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Heavens Valley Ecology

Early findings and options for Nature Recovery

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Surveys to find out what we have and what is important

Habitats Cicely , Mateo , Charlotte, Jim & GWT, Jeremy , Simon , Rob
Plant species list Mateo, Jeremy
Reptiles Mateo , Simon plus other
Bats Mateo , Simon . Finn
Soil Sampling Mateo, Cicely Jim
Birds Simon
Butterflies on going Val , Bella
Moths on going Wendy , Bella, Charlotte
Invertebrates Jeremy plus others
AD Hoc records please use iRecord app and save record to 'The Heavens'

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Habitats

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Chalk grassland most important

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Lowland Beech and Yew woodland

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Other grassland: historically modified with fertilisers and other inputs

Less botanically diverse
Productive grazing land/hay making
Potential to diversify!

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Tufa

Tufa is a porous, spongy limestone created when calcium-carbonate-rich spring water precipitates minerals over organic material

Specialist flora and fauna

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HABITATS��Summary

20% native woodland
Majority neutral grassland
Scattered patches of flower rich grasslands ( 7-8%)
Streams
Tufa

Protect and enhance existing important areas

There is potential for nature recovery of 70% of site

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Species

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Bats

Over 10 species recorded including scare Greater Horseshoe bat.

Common Pipistrelles most frequent

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3 species of reptile… Slow worm, common lizard and grass snake:

Adder.... not yet discounted!

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2025 : 54 species recorded 34 confirmed breeding , �6 red listed , 13 amber listed species : typical

There were 6 red listed species recorded ( https://www.bto.org/our-work/science/publications/reports/birds-conservation-concern)

House martin Non breeding but feeding over site

Fieldfare Non Breeding overwintering

Mistle Thrush recorded several times probably not breeding on site

Greenfinch Evidence of breeding on lower part of site close to Gunhouse lane entrance and in boundary hedgerows on the top eastern boundary

House sparrow Not confirmed breeding on site but evidence of breeding is houses adjacent to site

Starling Not confirmed breeding on site but evidence of breeding is houses adjacent to site

There were 13 amber listed species recorded

Bullfinch Breeding in lower area along Horns valley

Dunnock . Common breeding bird across the site

Grey Wagtail One pair probably breeding along stream on boundary of site (or possibly in Bus garage site)

Kestrel observed hunting over site but probably breeding just of the site

Redwing overwintering

Rook Small 2 small rookery ( at least 7 nests) in centre of Heaven Valley

Stock Dove nesting in mature woodland

Sparrow Hawk Frequently seen hunting over site although nest site not located, but certainly breeding in the area

Tawny Owl probably breeding on mature woodland

Whitethroat several breeding pairs in hedgerows on lower parts of site

Willow warbler probably not breeding. Heard singing once in April probably on passage

Wren a common birds bird throughout the site

Wood pigeon common nesting throughout site

Ther was one Schedule 1 species . A Cetti’s warbler recorded singing on site once , probably on passage rather than breeding although there is habitat suitable and there may colonise the site

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Butterflies ��At least 21 species recorded this year ��Chalk grassland Dry bank particularly important ��Full season survey planned for 2027��Past records include scarce Duke of Burgundy ��

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Moth surveys just started .. 29 species recorded including a couple of locally scare species

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iRecord

Download the app
Use to submit records of things you see at the Heavens
Take a photo if you can!
Save site name as 'The Heavens'
Data in one place that we can analyse

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Draft Site level objective : For nature�

Secure a minimum of 90% of the site as semi-natural habitats in good ecological condition
Maintain and enhance habitat corridors to connecting and nearby habitat.
To work collaboratively with adjoining and nearby landowners in pursuing biodiversity objectives.
Adopt natural flood management practices : creation of woody debris dams
Developing areas as wood pasture including scrub and rougher pasture.
Enhance the mosaic of habitats with a degree of dynamic, shifting scrub habitat.
As habitat improve, promote the site’s potential for species reintroduction
Increased storage of carbon in soil and vegetation.

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Key themes for Nature recovery

Protect important habitat
Enhance wildflower meadows
Enhance emerging of wood pasture
Improving wetlands/water courses

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Wildflower meadows

Species rich grasslands have co-evolved with traditional farming over the last 6000 years.
They are capable of supporting healthy populations of insects, birds, bats, reptiles and many other animals
Wildflowers need to grow in nutrient poor soil

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Where to start with habitat enhancement ?

Soil Sampling

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To improve grassland for wildflowers

Remove nutrients
Remove rank or shading vegetation

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Grassland management methods

Hay cut

Very efficient
But

removes most nectar sources and host plants all at once ,
drastically reduces insect population and starving remaining populations.
some area of Heavens difficult or impossible access with machinery

Cutting and removal of material

Hay cutting

Advantages

Taking a hay cut is the most efficient means of removing coarse dense vegetation and nutrient over large areas that are easily assessable by tractor and machinery. Taking a hay cut is very effect technique for management of flower rich meadows .

This possible over much of the lower area of the Heavens much of which has been cut for hay in the past.

Disadvantages

In some area namely Dry Hill , Brimmer meadow and Powers Hill machinery access as much more difficult or impossible . In areas where woodland pasture will be allowed to develop through natural regeneration will also be difficult if not impossible to cu t by mechanical measures.

It may be possible to cut some of theses area with emerging volunteer Scything team but this will require very significant volunteer effort.

The major ecological disadvantage of a mechanical hay cut is that it is blanket sweep removing most nectar sources and host plants all at once , drastically reducing overall invertebrate biomass and starving remaining populations. Grasshopper survival can drop to as low as 13-32% following a hay cut ( Humbert yet al 2010) . This effect was very notable when conducting bat surveys on the heavens during the hay cutting period. The mating call of grasshopper and crickets are easily picked up of the recorders used to detect bat ultra sounds. In autumn the Heavens grassland are alive with crickets and grass hoppers but the field recently cut for hay were eerily silent.

The sudden removal of the shaded canopy to bare sun bake stubble dramatically changes the microclimate leaving invertebrates vulnerable to desiccation and predators ( Humbert et al 2009) although it does provide an immediate food source for insectivorous birds. Hay cut can also directly kill or expose small mammals such as harvest mice to predation . Scything can cause similar impacts to invertebrates and small mammals although not on such a significant scale.

In some areas particularly on the important chalk grassland Dry hill there will be a need to move scrub , brambles and small trees to significantly improve the grassland for flowers and invertebrates , particularly rare or declining butterflies.

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Grassland management methods

Scything

Efficient
Less brutal than mechanical Hay cut
May be the only option in some places
But

Very labour intensive

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Natural Grazing

Rabbits

Currently dominant grazing species

Create a short sward
Scraps and burrow turn over soil
Often graze flowers and can reduce species richness

But Population cycles

Myxomatosis
Rabbit Hemorrahagic disease ( RHD)

Rabbits grazing does prevent the development of coarse grasses and woody shrubs. It can maintain a short sward and bare ground for some wildflowers and invertebrates. Rabbit scraps and burrow turn over the soil allowing buried seeds to germinate. However rabbits will also graze many of the wildflowers and can reduce species richness. Rabbits population subject to fluctuations due to diseases such as myxomatosis and more recently rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) . Whilst rabbits now have degree of resistance to myxomatosis the mortality rate from RHD is extremely high ranging from 70-100% . The virus is extremely resilient and can be easily transferred to new area by birds or mammals . Therefore it is unlikely that this level of rabbit grazing can be expected over the medium to long term .

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Natural Grazing

Deer

Roe deer and Muntjac common
Tend to be browsers
Limited impact of dense rank vegetation

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Grassland management methods

Conservation grazing with cattle

Efficient Removal dominant vegetation include brambles and scrub

Create range of micro habitats
Trampling breaks up soil
Cattle Dung
Re-distribution of nutrients
Re-distribution of seeds

Public concerns dogs , safety , greenhouse gases

Grazing

Grazing mammals can remove nutrients and rank vegetation.

Conservation Grazing by cattle

Low density grazing by cattle is a very effective means of restoring and maintaining species rich wildflower meadows . It is the preferred method of managing many of the species rich grasslands Gloucestershire eg : Painswick Beacon, Rodborough Common, Minchinhampton common , Snowhill nature reserve , Rudge hill National nature reserve , Swifts Hill , Leckhampton Common, Cranham Common ( combined with goat grazing ).

Advantages

Cattles remove dominant vegetation. They graze by wrapping their tongues around vegetation to pull it up, opening up the sward. Their non-uniform grazing creates a patchwork of tall and short grasses creating range of microclimates from flowers and invertebrates. Cattle can push through and open up scrub and brambles . Cattle will consume nettles , brambles and browse woody vegetation . The tramping of cattle can breakup thick tussocky grasslands creating bare soil for the establishment of disturbed seeds. Cattle remove nutrient from the land and also redistribute nutrients through there dug. Cow pats are important habitat and can support over 200 species of invertebrates . Dug beetles and fly larvae emerging from cow dung are important source of food for a range of birds species as well as vitally important for Greater horseshoe bats. Cattle play an important role is distributing seeds through the landscape being carried on their hair, hooves and dung . Roe deer have been found important for the dispersal of 25-30 species of seeds whereas cattle are responsible for distribution of over 230 species of seed. Cattle particularly the smaller breeds are able to graze over wide range of terrain including the steep chalk grasslands on Dry Bank.

Cattle have traditionally been grazed on the Heavens and many local people are keen to see cattle return to the area. If conservation grazing with cattle was to be introduced there would be relatively small number of individual (5-10) present which would be moved around the site depending on the monitoring of the sward height .

Disadvantages

In ecological terms there are few disadvantage’s to conservation gazing with cattle although over grazing can causes poaching of the land. However there is need for a certain amount of infra-structure and regular monitoring . Cattle will require the installation of suitable drinking water troughs through the site and there will be a need for cattle handling facilities to for TB testing and checking cattle. Cattle will need to monitored daily. There will be a need to secure boundary fence but Non fence collards can be used to retain cattle in particular areas within the heavens . Non -fence collards can used to remotely monitor them although this does not remove the need for daily checks. However it is likely the any grazier would initially want to use temporary electric fencing set back from any footpaths to allow individual cattle get used to their new surroundings.

There are of course concerns about cattle by some people walking the heavens particularly those with dogs that aren’t used to walking on other commons where cattle are present during the summer.

If conservation grazing is to be introduced the cattle will not be owned by the HVCBS therefore it will be in the interest of the owner of the animals to only graze individual cattle that are known to calm and tolerant of people with dogs. These need to be fully considered along with financial and conservation factors.

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Natural Flood Management: leaky dams �Stunning habitat for plants, invertebrates, bats and birds �

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Woodland pasture

One of the most diverse habitats

High carbon storage in soils

Typically contains high abundance of deadwood .. good for lots of wildlife

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Wood pasture

Its already developing naturally

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It is up to you

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Fenceless grazing

Developed in Norway to manage goats ..
Used by most nature conservation organization in UK

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How to fund ?

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) provides funding to farmers and land managers to manage land in ways that protect, restore and enhance the environment, while helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

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