The memory will never leave me; stepping up to my kitchen window and catching sight of the thick, dark plume rising ominously into the crystal blue sky of a fine early spring evening, I knew instantly the smoke’s origin and lurched into a primal fight or flight response.
Once the dust had settled and media fuss faded, the subsequent 18 months since the devastating fire destroying the majority of Neston Reedbed have yielded much discussion and planning to avoid a repeat of such an impactful event.
RSPB Dee Estuary
Neston Reedbed developed naturally over the past few decades, at the source of a freshwater spring providing the optimum conditions for common reed to thrive. Having been part of the RSPB Dee Estuary reserve since our initial land acquisition in 1979, the habitat expanded steadily through natural succession, becoming increasingly important over the past decade as reedbed specialists Marsh Harriers and Bitterns first colonised.
As well as being protected as a nature reserve, the reedbed is also an important component of the Dee Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Protection Area (SPA), both designated for the significance of the bird populations that are supported here.
Whilst always being recognised as vulnerable due to the proximity of a public right of way, the reedbed has previously been a non-intervention part of the reserve – unlike the heavily-managed Burton Mere Wetlands – leaving nature to take its course and purely providing a stewardship of what is still a locally scarce habitat.
We coordinate a seasonal volunteer wardening scheme to maintain a watchful presence along the adjacent footpath during the most high-risk period at the start of spring, when the reedbed is dry, brittle and highly flammable.
This has been largely effective in deterring antisocial or dangerous behaviours that secluded parts of the countryside can be subject to, but last year’s fire proved it alone is not sufficient. After months of discussions between various parties, we’re delighted to have been granted permission and funding to deliver some significant work to reduce the threats to and improve the wildlife value of the reedbed.
Keen-eyed locals, or even birdwatchers from further afield visiting the marshes, may have noticed excavators accessing the marsh from the south end of Parkgate promenade last week, then made steady progress with the agreed work. The first task was creating a substantial ditch along the landward edge of the reedbed, for the first time offering a physical separation between the fragile habitat and the public footpath.
Additionally, as vegetation recovers and shelters the ditch edges, this new open water will provide space to feed for some of the key species such as Bittern, whilst supporting warblers and a potential return of Bearded Tits.
This perimeter ditch will massively reduce the level of year-round wildlife disturbance caused by the proximity of the footpath to the reedbed and should go a long way to preventing future fires. A significant additional value though, is that in the event of another fire, this ditch will serve as a fire break to protect the properties that border the estuary on the western outskirts of Neston.
The scale and intensity of the 2022 fire caused extensive damage to a number of gardens of adjacent residences and had the wind direction been different on that day, there could have been severe threat to the buildings and their inhabitants. This is very much a win-win project; whilst being done primarily to meet our objectives of protecting the habitat and its precious wildlife, there is also a huge benefit to local residents.
Following the perimeter ditch, attention turned to within the reedbed, with the machines excavating a network of ditches and a small pool with a similar dual purpose. Creating a more varied and open structure to the reedbed will further enhance the feeding opportunities for Bittern and Water Rail, with fish stocks naturally replenished on high tides via connectivity of these new ditches to existing saltmarsh gutters.
A further crucial function of these interior ditches is to act as fire breaks like the perimeter ditch, effectively dividing the reedbed into four discreet cells meaning if a future fire does occur, the loss of the entire reedbed should be avoided.
After the 2022 fire, only the far south-eastern tip of the reedbed was saved by the wind direction and efforts of the fire service, so the effects on its inhabitants were huge. A non-existent breeding season, not just for the single Marsh Harrier pair who previously nested within the reedbed, but seemingly impacting two other pairs who nested nearby on the estuary the previous year. Following this, a disrupted winter roost with Marsh Harrier numbers down and a suggestion of affecting the traditional Hen Harrier roost near Parkgate Old Baths.
With these new cells in place separated by wet ditches, fire should only be able to ignite a portion of the whole reedbed allowing the remainder to survive and result in much lower impact on the precious wildlife that lives within. As well as benefiting the reserve, this simultaneously reduces the risk of fire spreading uncontrollably and posing a considerable threat to houses in the Moorside Lane and Manorial Road area of Neston and Parkgate.
Understandably, this is a sizeable landscaping project which has been made possible thanks to generous funding from the Our Dee Estuary project and we’re confident our local supporters, and hopefully many with little prior connection to the reserve, will appreciate the benefits of the Dee Estuary becoming an increasingly important place for a range of nationally threatened birds, along with a genuinely unique and impressive landscape.
Upon completion of work in the reedbed, the contractors moved south to the Denhall Quay area of Burton Marsh, where the excavators are carrying out the periodic desilting of the historic Denhall Gutter off Quayside, Little Neston south to Decca Pools.
This work, done every few years, aids our management of the marsh through restricting the movement of grazing livestock, and is a proven method for managing mosquito populations by maintaining tidal flow, limiting the shallow and stagnant water in which these insects can thrive.
With normally so much emphasis on Burton Mere Wetlands, being the focal point of our visitor facilities and reliable year-round wildlife spectacles, it can be easy to overlook the importance of the vast, wild tidal areas of the Dee Estuary that we manage. Seeing this project come to fruition is a real triumph for the reserve team who suffered the impact of the fire almost as much as the reedbed wildlife, whilst also helping us to keep the estuary in favourable condition for its SSSI and SPA features.
We hope you await as eagerly as us the months ahead to see how quickly this priceless improvement work has a positive impact on Neston Reedbed, helping some of our star wildlife bounce back from the setback of last year.
Great article explaining the nature of the work underway on this very special area known as the Dee Estuary….thank you.