Share

Spotlight On: Heysham Nature Reserve's Autumn Wildlife

Reed beds on the wetlands at Heysham Nature Reserve.
Photo by Alan Wright

In the first of a series of blogs, Alan Wright explores the autumn wildlife around Heysham Nature Reserve.
Hawthorn berry bush in the sun

Hawthorn berry bush
Photo by Alan Wright

The road to Heysham seems to go on forever, a “straight on” at so many roundabouts before you reach journey’s end at a set of traffic lights. If you drive on, you are heading to the ferry port, or the lovely Half Moon Bay. If you take a left, you will find the wonderful Heysham Nature Reserve.

We often hear about hidden gems, and Heysham Nature Reserve certainly qualifies on many levels, sitting next to the port and the power station, owned by EDF energy who support the reserve financially. However, plenty of local people know about this hidden gem, and there were a lot of visitors when I arrived on a sunny autumn afternoon.

Dog rose berries

Dog rose berries
Photo by Alan Wright

The first thing I noticed was the colours of the reserve, red berries on hawthorns and dog rose bushes, mixed with yellow flowers of gorse. I also found a couple of small yellow patches of autumn hawkbit close to the meadow area. There is still a lot of greenery around, and the birds fly in and out as I wander by.

I was meeting up with my friend Stephen Lowe, Radio Lancashire’s countryside expert, and we were live on air describing everything about this little piece of heaven in North Lancashire.

Wood speckled butterfly resting on a green leaf

Wood speckled butterfly resting in the autumn sun
Photo by Alan Wright 

The reserve was quieter than in spring and summer, when reedbeds and the flora-lined walk to the dipping pond are full of birdsong. Nine varieties of warbler visit the reserve, including the grasshopper warbler. Reedbeds can be noisy places particularly in spring. Stephen was excited as this was his first visit to the reserve, and I was able to point out the mosaic of habitats available to resident and passing wildlife.

“I like to think of it as supporting a range of species that one may have expected to see and would have been widespread and common across much of the countryside in years gone by, but sadly no longer. So perhaps a snapshot, even if very small, of some of our lost common wildlife.”
- Reuben Neville, Reserve Manager

Reed beds on the wetlands at Heysham Nature Reserve by Alan Wright

Reed beds on the wetlands at Heysham Nature Reserve
Photo by Alan Wright

There are patches of species-rich grassland, scattered scrub and woodland, ponds and small areas of wetland. This diversity in a small area offers great opportunities for visitors to see a variety of habitats with only a short walk. Maintaining such diversity within a small area does require constant management though.

Reuben continued: “Regular monitoring over many years does also highlight the plight of some of our small sites like Heysham, slowly becoming isolated from other areas of habitat with the encroachment of development and connecting corridors constantly being lost. Long-term recording has seen a number of species decline and eventually disappear altogether.

“On the flip site we have seen changing distributions and the arrival of others through the expansion of ranges due to climate change. It is a constant reminder of the changes in our countryside.”

Sunshine and benches at Heysham Nature Reserve

A perfect place for a picnic and to watch wildlife, all year round
Photo by Alan Wright 

So that is good and bad really. It is a perfect example of why we cannot just have 40-odd nature reserves dotted around the region. They have to be part of Nature Recovery Networks. We need more reserves, more local nature reserves and more green corridors, including parks, community spaces and your own gardens.

Everyone who cherishes Lancashire’s natural beauty needs to speak to decision makers and demand, yes demand, that there is more protection for nature and more areas where these habitats, like these at Heysham Nature Reserve. If you are passionate about helping us to set aside 30 per cent of the UK for wildlife by 2030 join our #votewildlife campaign as a General Election looms in the next 12 months.

In my next blog I will hop off my soapbox and seek some of the autumn and winter wildlife at Heysham Nature Reserve.

Related blog posts