Step outside and spot the wildlife

OLDHAM’S wildlife is being put under the spotlight, and conservationists need local nature-lovers to give them a helping hand.

Plans to create a record of wildlife across the 10 districts of Greater Manchester are under way.

But the brains behind the scheme, based at the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit in Audenshaw, are short on manpower to do the project justice.

So they want local wildlife enthusiasts to help them build up as big a record as possible of the animals which live in our midst.

Oldham countryside warden Jane Downall is eager to enlist people to the cause, explaining: “Despite concerted conservation efforts the numbers of many species are still falling.

“That is why we need to know where they still live, in order to protect these areas.”

Many species are protected by law, such as the kingfisher, the great crested newt, the badger, bats and water voles.

It is illegal to intentionally disturb or kill them, or to damage their habitats.

There is also the fear that climate change may have a big impact on wildlife, and species which are common today may not be so in 20 years time.

Wildlife experts suspect species may go on the move, with some animals migrating into Oldham from the south, or swapping low-level homes for higher altitudes.

Establishing a regional record centre is the first step in noting where animals and plants are found today, so any changes in populations and distribution can be spotted as they occur, and steps taken to minimise any decline.

The Greater Manchester Local Research Centre is poised to launch a website giving details on how to record wildlife.

It will also have features on the flora and fauna which can be found in Oldham and other parts of the region, and identify some of the best sites to visit across the borough.

Among the creatures most likely to be spotted in the Oldham area are amphibians such as the common frog, the common toad, the common newt, the great crested newt and the palmate newt.

Anything else discovered could be an escapee, and Jane explained that pet owners sometimes dumped exotic animals when they no longer wanted them.

Numbers of the common toad have plummeted to such a degree that a biodiversity action plan has been created to help the species survive.

Jane said: “We don’t know how many there are of each species in the Oldham area, which is why we need people to report sightings to the record centre.

“That way we can build up a picture of local populations and habitats.”

Another problem facing the toad and frog population is people moving their spawn.

An often-fatal disease called chytridiomycosis is affecting amphibians across the nation, and conservationists warn it can be spread by mixing local populations and moving infected spawn to another area,

One way Oldhamers can help increase habitat for amphibians is by creating a garden pond. Jane said it was important for people not to collect spawn, frogs and toads and take them to their pond, but said if the correct habitat was made, amphibians would often find their own way there.

Oldham’s countryside parks offer a wealth of opportunities for people to indulge in a spot of wildlife spotting this weekend.

Spring arrived in Oldham four weeks late this year, delaying the full splendour of flowering coltsfoot, wood anemone and bluebells.

Surprisingly, many creatures found the harsh winter to be beneficial.

Hibernating animals such as hedgehogs and insects like butterflies and bumblebees conserved their energy by remaining in slumber.

Migrant birds have also begun to make an appearance, with the first chiff chaff heard singing at Daisy Nook a couple of weeks ago.

Swallows have also begun to arrive at the end of their long journey from Africa.

The harsh winter, however, has not been so good for some of our smaller native birds, which may have suffered a decline in number.

And some of the early migrant birds, such as wheatears, arrived too early to find food and suffered the same fate,

But the recent warmer weather means that a trip to the woods will pay dividends.

Splendid displays of woodland flowers such as bluebells, celandine, sorrel and garlic are reaching for the sun before trees bursting into leaf close off the light to the forest floor and signal the end of the flowering season.

l For help in identifying species, log on to the amphibian and reptile group of South Lancashire’s website at www.argsl.org.uk , or contact Jane at Daisy Nook Country Park, 0161-303 3909.

Anyone who already has records on wildlife spotted in their own gardens or elsewhere in the borough, can contact Jane or Steve Atkins on 0161-371 8146, or e-mail stephen.atkins@tameside.gov.uk .