Azure Damselfly by Matt Gould
This Saturday (2nd June) we’ll be opening up our new wetland discovery trail and hosting a very special ‘Back from the Brink’ wetland discovery day.
We’ve designed our new seasonal trail so that you can feel more immersed in the wetland habitat that is so important for wildlife here at Pulborough Brooks. You’ll be able to get much closer to the ditches that criss-cross the nature reserve and hopefully get great views of the wildlife that depends on them. On sunny days, this area is particularly good for its dragonflies & damselflies and you could even hear the ‘plop’ of a water vole as it dives into the water!
Water vole by Alan Muir
For our launch event our RSPB Phoenix youth group will be helping to host a session of ditch dipping – chance to grab a net and delve into the murky depths of the ditches. We’ll be hoping to find fierce dragonfly larvae, speedy water boatman, phantom midge larvae and many more fascinating creatures. One of our wardens will also be running some ‘mini wetland discovery safaris’ taking you around the new trail, explaining how we manage the wetlands and introducing you to some of the wetland wildlife.
We’ll be running ditch dipping from 11 am til 3 pm and our mini safaris will start at 11.30 am, 12 noon, 1.30 pm and 2 pm. These will all take place at/start from our ditch dipping platform which is approximately 1 mile from the Visitor Centre.
There’s no need to book and there are no additional charges for these activities – you’ll just need to pay the normal nature trail entry fee. (Free to RSPB members). After our launch event, you’ll still have chance to explore the new trail which will be open seasonally (when it’s not at risk of flooding) and when we don’t have school groups or special events using the area.
The nature reserve is criss-crossed by around 14 kilometres of ditches which help us to manage the water levels on site and are home to some very special wildlife including what is perhaps the rarest and most special creature on the reserve – The Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail - and its presence is the reason that we have been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area for Conservation (SAC).
Paul Sterry - Nature Photographers Ltd
The Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail (Anisus vorticulus) is a small aquatic snail with a flattened spiral shell rarely more than 5 mm in diameter and is one of the rarest, most restricted and vulnerable freshwater molluscs in Britain. In the UK it is classed as Nationally Rare and Vulnerable (IUCN) and is a European Protected Species. Pulborough Brooks reserve holds what is considered to be the second largest population in England.
Thanks to National Lottery funding, leading conservation organisations including the RSPB will come together in one of the most ambitious conservation projects ever undertaken in the UK to bring some of England’s most threatened species ‘back from the brink’. This very special snail is one of these species and through the ‘Back from the Brink’ project we’ve been creating additional habitat and undertaking some ditch management trials to help research what techniques work best for this rather fussy snail!
Don’t expect to see the Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail itself when you come ditch dipping – as it is so sensitive we can’t dip in the ditches where it is present – you may well find some of its larger cousins!
‘Back from the Brink’
Back from the Brink is the first England-wide coordinated effort to bring a wide range of conservation bodies and charities together to save threatened species. The RSPB will be joining forces with Natural England, the Amphibian and Reptile Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation Trust and Plantlife to pool expertise and resources.
We'll work together to save 20 very rare and elusive species from extinction, including the shrill carder bee, chequered skipper butterfly, ladybird spider and northern dune tiger beetle.
The funding will also help a further 200 species that are under threat, including the grey long-eared bat, pine marten, willow tit, large garden bumblebee, lesser butterfly orchid and hedgehog.