and some of the steps and stiles around the area.

Many of Bernie’s sightings have been close to Ferring where he has been fortunate enough to spot Common and Jack Snipe near to the Rife, a Snow Bunting on Goring Beach, a Sandpiper and numerous Wood Lark at Shoreham Airport and a Great Spotted Cuckoo near to Lancing College. He recommended Burpham as an ideal location to see Raptors and Finches and praised the Duke of Norfolk’s Estate near Arundel in their successful efforts to breed Grey Partridge.

After refreshments Tricia Hall discussed her recent holiday in Northern Greece and the many butterflies and birds that she observed there, illustrating her talk with colourful photographs of some of her discoveries.

Ed Miller concluded the meeting with news that the Appeal for the 2 proposed properties in the garden of 21 Ocean Drive had been dismissed. The proposed marking out of part of the Bluebird Café car park had been approved. The proposed property in the garden of Elm Lodge, Tamarisk Way had gone to Appeal and a new planning application had been lodged for a property to be built in the garden of the Old Flint House in Church Lane. This property is 17th Century in part and lies within the Conservation Area in Ferring.

At Ferring Conservation Group’s June meeting they welcomed David Bathurst the author of many books about walking, including the Sussex Hospice Trail. David’s talk covered six walks in West Sussex out of the series of 19 named long distance walks that link the areas that are served by Hospices throughout East and West Sussex. The initial aim was to make a trail that will be used for fundraising events or just enjoyed by walkers.

David is an indefatigable walker who embraces the challenges of walking the strenuous South Downs Way but also savours the more gentle walks on the relatively flat terrain of the rural path of a long lost canal as it crosses arable fields, allowing time to absorb and appreciate the wildlife along the way.

David gave some examples of some of the walks to an audience of 78; a good attendance on such a warm evening.

Walk 1 is a 10 mile linear walk from Chichester railway station to Barnham railway station that forms the first stretch of the Hospice Trail. The route passes by St Winifred’s Hospice in Chichester and along the way you can enjoy a restored section of the Chichester Ship Canal and several charming villages as it crosses arable fields and fruit farms.

Walk 3 in the series is an 11 mile linear route from Arundel railway station to Goring-by-Sea railway station and passes St Barnabas House Hospice and is the nearest trail to Ferring. The route takes in a short stretch of the River Arun before joining long peaceful bridleways through the woodlands of the Angmering Estate, visiting Chestnut Tree House along the way.

Walk 4 is a 9 mile linear route along the seafront from Goring-by-Sea railway station to Shoreham-by-Sea railway station. This walk is almost entirely along the coast with varied seafront pathways and promenades and with magnificent sea views throughout and is on entirely flat surfaces.

With so many contrasting walks to choose from David assured the Group that there would be something suitable for everyone to try.

After a break for refreshments the popular Nature Notes slot was delivered by Tricia Hall. Tricia began by informing the Group that Common Mallow was abundant along the banks of the Rife which is a good source of nectar for bees. However, Tricia was disappointed to see that the wildflower beds in Little Twitten and the Village Green lacked variety and had noted that the boat in Sea Lane had been overtaken by white Valerian.

The evening was concluded by Ed Miller advising the audience that there were no new planning applications, but the application for an additional bungalow in the garden of 2, The Grove in Ferring remains undecided.

Sussex ecologist Laurie Jackson gave a talk to Ferring Conservation Group on 31 May on ‘Looking after our Wild Pollinators’. She said most fruit and vegetable crops depended on insects to carry their pollen to the ovaries of another plant of the same species and that insect populations are falling rapidly, raising real fears of falling yields. If these crops had to be pollinated by hand it would cost billions of pounds a year and make it impossible to grow them at prices that people could afford. Wild flower populations were also at risk.

She said honey bees were very useful in pollination but they were only one of 4,000 species of insects in the UK that carried out this essential process. Solitary bees and bumblebees were actually more efficient than honey bees and flies, especially hoverflies, were more efficient still. Butterflies, moths and beetles were also important pollinators.

Conservation Group members were urged to help insects to survive – by planting the right sort of plants, and leaving a part of their garden ‘untidy’ where insects could live undisturbed, and by creating refuges where insects could shelter, over-winter and reproduce. Modern farming methods were largely to blame for the loss of so many insects but everyone could do something to help the wild pollinators to continue their essential work.

Members also had a round-up of local wildlife news from Tricia Hall, including sightings of water voles on Ferring Rife, Whitethroats and a Red Kite. Ed Miller gave his report on current planning applications – he said there had been a run of applications to convert bungalows into two-storey houses – and Chairman David Bettiss gave an update on forthcoming events, including two trips out by boat to see the Rampion Windfarm at close quarters.

Tricia Hall, the Group’s wildlife expert, delivered a fascinating reflection on a recent holiday in Bulgaria in an illustrated talk entitled ‘Birds, Butterflies and Bears’. Accompanied by her good friends Charles and Eileen Cuthbert, they flew from Gatwick to Sofia, the nation’s capital, for the start of a wildlife holiday that did not go exactly to plan. They were met by their kind and generous (but not very knowledgeable) guide, Kosta, and soon found that they were the only participants on the holiday. Kosta drove them east in a minibus stopping en-route to see butterflies where they were rewarded to see several Black-veined Whites (extinct in Britain since the 1920s).

Their first hotel was in the town of Koprivishtitsa, built in the typical style of the town with little wooden balconies and thin walls. Many of the houses there are ’National Revival’ houses and are colourfully painted. This town is also the location of the momentous April Rising of 1876 against the Ottoman rule and on a hill above the town there is a memorial to mark the event. Many Spotted Flycatchers were seen here and under a bridge Dippers were seen in the river feeding their young.

The next day they headed along the main road and visited a stunning meadow which was full of flowers: Catchflies, Vetchlings, Trefoils, Plantains and thousands of Yellow Rattles. A day-flying Speckled Yellow moth, a Boletus species and a large Bush Cricket were found, also Cuckoos, Yellowhammers and Chiffchaffs could be heard calling. There were many more highlights on the trip including an unexpected visit to a grim housing block, from the days of Soviet occupation, where Kosta’s mother had prepared a typical Bulgarian tea for them.

After an arduous trek in a four-wheel truck up a mountainside for their bear watch, many hours were spent in a small hide near to areas baited with maize, apples and fish. This eventually paid dividends when firstly a small bear came into view and then at dusk a large European bear made an appearance, but unfortunately it was already too dark to photograph it.

A further unscheduled visit took them to a Tortoise breeding area. These tortoises were mostly rescued, unwanted pets and were kept in pens on the dry slopes above the marshes and Tricia, Charles and Eileen were able to hold some of the babies. Towards the end of the holiday they found themselves near to the Serbian border where Kosta was stopped by police in case he was transporting illegal immigrants!

Upon their return to Sofia ready for their flight home they were saddened to see many buildings covered in graffiti, including the holiday company’s premises, but this did not deflect from their thorough enjoyment of the holiday.

A short AGM followed where existing committee members were re-elected unopposed.

In lieu of the regular Nature Notes slot an interesting short film was shown about the work of Ferring Country Centre made by the late Mike Hall.

To conclude the meeting Ed Miller updated the Group with the latest planning news: the ASDA application for a 24 hour extension during the Christmas period was approved by Arun DC along with the extension to the Yeoman’s premises along the A259 in Ferring. Also Quercus Nurseries have applied for a variation to extend the time they can receive deliveries.