A good audience heard a very encouraging presentation on the ‘Weald to the Waves’ project, given by one of its leading lights James Baird. The project is to create a series of green wildlife corridors from the borders of Kent and Surrey to the sea. The main corridor is to run from the Ashdown Forest, near East Grinstead, westward across to Ardingly and Horsham, south through the Knepp estate, towards Steyning and then across towards Bury and south to Climping. James Baird owns and farms the large estate at Climping in a two-mile wide Gap down to the sea.

He said the Knepp Estate was a key partner in this project but their commitment to rewilding was not the only way for landowners and public bodies to be part of the green corridors. He and other farmers would continue to cultivate the land and manage livestock but now with an eye to maintaining habitats for wildlife and allowing small animals to move freely from farm to farm, parkland to the downs and from field to forest, along green corridors.

There would be more corridors in future, largely following the river valleys – the Adur and the Arun, and Ferring could very well be part of one, following the Rife and linking the Gaps either side of Ferring to Highdown, the National Park and the Duke of Norfolk’s estate. Conservation Group members were very impressed with his optimism and commitment – a change from the all-too-frequent hand wringing and despair from Conservation campaigners.

The meeting also had a report on local wildlife sightings, including birds on migration, the Grey Seal that is frequently seen off Ferring beach and a Common Seal filmed right up the Arun near Pulborough. Ed Miller gave an update on planning issues: Chatsmore Farm was now under crops again but the threat of more housing estates in the Gaps had not gone away. And changes to the planning system were soon to be announced which would probably make it even more difficult for residents to object and Councils to refuse applications.

On a warm, sunny evening Sarah Ward, Sussex Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Living Seas Officer, opened the Group’s July meeting with an informative and interesting, illustrated talk on Living Seas along the Sussex Coast.  This happened to coincide with National Marine Week (spanning 15 days to allow for the variation of tide times) the Nationwide Wildlife Trust’s celebration of all things marine, which aims to promote the engagement of people across the UK with the world of maritime and helps in the understanding of the science behind this important work.

Sarah took members on a whistle-stop tour of the many different environmental features along the Sussex coast and sea. Starting with the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs of East Sussex, which shape the coastline and undersea environment, Sarah explained the importance of the vegetation on the shingle which also supports many animals. Globally it is only the UK, Japan and parts of Australasia that have vegetated shingle beaches that sustain this important habitat.

Marine Protected Areas are another initiative that restrict environmentally-damaging activities in the sea and it is hoped that eventually these areas will form a chain of protected habitats and wildlife. Sarah is a keen diver and highlighted the principle diving sites that provide the very best opportunities for data gathering, including Selsey in West Sussex.

The successful Sussex Kelp Restoration Project has greatly improved the kelp beds since the Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw (March 2021) was introduced. Supported by Sir David Attenborough, this project was a collaboration of national and local organisations including SWT, Blue Marine Foundation, Big Wave Productions, Sussex IFCA, Adur and Worthing Council, University of Brighton and UCL.

Opening the second half of the meeting Graham Tuppen delivered the ever popular Nature Notes session with a beautiful photograph of one of the wildflower beds in the Little Twitten recreation ground. Although pretty blue cornflowers and delicate pink cosmos dominated the bed it was doing an excellent job of attracting bees. On a walk through Ilex Way Graham had spotted a blackbird on a nest in the trunk of a tree presumably incubating her 2^nd or 3^rd clutch of eggs. A black Flatworm with a gold stripe was spotted in Graham’s garden and David Bettiss reported having seen a mature Stag Beetle resting on his driveway. A pretty Comma butterfly was photographed relaxing in a member’s garden and a small Tortoiseshell butterfly was sighted by the banks of the Rife.

Ed Miller took to the floor at the end of the meeting to deliver an update regarding local planning news. He advised members that the planning application for a large modern design house in Grange Park had, at least for the time being, been withdrawn. Decisions on the appeals for the housing estates proposed for Roundstone Farm and Rustington Golf Course were still to be concluded and the hearing at the High Court regarding the Persimmon Homes estate on the Chatsmore Farm land had taken place and a decision was imminent. An inappropriate 20 metre high mobile phone mast, initially proposed for Greystoke Road, will hopefully be sited somewhere less conspicuous.

Ferring Conservation Group was delighted when Chris Horlock stepped in at very short notice to speak at their monthly Group meeting on 27^th May. With an illustrated talk entitled ‘A Sussex Scrapbook’ Chris regaled members with an enchanting mix of anecdotes regarding famous people with a connection to Sussex, details of local historic buildings and landmarks, local traditions and folklore as well as traditional ‘health cures’, legends, tales and mysteries. Chris cleverly linked these stories to paint a vivid picture of the attitudes, beliefs and outlooks of the generations that lived in our cherished county in years gone by. As a much respected local historian Chris contributes regularly to Sussex Life and is the author of several books on Sussex history. As a natural story teller Chris has graced the airways on radio and has also appeared on television. Chris began his talk with interesting details of the Priest House at West Hoathly on the edge of the Ashdown Forest. It was once owned by Henry VIII and now has over 170 culinary, medicinal and household herbs planted in the garden. There are witch marks scratched into wood in several places in the house including the front door and on the beam above the main fireplace. These are known as apotropaic marks dating back to the 17^th century and were believed to prevent witches from entering the house. Set into the ground outside the front door is a rough slab of iron which is waste from a local furnace and this was also believed to serve the same purpose (witches were commonly believed to be scared of iron).

The Long Man of Wilmington was the basis of another of Chris’s many stories. This giant figure is 235 feet (72 metres) tall and stands proudly on the steep slopes of Windover Hill near Wilmington, East Sussex. The origins of the Long Man are unclear and it was once thought to have been from Neolithic times but it could be as late as the 16^th or 17^th century AD. From a distance the figure seems to have been carved from the underlying chalk but the modern figure is formed from white-painted breeze blocks and lime mortar. With many other facts and stories relayed to his captivated audience Chris brought his talk to a conclusion by raising a chuckle with the photograph of a sign seen on the front gate of a Sussex property: ‘Trespassers will be Composted!’

After a break for tea Graham Tuppen presented the Nature Notes slot updating members on local wildlife sightings and happenings. Graham paid tribute to Tricia Hall who had devised and presented this slot for the past eight years and acknowledged that he indeed had big shoes to fill. Graham began by showing a photograph of the shingle beds along Patterson’s Walk, which Tricia regularly tended, along with the boat at the top of Sea Lane which was looking pretty with many Red and White Valerian. Also the lagoons had many Yellow Flag Irises and along the banks of the Rife Marsh Orchids and Twayblades (an easily overlooked orchid recognisable by their two large leaves and yellow/green flowers) were thriving. There have been several types of orchids seen in the vicinity including Bee Orchids. Three Painted Lady butterflies (a migrant butterfly from Morocco) were seen during the recent Beach Clean (at which very little litter was reported). Graham was delighted to inform members that masses of tadpoles were seen around the footbridge area of the Rife and Clive Hope reported having seen three Bee-eater birds over Angmering.

Ed Miller concluded the meeting announcing that there had been no further planning news with the exception that Worthing BC had received consent for a Judicial Review into HM Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the Chatsmore Farm planning application.

As an RSPB Project Manager by day and Wildlife Gardener in his spare time, Adrian Thomas has always been aware of Birdsong as the natural soundtrack to our lives. It can evoke an emotional and powerful sense of time, place and season and it is not just a highly accurate way to identify and find many birds, but also a great source of joy to many nature lovers.

Adrian opened the Group’s first meeting of 2022. He is the first to acknowledge that identifying which bird is making which sound can seem a challenge, and he is keen for us to explore ways that we can learn to train our ears to get to grips with this.

Over time Adrian has made recordings of bird sounds from all over the UK and was dismayed at the constant background of ‘sound litter’ – planes, motor bikes, farm generators and sheep, to name but a few.

He explained that as we have few adjectives to describe sound a sonogram can help us learn to identify songs by ear by showing how the frequency (pitch) goes up and down, as well as the length of notes.  He encouraged members to appreciate not only the beautiful song like sounds of a bird attempting to attract a mate, but also the more intriguing sounds; such as the difference between a bird attempting to defend a territory – also to distinguish between different species.

With a further feather in his cap (please excuse the pun!) Adrian helped to create the RSPB music single entitled ‘Let Nature Sing’ which was released in 2019. It proved extremely popular and reached number 18 in the charts and was given regular airtime on Radio 2.

Tricia Hall took to the floor after the customary break for refreshments and reported that Water Rails had been spotted on the Rife as well as two Little Egrets. Also Cattle Egrets had been breeding at Pagham Harbour. Tricia reminded members to count the birds that visited their gardens for the period of one hour over the coming weekend and to record their findings on the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch website. The results would contribute to this important nationwide survey and is an important indicator as to the state of our key breeding and non-breeding bird populations.

To conclude the meeting Ed Miller advised members that the Public Enquiry into the Persimmon planning application at the Chatsmore Farm site on the North Goring Gap had now closed but he warned that the Inspector’s decision could take some weeks or possibly months.

Neil Hulme MBE, a member of the Knepp Wildland Advisory Board, opened the last meeting of the year with a fascinating presentation on his personal view of Rewilding. This independent role gives Neil an insight into how existing and future opportunities can benefit nature to help preserve precious countryside and wildlife. Neil’s vision is to restore ecosystems, letting nature take the lead, whilst creating opportunities for new nature-based economies. Neil explained that landowners, by setting aside large areas for nature, through to the smallest wildlife-friendly city garden, can all play an important role in leaving a positive legacy for future generations. Connecting up habitats by providing wildlife bridges can help wildlife move and disperse naturally, allowing them to adapt to climate change and build resilience. Marine ecosystems are just as important to restore and Neil gave an excellent example with the Sussex Kelp Restoration Project off the South Coast. As from March this year the nearshore seabed is now protected from bottom-towed trawling gear, and there is evidence that in this short time the kelp is already showing signs of a good recovery.

Neil used the Knepp Castle Estate as a prime example of letting go and allowing nature to take over. Several species of bats plus Turtle Doves, Nightingales, Ravens and Peregrine Falcons for example are all evident within a few years of starting the project. To help finance the upkeep of the Estate eco-tourism has been embraced by conducting on site vehicle-based safaris and walking tours along with camping facilities.

After welcome cups of tea and customary mince pies, Tricia Hall gave the Group news that a Kingfisher had been spotted by the Rife, north of the bridge by Ferring Country Centre and similarly a Water Rail in the same vicinity. Also a Snow Bunting had been seen on the beach at Worthing opposite Marine Gardens and also a Grey Seal had been observed swimming unusually close to the shore.

Ed Miller took to the floor briefly to conclude the meeting, with news that the two planning applications for housing on Rustington Golf Centre and Roundstone Farm had both been refused by Arun District Council. Of the three applications north of the A259, two had been refused and one withdrawn by the applicant. The two applications to add a further storey to houses in South Ferring were both approved.

To open their October meeting Ben Cross, from Crosslands Flower Nursery in Walberton near Arundel, came along to tell members and visitors about his mission to challenge the UK’s dependence on imported flowers and to promote British grown Alstroemeria. Ben began by explaining that more than 90% of the UK’s cut flowers are shipped in from overseas at considerable cost to the environment. They mostly arrive from the Netherlands although a surprisingly significant proportion originate in Kenya.

Ben is a fourth generation Alstroemeria grower and when his great-grandfather began in 1936 under the Land Settlement Association (LSA) there were many market gardens established. These small holdings were run as a cooperative but recruitment to the scheme ceased at the outbreak of World War II. Crosslands are one of the last larger growers left in the UK producing Alstroemeria in a full colour range all year-round, with over 50 varieties and sustainability remains the backbone of their operating model.  The added bonus is the British flowers last for at least two to three weeks in a vase and are sold at half the price of supermarket ones.

At Crosslands no chemicals or plastic are used on the flowers or the packaging and therefore the carbon footprint of British grown flowers is a lot less than imported ones. Ben is also spearheading a campaign to improve labelling on flowers sold in the UK.

Tricia Hall took to the floor after a break for refreshments to tell the Group all about a recent walk following the RSPB Pulborough Brooks Fungi Trail where she had lead a group of 14 FCG members. While exhibiting many fascinating photographs Tricia explained the importance of these adaptive organisms and the crucial role they play in their ability to digest material by breaking down organic matter, and recycling nutrients. Although the amount of Fungi found was a little disappointing members had enjoyed their walk at this interesting and vibrant time of year.

Ed Miller concluded the meeting by updating the audience with news on the planning front. He advised that although there had been many planning applications submitted on all fronts they were still mainly in the pipeline and remained undecided by Arun DC. Relatively few proposals had received approval although 3 properties in South Ferring were sanctioned for additional upper levels.

After a gap of nineteen months Ferring Conservation Group were at last able to hold their monthly Group meeting.

To open the meeting project manager Steve Egerton-Read from Forestry England had journeyed over from the beautiful Isle of Wight to give a brief history of the White-tailed Sea Eagles and the latest news regarding the reintroduction of this incredible bird.

Steve began by explaining that the White-tailed Sea Eagle is the UK’s largest bird of prey, with a huge wing span of up to 2.5 metres. The wings are very broad and appear more rectangular than those of a Golden Eagle and as their name suggests they have a white tail, a hooked yellow beak, yellow legs and talons along with piercing golden eyes. They were once widespread along the South Coast of England before being driven to extinction by relentless persecution from the Middle-Ages.

Licences were granted by Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage to begin an English reintroduction, in partnership with Forestry England, based on the Isle of Wight.

Re-establishing a population on the South Coast will help link populations in Scotland and Ireland with those in the Netherlands and France.

In partnership with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England, this five year programme has reintroduced six young birds that were translocated from nests in parts of Scotland. It is hoped they will eventually help facilitate dispersal of these birds along the South Coast.  Before their release the youngsters were cared for by a team of experts with dedicated volunteers spending over 500 hours preparing food etc. Once released these birds will take several years to establish themselves and begin breeding but meanwhile their movements can be tracked remotely via the small transmitters fitted to each bird.

The success of this project will be measured when this magnificent bird is accepted as part of the landscape.

After a short break Ed Miller took to the floor advising members of the many planning applications either recently submitted or awaiting decisions:

Ed advised members that there were 2 applications for a third storey to be added to existing properties; 1 demolition and to rebuild in three storeys and 1 three storey rebuild that had been withdrawn but was likely to return. Also three further partial replacement illuminated signs at Yeoman’s car showroom.

In the Angmering area an application for 191 dwellings at Rustington Golf Centre and 76 dwellings at Roundstone Farm are both awaiting approval. An application by Redrow Homes for an ‘Agricultural’ road in Roundstone Farm has been approved by Arun DC.

The Appeal on the Chatsmore Farm/North Goring Gap development by Persimmon has been registered but with no details as yet on the grounds for the appeal.  It was also reported that the Worthing Local Plan is now with HM Inspector for consideration.

Tricia Hall concluded the meeting by updating members on news of local wildlife sightings. Tricia advised members that 28 Egrets had been seen in a field at the back of Kingston Gorse. She suggested that members look in the trees on the west bank of the Rife where several Egrets often roost along with Herons.

Also a number of wading birds have returned including Turnstones, Oyster Catchers, Dunlin and Plover. Although it has been a good year for Dragonflies it has not been the case for Butterflies with only Red Admiral being plentiful and a few Speckled Woods. Tricia had found a pretty Box Tree Moth in her garden. Despite their attractive appearance the caterpillars of this moth have desecrated many Box trees and hedges in the area.

Tricia illustrated her talk with a fascinating photograph of two mating dragonflies and also photographs of her beautiful garden demonstrating how she had created two wildflower beds simply by leaving two areas of her lawn unmown and then scattering a seed mix – she said she was amazed at the number of insects that these attracted.

It was also reassuring to see the high number of wildflowers on Highdown and at Anchor Bottom near Shoreham.