London Freshwater Group Field Trip

The London Freshwater Group site visit to Blo' Norton Fen (and adjacent sites)

which are managed by the Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP)

The Little Ouse Headwaters Project (LOHP) is a community conservation initiative, established by local residents in 2002 with the aim of restoring and re-uniting the remaining fragments of valley fen on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. The project is run entirely by volunteers, and now manages c.45ha of land adjacent to the Little Ouse including SAC/SSSI fens, wet woodland, grazing meadows and some heathland on the valley margins. To date the project has raised over £450k of funding for land purchase, restoration, management and improving public access and in 2006 won the RSPB/CIWEM Living Wetlands Award. The project runs regular volunteer work parties for practical management, has many local naturalists involved in biological recording and is currently undertaking a major fen restoration project on land acquired in late 2007. There are further details including a map of the sites on the LOHP website: www.lohp.org.uk.

The aim of the LFG visit, aside from being a good chance for a social, was to carry out biological sampling at the various sites, hunting for species, to help with recording.

The group spent time sampling at Parkers Piece and Blo' Norton Fen..and Jo's pond!! This was followed by a Barbecue and camping in the evening. Some of us stayed on the following day and joined the LOHP volunteer work party digging out a turf pond.

The trip was a great success and we plan to return in June 2010.

A very big thank you to two of the LOHP trustees, Jo-Anne Pitt for organising the event and being our guide on the day and to Helen Smith who gave us a rare viewing and an interactive talk on the fen raft spider, Dolomedes plantarius. Further information on this species can be found at her website: http://www.wavcott.org.uk/dolomedes/index.html. Helen also provided us with the BBQ/Camping grounds and some very tasty home grown tomatoes and apples!

Adrian Chalkley (http://www.boxvalley.co.uk/) the Suffolk county recorder has collated all records from the day. The data has been sent to Jo Pitt for the LOHP. Additionally, it will be added to the county database at the SBRC in Ipswich and will go to relevant national recording schemes.

We've also included a copy on this web site: ALL COLLATED DATA FROM LOHP

Adrian has also provided some detailed photo's of species found on the day. To view these and his accompanying text please [click here].

Please note that all copyrights remain with Adrian Chalkley.

Thanks to, Adrian, Steve, Carl and Emily for their help in identifying the flora and fauna in the pictures added below. If you wish to add any pictures or amend any information, please feel free to email me.

Arriving to sample the scrape at Parkers Piece - Located at the far western side of the LOHP managed area

Skin of dragonfly larva in a sample tray, found in the scrape at Parkers Piece

Typha latifolia, reed mace, found by the scrape at Parkers Piece

10) Chenopodium ficifolium - figleaf goosefoot found by the scape at Parkers Piece

13) Blo' Norton Fen

16) The Little Ouse headwaters at the western side of the LOHP managed area.

19) Steve taking a photo of Dolomedes plantarius

22) The barbecue later in the evening, in a field provided by Helen near Little Fen.

Sampling the scrape at Parkers Piece

Erpodella octoculata, leech, found in the scrape at Parkers Piece

Plantago major found by the scrape at Parkers Piece

11) Caterpillar (unidentified as yet) found on the a gate near Parkers Piece.

14) Blo' Norton Fen

17) Peering into a sample tray at Parkers Piece.

20) Dolomedes plantarius on the water surface.

Sympetrum sp. Meadowhawk, seen hovering above the scrape at Parkers Piece

Phragmites australis, common reed, surrounding the scape at Parkers Piece

Noctua pronuba, large yellow underwing (I think!), found at Parkers Piece.

12) The entrance to Blo' Norton Fen!!

15) The Little Ouse headwaters at the western side of the LOHP managed area. The waters surface covered predominantly by Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum.

18) Robert taking a photo of the fen raft spider, Dolomedes plantarius.

21) Dolomedes plantarius