You may have watched Countryfile this weekend and seen Matt Baker in the pond at Fairburn, digging in fresh pond plants. He was lending the warden team a hand and kicking off the exciting habitat improvements that are happening on the Discovery Trail at the moment.
Matt and the pond dippers, Pete Carr
What do the improvements involve?
Pond dipping runs from roughly March to October each year, depending on the weather, and is one of our most popular activities. Digging out the sludge at the bottom of the ponds and adding fresh plants in front of the platforms will ensure there are plenty of hiding places for pond creatures when it warms up next year.
The area behind the biggest dipping platform is also being excavated to make a larger education space for visiting school groups. Thousands of children visit the reserve on school trips each year, which are really important to help connect local children with nature and inspire the conservationists of the future.
Pond dipping earthworks
We haven’t quite got there yet but next on the list is Pickup Pool. The area in front of Pickup Hide has become overgrown with reeds and willows, every few years it needs clearing and tidying to maintain the lovely, muddy scrapes that waders and wildfowl love. Once the machinery gets in there it will look a bit of a mess, but the wildlife will enjoy it, and by the time spring comes around it should look better than ever.
The current view from Pickup, Liz Armitage
When can we visit?
Whenever you like! While the works are ongoing it may cause some disruption but we are doing our best to keep it to a minimum. If you would like to come pond dipping the season should kick off around March next year. It cost £2 per kit, and is free to members. Keep an eye on our social media pages to see when dipping re-opens.
There is still plenty to see and do in the meantime! The winter weather brings in thousands of birds from the north and the reserve is currently full of berries and autumn leaves. When you visit you could take on the wildlife challenge in the playground, follow our quiz trail, or hire out a bug hunting backpack. You can also check out our events page at rspb.org.uk/fairburnings.
See you soon, the Fairburn team