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entomologists
Rare Species at Wicken
Wicken Fen has a prodigious list of rare species. It was a main reason for the designation of the Fen as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. There are many rare plants including Great Fen Sedge, Fen Violet, Milk Parsley, Marsh Pea, Dwarf Stonewort and Tubular Water-dropwort. Rare or declining birds that live at Wicken include Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tit, Barn Owl, Reed Bunting and Cuckoo. In winter, Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl take up residence. Perhaps even more impressive is that there are over 400 insect species at Wicken that are listed as nationally endangered, rare or scarce in the UK Red Data Books.
Rare species are often at risk of extinction because their populations can be small and vulnerable. This is also true for some of the rare species at Wicken. Several are suspected to be extinct as they have not been seen for many years. However, we are always hopeful that some of the rare species are still present and will be rediscovered.
The risk of species extinction is greater in small nature reserves and ones that are isolated and some distance from reserves of similar habitat types. This was certainly the case for Wicken Fen, one of the last four surviving remnants of the once extensive fenlands of Cambridgeshire. One of the main reasons The National Trust developed the Wicken Vision project was to expand the size of the nature reserve by creating more wetland habitats. In addition to creating new habitats for wildlife, it is hoped that in time this project will allow rare species to expand their populations and so become less at risk of extinction.
Table of some of the rare species recorded at Wicken Fen
(UK BAP indicates priority species for conservation in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan; Birds of Conservation Concern are Red or Amber-listed depending on the threat and decline; RDB indicates species listed in the UK Red Data Book due to their rarity)
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Birds |
Notes |
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Marsh Harrier |
Amber-listed. Several pairs breed. |
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Bittern |
Red-listed. Regularly winters at Wicken. |
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Hen Harrier |
Red-listed. Regularly winters at Wicken. |
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Skylark |
Red-listed. UK BAP. Many pairs nest on the restored land |
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Tree Sparrow |
Red-listed. UK BAP. Returned to Wicken in 2006 |
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Linnet |
Red-listed. UK BAP. Nests at Wicken. |
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Reed Bunting |
Red-listed. UK BAP. Nests at Wicken. |
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Wigeon |
Amber-listed. Large number in winter |
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Water Rail |
Amber-listed. Nests at Wicken |
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Lapwing |
Amber-listed. Nests on the restored land |
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Cuckoo |
Amber-listed. Nests at Wicken |
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Barn Owl |
Amber-listed. Nests at Wicken |
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Bullfinch |
Red-listed. UK BAP. Nests at Wicken. |
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Mammals |
|
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Otter |
UK BAP. Regular visitor to Wicken |
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Water Vole |
UK BAP. Returned in 2006 after 15 year absence. |
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Brown Hare |
UK BAP. Doing well on the restored land |
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Fish and Amphibians |
|
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Spined Loach |
UK BAP. A rare fish found in the ditches & Lodes |
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Great Crested Newt |
UK BAP. Doing well in the education area ponds |
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Plants |
|
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Great Fen Sedge |
Cladium mariscus |
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Fen Violet |
Viola persicifolia. Endangered species in the UK. |
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Milk Parsley |
Peucedanum palustre |
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Marsh Pea |
Lathyrus palustris |
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Tubular Water-dropwort |
Oenanthe fistulosa |
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Dwarf Stonewort |
Nitella tenuissima. Endangered species in the UK. |
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Invertebrates |
|
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Desmoulin’s Whorl Snail Vertigo moulinsiana |
UK BAP, RDB. Tiny snail found in the fen vegetation. |
|
Depressed River Mussel Pseudanodonta complanata |
UK BAP, RDB. Lives happily in the Lodes. |
|
Large-mouthed Valve Snail Valvata macrostoma |
RDB Vulnerable. Found in several of the brickpit ponds at Wicken. |
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Scarce Chaser Libellula fulva |
RDB. A Dragonfly, increasing in the area |
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Spider Neon valentulus |
RDB. Wicken is the only site with recent records |
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Spider Zora armillata |
RDB. Wicken is the only site with recent records |
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Caddisfly Erotesis baltica |
RDB Vulnerable. Caddisfly found in clean dykes |
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Twin-spot Longhorn Beetle Oberea oculata |
RDB Endangered, UK BAP. Associated with purple willow trees. Last seen 1984 at Wicken but still occurs nearby. |
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Water Beetle Agabus undulatus |
RDB. Found in the ditches & ponds on the old fen |
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Ground Beetle Trechus rivularis |
RDB. Found in sedge and reed litter |
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Longhorn Beetle Lamia textor |
RDB beetle whose larvae live in willows |
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Water Beetle Dryops anglicanus |
RDB. A rare beetle found by ditches, widespread at Wicken. |
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Riffle Beetles Oulimnius major and Oulimnius rivialis |
RDB. Both of these rare beetles are to be found in the slow flowing ditches with clean water at Wicken. |
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Water Beetle Hydrochus ignicollis, Hydrochus crenatus and Hydrochus elongatus |
RDB. These 3 rare beetles are quite often found at Wicken. |
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Buttoned Snout Hypena rostralis |
UK BAP moth occasionally seen at Wicken |
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Marsh Carpet Perizoma sagittata |
RDB Moth with a strong population at Wicken |
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Silver Barred Deltote bankiana |
RDB Moth with a strong population at Wicken |
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Totrix Moth Cydia leguminana |
RDB Micro-moth, several Wicken records. |
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