Amphibians and Reptiles

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1 Amphibians and Reptiles As well as the Natterjack Toad there are five other reptiles and amphibians that occur on the reserve. Common Toad The long strings of spawn are laid from mid-march and the tadpoles are jet black. Common Lizard Neal Armour-Chelu Common Lizard You may see these basking in the sun. The best time of year is April and May. If you hear a rustle, mark the spot and come back ten minutes later; Common Lizards have favourite basking places which they return to. Palmate Newt and Smooth Newt Both these newts breed in the main pond here. The best time to see them is on spring and summer nights by torchlight. Their larvae look like tadpoles but have legs and external feathery gills. Palmate Newt - Howard Inns Common Toad Howard Inns Common Frog They are best seen in the early spring when they are breeding. Look out for their heads poking above the water in the pools, and their clumps of spawn. The tadpoles are brown in colour. Smooth Newt - Howard Inns Common Frog - Fred Holmes

2 Bumblebees When bumblebees go from flower to flower, they help to pollinate the plants which then produce seed. This is very important for the plants survival and for our food. Many bumblebee species are in trouble and their numbers are declining. There are six species of bumblebee which are still common in England and can be seen on the reserve: Early Bumblebee (male) Buff-tailed Bumblebee Buff-tailed, White-tailed, Red-tailed, Early, Garden and Common Carder bumblebees. The number of bees, and the success of the colonies, varies each year, so sometimes one species is more common than the others. Usually you can spot the Red-tailed and Common Carder on fine days from late spring to late summer. Photographs courtesy of Nigel Gilligan Common Carder Bumblebee White-tailed Bumblebee Red-tailed Bumblebee

3 Comma Butterflies The reserve is home to at least 17 different species of butterfly. Some of these are becoming much less common throughout the country. Graylings are one of the Ironworks rare butterfly species. They are hard to spot because they like to settle on stony ground and always close their wings after flying. They then tilt their wings towards the sun. Can you spot it in this picture? Grayling against gravel Gatekeeper male & female mating Look out for the Common Blue and remember the female can be brown. You can see a pair in the picture below. Photographs courtesy of Nigel Gilligan Common Blue male & female

4 Looking after the flower-rich grassland The flower-rich grasslands provide nectar for butterflies, bees and other insects, and green food for munching caterpillars. And the caterpillars provide food for birds like the Willow Warbler. Bird s-foot-trefoil is common on the site and is the foodplant of the Common Blue butterfly. The grassland areas need to be mown or grazed down after flowering so that the flowers are not swamped by Hawthorn and Willows, or by tall, tussocky grasses. Willow Warbler - Christine Redgate Ponies or sheep remove the growth as they go. But if it is mown by machine, the grass needs to be removed so that the nutrients do not go back into the soil. Willow growing on grassland - Judy Palmer Grassland area after cutting - Judy Palmer Bird s-foot-trefoil - Annie Masson Grasscutting - Helen Annan

5 Ground-nesting Birds The reserve is very popular for dog walkers, so it may surprise you to know that there are several types of birds that nest on the ground here. They are normally found on farmland where their numbers are declining, so the reserve provides an important habitat for them. Stonechat (female) The Skylark is one you are more likely to hear than to see. Listen for its continuous, meandering song in spring and summer and then see if you can spot it high in the sky. A pair of Grey Partridge have raised chicks successfully on the reserve. They nest on the ground and never in a pear tree! You may see a pair of Lapwings. They are easy to recognise because they are black and white, they waver as they fly and have a distinctive pee-wit call. Skylark (male) Other bird species like Meadow Pipit and Stonechat can also be seen on the reserve. Photographs courtesy of Christine Redgate Lapwing Grey Partridge Stonechat

6 Site History This was once a busy industrial site and Millom s major employer. The Millom Ironworks started in 1865 and was supplied largely by West Cumberland Iron Ore. Although Millom Ironworks was the major customer of Hodbarrow Mining Company, they were separate companies until they joined together in The original Millom Ironworks consisted of six blast furnaces with an output of 20 tons per day. At the time of closure the modern furnaces were each producing around 700 tons per day. The Ironworks closed in September 1968 with the loss of 550 jobs, which was a devastating blow to the town of Millom. You can still see the remains of some of the tipping that went on here. The site now provides a pleasant open space for wildlife and people to enjoy.

7 Natterjack Toad The Natterjack Toad is the UK s rarest and noisiest amphibian. There are only about 50 colonies nationwide. Half of these colonies are in Cumbria and one of them is on this nature reserve! They like lots of bare ground on which to hunt for insects, and shallow pools to breed in - exactly what we ve got here. Adult male Natterjack calling Scottish Natural Heritage Adult males call on warm, still spring nights. Listen out for their rasping sound. Natterjack toadlets - Bill Shaw Newly emerged Natterjack toadlets are about 1cm long. The earliest they appear is mid-june. Adult Natterjack on dune John Buckley Adult Natterjacks have a distinctive yellow stripe on their backs. Natterjack spawn strings have a single row of eggs, but Common Toad spawn has two rows. Look out for the spawn in the pools from early April. Natterjack spawn single strand. Brian Fenwick

8 Orchids Several species of orchids love the open ground and grasslands of the Ironworks. They flower in June and July. Some are hard to find, while others can be found in large numbers. The most abundant is the chunky, deep purple Northern Marsh Orchid found across most of the reserve. They grow best on the deeper soils. More delicate is the Common Spotted Orchid, which has paler and more divided petals. Many are mixtures of these two species, which have cross-bred or hybridised, to produce in-between flowers with characteristics of both. Bee Orchids are harder to find and are scattered around in the shorter grassland. Bee Orchids flourish in lime-rich habitats, such as the Ironworks and limestone quarries. Almost all the Cumbrian locations are manmade, and near the coast. The Pyramidal Orchid is now very rare in Cumbria but it is occasionally seen on the Ironworks. It has a characteristic pyramid shape and is more pink than the other orchids on the reserve. Pyramidal Orchid - Helen Annan Bee Orchid - Helen Annan Northern Marsh Orchid Helen Annan Common Spotted Orchid - Clare McEntegart

9 Waders and Wildfowl The Duddon Estuary is an internationally important wildlife site, especially for birds. You will see different types of waders and wildfowl feeding on the mudflats and sand. Curlew Curlew, Oystercatcher and Redshank are the most numerous species, with smaller numbers of Dunlin, Ringed Plover and Turnstone. Scarcer visitors include Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel. There are several different types of duck - Mallard, Wigeon, Shelduck and Pintail are the dominant species, though you may also spot Eider, Red-breasted Merganser and Goldeneye, depending on the time of year. Little Egret Up to a thousand Pink-footed Geese winter on the salt marshes. Little Egrets are welcome recent visitors and Kingfishers are often seen. The scarce Twite is a winter regular on the marsh fringes. Photographs courtesy of Christine Redgate Oysterctachers Wigeon Shelduck

10 Wasteland or Wildlife Refuge? Goldfinch - Christine Redgate Most of Britain s green and pleasant land is heavily managed. Parks and gardens, farmland and woodlands are all made tidy or fertilised for food production. So areas like the Slaggy that are allowed to revert back to nature are becoming more important: a breathing space for some of our country s wildlife gems. Dandelion, Thistle and Knapweed flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies, like the Peacock butterfly. Their caterpillars also eat Thistles and Stinging Nettles! Humble weeds like Dandelions, if left uncut, can be invaluable for our seedeating birds, such as the stunning Goldfinch. Berries in the autumn provide an important food source for birds and other animals, like the Blackbird. There are many different birds which spend the summer here and the winter in Africa. Listen out for the trilling song of the Willow Warbler between April and August. We hope you enjoy your visit, and perhaps will look at weedy or naturally untidy areas with fresh eyes! Who knows which of our wildlife gems you may find? Peacock butterfly on Knapweed Nigel Gilligan Blackbird - Christine Redgate Willow Warbler - Christine Redgate