Today saw an exciting development in the new wetland work - the planting of reeds around the 3rd hide. The reason for the reeds is an attempt to create natural screening between the visitors and the pools. The plants are just over a foot tall at the moment, but within a couple of years they should reach about 6ft high (at least) and provide a barrier allowing visitors to reach the hide without flushing the wildlife. A team of 11 staff and volunteers speedily dealt with the 1400 plants this morning, providing a great start to the reedbed, which will spread out and need a bit of management once it's established.
(Almost) the whole team of reed planters - Graham, James, Jane, Thomas, Dave, Kim, Anna, Ed and Ryan
The team used quadrats to space the plants out - 4 per square metre
And what of the geese I hear you say? Monday saw another goose count come and go and the results are in.... a slight drop in numbers.
It seems the NNR has past its peak for the pinkies. Pink-footed - 9323, greylag - 453, barnacle - 9 and Canada - 3. The pinkes have been seen, in their thousands, feeding on St Serfs throughout the day, although smaller flocks continue to come to the flood earlier in the morning.