Hi everyone
I'm sure many of you will be aware that the RSPB took the lease on a large area of land from the Environment Agency last year to create our newest nature reserve - RSPB Adwick Washland. It brings the number of sites that we manage in the Valley seven.
We spent the last year trying to finalise plans, permissions and funding to allow us to start work to transform this site back to a wetland and I'm delighted to tell you that work is now underway.
Adwick is about 95 football pitches in size, is pretty flat and is drained by ditches and pumps to put water in the River Dearne and keep the land dry. At one time it was drift mined but once the coal had been taken, it was put into agricultural use and was farmed until the RSPB took on the site.
Adwick can be found east of Old Moor, between Bolton on Dearne and Harlington. A bridleway runs through the site and there is a car park on the Transpennine Trail at the eastern end. This means that we will be able to allow good access to the site and there will be nice circular walks to be had, taking in the River Dearne flood bank.
Adwick Washland taken just after the recent snow
The main aim at Adwick will be to create wet grassland to help breeding waders such as Snipe, Lapwing and Redshank. This will be done by adding sluices to the ditches to hold water back and raise the water level so that it is just below surface level. Scrapes and ditches will then be dug down so that they hold this water and as it draws down in the spring and summer, it will be perfect for the chicks of these species to enable them to find food. In the drier areas, we will focus on the farmland birds such as Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Skylark.
We have had to be very careful in creating the plans for Adwick because, like many of our sites in the Valley, it is an Environment Agency Washland. This means that when the river is high, these areas can take the excess water and store it out of harms way and thus prevent homes and businesses from flooding. Any soil that we excavate will therefore be removed from the flood plain to higher ground to ensure that we don't reduce the flood capacity.
Unfortunately the site is not open for visitors yet and the path that runs through the middle is closed at the moment so there is no site access whatsoever. This is because the path has to be raised in order to ensure that it remains above the new wetland.
Work to raise and resurface the main path at Adwick
We will, of course, let you know when access to the site is open once again and it will be worth a visit - recent birds include 137 Yellowhammer, 500+ Linnet, 100 Skylark, 10+ Corn Bunting, Merlin, Kingfisher, Peregrine and Short Eared Owl.
The man project managing all of this is Pete Wall, my predecessor as site manager in the Valley. Pete now focuses on project management for the RSPB in the North of England and has been at the centre of a very successful partnership called the Dearne Valley Green Heart. This partnership, involving RSPB, Natural England, The Environment Agency and Barnsley Council have been behind the creation of the reserve at Adwick right from the start and all the partners are delighted to see the results so far.
Pete Wall, Project Manager, on site at Adwick
We will be arranging some sessions in the near future to show people the site and explain the work that is going on. If you would be interested in finding out details of how you could get a sneak preview of what I'm sure will be a wonderful addition to the Valley, please let us know at old.moor@rspb.org.uk.
Regards
Matthew