Wild Isles – Freshwater conservation in Staffordshire
Fascinated by the Freshwater episode of Wild Isles? Wetlands are brilliant for biodiversity from the beginnings of rivers right down to the mouths! We’re experts in wetland conservation, from restoring old quarries to rewiggling rivers, in Staffordshire we have RSPB Middleton Lakes.
credit: Colin Wilkinson (rspb-images.com)
What are the RSPB doing to help freshwater species in Staffordshire?
You would never guess it today from the thriving nature haven it is now, but RSPB Middleton Lakes was transformed from a working gravel quarry into a brand new wetland. Quarries can be great areas to transform into beneficial habitats as you have so much power over what habitat you can form from the quarried land. The RSPB acquired the site in 2007 and went on to make a series of improvements to the former gravel pools. The pool edges were re-graded which provides a shallower and varied edge. Islands and scrapes were created to provide feeding and nesting sites for wetland birds, like Lapwing and Avocet.
Many wetland birds require good visibility, to look out for predators for example, meaning the team at RSPB Middleton had to remove scrub and trees, making habitat much more appealing as nesting sites for these birds. It also meant the land was able to remain wet rather than eventually transforming into woodland. Reedbed is another extremely important habitat, providing crucial shelter for a range of birds alongside other species. A notable species that finds its homes amongst reedbed is the rare and elusive Bittern.
Hours of hard work from volunteers, groups and stakeholders helped create the six hectares of reedbed habitat at RSPB Middleton Lakes. There was a mixture of planting young reeds by hand as well as machinery, like diggers, being used to remove chunks of reed and creating the right land forms for reed to grow on.
RSPB Middleton Lakes’ stunning wetlands sit in the River Tame valley flood plain. This means it acts as a perfect ‘service station’ for migratory birds to stop off on their journeys and refuel and recharge before they make their way to other destinations. The River Tame acts as a flyway, which means it’s a flight path used by lots of birds as they make their way between breeding grounds and wintering grounds. Birds follow rivers and canals on their journeys across the country, meaning the reserve is a great place to spot seasonal visitors.
In 2021, a brilliant success story came out of Middleton Lakes. For the first time in more than a century, the West Midlands saw Bitterns breeding. You're unlikely to see a Bittern, as they hide amongst the reedbeds brilliantly camouflaged but you may well hear one! Their famous booming mating call of the male Bittern can be heard up to three miles away making this England’s loudest bird. Unfortunately, Bittern were driven to the brink of extinction in recent history, but through the work of conservationists and dedicated conservation projects, they are now estimated to more than 200 males in the UK. A significant reason why the Bittern saw such a decline is the loss of its reedbed habitat and the restoration and creation of reeedbed sites in new areas like Middleton Lakes are now helping them to find new homes.
How does this help local communities?
Wetlands are really useful habitat to reduce flooding and Middleton Lakes is no exception. Parts of the reserve act as an active washland. This means the reserve floods so the homes downriver in the local communities of Tamworth and Fazely are protected against flooding. Many other wetlands also store and absorb water meaning there's less risk of flooding the surrounding areas.
We often associate green spaces and access to them as highly beneficial for our mental health and rightly so. However, there's not so much talk about the benefits blue spaces can provide. Lakes and rivers promote mental health well-being and are often described as giving therapeutic effect. People are often at their happiest near bodies of water and the impact they have on us physically and mentally can't be understated. RSPB Middleton Lakes is home to some serene bodies of water, and is an amazing space to reap the benefits of blue space.
What are our volunteers/partners doing to help?
A lot of the volunteers at Middleton Lakes have been there since the beginning and so have a really personal and insightful relationship with the reserve. One of the volunteers, there since the beginning when the site was a quarry said: “It was a pretty dirty, dusty place when it was a quarry and you had machines everywhere, pretty noisy and intimidating! I'm very fortunate to have seen the amazing change that's taking place at RSPB Middleton
Ross Johns, another volunteer, added : “One of our first jobs was to look at how we could transform the site to benefit wading birds”
What can I do to help?
Digging ditches in your garden or a community green space (with landowner permission!) can help boost biodiversity and mimic wetland features on a smaller scale - https://rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/dig-a-damp-ditch-for-diversity/?utm_source=rspb_calendar&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=noyd_seasonal_calendar
No room for a damp ditch? Save the rain water that does fall in your garden by using a water butt, giving you plenty of recycled water to keep your garden green with during dry spells https://rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/nature-on-your-doorstep/garden-activities/waterwise-gardening-installing-a-water-butt/