Our work at West Runton and Beeston Regis Heath

Heather seedlings take up to two years to appear in numbers. The team has always relied on the natural seed bank of dormant seeds and windblown seeds from surviving plants to restore the heather. 

Large areas of nearly bare earth were scraped in 2010 and after many years, there are now significant areas of heather of different ages. 

How heathland supports wildlife  

The heaths at West Runton are varied, with different ages of heather, gorse and bramble. This provides a diverse habitat for wildlife. You might see land animals such as common lizards, adders, grass snakes and toads. You may also see or hear green woodpeckers, while at dusk, you could hear nightjars.  

Butterflies are less numerous but green hairstreaks can still be seen feeding on the heather while bramble and honeysuckle attracts silver-washed fril;aries and white admirals.. The bare earth is home to mining insects and their holes in the ground can be seen in paths.   Green tiger bee just in front of your feet.tles ofyen take off

Woodland management 

West Runton’s woodlands have grown in the valleys for centuries. The higher and level land above the valleys was kept open by animals grazing and by man traditionally cutting bracken and gorse. When that stopped the large population of rabbits kept the areas open instead. 

Protecting rare habitats 

Many of the trees you will see started growing here when myxomatosis decimated the rabbit population. Windblown seeds from silver birch grew into young trees that shaded out heathland species such as heather and other dwarf shrubs. 

As lowland heath is a rare and threatened habitat, it is a priority for nature conservation. To protect it, we must manage the growth of invasive species of trees.  

Nurturing the woodland 

While keeping the growth of invasive tree species under control is important, the woodlands provide cover for common birds and deer. Muntjac deer are often seen, while roe and red deer can be visible occasionally.  

The woodland edges provide shelter from strong winds and the undergrowth provides a habitat for a wide variety of species. Insects in particular need sheltered areas and low-growing flowering plants. 

De Quincy Wood 

De Quincy Wood is a pleasant beech wood, established in 1969 with 100 saplings planted. 40 more were planted in 1973. The boundary bank at the edge of the wood has some of the oldest trees here.  

Beech trees can live for hundreds of years. If you look closely, you can see that some beeches were pollarded a long time ago. 

How beech trees support wildlife 

Since 1992, the team has removed the self-seeded sycamore and silver birches to ensure that the wood is developing into a typical beech wood habitat, with a carpet of beech leaves and little undergrowth.  

Beechnuts are eaten by grey squirrels, mice, voles and seed eating birds such as overwintering bramblings.

Because beech trees live for so long, they provide habitats for many deadwood specialists such as hole nesting birds and wood boring insects. The bark is often home to a variety of fungi, mosses and lichens. 

Our work on Incleborough Hill 

Incleborough Hill is a popular area for walkers. To slow down the erosion caused by walkers and heavy rain, we have added steps to the hillside. We’ve also improved access by adding a path around the western flank. 

The gates, fence and paths are kept in good order and we occasionally cut the gorse to improve access and to reduce the risk of fires spreading across the heath.  Bagot goats and rare-breed cattle have been used in recent years for conservation grazing. It is hoped that this will be possible again in the near future.

Our work at Canadas 

In the area known as Canadas, we are working to regenerate the coppice and we’re removing the pine trees which were planted as a commercial crop at a rate of 0.7 hectares each year.  

We are then fencing each new area off and replanting with hazel and chestnut to re-establish coppicing in this area.  Violets,wood sorrel and foxgloves are already becoming established as part of the ground flora.

The felled pines are chipped and used in the biomass boilers that provide heating to buildings on both the Felbrigg and Sheringham Estates.  

Our work at Row Heath 

At Row Heath, our work has focussed on removing the non-native Corsican pines and replacing these with native broadleaf trees including oak, beech, small-leaved lime and wild cherry. Open glades will in time provide heathland corridors for species to migrate through.  

 

Thank you 

With your ongoing support, we're able to continue our vital conservation work. Thank you for helping to protect these special places.