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Conservation Matters: June

Andy Hankinson

Seagrass surveying, newt numbering and owl observations - catch up on our latest conservation work in this monthly round-up.

Surveying seagrass

Volunteers recently joined our team at St Lawrence in the Blackwater Estuary to undergo training for surveying seagrass, as part of the Essex Seagrass Project. With the help of seagrass expert Dr Tim Gardiner, the group learned to identify eelgrass (the species that predominantly makes up our seagrass meadows). Volunteers will be surveying areas local to them to help us monitor the presence of seagrass and understand the pressures facing them. This data will help us to inform the future restoration of seagrass in Essex.

Find out more about the Essex Seagrass Project

Checking on barn owl chicks

If you've been following our live barn owl webcam, you'll have seen how big our barn owl brood at Blue House Farm nature reserve has grown! 

barn owl webcam

Like the one on our webcam, we have barn owl boxes placed at many of our nature reserves. Soon, these owlets will be ready to flee the nest and face the world. As you can see below, the chicks at Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park are fluffy and fed, preparing for adult life. 

barn owl ringing

Barn owl ringing at Abberton Reservoir Nature Discovery Park

These chicks have recently been ringed under license, with trained experts handling wildlife with care. Ringing birds makes a major contribution to the study of population changes and species decline, and will help to inform further conservation for barn owls.

Numbering our resident newts

Summer is our busiest time for surveying species. In the warmer months, ponds and aquatic life burst into life. Tadpoles, newts and fish squirm and squiggle through the waters, with dragonflies and damselflies flying low in the air.

great crested newt

Credit: Philip Precey

The biggest newt species we have here in the UK is the great crested newt. From above, this warty, black creature of around 15cm is reminiscent of a tiny dinosaur. Flip them over, and as this picture shows, an abstract belly of yellow and orange is revealed. Each belly has unique markings helping us to identify newts - like their own fingerprint! Urban developments causing habitat loss put pressure on these nifty nocturnal newts, so it is important we monitor their whereabouts and help protect them. 

Create your own mini pond for wildlife

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