Countryside Ranger report 2021

Greetings from Gunners Park. My name is Andrew and I am the Countryside Ranger here at Gunners. Here is an overview of the year and what the volunteers and I have been up to.

The year started with ‘Swangate’ which saw our resident pair of Mute Swans struggle to evict last years cygnets. This attracted several more prospecting juveniles and at one stage we had 12 swans on the lake. The adults tried to chase these new arrivals off but only succeeded in pushing them off the lake and onto the bankside. There was unfortunately a few incidents with dogs chasing after them. I am hopeful to be able to build a swan enclosure on the bankside next year to give the swans and other waterfowl a place to rest up, free for interference from dogs. This will be a useful area for families to come down and feed the ducks, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be chased about. I will keep everyone informed as to the progress of this project.

Gunners Park welcomed the Estuary Festival to the site and this event was well attended by local park users. This event was run by METAL with several art installations sited around the park and also on Chalkwell and East Beach.

Volunteers

The Gunners Park Tuesday Volunteer Group (TVG) have been busy with the management of the site throughout the year. We have undertaken a wide range of habitat management sessions including cutting and clearing of the wildflower meadows, painting over graffiti in the Spotlight Encasements, litter picking, keeping pathways clear of vegetation, habitat management in the SSSI amongst other important tasks. The TVG is currently undertaking the winter water management programme which entails opening up any overgrown ditches to allow water to move freely across the site into the necessary outflow ditches. We have also started to cut and clear the wildflower meadows as well as clearing some bramble growth in the SSSI. I truly could not do my job without the kind help from the volunteers. Thanks everyone!!

I would like to also thank the local community and community groups that have taken up litter pickers and gone out to help pick up litter not only in Gunners Park, but in the wider area. This has really made a difference and the amount of litter has decreased in the park. Thank you!!

Wildlife

Gunners Park has had breeding Sedge Warbler for the second year running along with more than 20 breeding Common Whitethroat territories. Cuckoo was also recorded here in the summer along with good numbers of House Martin and Swallow.

Autumn passage migration here at Gunners Park has seen a wide selection of common and uncommon birds visiting the park during their long journey south. Pied Flycatchers, Redstarts (4), Tree Sparrow, Yellow Wagtails and a steady stream of Hirundines have all passed through Gunners Park as well as a Barred Warbler, my first here in almost seven years. We have had very few Wheatear and Spotted Flycatchers through this year. Wheatear numbers are particularly low. I recorded 18 last year and this year I’ve only recorded 5. Out over the Thames estuary Arctic Skua, Guillemot, Shag and Black terns have all been recorded. Our winter Kingfisher has made a late appearance and she can be occasionally be seen whizzing about near the balancing pond or over by Gogs Berth.

This year I have recorded three new bird species in the form of a Hooded Crow, Barred Warbler and just recently a Jack Snipe. Amazing records for the park!

With all the rain we had this year in the Southeast the habitat and amenity management has been persistent with few breaks in between. Keeping pathways vegetation free, removing invasive and native dominant plants, brushcutting around park furniture, keeping entrance ways and car parks free of encroaching vegetation has been a constant battle! Having said that, the park had never looked as lush with the wildflower meadows thriving. The invertebrate activity was a bit late but we eventually saw a real emergence of butterflies and other species towards the middle of summer.

We have had several notable invertebrate species recorded including Orange Conch moth, Ornate Shieldbug, Roesel’s Bush-cricket and Firebug. The Firebugs have now been recorded elsewhere in the park for the first time. They have now established near the car park. Excellent news!

Important SSSI notable plants such as Yellow Horned Poppy, Sea Bindweed and Suffocated Clover have also been recorded. The remedial works undertaken in Serin pond looked to have been successful with multiple records of dragonfly and damselfly species from this pond. Most notable was the amount of Southern Migrant Hawkers seen here. This is the 4th year we’ve had this species on site, and they were showing in good numbers in serin pond. Also seen around Serin Pond were Emperors, Four Spotted Chasers, Migrant Hawkers, Southern Hawkers, Darters, Black Tailed Skimmers and a plethora of damselflies including Willow Emerald (4). This habitat is quickly becoming a brilliant Odonata pond, now that it has been opened up.

Our summer resident Kestrel pair returned to raise their young in Ness Road pond. Both the male and the female were seen hunting the park during the summer months. They both have become skilled at catching Common Lizards, which they quickly took to the nest for their hungry chicks. We did not have breeding Sparrowhawk in the park but the bird ringers have ringed 2 juveniles recently so they were successful in the wider area.

The Brent geese have just arrived back from Russia and can be seen flying up and down the Thames estuary. We have also seen the arrival of our wader flocks from their respective breeding grounds. Sanderling, Dunlin, Turnstone and Ringed Plover can be seen from the seawall at high tide.

We welcomed back Thames Estuary Ringing Group to the park to continue with their ringing programme. TERG have been in the SSSI ringing and have managed to get lots of useful data to submit to Essex Wildlife Trust and the BTO. TERG were also able to ring our cygnets and the resident adult pair earlier this year and will look to ring our current cygnet soon. These swans have now been included into the East Anglia study group. Hopefully one of our ringed cygnets will be recorded elsewhere in the Southeast and I will let everyone know where they have ended up. Very exciting!

With all the good news there has, unfortunately, been a few bits of unwelcome news. The park has had its fair share of anti-social behaviour which I have been trying to deal with.

·       Motorbikes – there has been an increase in unauthorised motorbikes on site. Thanks to everyone who has reported these to Essex police and me. Please continue to report these on if and when they are seen.

·       E-scooters – these devices, along with other types including motorised scooters, have been recorded almost daily in the park. It is unlawful to ride these devices on anywhere other than private land and trying to engage and educate individuals in the park has been difficult. I have made Essex police aware that these devices are in the park, so hopefully they will action a response. I am naturally concerned about collisions in the park between an e-scooter operator and another park user or their dog.

·       Vandalism – unfortunately there has been an increase in vandalism on site. Please do report any acts of vandalism to the police.

·       Shrimpers – we have had a few individuals in ‘shrimping’ the ditch and lake. This involves individual/s dredging the ditch/lake with a large fishing new and removing all the important invertebrates. No individual has permission to undertake this activity so if anyone is seen doing this, please report on to me and the police.

·       Illegal shellfish harvesters – this practise is still ongoing off the foreshore at low tide. Please keep reporting this onto Southend BC’s Environmental Enforcement team, myself and Essex police.

·       Fly-tipping of garden waste – there has been a steady amount of garden waste being fly-tipped into the verges by the main car park. If any resident sees evidence of this being undertaken, please feel free to report this on to me or Essex police

Please continue to report on anything that is suspicious. I cannot manage this wonderful open space without the help from the Garrison residents.

Finally, a big thanks to everyone in the Garrison for the support that you give me. Gunners Park is such a vibrant open space and a real treasure to the area.

Kindest regards

Andrew Armstrong

Countryside Ranger at Gunners Park & Shoebury Old Ranges