Pools and Scrapes.

Once again the diggers have rolled off site and yet again habitat improvements have been left in their wake. Added to the meandering foot drains snaking across the New Meadow, four scrapes have appeared in Snipe Field, several new isolated pools dug around the Secret Garden and a flexi pipe added to feed the existing scrub-fringed pools in summer. Being clay based there is no groundwater percolation and so, in summers such the last, they dry out which isn’t great news for their residents.

Scrapes are shallow depressions that provide muddy margins for a wide number of birds particularly waders. The spoil creates refuge for invertebrates during periods of high water.

Hydrologically isolated pool are of particular value to amphibians as fish don’t easily colonise them and so tadpoles have one fewer predator to avoid. Any still or standing water will attract chironomids (amid the cornucopia of aquatic pond life) which are a hugely important food stuff for insectivorous birds – which all bodes well for seasons to come.