The Secrets of Successional Habitats – Chris Drake

Making Space for Nature Project Officer Chris Drake, describes what can be found in these often overlooked and underestimated places.

What do you think of when considering wildlife habitats in Kent and Medway?  Our spectacular coast? Our chalk grassland full of orchids and butterflies?

This week I will take a look at some of our humbler habitats – that patchy area of land that no one seems to own or maybe an area of scrub that has grown up in recent years near your home?

In the Strategy, these are described as “Successional habitats” – sometimes they don’t look like much, but they are often rich in wildlife, particularly reptiles and insects. So, to take your mind off the winter gloom, I am going to take you on a spring walk to discover one special bird that makes its home in these places.

The sun is shining, the white blossom of the blackthorn is luminous, and then it happens, an explosion of beautiful bird song, that is rich and complex – but who is the songster?

If you are lucky enough to glimpse the rusty plumage of a robin-sized bird, it’s safe to say you have found yourself a Nightingale, one of our scarcest songbirds, which will have travelled all the way from sub-Saharan Africa to find a habitat such as this. They are quite happy singing by daytime, but also at night of course.

Kent is the last true stronghold for this species, so our successional habitats are of vital importance. If you hear one Nightingale singing, there are likely to be more, as while each bird has its territory – it is also colonial and clusters of Nightingale territories are often found in the same place, making these areas even more important.

Like robins, Nightingales often feed on the ground, so they also need bare areas or at least plenty of areas to forage in underneath the scrub.

Low-level scrub is what Nightingales need, and, in many cases, these areas will only be suitable for a number of years, before they transition into woodland. This is why in some places, scrub is cut and maintained for this species, and new areas are allowed to be colonised by scrub.

Areas of previously developed land, are often low in nutrients and this is important as scrub in these areas will stabilise, allowing Nightingales suitable habitat for many more years. The Turtle Dove is another migratory species for which scrub presents an important nesting area and in spring its gentle purring song draws attention to the presence of these scarce birds.

The term open mosaic habitat captures how areas of previously developed land present the variety that is so good for wildlife – so having barer areas, where Adders, Slow Worms and butterflies such as the Wall and can enjoy the sun, is important. Rare plants such the Lizard Orchid also thrive in these open areas, while more grassy parts of the mosaic provide areas for the scarce Shrill Carder Bee to nest and hibernate in. The thicker areas of scrub described previously are also home to the Hazel Dormouse – a secretive mainly nocturnal species.

The variety within these open mosaic habitats, also means these areas will be more resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as changes of temperatures, extreme weather events and new diseases.

So, these dynamic successional habitats, although often overlooked, are a vital resource for wildlife and an important part of our draft LNRS.

One of our ten ambitions relates to “Successional habitats”, accompanied by associated priorities and potential measures.

We invite you to take a closer look at this and you can also vote for either Nightingale, Slow Worm or Lizard Orchid as your flagship species for successional scrub.

(Photo credit:  Jim Higham)