It may only be five years since Burton Mere Wetlands opened its doors, but the RSPB has owned part of the land which makes up the reserve for three decades. In 1986, a modest area of water-logged arable farmland was purchased with the vision of creating a rich wetland refuge primarily to support the flocks of wildfowl and wading birds that spend the winter months on the estuary.
The excavation of three large lagoons over the subsequent five years and the installation of a hide led to the opening of RSPB Inner Marsh Farm - the name taken from the farmland we bought to create the reserve - in the summer of 1992, forming the foundations of what has become one of the best wetland nature reserves in North West England that we all know and love today. The success of the reserve in attracting large numbers of birds - particularly teal, pintail and black-tailed godwit - led to it being designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest by Natural England.
Inevitably, despite regular ongoing management by the site team, time has taken its toll and the pools have experienced significant siltation and vegetation encroachment over all those years. Due to its SSSI status, there is a short window between the breeding season and the birds' winter - which for some starts in September - and any work has to be approved by Natural England and carried out incredibly sensitively. Now begins a programme of work to rejuvenate Inner Marsh Farm in a bid to restore it to its former glory, and hopefully improve it further still.
Over the next two weeks or so, there will be significant disturbance in front of the Inner Marsh Farm Hide as an excavator works to dredge silt from Centenary Pool - so called because it was created in 1989, the RSPB's centenary year - and reprofile the near edge of the pool, bringing the water closer to the hide as those who have been visiting since the '90s will remember.
As a result, there will be no birds to be seen from Inner Marsh Farm Hide during the course of this work. The hide will remain open for anybody interesting in watching the work take place, and the Inner Marsh Farm trail leading to the hide will be unaffected. A positive effect is that more birds will be visible on the Scrape and Bridge Pool, therefore visible from the other hides and screens during the duration of the work, and once completed will leave lots of mud which we hope will attract some good waders on migration through September and October.
There will be initial disturbance on Friday 12 August as some site preparation is done and ditches dredged to aid the lowering of the water level ready for the digging to begin in earnest on Monday 15 August. It is difficult to know the exact timescale of the work but it is expected to take up to two weeks, meaning the disruption could continue until the bank holiday weekend.
We appreciate your patience and understanding whilst we carry out this important work, and hope you will share our excitement at the prospect of seeing Inner Marsh Farm become an even better home for birds and other wildlife, and offering closer views to our visitors. For further information about the work call Burton Mere Wetlands reception on 0151 353 8478 or speak to a member of staff at the reserve.