Sussex Wildlife Trust

Sussex Wildlife Trust is delighted to be running some face to face events for local business once again, sharing our joy of wildlife and helping our local community take action for wildlife whilst benefiting their own wellbeing.

Corporate groups have been taking part in our Work for Wildlife programme undertaking important conservation tasks with the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership, and our Beach Clean coordinator supporting their local community and their team’s wellbeing. The companies have helped with important habitat management, and inputted into the national litter survey to make a real impact for local wildlife. These sessions have brought teams together when some have not seen each other in person for over a year, developing teambuilding, creative discussion and problem-solving.

Our passionate Communities and Wildlife team have also hosted a wonderful Netwalking event at Woods Mill Nature Reserve, Henfield for some of our business supporters where we saw an array of dragonflies, butterflies, birds and insects whilst networking with other likeminded businesses

If your company is interested in working with Sussex Wildlife Trust and creating a bespoke partnership so you can make a real impact please contact LouiseCollins@sussexwt.org.uk

Sussex Wildlife Trust are very excited to announce that following a concerted effort over a number of years to re-create suitable habitat for the Field Cricket, our Reserves Manager, Jane Willmott heard two singing males on the Warren at Burton and Chingford Ponds Local Nature Reserve.

These remarkable creatures are among the rarest and most threatened invertebrates in the UK. They are 2cm long and chunky, black or brown in colour. They can’t fly, but can walk up to 100m a day. Their wing markings resemble intricate wrought-iron work, and the males make a loud call to attract a mate using “harps”, modified veins on their wings. The male cricket creates a burrow like an amphitheatre that it uses to sing its “lovesong” to attract a female. Once mated the female will lay her eggs in a sunny spot, usually the burrow where the nymphs will spend the winter.

The grassy heathland in Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, where the crickets live and on which they depend, has been greatly depleted by forestry and other land use changes. In the 1980s, there was just one group of fewer than 100 individuals left in West Sussex. Despite successful heathland restoration and reintroduction projects, the current six populations are still very isolated and vulnerable.

The Field Crickets were re-introduced onto neighbouring land 20 years ago as part of the Back from the Brink Project and a stable population had established on part of the Sussex Wildlife Trust reserve next door on Welch’s Common. These two Field Crickets have found their way onto the Warren and we hope that they will now establish a population there where we have been carrying out heath and acid grass restoration. The more populations there are, and the more habitat links there are between populations, the safer the crickets are from extinction. Cattle grazing is due to be reintroduced at the Warren too over the next few months which will help to manage the short turf habitat in optimum condition for the crickets. The most recent works have been funded by the Heathlands Reunited National Lottery Heritage project.

You can listen to a recording of the Field Cricket's song https://youtu.be/0KyD-KjDF20