Kerton Road is just a stones throw from the Dungeness reserve and home to Denge quarry, a gravel extraction site owned by CEMEX. The islands created during gravel extraction offer a potential nesting site for a variety of breading sea birds such as gulls and terns.
Our aim for the day was to clear two of the islands to create a more suitable breeding habitat. We have limited access to these islands and a lot to get done so it was up to our intrepid Thursday volunteer group to head out in the fog to get the job done!
One team used a brushcutter to clear large areas of grass and dead vegetation to expose the shingle underneath. The second team used chainsaw, bow saws and lopers to cut back a large area of willow.
By the afternoon the sky had cleared and the whole team focused our effort in clearing a large area of unruly bramble and scrub on the second islands. Both ends of the second island were cleared but an area of scrub and willow was left in the middle. The clear open spaces are preferred by nesting sea birds and it’s hoped if a colony starts breeding nearby they will soon be visiting RSPB Dungeness as well.