Groundwork have recruited the services of a local willow worker, to run two willow workshops over the next couple of weeks.

Details can be found on the attached poster below.

www.rspb.org.uk/.../7041.Willow-Workshops-poster.pdf

After three years of engineering works to create a network of pools and wet ditches across an area of floodplain grassland the size of 100 football pitches, the partnership project between the RSPB and the Environment Agency has opened a new trail leading from the Old Willow Works in Beckingham. 

 Michael Copleston, RSPB Site Manager hopes local visitors using the new short trail from the Old Willow Works building will…

Fieldfares - hundreds of them!

Upon entering the site yesterday, we observed roughly 300 fieldfares in one of the easternmost fields.  However, these weren't the only ones, as the sky was full of them throughout the day. 

Volunteer Chris duFeu, reported approximately 2000 fieldfares in the fields just the north of the Old Willow Works, later that morning too.  Redwings were seen and heard throughout the day as well…

Yesterday, I was joined by volunteers Joan and Mike, who assisted me in the installation of a feeding station for small birds.

It's on the right-hand side as you pass between the first and second fields, on your way to the viewing platform.  It should prove popular with the local tree sparrow population and provide good views of these special birds.

If there is anybody who lives locally, who might be interested in…

RSPB Beckingham Marshes visitor trail is now open.

Parking is available (though not this Saturday due to an event) at The Old Willow Works, between 09.00 and 17.00 every day.

Further details can be found on our webpage (see link below)

http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/beckinghammarshes/index.aspx

Enjoy!

If you are having trouble listening to the MP3 below, try the link to audio boo and listen to it there.

http://audioboo.fm/boos/949953-the-big-dig-at-beckingham

In our first installament of podcasts for Beckingham Marshes, listen to a radio broadcast from 2010 revealing how and why we started creating a new wet grassland habitat in the East Midlands.

Listen out for the authentic noises of JCB and diggers whilst Michael (site manager) reveals the amazing waterbed features of the peat!

Hi Everyone

We are really excited here at the Beckingham Marshes Project to be adding audio podcasts to our blog.

This first one is really just a test to ensure we have the technology working and is only 17 seconds long! http://audioboo.fm/boos/948458-first-beckingham-boo

All future podcasts will feature Warden Paul Bennett, who is in charge of people engagement for Beckingham and will give a further insight into the…

Trent Vale Landscape Partnership (TVLP) are running a walking festival between Saturday September 8th and Monday September 17th of this year.  As part of this festival, I will be leading a guided walk at RSPB Beckingham Marshes on Sunday 16th September.  The starting point is The Old Willow Works on Old Trent Road, Beckingham.  The walk starts at 14.00 and will finish by 16.00.

The walk is limited to 25 places.  To book…

As the site is starting to dry out, the pools and flashes start to draw down too.  This is ideal for passing waders who need to stop off to refuel.  Six greenshank, one green sandpiper, six snipe and around ten lapwing, were also accompanied by numerous mallard, as well as at least four teal and one juvenile shelduck.  Our herd of cattle were accompanied by around twenty yellow wagtails, many of them juveniles.

Whilst the summer's exceptional amount of rain improved things greatly for the site's wildlife, it further exacerbated the problems that we've been having getting vehicular access on site.  This is needed to install the rest of the visitor trail infrastructure.  Beckingham Marshes is partly funded under the old Countryside Stewardship Scheme and a requirement of this, is that we minimise the amount of wheel…

Children from Gainsborough's Performing Arts Group St. John's (PACS) attended a bespoke arts and crafts day at The Old Willow Works last Friday.

The children tried their hands at a number of craft activities, sourced by Project Administrator Nicola Craven and at the end of the day, the children got to take home the fruits of their labours, including spiral snakes, stained-glass window butterflies and flying bats…

RSPB and BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) volunteer Chris duFeu, has been monitoring Beckingham Marshes' tree sparrow population for a few years now.  During the breeding season, Chris regularly checks around twenty nest boxes that he installed on site and 'rings' the young birds.  Bird ringing involves the application of a small metal ring to a bird's leg.  Each ring has an individual code on it and information…

It doesn't look particularly desirable does it?  However, the tree sparrow leaves some foecal sacs (that's poo, to you and me) of its young, in its nest on purpose.  One theory behind this, is that the ammonia given off by the sacs, repels fleas and other such undesirable things.

Anybody who's ever cleaned out a nestbox that's been used by a blue tit or great tit , will testify that these are usually full…

The annual Gainsborough Riverside Festival will be held tomorrow at Whittons Gardens by the River Trent.

We will have our stand there as usual (Stand 16), so if you'd like to drop by to talk about the project's progress, volunteering opportunities or RSPB membership, then it would be good to see you.

The weather forecast is for winds of up to 40 mph, so if you'd also like to help me hold the stall down, then…

Last week, Hill Holt Wood put the finishing touches to the viewing platform that they've built for us.  This was the installation of our new information panels that interpret the landscape and its wildlife that can be seen from it. 

The platform was the first (and largest!) item of the new visitor infrastructure that's being installed on site, prior to it opening to the public this summer.

Though I shouldn't speak too soon, it would seem that summer has finally arrive.  Despite the fact that we've not had any significant rain for nearly  a week now, it was good see that Beckingham is still looking very wet.

There are still lapwing, shelduck, mallard, shoveler and gadwall on site, as well as a large flock of large, immature gulls, which have all been attracted to the standing water on site.

Seen on site today:

7 shelducks

2 shovelers

10 mallards

2 mute swans

2 lapwings

7 yellowhammers

1 yellow wagtail

3 wheatear s

c. 20 swallows

Numerous skylarks and meadow pipits

Plenty of water!

Due to the extended rainy season that we are currently experiencing, the water levels in the Beckingham Main Drain have risen enough for us to be able to turn on our new wind pumps.  It's been so rewarding to watch the water levels in the ditches slowly rising around site and the scrapes doing likewise. 

Water table measurements taken in february showed that, compared to last year, levels in some parts of the site 

If you're not aware of the Trent Vale Landscape partnership, then you may find the following link of interest:

'There are always plenty of activities taking place in Trent Vale, which comprises 76 villages following the course of the River Trent in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. 

Trent Vale offers everything from guided walks, cycle routes, nature reserves, historic buildings, beautiful landscapes and fantastic…

• Up to six displaying lapwings
• Two shelducks
• One grey heron
• Singing skylarks
• Tree sparrows
• A mixed flock of yellowhammers, reed bunting and goldfinch
• Two pairs of grey partridge
• Two snipe
• Brown hares

We're aiming to open our circular trail to the public this spring and the team have been very busy writing the interpretational material for the site.

A viewing platform is due to be installed and we decided that an annotated aerial photograph would go nicely on it.

Cue model aeroplane enthusiast Alan Lee who was on hand again to provide the necessary specialist equipment.

Michael and Alan took the opportunity…

Only two weeks ago, myself, Jenny and three of our volunteers from Langford Lowfields, were working at Beckingham Marshes in near blizzard conditions!

We were back today and what a difference!  Sixteen degrees centigrade, glorious sunshine, singing skylarks, displaying lapwings and boxing brown hares. 

Oh, and there was no snow either!

After last year's drought conditions, it was nice to see a reasonable amount of rain over the festive period and into early January (well, if you're a marsh anyway).

In particular, it's pleasing to see that the recently modified 'megascrapes' are working well and have been charged with water from the water table.

Yesterday, Michael and I watched the last of our three new wind pumps being installed on the Marshes.

Stalwart contractors M.Gould spent last week preparing the foundations for them and have worked with our wind pump supplier Aquatic Control Engineering (ACE) Ltd. this week on the installation.

The pumps (funded by Natural England and Biffaward) will now enable us to pump water on to the site to maintain high water…