BURTON RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER BURTONEWS | 3
RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands Celebrating 40 Years of Conservation
The big news this spring at Burton Mere Wetlands has been the breeding egrets, with Cattle Egret and (the long awaited) Great White Egret both nesting in the heronry. The Great White Egrets successfully raised 2 young, and these were observed around the Inner Marsh Farm area for a few days after fledging, still begging for food from their parents. No Cattle Egret young were observed, but they can be remarkably elusive, and no young were seen last time they bred here either. It is quite possible that the Marsh Covert heronry may be the only woodland heronry in Britain to have Little, Great and Cattle Egret breeding amongst the Grey Herons. One or two other sites have had all 3 egret species breeding this year, but these have all bred spread out within wetlands. It was hoped that Spoonbill would also breed this year, with a pair appearing in May that started nest building straight away. The appearance of a second male however, appeared to upset the pair, and they stopped any serious nesting attempt shortly after. Here’s hoping they try again next year. A flock of 7 Spoonbill are currently residing at Parkgate, which also includes the failed breeders from the spring. The other new addition to the BMW breeding bird list is Bearded Tit with 2 pairs rearing 2 broods each in the reedbed. When they first appeared last October, we did hope that they may hang around to breed, but
Burton Mere Wetlands Visitor Centre
never expected such a great outcome as this. Our breeding waders had another very good year too, with breeding pairs and fledging success rates similar to previous years, with Lapwing numbers now significantly over 100 pairs at BMW. This autumn we begin an exciting project to upgrade the visitor facilities at Inner Marsh. This will include the installation of a new hide and an upgrading of the current path network to enable access for all, including a new board walk that will bypass the steps that are currently the only means of access to IMF. The project will take some time to complete, but once finished this will mean that all hides on the reserve will be accessible by wheelchair or mobility scooter. This whole project has only been possible by the generosity of our supporters, which for me makes this project even more special. As part of our 40th birthday celebrations the Wirral Wader Festival took place at BMW on 31st August. As well as a celebration of the internationally important wading bird flocks that make their home on the peninsula’s coastline in autumn and winter, it offers a chance to admire and learn more about the populations of breeding wading birds like avocets and lapwings that the reserve is so important for. Stalls and activities from the event’s partner organisations Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Wader Quest and Dee Estuary Voluntary Wardens amongst others were present, and
Great White Egret credit Jeff Cohen
Great White Egret Summer Plummage
free entry was offered to everybody to enjoy this special occasion. If you are popping down to the reserve, don’t forget to pick up a limited edition anniversary pin badge, featuring a Cattle Egret - a fitting tribute to mark 40 years of conservation success on the Dee Estuary. Here’s to the next 40 years! Graham Jones RSPB Site Manager – Dee Estuary September 2019