On Saturday 21^st March 20 members of Ferring Conservation Group braved a cold northerly wind to help clear up the banks of the River Rife. This coincided with the first ever national ‘Community Clear Up Day’. This ‘national spring clean’ event falls on the first official day of spring and aims to end the blight of litter. It is hoped this initiative will encourage communities to work together to transform local spaces across the country.

The Group were split into two teams and worked in parallel with each other on opposite sides of the river. At first there did not seem to be too much litter about  but after closer inspection it was realised that small items such as bottle tops, shreds of paper and plastic were wedged in the undergrowth as well as the usual empty crisp packets, drinks cans, bottles, the odd shoe, and surprisingly a few discarded children’s toys. It was disappointing to see how much dog mess was around and it is worth reminding walkers that there are litter and poo bins situated in the Bluebird Café car park.

Jane Hayman, Ferring Conservation Group’s Publicity Officer said ‘It was most gratifying when several walkers took the trouble to stop and thank us for our efforts in helping to maintain a wonderful local environment ’. At the end of the clear up the Group had filled 30 waste sacks with litter!

Later the same day and taking advantage of the very low tides at this time of year, 21 members of the Group met in the Bluebird Café car park for their annual walk out to the Black Rocks outcrop situated off Kingston beach. The late afternoon/early evening walk was led as usual by committee member, Tricia Hall, and those on the walk went equipped with warm clothing, wellington boots and carrying buckets in which to place any specimens found. After about a mile with a few stops on the way to examine some of the seaweeds found on the beach such as Bladderwrack and Serrated Wrack, the rocks were reached and were already well exposed with the rarely seen habitat waiting to be explored.

Most people were able to find examples of the beautiful coloured Dahlia Anemone in the rockpools, as well as examples of Breadcrumb Sponge on the rocks themselves and many bright pink coloured forms of lichens or seaweeds covering some of the small rocks. On the animal front, a Squat Lobster was found, as well as a number of small crabs, which were viewed by the members having briefly been captured in various buckets including that belonging to one young girl who had joined the walk and was fascinated by what she had seen. The creatures were then of course returned to where they had come from. By this time, the keen northerly wind was taking its toll, as well as dusk falling and the tide starting to re-cover the rocks, so those present wound their way back to Ferring across the beach.

The rocks are a fascinating marine environment and well worth responsibly exploring on the few occasions in the year that they are uncovered by the sea. It was a fact that the walk clashed with the England v France Six Nations rugby international, but your rugby loving correspondent recorded the match and was able to watch it on television on his return home having avoided finding out the score.

Water, Rivers, Fish and Trees

Phillip Ellis gave us an informative talk on Water, Rivers, Fish and Trees. With over 40 years’ experience in managing the green estate within MOD, Phillip now specialises in Arboriculture and Angling.

Phillip began by emphasising the importance of Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) to maintain the integrity of the tree population and how home owners can contribute by taking responsibility for trees on their land. Phillip highlighted the many benefits that trees bring to our environment but stated that the threat to our forests and woodlands has never been greater and our biosecurity practises must be upheld.

Phillip is also a trustee of the Salmon and Trout Association and emphasised the need for healthy water and explained that excessive water abstraction and diffuse pollution are two of the major reasons why three quarters of our rivers, lakes and coastal waters are classed as unhealthy. For instance local watercress growers are allowing phosphates, which are used as a fertilizer, to leak into the River Itchen and this clouds the water and in turn allows algae to thrive. There is a need for the Environment Agency to increase their monitoring, and although things are improving, there is still a long way to go.

After tea Tricia Hall gave us a taste of spring by informing us that some woodland plants, catkins and frogspawn had been spotted locally.

Planning news from Ed Miller concluded the meeting. New applications had been submitted for a 4xbedroom house at Hangleton Equestrian Centre, a 3xbedroom house in Ferring Lane and a licence for corporate events/weddings at Highdown Vineyard.

Jane Hayman

See the latest update on the future of Goring Gap on our Planning News page on this website – it is very informative.

Some events during March and April to note down in your diary as follows:

Sat 21st March – we have 2 separate events on the Rife and the Beach at Ferring. At 11am, we will be holding our annual clean up of the banks of the Rife. Meet in the Bluebird Cafe car park. Pickers, gloves and bags will be provided, and we will hopefully finish up at the Country Centre cafe for a hot drink etc. Then at 4.30pm, we have a guided walk by Tricia Hall out to the Black Rocks off Kingston at low tide to look at the flora and fauna. Wear wellies and bring a small bucket to put any samples in. It is quite a walk, so be prepared!

Tuesday 28th April – visit to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Arundel. Meet at the centre at 10am. Cost will be £10.30 for adults and £8.10 for concessions- this will include a guided tour by the Grounds Manager, Paul Stevens. You can spend as long as you like there, but you will need to book your place in advance – contact David Bettiss on 01903 246304 or d.bettiss@btinternet.com There is much to do there, including a Wetland Discovery Boat Safari, see the wildfowl collection, feed the ducks and geese, visit the hides to watch wild birds etc. Good food is available in the cafe.  It will be good day out.

Amid some dark and gloomy days an unexpected break in the weather provided an ideal opportunity for members of Ferring Conservation Group to enjoy a walk on the South Downs around Burpham. Under a clear blue sky and with only a light breeze around 14 members set out in search of raptors and downland birds. We were soon rewarded when several Greylag geese together with Bewick swans were sighted on the plain foraging for food. A Buzzard with particularly dark brown plumage was spotted at the top of a tree surveying the scene.

As our walk progressed we were fortunate to also observe a Mistle thrush, some Linnets and Skylarks along with several Grey partridge whose numbers have increased significantly under the ‘Norfolk Estate recovery project’. As we headed back towards our starting point we were rewarded with the sight of six Buzzards circling in the distance and a hungry Kestrel hovering at the edge of a nearby field. As the sky darkened and the rain made its inevitable appearance the group promptly made its way to the lunchtime venue.

The next Group guided visit  – this time to the Shoreham and Lancing area – will take place on Thursday 5th February, and will be led by member and experienced birdwatcher, John Dixon who will help us to identify a variety of coastal and river birds.

We’ll meet at 10.30am at the Harbour Way free car park on Shoreham Beach which looks across towards the Lifeboat Station (not the Fort car park, where you have to pay). There will be four separate parts to this visit – 1. Shoreham Harbour entrance ( as above)  2. Widewater lagoon, Lancing  3. Shoreham Airport and the River Adur  4. Cuckoo Corner (north of the A27 on the Botolphs road)

We’ll be moving between the 4 locations by car, so you’ll need to arrange a lift if you don’t have a car. Bring binoculars, and be sure to wear suitable clothing for the day, as the locations can be exposed to the weather.

The Ferring Neighbourhood Plan Referendum which took place on 10 December returned an overwhelming 82.66% YES vote in favour of the plan, and the 3 Community Right to Build Orders (CRTBOs) were also passed with well over 70% in favour of these. We understand that the CRTBOs were the first in the country to be approved. There was a strong turn out by residents of Ferring.

The YES vote for the 3 CRTBOs was as follows:

new Community Centre/ Village Hall site – 78.8%

allotment site behind Henty Arms – 75.8%

Village Hall site – 71.1%

This was an excellent result for the village of Ferring and its residents, and we should all be very grateful to Ferring Parish Council for all their hard work, ably led by Chairman Carole Robertson, as well as others who have worked on the plan. We should also thank all those Ferring people who voted for it.

A packed hall welcomed Michael Blencowe who gave an interesting and highly entertaining presentation on ‘Butterflies and Moths of Sussex’. Michael represents the Sussex branch of Butterfly Conservation which is a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of butterflies and moths. The branch holds regular outdoor events across the county and manages the Butterfly Conservation Reserve at Park Corner Heath. It advises landowners how to conserve and protect butterflies and moths and it also collects and compiles records of sightings in Sussex.

Michael explained there are some 2,480 species of butterflies and moths in the UK although some are migratory. The Privet Hawk is one of the largest moths with dark brown and cream wings, and a pink and black-banded body. The Hawk-moths are recognisable by their large, torpedo-shaped bodies. The Silver Spotted Skipper butterfly is often seen locally around Long Furlong and it is one of the few species that is increasing in numbers.

Michael has appeared on the BBC’s Springwatch programme with Chris Packham and (to his delight) Michaela Strachan, as an authority on moths and butterflies.

Ed Miller gave an update on local planning issues. The Hangleton Nursery application has been re-submitted with additional information. The proposal is to create a large car park for 100 vehicles on land currently designated as agricultural with frequent deliveries by huge transporters. There is no news on the Goring Gap issue but the Ferring Neighbourhood Plan is going to referendum on 10^th December.

Tricia Hall concluded the meeting by informing us that a Peacock butterfly was seen in the village that day