Some changes afoot ……

The reserve has seen many changes over the years, with the majority of them being made for the benefit of wildlife or to enhance the visitor experience. With change comes some level of disruption in the short term and that has been seen in recent weeks with the engineering works on the mains water pipe for the water treatment works around south lagoon and works being carried out at Hempholme by the Environment Agency. The engineering team have reported that the shaft at south lagoon edge has been excavated, despite hitting hard ground initially and a concrete plug has been poured. The access gate had to be widened in order to allow access for specific machinery.

Unfortunately, this has led to some restricted access and alternative routes for visitors but has had limited impact on the wildlife habitat. Areas will be reinstated in the fullness of time.

One of the reserve’s main aims is for visitors to want to return and report favourably to others, therefore we endeavour to provide as many visitors as possible with an enjoyable experience. Our wildlife is mostly viewed from hides overlooking the many habitats, so the state of those hides is an important aspect of visitor experience and one that was revealed in Yorkshire Water visitor survey carried out in 2017; visitors stating that many hides on the reserve needed upgrading.

The new reception hide is proof that visitors value the improvements that have been made over recent years, positive comments being made on a regular basis. Another outcome from our own visitor survey and ones that were commissioned by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the Fieldfare trust in 2018 showed that accessibility for all users across the nature reserve is of high importance to visitors. We therefore need to reconsider on a regular basis the usefulness and safety of the ever ageing hides. Although still safe to use, the south marsh west and D reservoir east hides are two in point, as they are both inaccessible to all visitors and they are showing signs of deterioration. The photographs show the deterioration in the woodwork in south marsh west hide, a hide that was built before 2000.

 

The state of the woodwork of south marsh east hide

D reservoir east hide was also built over 20 years ago and although the supporting woodwork was considered sound in 2017 it still needs considering for replacement.

     

The state of the woodwork of D reservoir east hide

In order to consider the options for these two hides, like any construction on the reserve, there is a need to carry out a newt survey and relocation study prior to the commencement of any works that may be carried out in the near future. To this end our visitors will notice the erection of newt fencing, a requisite from Natural England due to the legal status of the great crested newt. This fencing and the accompanying survey and relocation work will be in place over the summer and into the autumn prior to the hibernation period of this species. The great crested newt population at the reserve remains healthy and they can be found at various places across the site so there are many locations for them to be relocated to, if this was necessary.

We ask for your patience with the restrictions and changes in the short term and as always we believe that the wildlife at Tophill Low and its visitors will benefit in the longer term.

Butterfly bonaza at last!

 

Butterfly bonanza at last!

With the recent warmer temperatures and sunnier days, we have seen an increase in the number and variety of butterflies across the reserve. The season has been quite slow up to now with a variety of butterflies being seen but not in large numbers, a picture that has been repeated not just on the reserve but in people’s gardens.

Small tortoise shell

Marbled white

Brimstones and orange tips have been on the reserve since late spring but were the only species in flight for a long period of time. Slowly more species were seen with the first common blues and dingy skippers being recorded on 4^th June and a speckled wood on the 5^th. Later in June (22^nd) saw the appearance of cinnabar moth, meadow brown, painted lady and large skipper. A ringlet was first recorded on 24^th June and small tortoiseshells seen across the reserve from the 27^th feeding on the flowering brambles and then knapweed, particularly on north scrub at the north end of D reservoir. The beginning of July saw more sightings of meadow brown and ringlet in higher numbers and also an increase in the number of small tortoise shells.

Comma

Common blue

Red admiral was recorded on the 1^st July, six spot burnet on 5^th and the first marbled white on north scrub meadow on 9^th July with small and large whites recorded too from the beginning of July. A comma butterfly along the path around the north end of D reservoir on the 17^th but as yet (22^nd July) no one has notified us of seeing a peacock.

Up until the 8^th August you can record your butterfly sightings to Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count and be part of this fantastic nationwide data collection; brilliant citizen science for everyone to be involved in. Either log your records, as many as you can do, on their website or download the Big Butterfly Count app onto your smartphone and send off the data from the field immediately. The app comes with a good identification guide and is very user friendly and a great way to involve all the family whether its on a trip to the reserve, out on a walk on holiday or a record of the butterflies in your garden, all valuable data records.

Red admiral

Speckled wood

Of course butterflies are just one of thousands of flying insects to be found around the reserve and with the 748^th species of moth having been trapped overnight this month, they certainly deserve some focus but that’s for a separate blog.

Thank you to all visitors for posting their sightings, in particular to Pat Hogarth

Notification of restricted access

 

Engineering works on the reserve and restrictions to access

From Monday 12^th July there will be some restrictions in place to access the southern end of the reserve. These will be in place for approximately three weeks to enable essential engineering works to take place at the southern end of south lagoon. A new water mains is being constructed under the river to connect with the water treatment works. Up to now the work has been taking place on the far side of the river to reduce any disturbance to wildlife habitat.

Baswick

In order to construct the new water mains a tunnel has been excavated which has been accessed by the building of a well shaft on the far side of the river. To complete the construction a new well shaft to the south of south lagoon will be drilled over the next few weeks. This requires a whole host of machinery that has to be moved onto the site and hence we need to make sure that visitors can pass safely in order to access the southern part of the reserve, an area south of the north lagoon and around the south end of south lagoon will therefore be out of bounds to visitors

Photos from the last tunneling scheme

The map highlights the areas that will not be accessible and the alternative gold route that can be used to reach the south marshes and Watton nature reserve. There will be no access along the boardwalk from north lagoon to O reservoir and no access to south lagoon hide. In order to get to the south marshes, visitors will be required to walk anti-clockwise around O reservoir. Please note that this route is not all hard standing, and the grass can be wet and slippery at times.

Restricted access and alternative routes to the south marshes

Prior to the commencement of the works the area was carefully prepared by the reserve teams before breeding season. Throughout the process the area has been subjected to intensive surveys by professional ecologists in order to minimise disturbance. All work has been suspended this weekend to ensure that a family of reed warblers nesting in the immediate area, fledge safely.

Once the construction work has been completed then we will be undertaking mitigation habitat works to offset any disturbance that has been caused to the habitat and we will create a permanent access track to the chamber lids.

As always at Tophill, the reserve will be enhanced by this habitat work despite the short term disturbance.

Thank you as always for your patience.

Margaret