Wildlife Wins

Here are four wildlife wins so far at Seven Sisters:

• The condition of the chalk grassland has improved thanks to  conservation grazing. We use a mixture of cows, ponies and sheep to help protect and enhance this precious habitat. By chewing on the longer grasses and shrubbery, it gives space for wildflowers to grow and flourish, providing an excellent source of nectar to pollinators like bees and butterflies.
• We’ve restored two historic dew ponds and created a brand-new pond in the dry valley. This vital work is supporting birds, mammals, amphibians and insects such as dragonflies. Our rangers were thrilled to spot scarce blue-tailed damselflies at one of the ponds. It’s only the sixth colony to be seen in Sussex since records began in 1900!
• We’re creating a better and more secure haven for our many wetland birds. Two important sluice gates have been repaired on the Cuckmere meanders to help control water levels. Two new shallow scrapes have also been dug to create muddy feeding habitats for wading birds such as the little egret, dunlin and ringed plover. Ditches around the meanders have been deepened to prevent predators, such as foxes and badgers, from disturbing groundnesting birds like the redshank.
• Careful landscape management has seen the return of species such as the short-eared owl, starlings and large flocks of dunlin.