Contact: Charles Cuthbert, tel: 01962 820242

1. Summary

1.1 This report highlights the work undertaken on the Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve during the seven months from May to November 2005. It deals with staffing and management issues regarding key habitats within the reserve and reports on survey and monitoring work.

1.2 This report supports Aims 1 to 5 of the County Council's Corporate Strategy (Maximising Life Opportunities, Stewardship of the Environment, Achieving Economic Prosperity, Building Strong and Safe Communities, and Improving Services).

2. Staffing

Pete Durnell, Senior Ranger for the western sites continues in his role as acting Sites Manager. Pete is supported by Adrian Clark as ranger for the western sites and from 1^st September by Martin Cooper who works two days per week both at Lymington and on the other western sites.

2.1 Volunteers. A group of local birdwatchers were again used to carry out some of the monitoring of breeding birds on the reserve.

In May the New Forest Conservation Volunteers carried out a `spring clean' along the seawall from Lymington to Keyhaven. Their efforts resulted in the removal of a large amount of wind blown rubbish from the scrub on the bank sides.

3. Site Management

3.1 Countryside Stewardship Agreement

Staff from DEFRA visited the reserve this summer to check on the progress of management work undertaken in relation to the new Countryside Stewardship Agreement . Their impressions were very favourable with the reserve being selected as a demonstration site for rush management techniques. In 2006 it is intended to organise a joint HCC/DEFRA training day on the reserve for land managers to discuss issues around control of rush in grazing swards.

The first years CSA grant has now been paid to the County.

3.2 Grazing

Grazing using cattle and ponies continued on the reserve throughout the summer months. Our main grazier was once again New Forest Commoner Mr Len Mansbridge. Electric fencing was successfully used to exclude stock from sensitive areas such as Normandy Lagoon during the nesting season. Much of the seawall was again grazed in an attempt to control invasive species and to maintain the mix of wild flowers. A second grazier Mr William King put ponies in the two small paddocks on the new land at Normandy Lane and at Salterns behind the 8 Acre Pond.

3.3 Rush Control

The weed wiper was used to control areas of invasive rush on the reserve.

During July three areas totalling approximately 5 Ha of dense rush were treated on Oxey Marsh. The rush was allowed to die off before being foraged in September. The large piles of dead rush were then burnt on site.

Areas treated in this way the previous year have shown an approximate 90% kill rate. We will continue to monitor these areas to determine how long it takes the rush to become re established.

Contractors were employed to cut several areas of rush behind Normandy Lagoon using a forage harvester. This cutting creates feeding areas for winter visitors such as Brent Geese and Wigeon and removes cover for predators.

During October Pennington Marsh and Fishtail Marsh was again topped using a tractor mounted flail. This reduces the height of the vegetation making it both more attractive to wintering birds and allows them to be more easily viewed by visitors.

For the first time in a number of years a large area of rush pasture was topped adjacent to Keyhaven Lagoon. This work is intended to provide feeding areas for wintering wildfowl and waders.

3.4 Scrub Management

Trees were cut and removed from the reedbed areas on both Normandy and Salterns Marshes. The growth of trees in these wetland areas contributes to the gradual drying out of the habitat as they draw up enormous amounts of water during the summer months. The stumps were treated to prevent regrowth.

This autumn large blocks of invasive scrub and trees have been cut and burnt in two paddocks on the reserve. The newly-acquired `Normandy Paddock' on Normandy Lane has a number of scarce species including Brookweed which are found nowhere else on the reserve. The `8 Acre Paddock' to the rear of the Eight-Acre Pond at Salterns is also species rich with Green-winged Orchid and Knapweed flowering in the summer. Both these areas had become seriously overgrown so a combination of scrub clearance, new fencing and controlled grazing should restore them to their former glory.

Contractors using a side arm flail were again used to cut the gorse and bramble on the banks behind the Fishtail lagoon. The aim will be to keep these banks free from scrub to encourage waders and wildfowl to use the area in winter. Cutting back of the hedges along the `ancient highway' was delayed to allow for blackberry harvesting but should commence in the near future.

Two new farm gates were installed along the ancient highway to allow access with machinery to parts of the reserve which were previously difficult to reach. This should enable us in future to manage the rush on Keyhaven Marsh.

3.5 Island Management

Having finally gained formal consent from English Nature and external funding the proposed height reduction of one of the main islands in Normandy Lagoon went ahead in August. This work was necessary to prevent the island from becoming covered in dense scrub and therefore unsuitable for birds. The work was carried out to a high standard and initial results have been very encouraging with good numbers of wildfowl and waders now using the area. It is hoped that these improvements will encourage several species to nest on the island next summer.

4. Water Management

4.1 Monitoring of the salinity levels within the lagoons continued with no major changes observed this season.

4.2 Work has continued on the Water Management Plan for the Efford Landfill site.

5. Access and Interpretation

5.1 A major programme of improvements to the accessibility of the reserve has been undertaken this summer.

Six kissing gates have been replaced with self closing gates with long handled latches enabling wheelchair users and people with prams or buggies to gain access to the seawall. With stock on site these types of gate have an inherent risk but so far we have had no incidents of deliberate misuse. We will keep the situation under close review.

5.2 The Environment Agency have now virtually completed the works on the Moses Dock gates. The new structure incorporates a disabled accessible bridge which when in use will enable disabled visitors to use the whole length of the sea wall between Lymington and Keyhaven.

Due to the above schedule of work, and the difficulties of seasonal working, improvements to the footpaths on either side of Moses Dock seem likely to be delayed until summer 2006.

5.3 In early 2006 a new all weather path will be constructed across the old tip at Pennington. This will be a considerable improvement over the existing low-lying access track which becomes flooded for prolonged periods during the winter months. The new path will improve access from the Lower Pennington Lane car park to the sea wall.

5.4 Five new interpretation panels incorporating a map of the reserve and information about its wildlife and archaeology have been installed at access points around the site this summer. Staff have received a large number of positive comments about the panels from visitors including several who were previously lost!

5.5 The information leaflet produced for the reserve last year has been re-printed with copies now available from a variety of outlets including Tourist Information and the Gun Inn at Keyhaven.

6. Events

A very successful combined History and Wildlife walk took place on the reserve in May. The walk was led by Mark Tomlinson, Education Officer at the St Barbe Museum and Senior Ranger Pete Durnell. The walk proved very popular with around thirty people attending. It is hoped to repeat the event in 2006.

A guided walk for Panel members and local residents was held on 13^th June but it was poorly attended due to an unfortunate lack of advance publicity.

7. Survey and Monitoring

7.1 Reserve staff continued the monthly monitoring of salinity and water levels within the lagoons.

7.2 Breeding birds on the reserve were again monitored by site staff assisted by volunteers. Monthly Webs counts on the reserve and adjacent marshes have continued with good numbers of returning winter migrants arriving. Brent Geese appear to have had an excellent breeding season with large numbers of young birds in all the flocks around the reserve.

7.3 Countryside Service staff once again put up signs, carried out patrols and monitored breeding birds in partnership with the Hampshire Wildlife Trust and NFDC on the marshes outside the seawall.

Pippa Wood a Phd student from Southampton University continued with the second year of fieldwork on the effects of egg collecting within the Black-headed Gull colony at Lymington.

7.4 Bird breeding season

A much better breeding season than in 2004 when severe weather and predation seriously hindered many species especially on the offshore marshes.

Control of predators by a licensed pest control operator around Normandy Lagoon had a beneficial effect not only on the lagoon itself but also on the salt marshes offshore where little predation was noted compared with 2004. A further report on predator control will be made at the end of the first year's operations.

A full breeding report has been supplied to the Hampshire Wildlife Trust and English Nature but highlights included successful breeding of Common, Little and Sandwich Terns with several broods of Lapwing and Redshank raised within Normandy Lagoon.

7.5 Notable Records

A fairly quiet autumn for rarities on the reserve was punctuated with records of Baird's Sandpiper on the Fishtail Lagoon and Laughing Gull on the 8 Acre Pond. Both are North American species presumably blown across the Atlantic and very rare in the UK.

8. Sturt Pond

Discussions are continuing between Hampshire County Council and NFDC regarding the future management of Sturt Pond.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

1 Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excluded :

1. Published works.

2. documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

2 TITLE FILE

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