If you've visited Burton Mere Wetlands in the past couple of weeks, you'll have noticed that our site team has got rid of a fair amount of vegetation, and all for good reason. Al, our Warden, wrote this account of one of the days spent with a team of wonderful, willing volunteers.
"This morning truly felt like the beginning of Autumn. A freezing cold bike ride into work, hearing wigeon whistling through the fog over the marsh. The dew had made the spider’s webs absolutely beautiful and overhead, squadrons of snipe were wheeling around – presumably having come in overnight (the collective noun for snipe is “wisp”. A wisp of snipe – brilliant isn’t it!).
Sun rising through the mist (Alasdair Grubb)
Buzzard waiting for his morning meal (Alasdair Grubb). Further along the fence line, a sparrowhawk sat, wings outstretched, back to the sun – clearly warmingup ready for the day.
Sorry for the awful pun in the title – but it’s that time of year isn’t it. We can’t compete with the cakes of Leighton Moss, but we reckon we could certainly have them in a rake off... the challenge is there!
This week, we’ve been raking off the vegetation that we have been cutting around the pools. It is important to remove this material for two reasons: Firstly, to make the viewing better for our wonderful visitors, ready for the imminent arrival of passage waders and wintering wildfowl (there are already 20+ ruffs, 4000+ Teal and 100+ pintail). The second reason for removing the vegetation is to manage for flowering plants such as gypsywort, fleabane, agrimony... All sorts of wetland herbs, that would get out-competed by reed or rush if we just left the cutting lying.
The Great Burton Rake Off (Alasdair Grubb)
Geoff cutting the vegetation nice and low (Alasdair Grubb). We have been cutting the re-growth again too. This makes a nice short crop, perfect for grazing wigeon.
The rake off turned into a burn off. Obviously it doesn’t seem very environmentally friendly to burn it all, but it is simply the most efficient method of removal. The areas in which we’re cutting are fairly inaccessible, so removing it to compost elsewhere is just infeasible. On Tuesday, it was hard to tell if it was still foggy, or was just the smoke from our fire!
Burning in front of IMF hide (Alasdair Grubb)
On Tuesday we finished in front of IMF hide, and we plan to do the reed bed next Tuesday. It’s an unfortunate disturbance at the time, but the birds come back soon enough. Fingers crossed the influx of snipe will appreciate our work, or maybe even a group of curlew sandpipers (or perhaps something rarer!) will drop in. You never know!"
Since Al wrote this, the bird spectacle around Burton Mere Wetlands has been breathtaking, with regular views of water rail and multiple snipe in front of the Inner Marsh Farm hide, up to 2000 pintail close in front of the Bridge Screen, thousands of mixed wildfowl and waders on the scrape in front of the Reception Hide including a single pectoral sandpiper and four little stints, and most noteworthy, the spotted crake mentioned in yesterday's "Awesome Autumn" blog. The site is looking arguably the best it ever has in its four-year history, proven by the volume and variety of birds - but don't just take our word for it, come and see for yourselves!