To support the ‘Bennel Wood – Woodland Laboratory’ project, we’ll be posting a series of blogs as we learn more about natural regeneration and the influence different treatments have on what grows on (and lives in!) a recently felled commercial site.
The second blog is by Phil Dowling, our Woodland Action Officer…
Bennel Wood, previously a Sitka spruce plantation, now a site of early successional broadleaf woodland habitat. There is far less human intervention within the landscape whilst we plan the future of the site; nature on the other hand never presses the pause button, Spring has come and the regenerating broadleaves are emerging, the wildflowers are blooming, and the birds are singing. Mature broadleaves cluster the boundaries of the “wood” but even within these sparse areas the Robins, Blackbirds, Chaffinch and Nuthatch can be seen and heard, and recently they’ve been joined by Chiffchaff and Blackcap looking to breed after a winter away in southern Europe and Northern Africa. Wrens are common across the site, trilling from the piles of conifer deadwood, and a pair of blue tits are hanging around a smashed-up Ash tree, potentially making a nest, courtesy of Storm Eowyn.
It is likely many of these birds already made use of the broadleaf woodlands that bordered the edge of the previous plantation. Before the site was clear-felled, birds likely nested and foraged around the edge of the conifer plantation as well as making use of any open ground areas within it. Raptors such as goshawk or long-eared owl could well have nested in the conifers too. Historical records of the site show species associated with woodland edge and conifer woodland such as Great spotted woodpecker, Coal tit and Siskin. These records are so important as they enable us a glimpse into the past, to see what was present, and to help inform what could be in future.
We’re ramping up data collection at Bennel Wood this year with ecological consultants helping us collect a plethora of baseline data, including bird surveys. We visited the site with the local RSPB team to get their thoughts on what to look out for and how to find it. Willow tit, a resident species that is in serious decline across the UK (red-listed UK conservation status), was thought to be a potential breeding bird on the site as there are records of these birds within the general area. Unfortunately, however we did not find any during spring surveys this year. It is likely the current site conditions are not conducive or expansive enough to fulfil the niche habitat that this bird requires, but this may change with time.
Next, we’ll be undertaking breeding bird surveys, these will give us a good general look at what is species are currently present at Bennel Woods and enable us to map breeding territories across the site. An elusive bird species of particular interest to us is the Nightjar. In the UK these birds begin to arrive in late Spring from their southern wintering grounds, with most arriving from the scrub grasslands of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Nightjar is a nocturnal bird that roosts during the day either up in the branches of trees or, more likely at Bennel, on deadwood piles on the ground; their colouration gives them perfect camouflage and they are almost impossible to spot. At dusk they fly off into the night on silent wings, catching flying invertebrates with the aid of their large, gaping mouths. They migrate to the UK to breed on heathlands, moorlands, woodland clearings and most excitedly for us – recently felled conifer plantations. There are records of Nightjar in D&G, so there is a possibility they could be found at Bennel Wood. The best way to see, or more aptly hear, if Nightjar are present will be to undertake evening surveys in Summer, this involves surveyors walking sections of the site listening for the unique churring mating calls of the male Nightjar.
There is a chance we may well start to see less common bird species appearing over the coming years at Bennel Wood as it transforms into early successional broadleaf woodland habitat. Habitats like these are now less common than in centuries past when areas of regenerating forest were the result of woodlands being managed for coppice and wood fuel. Could Bennel Wood become a haven for scarce and rare bird species? We’ll have to wait and see…
Phil Dowling – phil.dowling@dgwoodlands.org – April 2025