Campfield Marsh Work Party Update (April '24)

April started with a workout in the shape of fence maintenance in the Kennel Fields, an outpost and the southernmost part of the reserve. This is a bog-edge field being wetted up and transformed into fen to create a more natural transition from bog to grassland. The field is grazed throughout the summer to keep the vegetation from becoming too rank for birds such as snipe, meadow pipits, and skylarks, and to give space for flowers such as the marsh fritillary’s favourite, devil’s-bit scabious, to flourish. Therefore, ensuring the fence is cow-proof is critical. It was a tiring but satisfying day, and one that finished with a much-deserved rest back at the visitor centre (pictured).

The second work party saw a return to survey season with the first of three snipe surveys this summer. The volunteers took to scouring East Block – an area of fen popular with breeding snipe (pictured left) – to see how many were seen or heard to be ‘chipping’ (think squeaky bed) or ‘drumming’ (unusual noise that the bird makes with its tail feathers). These noises suggest nesting is taking place so are particularly important to monitor. In the early visit, snipe numbers are usually highest due to the presence of non-breeders left over from winter, and chippers and drummers are scarcer as all territories are not necessarily set up yet. Nevertheless, plenty of chipping and some drumming was heard and a good number of snipe (pictured right), plus a single jack snipe, were seen. Whilst not as physically demanding as fencing, after the wet spring we have endured, wading through the mud and the standing water is not for the fainthearted. All the name of science though!

Our Thursday work parties normally commence at 9:30am. However, for our annual water rail survey, which took place the third week of April, we meet a couple of hours before sunset instead. This is because the elusive water rail (pictured), a bird in the same family as moorhens and coots, is best heard at dusk making a noise reminiscent of a squealing piglet under the cover of reedbeds and sedge marshes. The volunteers split up into four groups to spread out across the reserve. Once in-situ, they played a recording of water rail calls at regular intervals in the hope of provoking a response from territorial birds and therefore establishing the number of breeding pairs. In total, six water rails were heard that evening. Other birds heard or spotted included drumming and chipping snipe, grasshopper warblers, and a female hen harrier, which presumably was soon to be departing for breeding season in the moorlands. Being on the reserve at dusk is always special and tends to bring up something different!

April was completed by the inaugural work party adder survey! Adders are a cryptic species of snake, and little is known about its population at Campfield Marsh. We do know they are present and breeding, but crucial information such as how many there are and where they hibernate remains a mystery. Therefore, getting many pairs of eyes to scour the bog, woodland edge, and Rogersceugh drumlin, improves the chances of seeing them and improving our understanding. The volunteers split up into two groups to cover the huge area on the reserve suitable for adders and set off on a slow walk, eyes firmly to the ground. March to May is the best time to see adders because vegetation is not too dense, and snakes tend to be more sedentary, basking in the sun close to their hibernation site (hibernaculum), to build up their energy ahead of breeding season in May. However, this time we were not lucky enough to see any. Plenty of lizards, toads, frogs, mice, and shrews were seen, however, so the food is there for adders! That said, in the week after the survey there were three adder sightings (two males and a juvenile female), and a shed skin (male and skin pictured). Adders shed their skin to smarten up before breeding, so this exciting find is telling!

We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to join us at Campfield Marsh (and Hodbarrow). We meet on Thursday mornings. If you are interested in helping with the sort of tasks mentioned above, meeting new people, developing new skills, and enjoying the outdoors, click on the following link to find out more and apply: Practical Reserve Work (Campfield Marsh, Bowness On Solway) | RSPB Volunteering.