Clearing European Gorse

Burning European Gorse

European Gorse, also called Ulex europaeus, is a fast growing plant and can grow to a height of 3m. In spring and summer you will see its yellow flowers. The leaves are like thorns and form their defense mechanism.

Ulexeuropaeus (European Gorse)

The pointed leaves of the Gorse The yellow flowers of the Gorse

Because the plant is so resistant and grows so fast, it is very invasive. Everywhere you go, you’ll see Gorse. The result: European Gorse has invaded areas where lowland heath could expand into. But there are also good points about Gorse. It is a good nectar source and area for bird nesting. So National trust decided to remove some of the Gorse. They want to reduce the gorse cover down to 10-15%. This work is a challenge and will never be completed. As once they get to the acceptable level of cover, after that they have to prevent the spread.

Here is how we work. We cut the bushes with a brushcutter, bowsaws, loppers and chainsaws. After that we collect the Gorse and place it in a pile.

Collecting Gorse

Putting the Gorse on a pile

When we have reached a big pile of Gorse, we burn it. We must be careful with this, because we want to keep a controlled fire.

Putting Gorse on the fire

If your cutting the Gorse it’s important to treat the stumps with chemically to prevent re-growth.

We still have to work several weeks to finish the burning. It’s also important to stop this work in the period between 1 March and 31 august to avoid disturbance to nesting birds.

Regeneration of Burn Site Vegetation

In the Ring Reserve at Murlough NNR there were 4 illegal fires that occurred at the start of summer. The burn sites were then surveyed in order to monitor effects of the fires and the regeneration of the vegetation on the 4 sites.

In order to monitor density and height of different regenerated plant species, a number of fixed quadrats were placed on each of the burn sites. Fixed point photography was another method used to monitor regeneration of plant growth. See below example of fixed point photography at Site A:

Site A: 13th August 2013



Site A: 23rd September 2013



Although plant density and height were monitored the regeneration of vegetation may have been affected by the severity of the burn which was noted before monitoring took place.

A map was then created using a GPS mapping system which marked the location and size of each of the burn sites in the Ring Reserve. The fixed point photography points were also marked on the maps.

The main plant species monitored included bracken, marram grass, carex, rose bay willow herb and burnet rose. These plant species seemed to regenerate rapidly over the summer months with growth slowing at the start of October. The regeneration growth of bracken, burnet rose, marram grass and carex however were affected by the grazing of rabbits.

The data collected in relation to height and density of different plant species will then be visually represented on graphs making the data easily compared and interpreted. The regeneration of burn site vegetation study may come in useful in relation to the long term strategy of Murlough NNR.

This survey has allowed me and other volunteers to get involved and gain experience in vegetation surveying with the help of experienced botanist Professor Matt Dring. This survey is also being used for my university project that I have to complete during my placement year.  

By Rebekah Stevenson

Volunteer Profile

Hello, my name is Rebekah Stevenson and I am studying BSc Hons Countryside and Environmental Management at Harper Adams University. I currently am on my placement year and have been a volunteer assistant ranger at Murlough NNR for nearly 5 months.

Since being at Murlough I have gained experience in strimming, brushcutting, habitat management, general site management, fencing, boardwalk repairs, tool maintenance and a variety of surveys including butterfly transects, vegetation surveys, seals and bird counts. I have also been involved in ‘Wild Child’ a summer scheme which allowed me to work with the general public and passed my Safe Tractor Driving Course.

This placement has allowed me to gain confidence in my own abilities and gain valuable practical experience in a variety of tasks. Working at Murlough is hard work but the team is supportive and the work is rewarding. 

In the future I would like to be involved in countryside education or become a countryside officer for a large conservation organisation or government department. Although, I would love to volunteer for conservation projects abroad at some point as well.

Pumpkinfest

This weekend was the annual Pumpkinfest at Castle Ward. The festival had many activities and stalls, and the Murlough staff were invited down to help with the pumpkin carving and the scarecrow treasure trial.   

The scarecrow trail was a huge success, with our volunteers taking turns to man the start and finish. The children got their maps at the start, then had a great time with their parents following the map around the grounds looking for the scarecrows, and answering questions on them. Though a few did get lost, eventually everyone did find their way down to the courtyard were another of our volunteers was waiting for them with a little prize.

The pumpkin carving was a huge undertaking at the festival. Each participant chose their pumpkin at the start, then took them to have the top cut off before scooping out the insides themselves. Each child or adult then drew up their own design on the pumpkin, before taking it to be cut out by one of the volunteer pumpkin carvers. If we were not professional pumpkin carvers before, we were 2800 pumpkins later, and with cuts and blisters to prove it!   

Marsh Fritillary Web Counts

At this time of the year, if you look really closely, you may be able to spot our Marsh Fritillary butterfly webs. The Marsh Fritillary is a protected species, and is a priority species on the UK BAP(Biodiversity Action Plan). It is extinct in many countries, and in decline in others, with the UK being the last strong hold of them.

The Marsh Fritillary lay their lava under the leaves of their food plant devils bit scabious from May-June. They hatch from June onwards, and live in communal groups in webs. These webs become more obvious towards the end of August. In Autumn they will make stronger webs closer to the ground where they will hibernate, then will disperse in the spring. 

As the more obvious webs are around at this time of year we use these webs to measure the breeding success of our Marsh Fritillary. This is important as they are a protected species. Each year we conduct a count on the main patches of devils bit scabious. For the last few years we have also done surveys on the scrub in these areas so we can assess what management is needed to help increase their numbers. This means estimating at each of our mapped out plots how much of each of the scrub species (gorse, bramble, burnet rose, ragwort and others), as well as an overall scrub cover of the area, and bracken estimated separately. This can tell us what sort of composition of scrub the Marsh Fritillary favours.

Summer of Surveys

The summer is a time full of biological surveys for us. These are important for us so we can monitor what is happening to the biodiversity of the reserve and seasonal patterns over time.

Butterflies Transect:  The butterfly survey takes place once a week (weather permitting), and is done around the east side of the reserve. Volunteers and wardens walk along a set transect which is divided into 15 sections, identifying and counting the butterflies they see within ~2.5m either side of us, and ~5m ahead of us. At first identification of the butterflies seems to be the challenging part, and new volunteers are always in awe that anyone can tell the species apart when they're on the wing, and often  disappearing into the distance. It seems though, that it is remembering the route and sections of the transect that proves the greatest challenge, and many a volunteer has gotten lost and disorientated on the walk. Do not fear though, we have retrieved all lost volunteers. 

The data from these counts is passed over to UKBMS, who use this data to monitor the butterflies in Northern Ireland and across England, Wales and Scotland, and produce a report on their findings each year.

Bird Count: The bird count usually happens once a month, and is taken from 3 sites, Dundrum Inner Bay, the Murlough beach and the farm fields ajacent to the reserve.  Identification can be difficult to begin with, especially the waiders which all look rather similar. However in time we've all learnt a good number of species, and Murlough has trained many volunteers into becoming budding twitchers. 

All of the data we collected is put into a data sheet on the WeBS wetland bird survey webpage, along with data collected for us by Murlough's original warden Jo Whatmough at 3 other sites. This helps us to gain a better understanding of the patterns in bird species through the seasons, and how these patterns may be changing over the years. 

Seal Counts:  Seal counts are done once a month, twice durring breeding season, to monitor their numbers. Starting from the Ballykinlar beach, we count the number of seals all along the coast as far as Craigalea. There are 2 types of seals, the grey and the common, and the differences are rather subtle, especially given the distance we are from them. Spotting them amongst the rocks also needs a bit of practice, and many a rock has been watched carefully thinking it may move. We also take notes on any possible disturbances to the seals from people, such as shell collectors, or vehicles on the beach.

These figures, along with maps to show were the seals were seen is emailed to the NIEA, who recieve similar data from a number of people around Northern Ireland.

Sheep Counts: Though counting sheep may not sound like the most necesary task, monitoring their numbers on the Mourne mountain is important. Their numbers are counted and markings noted, so we can see which sheep are straying onto National Trust land, and so we can monitor the effects their grazing is having on the mountain habitat. For this survey identification skills are not of great importance (we know a sheep when we see one....hopefully), getting up the mountain can be a task in itself. Again, no volunteer has yet been lost or left behind.

End Of An Era

The last couple of weeks we have seen quite a change up for volunteers. After 9 and 5 months of working here, Rose and Claire have headed back to Bristol to continue their studies. They were brilliant workers, and for me they were amazing people to live with. Rose will be missed for her creative flare which brightened the place up, and her hypnotic poying skills. Her hard work (huge understatement) putting together the beetle collection for Murlough, and her devotion to our wood pile where hugely appreciated. We couldn't have gotten through those cold days without her. Claire will be missed for her adorable little laugh at the end of every sentence (regardless of her mood), as well as her excelent team leader qualities, and helping to keep our office running. Not forgetting her impecable cleanliness, obsessive attention to PPE, and lossing things every other day (we are still finding your things Claire). They are going to be very missed around here.

We did of course have a small leaving do for them, as pictured below. On a different note, two of our other volunteers, Kerri and Rebekah have now moved into the volunteer accomadation, and we are also joined by a new volunteer from England, Zoe, and so a new era begins.