Last month the group hosted a dawn chorus walk and breakfast at Skerne Wood. We heard and saw many birds including dunnet, chiffchaff, blackcap, bullfinch and just off the northern boundary - sedge warbler.
Many thanks to everyone who brought
us their real Christmas tree this year.
We were particularly impressed by
those who arrived on foot dragging a
tree behind them!
We had a lovely, cold but sunny
morning using the Christmas trees to
regenerate one of the dead hedges,
which over the years has been a home
to birds and insects.
We were treated to a visit by a
buzzard, which perched close to
where we working – hopefully it
approved our handiwork.
On Saturday 11 January from 10am to
12 noon, we will be welcoming people
to bring their real Christmas trees to
Skerne Wood. We will be extending
the dead hedges we have created in
previous years.
Dead hedges provide
habitats for insects and small
mammals and act as a barrier to allow
areas of the site to regenerate.
Christmas trees can be dropped off
with our volunteers on site. Find us on
Google Maps at TS21 3FH or on
what3words at ///germinate.
energetic.shiver.
Families and
individuals are welcome to stay to
help process the trees and have a
look round.
During March to June 2024, the fourth annual breeding bird censuses was carried out at the Skerne Wood @ NETPark Woodland and Wildlife community woodland in Sedgefield.
From the mapping fieldwork, an estimation of the number of bird territories at the woodland is then calculated. This report summarises this data, makes comparisons with the previous years and looks at the overall UK bird population trend for selected species. Using the data collected, it is possible to better understand the birds at the woodland to enable proactive habitat management to conserve and protect these species present and encourage wider biodiversity.
To read the full report please click here.
If you are a volunteer please complete the Durham County Council application form to volunteer for the Woodland and Wildlife Project. The project is still part of Sedgefield Development Trust, but with the additional security/support of being part of DCC.
There are 3 documents you need to read:-
1. General Hazards (Risk Assessment)
2. Volunteers Handbook
3. Volunteer Agreement
Please sign and return the volunteer agreement amd return to woodland@sedgefielddevelopmenttrust.co.uk, you will have been emailed a copy!
Everyone is welcome to the Woodland
and Wildlife site at NETPark, to join in
with some autumnal activities,
including:
- site tidying and litter picking
- path clearing
- planting donated tree whips
- transferring our 1-year-old tree
seedlings into individual containers,
to grow on.
Any donations of 1 litre card
containers (e.g. juice/soya milk)
would be appreciated on the day, as
the seedlings will be planted into
them.
Hope to see you there!
Last year we asked the community to
come up with ideas for a name for the
Woodland & Wildlife (W&W) site.
We
received many interesting and well
thought out suggestions, thank you to
those who emailed and messaged.
The potential names were discussed
with NETPark, Sedgefield
Development Trust and W&W
volunteers.
It took slightly longer than
expected to reach a decision, but I am
delighted to announce the name will
be...drum rol...
Skerne Wood @NETPark.
With finance raised by the Co-op Local
Cause Funding, we will be installing
an information board at the entrance
of Skerne Wood later this year.
We recently held a dawn chorus walk
around our beautiful woodland site,
expertly led by Fred Milton. Lovely to
meet new faces and learn how bird
surveys are carried out.
Our sightings
included linnets, bullfinch, whitethroat,
chiff chaff, gold crest, blue tits and
sedge warbler.
Bright sunshine & warm! Pair Mallard on the muddy hole in the lawn, Grey Heron over the site, 7 Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 4 Chiffchaff, House Martin, Swallow, Kestrel, 4 Bullfinch, Linnet with nesting material, young Robins & Great Tits indicate successful breeding.
Dr Frederick S. Milton
During March to June 2023, the third annual breeding bird censuses was carried out at the Woodland and Wildlife community woodland in Sedgefield.
From the mapping fieldwork, an estimation of the number of bird territories at the woodland is then calculated.
This report summarises this data, makes comparisons with the previous years and looks at the overall UK bird population trend for selected species. Using the data collected, it is possible to better understand the birds at the woodland to enable proactive habitat management to conserve and protect these species present and encourage wider biodiversity.
Thank you to everyone who brought us their real Christmas trees. We had trees from families, individuals, Sedgefield in Bloom, and Durham Young Farmers brought us some they had collected on behalf of Butterwick Hospice. The Woodland and Wildlife volunteers had a lovely morning meeting everyone and we had fun chopping up the trees! The trees we received were used to extend our dead hedges which we first constructed 3 years ago.
Our next event is our annual Christmas Tree Recycling on Saturday 6 January, 10am to 12pm. To join in, please bring your real tree to the WWG site at NetPark, where you are very welcome to help us use them for developing wildlife habitats.
“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow!”
This autumn, the Woodland and Wildlife
Group will be taking part in Round 2 of a
project organised by Living Woods North
East, to grow native British woodland
trees from seeds.
The project, called
Seeds2Trees, was featured in Sue
Dobson’s article in the August edition; it
aims to grow 50,000 tree seedlings by
Autumn 2026, and we will contribute by
sowing and growing approximately 100
of them. We will look after them for 2
years, when the saplings will be collected
by Living Woods, and used in their tree
planting programme, at sites across the
North East.
We will be holding a family-friendly seed
sowing event in late November/early December, to plant up trays with acorns
and hazel nuts, and we will continue next spring, with alder and birch seeds.
We would love to have your company!
The Woodland &
Wildlife site is
positively
blooming at this
time of year.
There’s an
abundance of
wildflowers; the
newly planted
trees are thriving; the birds are busy
raising their young; insects are
buzzing around pollinating; and the
few shy mammals we have on site
are making themselves at home -
interestingly we have had recent
sightings of roe deer and stoats.
One of our volunteers, Fred, has
completed his annual bird breeding
census.
From his findings, it appears
there is a healthy variety and number
of birds on the site. His full report
will be available later in the year, but
highlights are song thrush, skylark,
yellow hammer and kestrels. There’
are not as many butterflies and day
flying moths on site as previous
years, but we are delighted to report
that the Dingy Skipper is back with
us!
Lastly, a big thank you to everyone
who continues to support us with
their Co-op membership
A huge thank you to everyone who has put forward name suggestions for the Woodland & Wildlife site - we've had a big response. It's been so interesting reading the suggestions and the reasons behind those suggestions, it's going to be a hard to decide! We'll keep you posted on that tricky decision!
Very cold session this morning. We reassembled the dead hedge, after assessing it we decided it wouldn't disturb the wren. We also did a litter pick and scraped another section of path.
30 boxes on site now inc 2 for owls/kestrel/stock dove & 6 for robins. Here’s hoping for a good breeding season.
During March to June 2022, the second breeding bird censuses was carried out at the Woodland and Wildlife community woodland in Sedgefield, following on from the inaugural survey carried out in 2021.
From the mapping fieldwork, an estimation of the number of bird territories at the woodland is then calculated. This report summarises this data, makes comparisons with the previous year and looks at the overall UK bird population trend for selected species. Using the data collected, it is possible to better understand the birds at the woodland to enable proactive habitat management to conserve and protect these species present and encourage wider biodiversity.
Ten visits were carried out in March to June 2022. All were undertaken, where possible in the early morning, when the site is less disturbed and to maximise the number of singing birds recorded.
On 7 January 2023, 10am to
12noon, we will be welcoming
people to bring their real Christmas
trees to the Woodland & Wildlife site.
This year we will be using your trees
to extend the dead hedges which we
created last year. Dead hedges
provide habitats for insects and
small mammals and act as a barrier
to allow areas of the site to
regenerate.
Christmas trees can be dropped off
with our volunteers on site at TS21
3FG or find us on Google Maps.
Families and individuals are
welcome to stay to help process the
trees and have a look round.
The Woodland & Wildlife Project
site, located North of Sedgefield at
NETPark, is not only a place of work,
but also a beautiful spot to take time
out and enjoy nature.
While out for a stroll take time to
notice the flora and fauna. Recent
interesting sightings have included
kestrels, dingy skipper butterflies,
orchids, yellow hammers, greater
and lesser white throat to name only
a few!
You could even record what you see
on the iNaturalist app
(www.inaturalist.org). The data
collected on the app is important for
natural scientists to enable them to
get a clear picture of biodiversity
trends around the country.
You don’t
need to know the name of what you
are looking at, as the app comes up
with suggestions which are then
verified by other users.
It’s quite
addictive! The Woodland & Wildlife
Project will soon be having an online
information session about recording
wildlife followed by an in-person
event on the W&W site. If you are
interested, please look out for dates
on our Facebook page.
Participate in the upkeep of the site and woodland management tasks
Write some articles about the project for the Sedgefield News
Give guidance and knowledge to promote biodiversity
Carry out wildlife surveys e.g. trees, botany, birds, insects or animals
....and much more!
Activities so far have included; the planting over 2000 native trees supplied by the Woodland Trust, litter picking, clearance of undergrowth, a botany survey with Durham Wildlife Trust and a breeding bird survey.
There are many more exciting ideas for future plans, such as sowing a wildflower meadow, plans also include hedge planting extending the woodland and encouraging more wildlife onto the site. New volunteers are always welcome, we value any contribution people are able to give.
Participate in the upkeep of the site and woodland management tasks
Write some articles about the project for the Sedgefield News
Give guidance and knowledge to promote biodiversity
Carry out wildlife surveys e.g. trees, botany, birds, insects or animals
....and much more!
We have a couple of events coming up that all are welcome to attend. Please email if you would like to come along.
- Saturday 30th April, 10-12 noon - Bioblitz onsite (See link below). We'll also do some maintenance onsite.
- Sunday 8th May, 6am - 8am - Dawn Chorus Walk led by Fred Milton. Hot drinks and danish pastries will be on offer following the walk, please let me know if you are coming.
In 2021, the first breeding bird
census was carried out at the
Woodland & Wildlife community
woodland, to identify the number of
species present and to better inform
site management. A total of 50 bird
species were recorded, of which 28
species held territory. A total of 139
pairs of birds were present.
The ‘top ten’...
Rook – 28 active nests
Blackbird – 12 pairs
Wren – 11 pairs
Chaffinch – 10 pairs
Woodpigeon - 9 pairs
Dunnock – 9 pairs
Robin – 7 pairs
Blue Tit – 7 pairs
Blackcap – 6 pairs
Whitethroat – 5 pairs
The census uses a mapping
technique, which allows us to
pinpoint key habitats.
For example, it
was obvious that all the Rook
territories were located in the
woodland alongside Salters Lane,
but it also showed that Blackbird,
Wren and Chaffinch were evenly
spread across the site with no
specific habitat preference.
In contrast, all Whitethroats (see
photo) were located in the ‘marginal’
scrub hedgerow and weedy belt that
border the north of the site,
underlining the importance of this
often-disregarded habitat.
This census illustrates that ‘our’
woodland is home to a rich and
abundant variety of birds. Other
notables included Great Spotted
Woodpecker, Kestrel, Buzzard, Sedge
Warbler and Reed Bunting.
In addition, several breeding birds,
such as Song Thrush, Tree Sparrow,
Yellowhammer and Linnet, are listed
as ‘Red’ Species of Conservation
Concern. Increasing the number of
nest boxes, for example, would
support Tree Sparrows.
Censusing will be carried out
annually so we can build upon our
knowledge of the site’s birdlife.
Fieldwork starts again in spring, if
you are on site, please say hello, and
find out more about the birdlife. The
2021 full report can be found on our
Facebook page.
We aim to construct birdboxes in
February and would welcome an
donations of scrap fencing timber or
floorboarding (in reasonable
condition please), as well as old
wellies (for box hinges).
Many Thanks to a Young, Local Environmentalist! 
Earlier in the month we met a fantastic young man called Tristan. Tristan has been becoming very concerned about the climate emergency after learning about it at school and decided to take action. For his birthday, instead of having a party, he decided to do a sponsored silence to raise money to help the environment.
Tristan had been part of the original planting team in 2018, so with some of the money he raised, he bought a native tree pack from The Woodland Trust and donated the 30 trees to The Woodland & Wildlife Project. With the help of a few of our volunteers they were planted onsite this month. He should be incredibly proud of himself!
Christmas Trees for Habitats
On January 8th 2022, 10am – 12noon we will be welcoming people to bring their real Christmas trees to the Woodland & Wildlife site. This year we will be using your trees to create a dead hedge and build more habitats for insects and small mammals. Drop it off with our volunteers or even better stay for a hot chocolate, help processes your tree and have a look round the site.
I’ve lived in Sedgefield for over 25 years and have always counted myself lucky to live in such a beautiful friendly place. Three years ago, I made a New Year resolution to say ‘Yes’ to the first Sedgefield volunteering opportunity that came my way as a thank you to the village and its folk. That opportunity turned out to be The Woodland and Wildlife Project.
A couple of weeks later, along with a small army of fellow villagers, I found myself on a snowy March morning trying to plant tiny trees (whips) into frozen ground with a random selection of garden tools we had brought from our homes. Remarkably, that day we somehow managed to plant nearly 500 whips and had a lot of fun and interesting chats about trees, gardens, birds and how achy our backs were getting.
Since then, lots more whips have been planted and a hedge is being established. We’ve had a botany group walk us round the site pointing out the kinds of flora in the woodland. We’ve had wildlife experts showing us where to build bat boxes and nesting boxes for birds. In the spring and summer, we do some targeted weeding to allow the trees to grow and in the winter we turn discarded Christmas trees into mulch and wildlife habitats.
I’m glad I made that New Year resolution – being involved has got me out in the fresh air in all weathers and helped me appreciate the beauty of all the seasons. I’ve learned so much about woodlands and wildlife and I’ve benefited from the exercise too! I’ve had some lovely and interesting chats with fellow woodlanders as we’ve hacked back weeds and created pathways.
From our woodland site, we have watched some new houses being built in the distance and just recently we have seen young families moving into the houses. I love to think that by the time the children are grown, they will have an established woodland to walk through and maybe they’ll think how lucky they are to live in this village too.
Maura Banim
If you’d like to get involved with the project, please contact Melissa at
woodland@sedgefielddevelopmenttrust.co.uk
or join our Facebook page “Woodland & Wildlife - Sedgefield”.
Read our comments regarding the formation of community athletics track facility with associated floodlighting, access, car parking, drainage and landscaping on land South West of Burdon Place, Sedgefield TS21 3BF and it's impact on the Woodland & Wildlife Area managed by Sedgefield Developmenbt Trust and it's volunteers.
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