Re-cycled Places
Wildlife corridors
This section was written in 1995 by Dafydd Charles, Alex Henderson, Jamie Lowden, Oliver Lamb, James Palmer and Tom Dryer when they were at Western Road School CP School, Lewes.
Our transect (a line on the ground, between two measured points, which is used for detailed and accurate observations) where we had to work, was across the entrance to the Railway Land site in Lewes but soon after we arrived, we noticed something which caught our interest.
Our transect (a line on the ground, between two measured points, which is used for detailed and accurate observations) where we had to work, was across the entrance to the Railway Land site in Lewes but soon after we arrived, we noticed something which caught our interest.
Birds like the kestrel are dependent on food supplies such as mice and field voles.
Much of our countryside that has been planted with the same crops, for example, and sprayed with chemicals to kill insects, or where all the hedges have been ripped up, contains very little wildlife for birds like kestrels to feed on.
Cities are no better where there are no wild areas or open space.
That's why we often see kestrels hovering at motorway verges because between the motorway and boring fields of the same crop are strips of land that are not cultivated or sprayed with chemicals – and here there are mice and other small animals for the kestrel to feed on.
The same goes for new and old railway lines and canals that might cut through areas that are cultivated for just one crop. Such places are often called wildlife 'corridors.'
Local Nature Reserves are often found on old railway marshalling sites such as the Railway Land in Lewes and they are important for wildlife – especially in towns and cities where people may find it difficult to9 get out to the countryside.
Editorial comment:
On the Railway Land, the kestrels nest in a cliff behind an industrial estate. This youngster was caught on camera one fine summer evening. Its parent was overlooking the site in a nearby sycamore tree and, when you know where to look, you can often see it perched at the top of the tree looking out over the meadows for food. Play the video clip to see what it looks like from a distance perching high up in the tree.
On the Railway Land, the kestrels nest in a cliff behind an industrial estate. This youngster was caught on camera one fine summer evening. Its parent was overlooking the site in a nearby sycamore tree and, when you know where to look, you can often see it perched at the top of the tree looking out over the meadows for food. Play the video clip to see what it looks like from a distance perching high up in the tree.
