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Green lanes research

March 15, 2002

EARLY MORNINGS IN STORE FOR CYCLING BIRD RESEARCHER

A RESEARCHER at Staffordshire University will be getting on his bike to search out early birds in the ancient green lanes of Cheshire.

Mike Walker, aged 23, from Chester, is to study whether green lanes - sunken routes that criss-cross the British countryside - provide a more valuable habitat for birds than ordinary hedgerows.

Ecologists at the University have already discovered that the lanes, which are bounded on both sides by hedges, walls or grass banks, are far richer in plants and butterflies than hedgerows.

But more research is needed so they can advise on how best to protect the lanes, which currently have little recognition from regulatory authorities.

Mike, who is originally from Bebington, Wirral, said: "I have found 20 sites in the countryside around Chester and am currently mapping those and looking at their vegetation.

"Beginning in April, I will be getting up at 3.30 in the morning to cycle around the sites and note the birds I can see and hear, which way they`re flying and what they`re doing.

"I hope to build up a picture of the breeding territories of the birds by visiting the sites over a period of time and I will compare the results to my findings for single hedgerows in the area.

"I will also look at the amount of insects, seeds and fruits that green lanes may be providing and comparing that with single hedgerows."

Despite the early rise and the long cycle rides, Mike is looking forward to getting stuck into the practical work as he has always been interested in wildlife. He hopes eventually to work on a nature reserve rather than being stuck in an office.

Later in his PhD research, which will take three years to complete, Mike, who has just completed an MSc in Habitat Creation and Management at Staffordshire, will study nests, numbers of eggs and the size of chicks.

The research is being funded by the University`s Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Research.

Supervisor Dr John Dover said: "Green lanes are jewels of biodiversity in the landscape and we need to do far more research to advise on how best they can be managed.

"At the moment, they are invisible in land planning terms and no-one has specific responsibility for them."

He said Cheshire seemed so far to have avoided suffering from the growing leisure pursuits of off-road driving and scramble biking that had affected green lanes in other parts of the country.

"Whilst we do not wish to see the severe erosion that some activities such as off-road motoring produce, it is clear that green lanes need to be used by the farming community and for informal recreation such as walking. They would otherwise be neglected and in time become thin woodland strips losing their special habitat value` ."

The lanes are protected by hedges or walls from being sprayed with pesticides and herbicides from neighbouring farmland and so contain a wide variety of plants providing food and nest sites for wildlife.

Staffordshire University