Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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2.4 Birds Many species of birds, often in large concentrations, feed, roost and/or breed in fens because of their wide range of vegetation communities and associated habitats (see Appendix III Table 2). For example over 200 bird species have been listed at Wicken <strong>Fen</strong> (see link Wicken <strong>Fen</strong>: History). 26 In Scotland, the RSPB reserve at Loch of Strathbeg attracts 20,000 wintering wildfowl including whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus), pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus), teal (Anas crecca) and other wetland wildlife. This reserve comprises Scotland’s largest dune loch plus its surrounding wetlands, grassland and woodland. It is managed by means of grazing and water level controls to maintain a mosaic of wetland habitats. Source: http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochofstrathbeg/work.asp The diagram below helps to depict the range of vegetation structures associated with fens and their utilisation by different bird species. Cetti’s warbler Willow warbler Willow Alder Bearded tit Marsh harrier Sedge warbler Whitethroat Snipe Redshank Mallard Reed warbler Bittern Marsh harrier Bearded tit Bittern Bearded tit Water rail Moorhen Mallard Meadowsweet Reed Reed Mare’s tail Water dock Nettle Sedges Milk parsley Willowherb Rushes Marsh bedstraw Hemp agrimony Marsh pea Yellow iris Marsh orchids Bur-reed Marsh cinquefoi Cowbane Purple-loosestrife Duckweed Potamogeton Water soldier Starwort Water lily Frogbit Bearded tit Bittern Water rail Pochard Reed Reedmace Coot Mallard Moorhen Pochard Bird species commonly associated with fens are generally classified into four categories, based on habitat features most likely to be used by different groups of birds, notably the presence or absence of water and vegetation structure. – Vegetated margins of open water bodies – Reedbeds and mixed fen swamp – Grazed or cut fen in floodplain – High marsh and carr The wide variety of bird species found on fens are typically associated with different types and structure of vegetation, and different water levels. (After Hawke & Jose)
2.4.1 Vegetated margins of open water bodies Species frequently associated with water margins include mute swans (Cygnus olor), moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and ducks including mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and teal (A. crecca). These birds prefer shallow open waters and reedbeds where they nest and forage for floating and emergent vegetation. A family of mute swans nesting in swamp vegetation at the edge of open water (RSPB). Grey Heron feeding on a frog in shallow water at the edge of a fen (RSPB). Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) and little egret (Egretta garzetta) are amongst the birds which hunt for fish and amphibians amongst the open water margins of fens. 27
Page 1 and 2: The Fen Management Handbook Edited
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements Production of the
Page 5 and 6: 1. Introduction and Basic Principle
Page 7 and 8: Estimates of the original coverage
Page 9 and 10: Guiding principles for fen manageme
Page 11 and 12: Section 12: Fens from an Economic P
Page 13 and 14: 2.1 Diversity and conservation sign
Page 15 and 16: Part of Cropple How Mire in Cumbria
Page 17 and 18: The moss flora of base-rich springs
Page 19 and 20: Bog bean growing in a transitional
Page 21 and 22: Mesotrophic openwater transition fe
Page 23: Water shrews (Neomys fodiens), also
Page 27 and 28: 2.4.3 Grazed or cut fen in floodpla
Page 29 and 30: 2.6 Amphibians Amphibians are depen
Page 31 and 32: The mud snail Omphiscola glabra (12
Page 33 and 34: Old trees and dead wood Continuous
Page 35 and 36: Vascular plants Flat-sedge Blysmus
Page 37 and 38: 3. Understanding Fen Hydrology Quan
Page 39 and 40: Groundwater discharge to fens is us
Page 41 and 42: Water Table 3.4.1.4 Spring fed fen
Page 43 and 44: 3.5 Factors determining fen type 3.
Page 45 and 46: - Flooding - frequency and magnitud
Page 47 and 48: 3.7 Further information and advice
Page 49 and 50: Groundwater inflow. Groundwater lev
Page 51 and 52: It is likely that groundwater disch
Page 53 and 54: Case Study 3.3 Hydro(geo)logical im
Page 55 and 56: 4. Understanding Fen Nutrients Nutr
Page 57 and 58: nutrients. For example, at high con
Page 59 and 60: 4.2.1 Groundwater and surface water
Page 61 and 62: 4.2.3 Point and diffuse sources of
Page 63 and 64: Area of acute nutrient enrichment o
Page 65 and 66: 4.4 Classifying water chemistry usi
Page 67 and 68: 4.6 Identifying nutrient enrichment
Page 69 and 70: Negative indicator species for diff
Page 71 and 72: Many of the floristic changes which
Page 73 and 74: Case Study 4.1 Understanding Fen Nu
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5.1 Why do fens need management? In
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5.2 Checklist of key stages in deci
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5.3.3 Scale Although fens are linke
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5.4 Site survey to establish what i
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variability and how these relate to
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- The fauna which inhabit the fen c
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- Prioritise objectives to achieve
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inundation are less likely to be sp
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5.13 References Barsoum, N., Anders
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Case Study 5.2 Fen Management and R
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- 14km of livestock fencing install
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Case Study 5.3 Fen Management and R
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6. Fen Management and Restoration -
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Both the benefits and potentially l
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Cattle forced by flooding to the ed
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At low/medium stocking density, cat
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Goats have narrow muzzles and a fle
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Fens usually feature a range of dif
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Excessive poaching where cattle hav
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extensive areas of wetlands which w
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‘Soft track’ machines, such as
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The design of the pipeline allows f
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Protocol for burning standing reedb
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Long rotation scrub clearance may b
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‘Bird-eye’ and incineration A t
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6.7 Restoring fen meadow Many forme
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Current Management The current mana
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Case Study 6.2 Fen Vegetation Manag
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species diversity of wetland passer
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The temptation to burn large areas
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Outcomes In the eight years that th
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Anglesey sites is now underway supp
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Close grazed short sward of sedges
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Turf cutting Turf cutting has been
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7.1 A framework to assist decision
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Surface water level change e.g. - a
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and the surface to acidify, resulti
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Smaller excavations are preferable
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Morton Lochs, which extend to appro
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Although shallow excavations are pr
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At Leighton Moss in Lancashire, are
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Excavating spoil within the area to
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uilt dams can only be formed in dit
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Case Study 7.1 Fen Water Management
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8. Managing Fen Nutrient Enrichment
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Summary table of key techniques for
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8.2 Managing the source of nutrient
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Marginal interceptor ditch at Cors
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8.3.4 Bund creation In some cases i
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emoval or soil stripping, both of w
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8.5 Monitoring nutrient reduction D
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Recent photo of stripped surface sh
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9.1 Scope for fen creation The Grea
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9.3 What type of fen? New fens can
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9.5 Restraints on fen creation Plan
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9.6 Check list of issues to conside
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9.7 Site assessment Planning and de
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LIDAR maps can provide a general un
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generally more acidic than silts an
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Site visits and careful assessment
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9.8.4 Plastic membranes On sites wi
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Use of seed bombs ‘Seed bombs’
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Experience has shown that the most
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9.10.2 Creation of niches for plant
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Meade, R. & Wheeler, B.D. 2007. Rai
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- On-going measurement of the effec
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with appropriate training. Providin
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10.3 Biological monitoring techniqu
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Undesirable species for key NVC com
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10.3.3 Vegetation Mapping An initia
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It is good practise to record with
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10.4 Biological monitoring techniqu
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for Ornithology, the Bat Conservati
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Box 2: Construction, installation a
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10.8 Monitoring surface water flows
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- Phytometric tests measure how wel
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Storage of data and information on
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period, simply because it is design
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Another consideration is the likely
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11.1 An historical perspective Poll
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Inviting volunteer involvement in f
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11.3.3 Stakeholders ‘Stakeholders
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have been designated under access a
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11.6.4 Boardwalks Boardwalks are no
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11.6.5 Water borne access Waterways
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- Explore opportunities to stimulat
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Case Study 11.1 Fens and people - S
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Case Study 11.2 Fens and People - H
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12. Fens from an Economic Perspecti
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12.1.3 Biomass energy and Biofuels
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12.2 Environmental regulation 12.2.
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the peat carbon store is depleted t
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Another mechanism for funding wetla
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Whitlaw Mosses in Scotland (see det
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12.8 References Dickie, I., Hughes,
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Nitrogen fixation conversion of gas
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Appendix III - List of species refe
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Table 1 - Mammal species associated
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280 Bittern Botaurus stellaris All
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Grasshopper Warbler 282 Locustella
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Table 4 - Fish species associated w
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Table 5 - Legally protected inverte
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288 Community Topogenous fens S24 P
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290 Community S8 Scirpus lacustris
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292 Community M11 Carex demissa - S
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294 Community M23 Juncus effusus /
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Appendix V - Legal and regulatory c
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298 Type of Works Guidance for UK C
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Appendix VI - Fen management for br
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However, three of the four species
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Sensitive periods Harvest mice bree
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species like bittern, and then drop
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Sensitive periods Species breed wit
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Great Crested Newt Great crested ne
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Appendix VIII - Fen management for
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Mollusca (snails, slugs and mussels
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Other than for rare or exceptional
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There is usually some degree of sub
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Management requirements for protect
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Appendix IX - Further reading Secti
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Koerselman, W., Bakker, S.A. & Blom
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Section 5: Fen Management and Resto
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Patzelt, A, Wild, U. and Jörg Pfad
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Index A access 103, 110, 190, 226,
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cutting 114 disposal 117 management
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Fen Management Handbook - Scottish Natural Heritage

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