March Update
We are coming into an exciting time of year as breeding season is gearing up to get started. The swans are pairing up close to their usual nest sites around the wetland walkway. If you are dog walking on site, please be mindful of the wildlife and keep dogs out of ditches. If your dog does like swimming, remember we have the designated dog swim area if you turn right across the lane from the car park. Thank you for your vital support in helping to protect the wildlife of Steart Marshes and Bridgwater Bay NNR.
You may have seen our team of wardens and volunteers busy working on the hedges and ditches recently. Assistant Warden Kathy has written updates on some of the recent tasks on site…
Hedge Clearance at Bridgwater Bay NNR
These ditches have become overgrown with blackthorn shrubs and bramble, and these shrubs have dropped debris which has clogged the water channel. Cutting back and removing vegetation from areas of the ditch banks has opened up the ditches and allowed water to move through the ditch line. This is intended to allow rare and valuable freshwater plants to grow in the ditches again and may allow water voles to use the ditches.
Hedge Laying
Laying hedgerow shrubs such as blackthorn and hawthorn involves partially cutting the trunk and laying the shrub over on its side. New growth will then be produced upwards, along the horizontal line of the trunk. This makes growth in the hedges thicker and more dense close to the ground, which provides better shelter for nesting birds, invertebrates, and small mammals.
Hedges mimic the young trees and undergrowth which would be found in a natural woodland, which connects the habitat in the site’s scrub patches together.
Wildlife update
The least sandpiper has been sighted regularly on Otterhampton Marsh since the beginning of January. These are very rare in the UK and it is a first for Somerset, with only around 50 records in the UK ever. They are the world’s smallest shorebird and are resident to North/Central America.
Image: Least sandpiper, Brian Sweeting
Engagement Look out for our new willow otter sculptures appearing on site soon! Under construction as I write this.
