good nooz july/august 2010
DESCRIPTION
The biggest community magazine in StaffordshireTRANSCRIPT
20
In 1957 the 3rd Earl of Lichfield gifted over 2,000acres of the north-west part of Cannock Chase toStaffordshire County Council. This is the main areaof today’s Cannock Chase Country Park. Its 5square miles make it one of the largest CountryParks in Britain.
In 1958 Cannock Chase received national recognition asan Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At only 26squares miles, it is the smallest AONB in mainlandBritain. Large parts of the Country Park and other areasof Cannock Chase are a Site of Special Scientific Interest(SSSI). Part of the SSSI is also a designated SpecialArea of Conservation (SAC), in recognition of its statusas an internationally important wildlife habitat.
One of the major attractions ofCannock Chase is theancient herd of fallow deer.The main herd tends toremain in the centre ofCannock Chase throughoutthe year, with the males movingin from the outlying woodlands intime for the annual rut in October.Smaller numbers of red deer are to befound, whilst the muntjac, hardly bigger than alarge dog, is present but is very secretive in itshabits. The rich habitats of Cannock Chasealso provide food and shelter for foxes,badgers, rabbits, grey squirrels, stoats,weasels, field mice and voles.
The underlying soils of Cannock Chasegive rise to wide expanses of openheathland covering much of the higherground. A rare hybrid bilberry, knownlocally as the‘Cannock Chase’ berry,grows among the heather and bracken thatare dominant in these dry areas. In theheathland and wetland areas grasses such as wavy hairgrass, purple moor grass, fescues and cotton grass canbe found. The mires contain sphagnum or bog moss andother species including round-leaved sundew and marshviolet. Traces of the ancient woodland can still be seen inthe widespread scattered oaks, especially in BroctonCoppice, where about two hundred still survive.
Th Cae Wil life ofd nnock Chase
The most common reptiles are the adder and commonlizard, which you might see in both wet and dry places.Frogs and toads are also common.Grass snakes and slow wormsare rarer, and seldom seen.
Many familiar gardenspecies of bird, such asthrush and robin can befound on Cannock Chase.Woodland birds include thesolitary woodcock, greaterspotted and lesser spotted
woodpecker, treecreeper, crossbill a n dnuthatch. Goldcrest and great, blue, coal, marsh,willow and long tailed tits and sparrowhawks andtawny and long-eared owls may also be seen.Wetland areas attract wagtails, reed bunting,kingfishers, mallard, coot, teal, little grebe andheron. On the heathlands, yellowhammer and linnet
inhabit the scrubby areas, and, high above, skylarkand meadow pipit fill the air with song. The open
heathlands attract the occasional kestrel, short-eared owl and hen harrier. Migrant birds
arriving in autumn and winter includesiskin and redpoll. Flocks of fieldfare andredwing are often seen in the more openscrubby areas. Summer brings thewillow warbler, whitethroat, chiffchaff,blackcap, garden warbler, redstart,
spotted flycatcher and wood warbler.Noteworthy species breeding on the
heathlands are stonechat, whinchat, treepipit, and nightjar.
Characteristic Cannock Chase butterfliesinclude the green hairstreak and the small pearl-
bordered fritillary, which is largely confined to one ortwo of the wetland areas. Cannock Chase has at least
a dozen species of dragonfly, including the large andbrilliantly coloured common and southern hawkers. Therare bog bush cricket is found on the taller grasses, whilethe common f ie ld ,mottled and commongreen grasshoppers canbe heard in mid and latesummer.
Mammals
Plant Life
Reptiles
Birds
Invertebrates
