Friends of Cornford Lane
Friends of Cornford Lane

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:

 

  1. Noise prevents birdsong being effective in securing mates and defining territories in the pre-breeding season
  2. Fumes that effect birds, especially nestlings, more severely than humans
  3. Air disturbance and brushing of hedge fabric with vehicles make hedges unsuitable for nesting
  4. Bird-strike and animal casualties
  5. 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]

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