This visit was to have to have taken place in early February over the weekend of World Floodplain Day but this proved impossible as did a second attempt a few weeks later because the Reserve was indeed flooded on both occasions! Thirteen members attended the now refocussed visit to share Spring wildlife rather than Winter wildlife. The sun shone on us, it was dry underfoot, and it was a great morning to be outside.

The Parks Trust acquired Manor Farm from Milton Keynes Development Corporation in 1992 and later secured permission for alluvial gravel extraction from the Great Ouse Valley in the period 2014–2017 with the land then to be landscaped as a Floodplain Forest. The 48 hectares (119 acres) Reserve site was in simple terms an attempt to create a habitat as it might have been pre-agriculture use in Neolithic times (10,000 BC or earlier).

The Reserve is a mix of inter-linked lakes, islands, channels, scrapes, and wooded areas with the Great Ouse determining its water level. Some mature trees survive but most have been planted as part of the Reserve landscaping, not all being wetland species. Herbaceous plants have mainly been introduced naturally – wind or waterborne seeds – one exception being reeds.  The Parks Trust and Society websites have relatively little information about the plant life of the Reserve, the main focus being its rich bird life, mammals, and dragonflies. One of the aims of the visit was therefore to address that gap by providing a checklist of plants for participants. This report is based on field observation under three main headings: Plants; Invertebrates; Birds and Mammals. It includes a species list as an annex.

Plants

The pre-gravel extraction mature trees are mostly willows,  alders and poplars. The willow and poplar species identified with confidence were Crack Willow, Goat Willow and Grey Poplar. On the Manor Farm Court side of the Reserve there is also an older boundary hedgerow including Blackthorn, Cherry Plum, Hawthorn, Elder, Hazel, and Ash. A wide range of trees has been planted which include Alder, Silver Birch, Field Maple, Dogwood, Guelder Rose, Wayfaring Tree, Spindle, and Silver Birch. The closely planted wood at the aqueduct end of the reserve has suffered greatly from bark-stripping by the Konik ponies that formerly roamed for several years – a useful reminder that trees can also be predated under semi-natural conditions.

Herbaceous plants, grasses, and sedges that thrive in or require wet conditions included Lesser Celandine, Cuckooflower (Lady’s Smock), Hemlock, Water Mint, Water Dock, Greater Pond-sedge (this species to be confirmed given that there are many hybrids), and Tussock Grass. Other plants have taken advantage of the less flooded areas; many in abundance including Coltsfoot, Dead-nettles (Red and White), Meadowsweet. Willowherbs (Great and Rosebay), Teasel, Cow Parsley, and Mouse-ears (Common and Sticky).

 Invertebrates

Scarlet Tiger Moth larva (Photo © Julian Lambley)

The sunshine and early Spring weather produced Green-veined White, Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies in flight plus a magnificent Scarlet Tiger moth lava, a Common Carder Bee, a Solitary Bee, Dark-edged Bee Fly, a Hoverfly, Green Dock Beetle and Seven-spot Ladybird.

Birds and Mammal

Common Whitethroat(Photo © Julian Lambley)

As expected, most of the winter migrant birds had already departed so ducks were limited to a small number of resident species. The scrape islands and spits were dominated by ground-nesting water bird predators: Lesser Black Backed Gulls, Crows, Magpies, and Jackdaws. Of the ground-nesting birds Oyster Catcher had been heard on the recce but there was no sign of it during our visit, likewise other waders.

Our first bird heard and spotted was Common Whitethroat. There followed a succession of warbler species either seen and/or heard: Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Garden Warbler (probable), and Sedge Warbler all mostly in the scrubby areas.  Cuckoo was not heard (but had been heard on the recce). House Martins flew over us and were the first of the Spring for some of the group. We looked for the nearby resident Little Owl from a distance – no sight of it but most of us glimpsed a passing Kestrel. The yaffle of a Green Woodpecker was heard among the mature trees that separate the two main bodies of water.

We were much too late for a dawn chorus but bird song was a highlight of the visit with, in addition to the warblers, Blackbird, Robin and Linnet in full song.

A dead shrew at the edge of a footpath was the only mammal seen and was thought to be Common.

Overview

Our deferred visit proved to be enjoyable and productive in terms of species seen or heard. It was also a good reminder that the Floodplain Forest is an important habitat for species other than birds! The Society might want to include it in its Summer Programme more regularly with the aim of adding to the plant and invertebrate species listings.

Thanks to Janice Robertson, Jenny Mercer, Julian Lambley, and Paul Lund for help with listing species and Julian Lambley for photographs.

Joe Clinch and Martine Harvey (co-Leaders)