Himalayan Balsam pulling season

Each summer, Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) appears again along riverbanks throughout the Aire catchment, and for our volunteers, that means balsam-pulling season is back.

At first glance, this tall plant with its bright pink flowers may seem attractive, but it is actually a problematic ‘invasive non-native species’, that negatively affects our rivers and watercourses. An invasive non-native species is a plant or animal that has been introduced to a country or area, spreads rapidly and causes harm to its new environment.

A stand of Himalayan Balsam in flower

Volunteers at the Aire Rivers Trust therefore spend the early summer months taking part in one of our most important and satisfying conservation activities – balsam pulling, also known as ‘balsam bashing’.

Why is Himalayan Balsam a problem?

Originally introduced to the UK as an ornamental garden plant, Himalayan balsam spreads rapidly along river corridors, canals and transport networks like railways and roads. It grows quickly from spring onwards, forms dense stands, and crowds out native vegetation, reducing biodiversity and leaving little space for wildflowers and other important riverbank plants.

In winter, unlike many native species, Himalayan balsam dies back completely, leaving bare soil exposed along riverbanks. Without deep-rooted vegetation to hold the soil together, banks become vulnerable to erosion during periods of high water and flooding.

Each plant can produce hundreds of seeds, which burst out of the seed pods in mid-late summer and spread far and wide, being carried downstream by rivers. This means that the plants (and the problem!) spread each year.

The power of volunteers

Despite being problematic for wildlife, Himalayan balsam is one of the easier invasive species to tackle. Its shallow root system means it can be easily removed by hand, simply pulling the plant from the bottom of the stem, before it sets seed. Every summer, volunteers from the Aire Rivers Trust head out to riverbanks, smaller becks and woodlands across the catchment to remove balsam and give native plants a chance to thrive again. These sessions are not only beneficial for local wildlife but are also a great opportunity to spend time outdoors, meet like-minded people and make a visible difference to the local environment.

A volunteer removing balsam from the riverbank
A small group of volunteers working to remove balsam from the riverbank
Solo volunteer balsam bashing

A catchment-wide approach

Managing invasive species requires working together and repeating the task each year. Seeds can travel long distances along rivers, so successful control relies on communities, landowners and volunteers working together across the entire catchment, over consecutive years. Many Rivers Trusts across the UK have shown that sustained annual balsam-pulling efforts can dramatically reduce the plant’s presence and allow native habitats to recover.

A group of volunteers celebrating their balsam bashing efforts
Himalayan balsam pulling is an easy activity suitable for all ages

Get involved

So far this year, we have pulled balsam at Fagley Beck in Ravenscliffe, Hawkstone, Chellow Dene and Pitty Beck, with more areas coming up in July. Some of these volunteer days been a part of our Roots in the River Project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thank you to the National Lottery, and a huge thank you to all of our volunteers for making this possible!

Whether you volunteer regularly or are looking to join us for the first time, balsam pulling is a great way to help nature in your area. No specific experience is required, and our team will help you with identifying and safely removing the plant. Sign up to volunteer here: Volunteer with Us – Aire Rivers Trust

Aire Wetlands

Rivers to Reef

Roots in the River

Citizen Science

Trench Meadows – helping an SSSI recover

Trench Meadows is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) off Higher Coach Road next to Load Pit Beck and not far from Shipley Glen. The site contains 4.7 hectares of lowland meadow – a nationally rare habitat. The grasses in the neutral grassland on the site include red fescue, sweet vernal and crested dog’s-tail; wildflowers include herb black knapweed and bird’s-foot trefoil. Devil’s Bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis) also indicates the importance of this species-rich grassland. The land adjacent to the meadow is designated as a wet woodland with common alder being the dominant tree species.

Purple wildflower near riverbank in green landscape.
Vibrant wildflower meadow supporting local wildlife along the Aire River.

The site is owned by the City of Bradford District Council and managed by The Countryside Service, with support from the Aire Rivers Trust. Aire Rivers Trust volunteers have carried out several tasks on both the meadow and in the wet woodland including Himalayan balsam removal, scrub clearance and hedgerow maintenance.

Volunteers make a difference

To date, Aire Rivers Trust volunteers have contributed 335 volunteer hours. 540m2 of scrub has been cleared, which otherwise would have resulted in the meadow becoming woodland. 900m2 of Himalayan balsam have been pulled across the site. The holly hedgerow on Coach Road Bridleway has been improved to provide habitat and act as a stock-proof barrier. Aire Rivers Trust works in partnership with several organisations. West Yorkshire Combined Authority, WSP and Keighley College have all contributed volunteer time to carry out practical environmental tasks.

A local farmer grazes the site, with cattle selectively grazing scrub, keeping down bramble encroachment and providing soil improvements. Bradford Council Countryside service has also undertaken willow thinning on-site to prevent woodland succession.

Cattle grazing near river bank to promote healthy river ecosystems and habitat management.

The site has permissive access for the public and visitors are encouraged to stick to the path and keep their dogs on the lead to prevent disturbance of wildlife and prevent dog fouling. The Trust will continue to carry out management works on-site. To find out more please visit our volunteer website: Volunteer with Us – Aire Rivers Trust

For more information about Trench Meadows please follow these links:
Bradford Botany Group – Trench Meadows SSSI, Baildon
Meet your local SSSI

Always stick to The Countryside Code

In the embrace of the Aire

In the next blog from the wonderful Lucy Johnson, one of our volunteers, we learn about birdwatching on the ings (riverside wetlands) at St Aidan’s.

For many of us, when we think of our rivers it is fish and invertebrates, or maybe even aquatic plants, that come to mind. For others, they are a magnificent habitat for birds of many species. In this blog from one of our volunteers, Lucy Johnson, we read about birding on the long-disused coal mines at St Aidan’s just a short way below Leeds. St Aidan’s is a 355 hectare (877 acres) nature park located between Leeds and Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. The land was formerly an opencast coal mining area that was flooded in 1988, after the riverbank collapsed.

In the Embrace of the Aire, Birding at St Aidan’s

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear, perfect conditions for a birding walk at the beautiful St Aidan’s Nature Park near Leeds. I carefully reloaded my camera with different batteries before setting off…they were also flat. In the absence of my capacity to provide good quality bird pictures, you can drink your fill over at “St Aidan’s Nature Park” on Facebook, where many beautiful shots of the park’s birds, both visitors and residents, are frequently posted. St Aidan’s is a former opencast mining site owned by Leeds City Council and managed by the RSPB. It reopened in 2017 as an RSPB site. There is currently a small footprint of café, information stand and toilets between the car park and Oddball.

Old coal mining machine

A Park For Everyone         

I was greeted by Peggy, a smart, vibrant young woman in much demand between the café, RSPB stall and visitors. Peggy is one of 16 permanent staff across St Aidan’s and its sister site, Fairburn Ings Nature Reserve. In addition to the permanent staff, the sites benefit from 230 regular volunteers, who may act as Rangers, perform regular bird surveys, undertake tasks such as creating dead hedges and litter picking. St Aidan’s is designated a park because it is meant to form a space for leisure activities for people as well as the birds. Ranger Jerry who led the talk along with three other volunteers emphasised that all are welcome, from horses to cyclists and runners, and that the birds are accustomed to their presence. The just under 900 acre site also plays a vital role protecting Castleford from flooding. The lakes fill up counter-clockwise, leaving the most precious reedbed habitat for last.

Key Species

The park is important for its role in providing a home for six key species – black neck grebes, black headed gulls, lapwings, bitterns, kestrels, and little owls. Jerry has personally spotted at least eleven raptors in the last two years, including red kite, buzzards, marsh harrier, ring tail hawk, osprey, little owl (who like Oddball), barn owl, tawny owl, short-eared owl, long-eared owl, and of course peregrine.

What To Wear

I would advise attendees of the walk to wear sturdy, comfortable footwear and to bring binoculars if they have them, although I was perfectly happy watching the birds hover with just the aid of my specs. Jerry shared a wealth of information about the site and was not outmanouevred by any question no matter how varied or specific. His deep familiarity with the site made for a very enjoyable and informative tour, taking in everything from kestrels’ scrying mammals’ urine through ultra-violet vision, to Oddball and Big Bob’s history, to vulpine predators.

Oddball

The Local Residents Show Off

As for the birds, a kestrel kicked proceedings off by sweeping in dramatically to its exposed nest on Oddball at the top of the site, tearing into lunch. The walk was not an aerobic challenge by any means. We simply meandered along one of the main paths at the park’s perimeter, ending at the reed beds to listen to the bitterns boom, accompanied for the most part by swooping kestrels and lazily hovering buzzards, with the occasional dart of the kestrel, asserting territory to an unwary buzzard. Near the end of the talk a sharp-eyed attendee spotted a peregrine moving swiftly in, and a red kite with its distinctive V tail was also spotted. Unfortunately the little owls which have a fondness for Oddball were elsewhere at the time of the walk. Do take the time to look both above and below Oddball for kestrels and little owls if you visit.

How to “Cheat” at Birdwatching

I would have appreciated a quick rundown of each bird’s characteristics and perhaps a factsheet or two, but it was equally valuable seeing a smaller number of species in the wild and taking a detailed dive into where they spend their time and why. There was a reassuring lack of pretension about the whole affair. Jerry cheerfully admitted to “cheating” by using the excellent Merlin app for identification, and Steph, one of the volunteers, was very democratic in her thoughts about developing as a birdwatcher.

Gordon Denison

Another birdwatcher passionate about making access to the hobby more open was the legendary Gordon Denison of Halifax Birdwatchers Club, who recently passed at the age of 90 after a lifetime spent supporting and encouraging others. Not only a much loved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Gordon was a key member of Halifax Birdwatchers Club and took part in many projects over the years. His projects included establishing a trophy for the member who spotted the most species over the year, and creating detailed sighting maps. He particularly enjoyed birdwatching at Fly Flatts Reservoir, his favourite bird was a grey wagtail, and he had a distinctive whistle imitating a curlew to communicate with daughter Jayne, who was also on the walk with her partner Graham.

Throughout the talk I chatted with Jayne and Graham, who had kindly offered to rescue me from West Yorkshire public transport hell (three buses to travel a total of eight miles). Jayne was bright-eyed and warm, carefully clutching a pair of binoculars much older than those round the necks of other attendees. She described her father as “a smart and helpful gentleman to everyone and dedicated to his family.” Gordon had a good sense of humour, although it took him a little while to warm to Graham’s bird jokes. It was a poignant reminder that while life flows on, there are many people who came before us who made our experiences and knowledge possible. If Gordon had been able to atend, he would have been extremely smartly attired, delighted to have the day out with Jayne and Graham and to meet newcomers to birdwatching, who he always encouraged. All in all, a lovely afternoon, and Gordon’s binoculars sighted a few kestrels more.

Salmon Safari

River Worth Improvement Plan

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