I am looking south-west across a grassy flood plain towards the
tall ash trees in the distance. It is mid-June and everything is taking on a
verdant hue. The noises that surround me in this close, and already somewhat damp, early evening air are dominated by constantly-babbling (and oft-amplified) rowing boat cockswains (and
the loudhailing coaches that follow alongside on bicycles), but the bridge I am standing on, despite its young age, also sways,
creaks and groans to the pressure put on it by the numerous cyclists and
joggers that use it on a daily basis. Indeed, it is so noisy and wobbly that to a reasonably hefty person like myself, it makes one react as if it were some sort of World War II temporary munitions Bailey bridge. Secure enough, but by no means re-assuring under foot!
But there is also another sound that can be heard: the
swifts are finally back in the vicinity and taking an interest in the swift tower again,
complete with new, starling-proof caps on the 100 or so entrance holes (http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/keep-eye-swift-tower/).
Alongside it, the new extension to the Logan’s Meadow LNR seems
to be blooming, with ever-growing reeds with their roots in water, and already-tall, meadow grasses on the drier ground alongside. So, all is good, right?
Well, not quite.
I’ve been keeping a regular eye on this place as late Spring has slowly progressed into early Summer. It is at about halfway along my preferred route for the daily walk home from
work and a perfect place to stop and take a breather if you've been walking hard. This preference is much swayed not by the general views, but more by the specific presence of a ditch that provides some of the best close views of
water voles you could ever hope for... I cannot help but to keep coming back to see how they are doing!
...But all is not well.
Whilst I sometimes question if my almost concrete-set view (of the place) is sensible, or indeed even partially correct, all I ever conclude after deep thought is that the points I made in
my blog entry of June 2015 still hold. And then I, again, lament that this place could be so much better!
What is wrong?
I don’t need to go into that here (please read this instead), but I do
feel the need to update you so I can start some kind of timeline with respect
to looking at this place more regularly from now on. Despite my untrained eyes, I intend to
blog again (and again) about his place, and tell you what I see. Who knows, maybe the Council will one-day up their game and do something more radical and fully wildlife-oriented!
What do you see, John?
I see dogs. Lots of dogs.
And, even though we are entering the summer season, I see empty football pitches. I so very rarely see the football pitches being used – for either football or other sport. And no surprises why perhaps… the soil was nigh-on saturated during the, admittedly unseasonably wet, Spring and early Summer and, in places, the grass was too long and unmaintained. Don't forget: this is a flood plain, and whilst many town park football pitches are hardly Wembley-like in quality, it doesn't help when there's seemingly no groundsman (or woman) regularly at work helping to at least keep the grass height down. Again I ponder, why would you play football here when you can go just around the corner to the semi-decent pitch at St. Andrew’s Wreck?
And, even though we are entering the summer season, I see empty football pitches. I so very rarely see the football pitches being used – for either football or other sport. And no surprises why perhaps… the soil was nigh-on saturated during the, admittedly unseasonably wet, Spring and early Summer and, in places, the grass was too long and unmaintained. Don't forget: this is a flood plain, and whilst many town park football pitches are hardly Wembley-like in quality, it doesn't help when there's seemingly no groundsman (or woman) regularly at work helping to at least keep the grass height down. Again I ponder, why would you play football here when you can go just around the corner to the semi-decent pitch at St. Andrew’s Wreck?
I do see the new sports outdoor gym-style equipment being used though. At
least, in the last few weeks when the temperatures (or, more likely, available
sunlight) have been condusive for evening fitness activity. It is only a small paved 'nooky' corner of the overall space, but I concede: it seems to be well used so far.
I also see rubbish. Not so much out of water, but enough to distract me.
Indeed, AND ONCE MORE, one of the most conspicuous pieces of litter is the black plastic of a
dog poo bag. Sometimes, brazenly left at the side of a hedge or tree, but often just in the water, half floating like some soiled mini-black iceberg… presumably thrown there so it then can’t be easily seen. Out of sight, out of mind, eh?
Okay, okay... tell me some new things!
So, an admission: I don't really understand the nuances of crop
rotation on flower meadows, but I must say, when I was looking at the slow growth of the plants in the “E: Marginal meadow planting” area in early Spring, I was worried. The soil looked almost bare, and I wondered if mowing the space before Winter's end had had any genuinely positive purpose for resident wildlife. Remember, this section effectively comprises the majority of the fully dedicated-for-nature 2014 "Phase 2" extension of Logan's Meadow reserve... but at that point, the football pitches themselves actually contained (or rather, retained) more wildlife.
But, conversely, when things finally kicked off and the plants grew and the flowers bloomed, it was all really quite pleasant and, again, forced me to engage in said 'deep thought' and question my convictions.
Fast forward to August.
Visually, not much has changed. The football pitches are much the same, albeit a lot drier at long last, and the view west from the bridge shows even taller grasses on the borders, and reasonably mature green reeds interspersed by subtly violet-flowered willow-herbs along the cut-off channel. There is more colour, and less green, but it certainly does look different when the sun's out!
The football pitches. Welcoming enough on a warm evening... but empty.
Decent colours and native perennials. I wonder if there are any rodents in there?
But on the eastern side of the bridge (where the water voles usually are), things are quite different...
Whilst the open space there is for the communal use of the adjoining private residences (and therefore not technically within the bounds of the Council LNR), the site is publicly accessible, and flood plain/field is now like a jungle! And, at the same time, the ditch there has dried out. Again!
I can't quite work this 'drying' out as it is in an older and more established water course than the permanently-wet Logan's cut-off channel... but I guess the simple fact is that there is (a) too much plant material clogging things up at the river-feeding ends (that even the water voles, which consume approximately 80% of their body weight every day, can't get through) and/or (b) the ditch's bottom is just that little bit higher than the (presumably quite low) average Summer depth of the adjoining (and heavily controlled) River Cam. If the rain cannot keep it filled in Summer, the river certainly cannot either. In its middle section, it is never more than 20cms or so deep anyway.
I can't quite work this 'drying' out as it is in an older and more established water course than the permanently-wet Logan's cut-off channel... but I guess the simple fact is that there is (a) too much plant material clogging things up at the river-feeding ends (that even the water voles, which consume approximately 80% of their body weight every day, can't get through) and/or (b) the ditch's bottom is just that little bit higher than the (presumably quite low) average Summer depth of the adjoining (and heavily controlled) River Cam. If the rain cannot keep it filled in Summer, the river certainly cannot either. In its middle section, it is never more than 20cms or so deep anyway.
Dried-up ditch (August 12th, 2016). Two dumped bikes just off camera!
So... for the second year running, no more voles will likely be seen as Summer turns into Autumn. Whilst I can confirm breeding took place in there this year, my guess is that this (still man-made) stream/ditch/channel (sorry, I know I am not being consistent!) is more ephemeral in nature and will simply never remain wet all-year-round. It just goes to prove how dry Cambridge is I guess. We had a lot of a rain this summer, but it wasn't enough to stall the same drying-out process by more than a few weeks.
Juvenile Water Vole, June 26th, 2016
Where are you going with this, John?
Well... the grassy field that is not in the LNR has an amazing structure of wild plants. Plants you do find in the LNR's verges, but on a larger, untidier scale! Tall nettles, (land-rooted) reeds, meadowsweets, bramble, thistles. It's great!
To date, I don't know when it is going to be cut, but I hope it is not soon as I have found something there this year that I was only ever half-hoping I would... and that is: a Wasp Spider colony!
Wasp spider (Argiope bruennichi), Cambridge, August 12th, 2016.
Why is this significant?
Other than being (arguably!) very pretty and still quite hard to find in the UK, these spiders aren't protected, but... they are a great indicator species: and that means, quite simply, we have good habitat here! And with good habitat, other interesting species abound. For example, after a quick survey with a friend where we found 8 Wasp spiders in total, we also found other species of meadow and grass-loving spiders, plus numerous grasshopper and cricket species that they would (then) feed on, including the once-hard-to-find Roesel's Bush-cricket.
A quick summary
So, I see the water voles just off-site. And now I see the wasp spiders just off-site, too. And whilst the older part of Logan's Meadow still returns some exciting sightings from time-to-time (I found a great cluster of Common Newts the very same day that both a Kingfisher flew right over my head and fledgling Sparrowhawks called for food in the tree above for example), I still see standards slipping in the extended part next door.
Yes, these kinds of projects can take time to come good. And yes, there is still some enjoyment to be had from in the extended part.
But... I believe you can fast-track a place into success if you put both hard work in and go full-in with your hand on the rules and aim big! For example, I would ban dogs from Logan's Meadow tomorrow if I had a chance! Or at least restrict them to being on leads.
I know dogs are walked on both sides of the bridge, regularly disturbing the water voles especially... but it seems to me that Logan's Meadow is the preferred target location for the dog walkers, rather than elsewhere.
Dogs ruin the Phase 2 cut-off channel's water clarity by swimming and paddling through it at all times during a regular day... and, along with bored teenagers and even the homeless, they upset what other wildlife might want to settle in the wilder parts simply by continual (off-lead) disturbance. Reduced dog impact would show results pretty quickly I think. And even if not, there'd be no little black bags of poo cluttering up the place...
But, don't get me wrong, dogs aren't to blame here really... owners are. And if people can't give an urban nature reserve enough respect (either through ignorance or design), then I don't think the wildlife will either.
I know dogs are walked on both sides of the bridge, regularly disturbing the water voles especially... but it seems to me that Logan's Meadow is the preferred target location for the dog walkers, rather than elsewhere.
Dogs ruin the Phase 2 cut-off channel's water clarity by swimming and paddling through it at all times during a regular day... and, along with bored teenagers and even the homeless, they upset what other wildlife might want to settle in the wilder parts simply by continual (off-lead) disturbance. Reduced dog impact would show results pretty quickly I think. And even if not, there'd be no little black bags of poo cluttering up the place...
But, don't get me wrong, dogs aren't to blame here really... owners are. And if people can't give an urban nature reserve enough respect (either through ignorance or design), then I don't think the wildlife will either.
Good luck enticing (the now on the increase) otter to come back to the old 'hidden' holt there for example!
Anyway, that's all for now then. I'll try and add some more photos to this asap to pad it out a bit further!
Cheers,
ZeeOx
***
Talking of the Phase 2 extension, I can’t find a recognition of the enlarged LNR space on the
Cambridge City Council's dedicated LNR website. After a website update, it just shows the old LNR map, pre-extension:
http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/nature_reserve/logans-meadow/ (Info Panel PDF is out of date: http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/LogansMeadow-LNR-Panel.pdf )
http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/nature_reserve/logans-meadow/ (Info Panel PDF is out of date: http://lnr.cambridge.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/LogansMeadow-LNR-Panel.pdf )
Compared to:-
