Media
release
Issued jointly by Natural England, Somerset Wildlife Trust and
RSPB
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Record
breaking summer for Somerset’s wetland birds
Celebrations as one of the West Country’s premiere wetlands produces a bumper crop of rare birds.
Celebrations as one of the West Country’s premiere wetlands produces a bumper crop of rare birds.
Conservationists in Somerset are
celebrating this week with the news that the Avalon Marshes has had its best
year ever for breeding birds.
The Avalon Marshes is a huge wetland
recreation site to the west of Glastonbury managed by Natural England (NE),
Somerset Wildlife Trust (SWT), Hawk and Owl Trust and
RSPB.
Following the first UK nesting
great white egrets last year in the marshes, this summer has seen two
pairs nest; one again at Natural England’s Shapwick National Nature Reserve
(producing two youngsters) and a new pair within the boundary of the RSPB’s Ham
Wall nature reserve (producing three young)
The RSPB reserve at Ham Wall has also
been host to a nesting pair of little bitterns. This is the only known UK
breeding location for these remarkably shy and diminutive members of the heron
family and this year two young birds successfully fledged.
And, to add to the totals, great
bitterns have had yet another amazing year across the Avalon Marshes. On
RSPB, NE and SWT land, as many as 33 “booming” males have been heard across the
wetlands. This makes the area now one of the UK’s hotspots for this rare and
remarkable bird.
Alongside the nesting bitterns and
egrets, the wetlands have also provided a home for marsh harriers, with four
nests producing thirteen young.
Ray Summers, RSPB warden for Ham Wall
said; “We are all absolutely delighted. Since we took on the land at Ham Wall
back in the mid 1990s we’ve been working hard to recreate a pristine wetland. To
have all these nesting egrets, bitterns and harriers is a fantastic seal of
approval for the work we’ve done, it really demonstrates the quality of the site
for wildlife”
“We are also enormously grateful for
the team of dedicated volunteers who have worked hard this summer to protect the
birds and keep them safe from disturbance.”
Simon Clarke, Natural
England’s Senior
Reserve Manager for Shapwick Heath and the Somerset NNRs, said: “This year’s
breeding success at Avalon Marshes is a great example of how strong partnership
working can genuinely benefit threatened and vulnerable wildlife species.
The partner organisations have all worked closely together to develop this
habitat on a landscape scale. And the result is a safe, abundant and
well-managed environment that is providing feeding and nesting opportunities for
a startling range of wildlife – especially those we’ve seen at
Shapwick."
Mark Blake, Reserve Manager for Somerset
Wildlife Trust said: ”It has been an exciting year on the Avalon Marshes and
we are delighted to see marsh harrier breeding at Westhay Moor for the second
year. The habitat creation and management being carried out by the partners is
going from strength to strength and we look forward to further breeding success
in future.”
Chris Sperring
MBE,
Conservation Officer Hawk and Owl Trust, said; “The Avalon Marshes just
get better every year. The success is down to a wonderfully balanced and
organised partnership, particularly heartening when we see so many new species
establishing, and some old friends like the marsh harrier on the rise as
well. The careful management also creates a very human experience, as I
found out recently whilst on a footpath with a kingfisher hovering less than 3
metres from me.”
Tony Whitehead speaking for RSPB in the
southwest said; “Having all these birds breeding successfully in the Avalon
Marshes demonstrates the power of landscape scale nature conservation. If you
get the conditions right, the birds will turn up.”
“Wetlands are under pressure the world
over, not least, from climate change. To be able to recreate this landscape in
Somerset is of huge significance. We know that large, well-managed wetlands can
act as centres of establishment for colonising species such as little bittern
and be crucial in helping them adapt to our changing climate as is being
demonstrated in the Avalon Marshes."
Ends
For further
information or to arrange an interview, please
contact:
Tony Whitehead, RSPB Press Officer,
01392 453754, 07872 414365
Michelle Hawkins, Natural England
Press Officer 0300 060 1109, 07775 585 935
Beth Jerrett, Communications & PR
Manager, Somerset Wildlife Trust 01823 652413
The attached image of the great white
egret family at RSPB Ham Wall is free to use with this story, and other, higher
res images are available on request. Please credit
“akwildlifeimages.com”
Notes to editors:
Little Bittern
The first confirmed breed of little
bittern in the UK was in 1984 in Yorkshire when a pair raised four young.
Although there are no confirmed
records, it is suspected that little bittern may have bred in East Anglia in the
19th Century and in Kent in the 1930s and 40s.
Great White
Egret
Great
Bittern
Marsh
Harrier
Reserves
information
For more information on RSPB Ham Wall
visit http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/h/hamwall/index.aspx
For more information on Shapwick Heath
National Nature Reserve, visithttp://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designations/nnr/1006131.aspx
The Avalon Marshes is to feature on
the new BBC Series “Britain’s Wildlife Revival” on Sunday 29th September 2013 at
5:35pm
No comments:
Post a Comment