Aims of nature conservation work at Hillside House
Now may every living thing, young or old,
weak or strong, living near or far,
known or unknown, living or departed or yet unborn,
may every living thing be full of bliss.
(Attributed by some to the Lord Buddha)
The main aim of the work at Hillside House is to create a thriving ecosystem containing a diverse range of species.
Much of the work involves habitat creation and/or management of existing habitats.
We maintain a policy of complete non-intervention (with respect to predators) and non-use of pesticides.
- Focus species
- Near-term focus species
- Longer-term focus species
- The local area
- Features of the plot at Hillside House
- North-west Norfolk
- South Raynham and nearby
Focus species
Biodiversity on the Hillside House plot is already quite impressive for a small site (total area 1.5 hectares).
Several scarcer species are already present (harvest mouse, reed warbler, barn owl, etc.).
The aim is also to attract new species in the longer term.
Near-term focus species
Certain species are expected to be more easily brought or attracted to the site than others. Falling into this category are
| species | notes |
|---|---|
| native black poplar Populus nigra betulifolia | Planted in a strip along the eastern edge of the meadow. (Planting began in 2014). |
| Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, ants) |  Some new habitats have been created for mason bees, ichneumon wasps, ruby-tailed wasps and others. An interesting find in 2019 were sharp-tailed bees Coelioxys sp., brood parasites on the already present Megachile leaf-cutter bees. These were both present in holes in the sycamore stump shown. |
| Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies) | The new pond (dug in late 208) immediately attracted new dragonfly species and beetles (various species of Dytiscus). Further work on the main pond in autumn 2020 should increase dragonfly numbers and may also help other invertebrates. |
| butterflies | Nettles are abundant in places along the edges of the plot. These are food plants for Nymphalid butterflies (red admiral, tortioseshell, etc) and are encouraged in drier areas. Several grassland species (meadow brown, ringlet, skipper, whites) are still fairly plentiful. |
| hoverflies | Various species are still abundant in grassy places here. The mainly black Syritta pipiens seems to be associated with burdock (of which there are several patches). Hoverflies may be important food items for various consumers, which in turn feed species near the tops of food chains. |
| spiders | Species diversity and numbers are increasing. For example, Agelena labyrinthica is now found all over the plot; Araneus marmoreus pyramidatus is present round the main pond. |
| newts | Work on the main pond may attract newts (crested and common). |
| water shrew | Water shrew was discovered to be present on or very close to the plot in 2020. Work planned for the main pond may be beneficial for this species. |
| spotted flycatcher | Spotted flycatcher is in very serious trouble in the UK. ”The state of the UK’s birds 2020” (caution -- 5.2 MiB download) indicates a population decline of 93% in England between 1970 and 2018. Even in the ten years to 2018, the decline has been 36%. (Decline has been somewhat smaller in UK overall). There is some evidence this species is still present as a breeder somwhere near the Hillside House plot. May occupy nestboxes. A few pairs are still present elsewhere in the general area of the Raynhams. |
| reed warbler | The 'CBC' in 2020 indicated probably five reed warbler territories (one on the main pond, the others on the meadow). This was one of the original target species and is now well-established. In the 2019 season two or three territories were present. Two pairs were on the meadow (on the west side) and one was on the main pond. |
| sedge warbler | The 'CBC' in 2020 indicated probably four sedge warbler territories. Sedge warbler was another of the original target species. Fledged young have been recorded on several occasions, proving successful breeding. |
| reed bunting | Reed bunting is also counted as an established breeder on the plot. Two or three territories are now the norm. There is some evidence for a small winter roost in reeds on the west side of the meadow. BTO data indicate a near doubling of the British reed bunting population from 1966 to 1975, then a steep decline. Since 1983 numbers have been almost stable, with a possible small increase since 2000. |
| bats | So far, five species have been recorded (two pipistrelle species, brown long-eared, Natterer's and serotine). Chironomids and geometrid moths are abundant and may allow more bat species to be attracted. Two bat boxes have already been installed and more will follow. |
Longer-term focus species
Some other species that might realistically be brought to the site include
| species | notes |
|---|---|
| nightingale | Now very scarce in Norfolk. Few remaining sites. Appears to favour two or three distinct habitat types, one of which is damp fenny places where blackthorn is present. Some management work aimed at creating suitable nightingale habitat has been done at the patch known as Top Blackthorn. The rest of this patch and another patch on the southeast corner of the meadow remain to be done. |
| grasshopper warbler | Likes rank, often damp, vegetation with few trees and the meadow might be suitable. |
| swift | Swifts are present in South Raynham village, presumably nesting under pantiles on roofs of old houses. They are also present various villages round Fakenham. Not yet at Hillside House, but new nestboxes were installed in 2022. Audio playback of calls was tried in the early summer in an attempt to draw swifts to the plot. So far this has not worked but this seems often to be the pattern. Playback will continue in 2023. |
| house martin | Certainly present in reasonable numbers in West Raynham, about 1.6 km away. Also present in small numbers in South Raynham. The eaves at Hillside House are probably too narrow for house martins to build nests there. Installation of artificial house martin nestboxes on the east side of Hillside House is planned for 2023. |
| hedgehog | Surprisingly, this species has yet to be recorded at Hillside House. Habitat should be good for hedgehogs. |
| dormouse | Very scarce in Norfolk. Extensive woods are present on nearby farmland and estates and these could conceivably be suitable locations for reintroduction efforts, if landowners were interested. |
| woodcock | Records of this species in the winter and early spring are increasing and suggest that suitable foraging habitat is present on the plot and nearby. The poplar strip could conceivably become a nesting site in the future. |
| turtle dove | This species is now in very serious trouble in Britain, having declined by 96% since 1970. Some thick cover on and near the plot might offer suitable nesting habitat. However special food provision and/or ground preparation might be required to bring this species to the plot. The Pensthorpe turtle dove recovery project is underway a few kilometres away from South Raynham. |
| kestrel | Until 2022, kestrels showed little sign of using the nestbox installed on the meadow for them in 2015. However in 2022 and 2023 a pair nested successfully in this box and fledged three young in each year. There may be other territories nearby near Norman’s Burrow Wood and along the Wensum towards Raynham Hall. |
| Cetti's warbler | Appears to favour fen where Salix trees/bushes are present, as on the H.H. plot, so may be a feasible target. |
| water rail | Requires damp reedbeds for nesting. Usually now present in winter (from November to end of January) so might possibly come in as a breeder. There is anecdotal evidence that water rails reach the Hillside House site along the Carr Stream when this is full of water cress. The suggestion is that they creep through the water cress plants, rather than flying to the site. In a winter following dredging work on the stream, water rail failed to appear. |
Features of the plot at Hillside House
The total area of the plot here is 1.5 hectares. The plot divides naturally into a garden area near to the house, an old grazing meadow to the north, and a pond. Much of the garden is intentionally rather untidy.
The meadow has an area of around 0.7 hectare. In the past it may have been cut with a large mowing machine.
The meadow is quite damp. Much of it is covered with plants associated with wetlands, especially reeds Phragmites, angelica, meadowsweet, marsh marigold Caltha, ragged robin etc. A strip along the eastern edge has been planted with a few native black poplars.
In the past the meadow may have been used as grazing for livestock.
Between the 'garden' area and the meadow is a medium-sized pond about 15 metres in length. This pond tends to dry out significantly during the summer months, like at least one other pond in the area (at nearby East Raynham). It is fringed by Phragmites reeds and surrounded by around a dozen small to medium-sized trees including ash and three Salix species.
The grassy area between the house and the pond is now mowed with a topper, but is also cropped by rabbits. Ground ivy, forget-me-knots Myosotis and ragwort are common in this part. An abundance of molehills in this zone suggests healthy soil and plenty of earthworms. The invertebrates in turn attract good numbers of robins and blackbirds, a smaller number of song thrushes, and the area is foraged daily by moorhens from the pond. An oak tree here scatters acorns and these provide food for jays outside the breeding season. Several avian predators, including kestrels, buzzards, and barn and tawny owls, hunt bank voles and other small mammals on the grassy area.
Some ash trees on the plot have been removed after they showed symptoms of ash die-back.
The local area
North-west Norfolk
South Raynham is in north-west Norfolk, a rather sparsely populated area of England with many villages and a few small or medium-size towns. The largest town in the area is King's Lynn with a population of 42800 (in 2007; source: Wikipedia).
The countryside in this part of Norfolk is largely undulating arable farmland with scattered woodlands. The main crops grown include wheat, sugar beet, oilseed rape, barley, field beans and, especially near the coast, potatoes. Some of the woodlands cover moderately large areas (tens of hectares).
Field sizes in this area have often been enlarged by tree and hedgerow removal. However some very fine hedgerows remain, and in some places, new hedges have been or are being planted, perhaps under government schemes such as Countryside Stewardship (though, as of 2016, this scheme has expired and has been replaced).
In places locally (near Wellingham, for example) field margins are left untilled or sowed with wildlife-friendly plants such as campion. Some examples are shown in the picture gallery.
South Raynham and nearby
South Raynham is a small scattered village. The main A1065 linking the market towns of Fakenham and Swaffham runs through the village (and unfortunately speed limit here is set to a rather high 50 mph).
Nearby is a pleasant stretch of the upper Wensum river valley. On either side of the river here are damp woodlands of mainly ash, alder, poplar and oak, that ought to be good for various birds and mammals.