allotment wildlife survey

[markp]

Hi,

I'm new to this darn forum but was wondering if any fellow allotmenteers had done, or were considering doing, a wildlife survey on their plots. I'm talking about a consistent monitoring of wild/unplanted flora, and fauna, that appears on or near their plots over a set period of time, from weekends to years. If anyone has done so, or is thinking of doing so, I'd love it if they contacted me at my email address. I'm a BSc conservation student and plot-holder so I can promise that your findings will be taken seriously. This for a few reasons: one, because I want to see if there's enough material for a magazine article in Organic Gardening magazine; two, because I'm wondering if it's possible to start an annual national 'Allotment Wildlife Week' which will draw attention to the wildlife value of our allotments; and thirdly, and most selfishly, because it may help me with a dissertation!! If you're at all interested in the second reason - an Allotment Wildlife Week, and want to make some contribution to wildlife conservation in the UK,  please get in touch anyway. The wildlife value of domestic gardens is already pretty well recorded; that of allotments is not and it's about time that changed, for one reason because it places a higher value on allotments in the planning system and may prevent more allotments from being built on...

As I say, please get in touch on the forum or to me personally if you can help or just want to make observations. Thanks. Mark Patterson     

[markp]

[simon404]

Good to see someone's doing this. One of our members did a wildlife survey on our site last year. I'll see if I can dig out the results and email them to you.

[wardy]

I'm in!  I have not had my lotty for long but I've noticed just how much wildlife there is, rabbits, pheasant, partridge, robins, rats !   I've not really got down to the soil yet to check out the insect life yet.  I'm going to plant some buddliea and other bird/insect/bee friendly stuff.  Oh and I'm going to have a pond.  I shall let you know if I find anything interesting.  Most of the flora is unplanted, lots of couch grass, creeping buttercup, nettles but it all looks healthy.  Some good hedging round my plot so there should be plenty of birds.  Already got me bird table up

[busy_lizzie]

Mark, I am very keen on having a wild life survey done on our Allotment site which is in the North East of England.  I produce the Newsletter for our allotment assocation  and thought I would do a piece in that to see what the feedback would be in helping to organise it; even if it is a one off or constant monitor. So yes very interested.   Think your idea is a very good one as allotment sites are bound to be good areas for wild life and so another good reason to keep them flourishing.  Not sure all of our plot holders would agree when they have pigeons and rabbits nibbling on their produce, but I am all for it.  Don't know how quickly it could be organised though.  :)busy_lizzie

[Debs]

Great idea!!

It would make us consciously look for wildlife which we might

otherwise miss.

Have only had my plot a year and have not been there as often as I

should - but have seen a frog and a mouse on my plot

( there must be more...  ;D )

Like Wardy, I intend on having a pond and growing some wildlife

friendly plants - already have a buddleia  to attract the butterflies and

bees.

Debs

[Marianne]

I am afraid I have no allotment but only a small garden. 

But it is well provided for in order to attract birds and insects.  Last year, I took some buddlia cuttings from along the river and they all took!  Also growing in a corner is a ceanothus and am hoping that little wrens will nest therein when it gets big !

Expectations !  :D

[wardy]

Where I am we've got the old guys out with their air rifles shooting wood pigeons!  Because they can't be bothered with trying to keep them off with netting etc.  They put netting up to keep birds off fruit but they don't pull it tight and it traps the birds.  It makes my blood boil  >:(

[Marianne]

Wardy

I would call the local RSPCA or the RSPB and ask them to come out.  Good luck!!

[kenkew]

Good idea MarkP.... BUT....excuse me for being a little sceptical.
If you're a plot owner then why haven't you been on here (or on any other like site I visit) discussing allotment activities?
I'll apologise in advance and hope I'm wrong when I say you're looking for e-mails to bombarb with ad's.
I don't mind telling about what wildlife I see around my plot, but I'll be putting it on here for you and any other interested person rather than in an E-mail.
That OK with you?

[chrispea27]

Talking of wildlife we have a great variety of birds on our site .
Pidgeon causes damage unfortunatly but thats life!

[waggi]

this sounds a really intresting thing to do  ;D

[markp]

Dear Kenkew,

There's no particular reason why I haven't been on here before: I'm just not big on web forums since they're mostly full of time-wasters and idiots (present company excepted).

If you want to provide wildlife details in public, on this forum, please do so. But if you want to check out my written work (and check if I'm genuine), get hold of a copy of Organic Gardening magazine where I write a column titled Plot Lines. I dealt with the wildlife issue a few months back there and hope to build on it using information provided by people such as yourself. So thanks to all who'd replied so far. If you have any other observations on your plot flora and fauna, please post them to me or put them on the forum. Thanks, Mark

[BAGGY]

Our site,amongst others in our borough was 'under review' last year as the council were going to sell many of them off to a sports ground and housing.  There was outcry as one of the sites had a plant on it that was endangered or something.  The upshoot was that the council placed large bits of roofing felt type stuff on some of the plots to see what creatures they could turn up.  I don't know what they discoveered but our site has been saved.
We don't get many unusual things on our site other than parrakeet's and a weasel but maybe there was something there ??

[Derek]

Baggy...that was interesting..

Ours is a Council owned plot and it was suggested some months ago that one of the Council officers (who does this sort of thing) should take a register of natural wildlife and fauna on the site.

It did cross my mind that if there is evident of extensive wildlife, the plot becomes more environmentally important and therefore more difficult to close it down.

I will follow this one up...

Derek

[Multiveg]

The bottom line? Did you catch your rat?

Dear Kenkew,

There's no particular reason why I haven't been on here before: I'm just not big on web forums since they're mostly full of time-wasters and idiots (present company excepted).

If you want to provide wildlife details in public, on this forum, please do so. But if you want to check out my written work (and check if I'm genuine), get hold of a copy of Organic Gardening magazine where I write a column titled Plot Lines. I dealt with the wildlife issue a few months back there and hope to build on it using information provided by people such as yourself. So thanks to all who'd replied so far. If you have any other observations on your plot flora and fauna, please post them to me or put them on the forum. Thanks, Mark

[BAGGY]

Derek
I can't remember what the plant was called but there was a brief article in our local.  It had some kind of weird name like a stinking something or other and was rare to our area.

[markp]

Dear Multiveg,

I hope the rat died. I put poison down and haven't seen any more signs of it. But clever buggers: they (it) pulled a load of old seed packets out of a hole they dug in the shed and left them like litter under my hedge!