Next week sees the start of our work close to Winpenny Hide. The big yellow digger (a prominent feature in both our blogs and our reserve management work at the moment) will start by scooping out some of the earth to create a new scrape/pool to the left hand side of the hide. As we progress into autumn and winter this will fill with water, and hopefully attract more waders and wildfowl to enable close-up views. Come springtime this will also provide valuable habitat for our breeding waders and again hopefully get everyone closer to some of our lovely wildlife.
The earth that we dig out will be put to good use creating a ramp leading up towards Winpenny hide. This is perhaps the lowest lying part of the nature trail and is rather prone to flooding so the raised path and ramp should enable access in all but the worst of floods. This ramp will connect up with a new section of trail, designed to allow a circular route during the winter floods. The new section of trail will lead through the central fields where we'll be doing some additional planting and developing as a wildflower hay meadow.
Whilst this work is underway we will need to temporarily re-route the nature trail. We will be testing this out for use with our trampers but if you do suffer from mobility problems then please get in touch.
All of this work is being undertaken as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Arun and Rother Connections (ARC) project, which has involved the RSPB alongside many other partners who are aiming to restore and reconnect habitat throughout the Arun and Rother Rivers catchment area.
In wildlife news one of the highlights has been yellow wagtails with small groups of them being found in amongst the grazing cattle.
Photo: David Andrews
Adder alley remains the hotspot for spotted flycatchers and the North Brooks best for waders including ruff, green sandpiper, greenshank, snipe and black-tailed godwit.
The fungi season has also started with black wood (on the wooded heathland trail) currently the most interesting spot. This area provides the damp conditions, variety of trees and quantity of dead wood that many species of fungi love. You will have to put up with a rather unpleasant smell though as witches' eggs erupt from the earth before splitting and fruiting as stinkhorn fungi.
A witches' egg - a strange jelly filled ball that turns into the revolting-smelling stinkhorn!
If you want to find out more about fungi then we're 3 guided walks coming up as part of our 'Festival of Fungi' - Tuesday 07, Friday 10 and Wednesday 15 October. If you would like to come along please contact the Visitor Centre and book your place.