Wetland management works coming up at Tophill Low Nature Reserve

We are undertaking a series of management works around the reserve in the coming months.  These will be based around the improvement of wetland habitats for waders.  This is part of a scheme that Peter Izzard and myself have put together to try and regain habitat we have lost in recent years.

From now onwards we will be steadily draining the water from South Marsh East to try and get the area dried out to enable access to machinery for re-profiling work later in autumn.  In the Southern area of South Marsh East water will remain giving continued wader habitat, and if the current weather continues numerous pools will no doubt remain.

On the week of the 22nd of September we will be constructing a causeway through the fox trench to gain access onto the central area of South Marsh East.  When this work is complete we will investigate the opportunity to get machinery onto the marshes.  It may be we continue at this point with work to build a series of spits and islands for waders if the ground conditions are favourable.  The bulk of this work is however intended to start in early November.  Additionally we will be undertaking reconstruction of both the tern islands, adding height for a purpose built little ringed plover island on South Marsh West, and the creation of a new wader island within North Lagoon.