EDP Column 4
I’m in Deepest Darkest Norfolk, up to my hocks in it. “Come on, Liza”, a dis-embodied voice encourages me. A wet bran’mch slashes back into my face, momentarily blinding me. Water trickles down my back. My gumboots slosh as I try to keep up with my guide and tormentor, Nigel Middleton, the Warden of the new Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve.
One of the facets of being an actress is that one is constantly being asked to be a patron of this, or a patron of that. And you can imagine how thrilled I was when I was asked to be President of the Hawk and Owl Trust (HOT).
I got interested in bird watching through my husband, David, when we were making a TV series ‘Seal Morning’. He’s not only a TV Producer/Director but also a keen amateur naturalist. In no time at all I could tell a ‘hawk from a handsaw’ and was mad about birds, particularly birds of prey.
One of the first things I was asked as President of the Hawk and Owl Trust was “Should we get involved in a nature reserve?” It was not something HOT had done before and they were a bit nervous. As it was on our doorstep I had no qualms about writing to the trustees recommending it.
Which was why I had been trying to keep up with Nigel as he lead me in the rain round what was going to be the HOT’s new reserve in Norfolk. It’s part of the river Wensum Site of Special Scientific Interest. It had always been Nigel’s dream and it was through his efforts and the co-operation of the Sculthorpe Parish Council that we were able to take a 25 year lease on the forty or so acres that used to be known as ‘The Doctors Shoot’.
As a nature reserve in Norfolk it’s quite unique. It’s small but has a quite amazing variety of habitats. There’s dry woodland in the north which shades through to alder carr (wet woodland) predominating through the reserve. There’s a saw-sedge bed which will be harvested commercially. And the reed bed, ‘The jewel in the reserve’s crown’ whose southern edge is washed by the river Wensum. These are home to an astonishing array of wildlife. There are otters, roe and muntjac deer, water voles and harvest mice. As for birds there barn owls and marsh harriers, willow tits and lesser spotted woodpeckers, siskins and redpolls, and the shy and elusive water rail, the symbol of our reserve. We’ve had plant and fungi experts classifying the species and our dear friend, the writer Richard Mabey, thinks that some of the alders may be six hundred years old.
Nigel and his ‘Secret Army’ of volunteers, the Fakenham Area Conservation Team, have done an amazing job laying down a board walk through the reserve: it winds sensuously through the trees on curves Marylin Monroe would have been envious of, taking you on a magical tour that includes a bird watching hide and a dragonfly pool.
The reserve will be open to the public on July 29th. Entry is free and there’s wheelchair access. The HOT’s education Officer will take school parties around a nature trail. If we can educate children about the importance of the wildlife around them then they will look after it in the future.
So if you fancy working in the mud and fresh air, tea, biscuits and laughs provided, join our volunteers. Or if you’d just like a stroll, making contact with nature, away from the hurly-burly of modern life then come and visit us. For more information check our website at www.sculthorpemoor.co.uk.
