The team have spent a lot of time working in the high-water levels this month in areas across the reserve including Hookers and Dengemarsh Reedbed, clearing willow trees which are keen to outcompete the reed which our breeding bittern and marsh harriers utilise.
This clearance includes a large island which was full of willow and bramble close to Hooker’s ramp and we now hope that the reedbed will recolonise and the willow in front of the viewing ramp which was starting to impinge on the view.
Willow clearance Dengemarsh
We have also been clearing willow from the margins of New Excavations to benefit floral species such as marshmallow and Jersey cudweed as well as our damp sand beetle omophron limbatum.
New Ex Willow clearance after
We have cleared an area of willow along the start of the willow trail boardwalk to encourage the reedbed to develop, further work will be required to clear the arisings soon.
Willow Trail - Area cleared
The team also managed to get to the remotest Oppen Pit to clear back encroaching willow for the benefit of sphagnum bog and the rare cottongrass which flourishes here.
Pit 4 Sphagnum Bog
On the same day we also cleared willow regrowth along the margins of Pit 5 close to the visitor centre, making it a very productive day.
Pit 5 after willow clearance
At the very end of January, we started clearing willow from the reedbed at the end of ARC South, is very heavily dominated with willow and we have never really had the time to knock this back until this year. We fully expect this will take a couple of winter seasons to do, but we will clear what we can this month. This willow is also encroaching on the shingle close to our Sussex emerald moth plot, so a good bashing will help protect this area too.
Water levels are close to 20cm higher than they were this time last year making work very hard for the team and shows the impacts of climate change on the weather with a rise of almost 1.2m across the reserve in less than 3 months. The temporary dams appear to be working well in holding the levels higher across the Hayfields and Boulderwall fields and they have peaked on what we can hold for now, which is exciting for the future when we replace the sluices to allow us to hold water even higher. High hundreds/low thousands of lapwing have been seen using the fields which bodes well for the future.
Rhino Plant Hire have been on site for the last couple of weeks clearing sea buckthorn regrowth around ARC including the south end and the tower pits. We are starting to see a reduction in regrowth, which shows this ongoing work is having some success at knocking back this very plant. This work is having massive benefits for Jersey Cudweed and we hope other rare plants, which we plan to survey this year, water level dependent.