Wildlife

Since World War 2 the UK has lost 50% (250,000 miles) of it's hedgerows, and of that left only 60% are adequately managed.

The Climate Change Committee has advised that the UK needs to increase hedgerows by 40% to meet our 2050 net zero target, which means planting 120,000 miles of NEW hedgerows, and protecting and improving those that are left.

(Click here for a report on hedgerow loss).

When last surveyed (1995) some of the hedgerows in Cornford Lane were categorised as 'Species Rich , Intact', one of the highest designations.

There has never been a more important time to protect and preserve our hedgerows.

Cornford Lane has old and intact hedgerows and supports a large variety of wildlife as these surveys show:

Cornford Lane Hedgerow Evaluation and Grading System (HEGS)

Carried out by John Beesley August 1996

HEGS is a standard methodology for the ecological survey, evaluation and grading of hedgerows recommended within countryside planning and management to classify hedgerows into grades, according to their ecological value and habitat resource.

The grading scale used is intended to imply the following levels of ecological value:

Grade 1 High to Very High

Grade 2 Moderately High to High

Grade 3 Moderate

Grade 4 Low

Surveys were carried out on hedgerows in Cornford Lane and Halls Hole Road in August 1996 and a summary of the grades for Cornford Lane is tabled below.

Hedge Number	Grade Number	Hedge Length	% of Total Length of Hedges
1 and 6	1	600 and 60	29.2
3	-1	133	6
2	2	346	15.1
8	2	928	40.5
5	-3	50	2
4	4	42	1.9
7	-4	122	5.3

The table shows that 1,2,3,6 and 8 have moderately high to very high values and, having a combined length of 2075 metres form 90.8% of the total hedgerow length (2289 metres)

This value is, however, diminishing with heavy traffic in a narrow lane in the following ways:

Noise prevents birdsong being effective in securing mates and defining territories in the pre-breeding season
Fumes that effect birds, especially nestlings, more severely than humans
Air disturbance and brushing of hedge fabric with vehicles make hedges unsuitable for nesting
Bird-strike and animal casualties
Destruction and reduction of roadside flora by wheels and brushing

Plants

Celandine	Meadow Buttercup	Creeping Buttercup
Greater Celandine	Hedge Mustard	Lady's Smock
Garlic Mustard	Common Whitlow Grass	India Balsam
Perforate St John's Wort	Imperforate St John's Wort	Trailing St John's Wort
Dog Violet	Hairy Violet	Ragged Robin
Common Chickweed	Lesser Stirchwort	Greater Stitchwort
Common Mouse Ear	Procumbent Pearlwort	Common Mallow
Herb Robert	Cut-Leaved Cranesbill	Wood Sorrell
Red Clover	White Clover	Bird's Foot Trefoil
Greater Bird's Foot Trefoil	Tifted Vetch	Common Vetch
Hairy Tare	Common Vetch	Meadow Vetchling
Grass Vetchling	Black Medick	Barren Strawberry
Tormentil	Creeping Cinquefoil	Agrimony
Wood Avens	Broad-Leaved Willowherb	Greater Willowherb
Enchanters Nightshade	Dog's Mercury	Common Nettle
Wild Hop	White Bryony	Ivy
Petty Spurge	Cow Parsley	Upright Hedge Parsley
Ground Elder	Hogweed	Wood Dock
Curled Dock	Common Sorrel	Primrose
Scarlet Pimperel	Lesser Periwinkle	Greater Periwinkle
Vervain	Bindweed	Bittersweet
Black Nightshade	Common Figwort	Foxglove
Field Speedwell	Germander Speedwell	Wall Speedwell
Ivy-Leaved Speedwell	Common Cow-Wheat	Red Dead-Nettle
Yellow Archangel	Ground Ivy	Hedge Woundwort
Black Horehound	Self Heal	Bugle
Woodsage	Forget-Me-Not	Green Alkanet
Comfrey	Ribwort Plantain	Greater Plantain
Honeysuckle	Hedge Bedstraw	Cleavers
Teasel	Colt's Foot	Yarrow
Dandelion	Mugwort	Spear Thistle
Black Knapweed	Lesser Burdock	Nipplewort
Rough Hawksbeard	Prickly Sow Thistle	Perennial Sow-Thistle
Ox-Eye Daisy	Black Bryony	Cuckoo-Pint
Bluebell	Wild Garlic

Black Spleenwort	Common Spleenwort	Male Fern
Bracken	Hart's Tongue	Mountain Shieldfern
Broad Buckler Fern	Lady Fern	Wall Rue

Trees and Shrubs


Alder	Field Maple	Sallow/Goat Willow
Ash*	Field Rose	Silver Birch
Beech*	Gorse	Sweet Chestnut*
Blackthorn*	Hawthorn*	Sycamore*
Bramble	Hazel*	Wayfaring Tree
Broom	Holly*	Wild Privet*
Crab Apple	Lime	Willow
Dog Rose	Oak*	Wych Elm
Elder

Mammals

Badger	Fox	Pygmy Shrew
Bank Vole	Hedgehog	Rabbit
Brown Rat	Mink	Stoat
Common Shrew	Mole	Water Shrew
Fallow Deer	Pipistrelle Bat	Wood Mouse
Roe Deer	Dormouse	Weasel

Birds

Blackbird	Greenfinch	Pied Wagtail
Blackcap	Greylag Goose	Robin
Blue Tit	House Martin*	Song Thrush
Bullfinch	House Sparrow	Spotted Flycatcher*
Canada Goose	Lesser Whitethroat	Starling
Chaffinch	Linnet	Stock Dove*
Chiffchaff	Little Owl*	Swallow
Coal Tit	Long-tailed Tit	Tree Sparrow*
Collared Dove	Mallard	Whitethroat*
Dunnock	Mistle thrush*	Willow Warbler
Garden Warbler	Moorhen	Wood Pigeon
Goldcrest	Nuthatch	Wren
Goldfinch	Pheasant	Yellowhammer*
Great Tit	Jackdaw	Buzzard

Cuckoo	Kingfisher	Sparrowhawk
Fieldfare	Magpie	Swift
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	Treecreeper
Green Woodpecker	Marsh tit	Willow tit
Grey Heron	Redpoll	Woodcock
Jay	Redwing	Crow
Kestrel	Siskin	Common Buzzard

Click on the file name below to download a pdf of the above report
Cornford Lane Wildlife Survey 1996.pdf
Adobe Acrobat document [353.9 KB]

Wildlife

Carried out by John Beesley August 1996

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