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Walks and recording event: Stanny Farm, Iken
Reserve a placeSaturday 13th June 10:00am – 4:30pm
Cancelled last year due to bad weather!
Stanny Farm is a 750-acre site on the rivers Alde and Ore, occupying a peninsula in the village of Iken. It was acquired by Paul Cooke in 1987, a passionate ornithologist and former advisory trustee to the RSPB.
Paul, alongside his wife Louise, set about restoring the land. The marshes were under commercial cropping but were reverted to grassland and a series of freshwater scrapes and lagoons. Now managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, this portion of the farm is currently home to booming bitterns, great, little and cattle egrets, and has been a recent stopover for rare species, including pairs of wryneck and common cranes.
On the upland, the farm’s two coralline crag pits were previously used as dumps and filled with rubbish, but have since hosted barn owls, little owls and sand martins, as well as rare flora, including one of the only recorded sites in East Suffolk of tall broomrape (orobanche elatior). The geology is unique to the Suffolk coast and a triple SSSI.
Grazed meadows on the farm have been rich in orchids (southern marsh, bee, pyramid and one record of green-winged), fungi and dragonfly species, but much of the upland remains in commercial cropping. Paul’s son, Jack, is in the early stages of a program of natural regeneration, beginning with a thirty-acre field taken out of cropping in 2023. This and several other sites will be the focus of the day’s recording.
Jack is delighted to have naturalists on the farm and will set some moth traps to begin the day, giving a short introduction to Stanny’s conservation history.
Directions: Follow the sat nav to IP12 2EY (Stanny House Farm, Iken). Then, follow the signposts into the farmyard, parking is by the grain store.
- w3w: dislodge.print.struck
Indoor / WC facilities: Available at start and end of day.
Poor weather: the meeting may be cancelled at short notice. Cancellation information will be sent out by email and posted on the website.
What to bring: drinks to take on walks, a picnic and allergy medication. Bring your recording kit – SNS will have some hand lenses for guests to borrow.
Potential hazards: As with all outdoor events, please be aware that there may be stinging insects and plants, as well as uneven and/or wet ground. Please bring your allergy medication if necessary, a personal first-aid kit, and a mobile phone. Hazards such as cliffs and soft ground that may be encountered will be pointed out at the start of the walks. Leaders are often volunteers and may not be equipped or qualified in first aid.
Health & safety guidance: see top of page
MORE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Saturday 21st November
Bryophyte Workshop run in conjunction with Anglian Microscopy to be held at Crowfield Village Hall. Morning and Afternoon Sessions.
Discovering Lichens, all these events are co-sponsored by the SNS through the CR scheme, so they’re open to SNS members on the same terms as local members
13 June 2026
Discovering the secret world of lichens (talk and walk), Waldringfield Wildlife Group, Waldringfield Village Hall, 11.00 – 14.00 (free)
8 September 2026
Discovering the secret world of lichens (talk), Alde Valley SWT Group, Leiston United Reformed Church, 19.30 – 21.00 (free)
9 December 2026
Discovering the secret world of lichens (talk), Ipswich SWT Group, Museum Street Methodist Church, 19.30 – 21.00 (£4 to cover mince pies)
18 March 2027
Discovering the secret world of lichens (talk), Woodbridge SWT Group, Woodbridge Community Hall, 19.30 – 21.00 (free)
Previous events
Field Meeting: College Farm, Creeting St. Mary
Saturday 30th May 10:00 am–4:30 pm
William Barnes has kindly offered to host a second field meeting for SNS at College Farm, Creeting St. Mary. William will welcome us with an introduction to the farm, covering its natural regeneration work and water control features.
About the farm
The farm extends to approximately 480 acres, of which around 120 acres are leased to a neighbouring farmer. Around 210 acres are arable, with uncultivated field margins throughout. There are several areas of woodland established over the last 20 years, as well as two small mature woodlands, and a good deal of pasture – much of it wildflower meadow grazed only in the autumn. Along the northern margin of the main watercourse, an area originally sown as wildflowers has been left to develop naturally over many years and is now a rich tangle of nettle, thistle, and other plants likely to be excellent for insects. There is also a field beside the A14 (TM9326) on former sand pit infill, with a mix of scrub, open ground, and trees. Over the past two decades, William has planted more than five miles of hedging and over 3,000 trees across the farm.
What to expect
This is a general recording day on a farm being sensitively managed for wildlife and flood mitigation. You are welcome to record at your own pace using the site maps provided, or you may prefer to join a small group led by someone knowledgeable in one or more taxon groups. William is also happy to show people aspects of the farm management.
If you have an interest – not necessarily expertise! – in a particular taxon (even just Goldilocks Buttercup!) and would like to share your knowledge with other members, please contact Joan beforehand or on the day.
SNS has field survey equipment available to borrow, including digital microscopes and reference books.
Raymond Watson will have set his moth traps the night before, along with the SNS Skinner trap, which will be in the shed from first thing for viewing and identification. Raymond and Helen will be potting up and labelling the catch and bringing everything to the shed around early lunchtime.
As people may wish to join more than one themed tour, if we all return to the shed at 12:30 we can arrange to swap groups and explore different areas of the farm.
97th Annual General Meeting and Spring Members’ Evening
Wednesday, 22nd April 2026, 6:30 – 10 pm
John Peel Centre, Church Walk, Stowmarket IP14 1ET (w3w: sing.sheds.spurring)
6:30 – Pay-bar, free teas/coffees (continued in the breaks)
An informal session: Displays and demos • SNS publications • Bring and buy natural history equipment and books – please bring yours • “Show and tell” – please bring any items of natural history interest to share
7:30 – Start of AGM business
8:00–10:00 – Short talks/presentations including from Gordon Brown of Anglian Microscopy, Anthony Speca on endangered lichens and Tim Holt-Wilson on boxstones, with a break for refreshments
9:00 – Bar closes, clear hall by 10:30
AGM Agenda
Current Council Members are: Honorary Chair Joan Hardingham, Honorary Treasurer Martin Sanford (also Editor of Suffolk Natural History), Emma Aldous (Editor White Admiral & Website), Gavin Deans, Tim Holt-Wilson, Simon Jackson, (Curator Ipswich Museum), Adrian Knowles, Nick Mason, (Editor Suffolk Birds) Howard Mottram (GeoSuffolk), Peter Vincent, and Anne Wright (Suffolk Bird Group).
- Apologies for absence
- Minutes of the 96th Annual General Meeting held on 30th April 2025 (published in Suffolk Natural History Vol. 61 p. 215)
- Honorary Chair’s brief report *
- Honorary Treasurer’s brief report* (The Trustees Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2025 are available on the latest publications page of the website. Enter the password 26-756/SNS and scroll down)
- Retiring or Resigning Council Members
- Hawk Honey resigned 2026
- Sarah Pynn resigns as University of Suffolk Student Representative. She is no longer a student.
- Darren Tansley resigned 2025.
- Peter Vincent retires as his four-year term ends at this AGM
- Nominations for Council
- Hannah Alred as representative of the Suffolk Biodiversity Information Service, proposed by Martin Sanford, seconded by Joan Hardingham
- Anthony Speca was co-opted during 2025 and is now standing for election, proposed by Howard Mottram, seconded by Martin Sanford
- Peter Vincent as co-optee, proposed by Gavin Deans seconded by Anne Wright
- Officers
- To approve and endorse Joan Hardingham as Honorary Chair in accordance with item 3.7 of the SNS Constitution
- To approve and endorse Martin Sanford as Honorary Treasurer in accordance with item 3.7 of the SNS Constitution.
- To appoint Amanda Hillier as Honorary Secretary
- Any Other Business: Only for questions submitted in writing in advance, except at the discretion of the Chair.
*Full reports from Chairman and Treasurer will be made available on the SNS website and will be published in Vol. 62 of Suffolk Natural History)
Field Meeting: College Farm, Creeting St. Mary – Report
Saturday 23rd August 2025 10.00am – 4.30pm
The night was good for flying insects, and a good catch was expected. Three traps were used. Two were 125 w Mercury Vapour Robinson traps, and one was a Skinner Actinic light trap. They were placed within a few hundred metres of each other. Their closeness was not an issue because of the high diversity of habitats and flora, and as it was a good night for insects to fly, they would travel distances.
I have attached an Excel file containing all the insects identified. A separate file for comparing the types of traps used is being created. I have also attached a few photos of moth species caught on the night. Two moth species were not fully identified as they flew off before a good look could be made. The Eucosma species has been listed and suggested as E. hohenwartiana because of the abundance of the foodplant and time of year, but this cannot be proven. Also, an Endothenia species escaped.
Some species were abundant in the traps; they are shown in bold. A few moths were exclusively immigrant species and are noted. Three species were nationally scarce: Parectopa ononidis larvae feed on clovers and rest harrow, Ypsolopha horridella larvae feed on apple and sloe, and Evergestis limbata larvae feed on Hedge Mustard and Garlic Mustard. Whilst still classified as nationally scarce, this species is currently common in Suffolk.
A few insects other than moths were captured, and most have been identified. These are listed. It should be noted that the green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea is a species complex of at least three species that, without DNA, can only be identified from the ‘song’ of the adults.
Raymond A Watson