November has been a really great month here at Lydden. Not only have we finished work on the WEG-funded Wetland Restoration project, we have really been able to see the reserve starting to come into its own with a good dose of rainfall starting to fill up the site nicely.
It’s really satisfying to see the results of all the hard work that has gone on at the site, particularly in the last few years, and we really should give a mention to Gareth Brookfield (former Site Manager) and Charlotte Pestell (former Warden) for everything they did to bring this project to fruition – as well as our contractors, RHINO, of course. We think you will agree, it’s looking pretty spectacular – and it seems the birds think so too, as we are seeing highest ever recorded numbers of shoveler and curlew, as well as very healthy numbers of wigeon, teal and lapwing amongst others. With colder weather expected, we are hoping white-fronted and barnacle geese will also come in, so keep your eyes peeled!
The last big component of the WEG project completed this month was the installation of a windpump at Willow Farm. This pump will allow us to lift water from the main Internal Drainage Board (IDB) ditch and feed our internal system, raising water levels across the site, without having to use noisy, expensive and environmentally harmful diesel pumps. It was a muddy few days getting the pump installed, and very touch and go as to whether we would get this piece of work completed before the project end, so it’s a huge relief to see it in place now.
Talking of low-carbon engineering, we’ve also very much enjoyed spotting signs of our resident beaver population being increasingly active around both Cornfield and the Great Wood as winter approaches. Some very fresh feeding signs indicate the beavers are really flourishing here and finding good food to forage. The Environment Agency are due to commission some studies of beaver populations in Kent this winter, and RSPB Lydden will be included as part of this. It will be a fantastic opportunity for us to find out more about what numbers we have here, the extent of their territories and their behaviour – we can’t wait for the results.
Lastly, we want to give a **BIG ** shout out to James Powell who passed the mule training course a few weeks ago. WELL DONE JAMES!