Watchtree Management
Wetland Management at Watchtree.
Controlled grazing of the pond margins by cattle takes place
during the winter and early spring before stock is removed prior to nesting
bird activity. Controlled cattle grazing on pond margins are valuable as
limited poaching creates sites for the establishment of plant species not able
to compete with more dominant and rank species. Keeping sections of pond side
vegetation short is also beneficial to many bird species, including those whose
feeding habitats require short vegetation and exposed conditions including
Lapwing and Redshank.
Were grazing is not a practical option, cutting by hand is necessary to control
rank vegetation and prevent margins from becoming choked.
Coppicing around the pond margins in Pond Wood during the
winter of 2005 proved to be particularly beneficial to a range of wildlife in
and around the pond. Invertebrates in particular have benefited from the
increased sunlight and warmth with sightings of Ruddy Darters in Pond Wood for
the first time during 2006.
This pond is also believed to be the source pond for Watchtree’s Great Crested
Newt population, a species which now breeds throughout the recently constructed
wetlands.
Many of Watchtree’s wetlands are located within ‘operational’ areas and so have a dual purpose of water treatment and storage in addition to habitat. For this reason, management for particular species is limited by these constraints though in general these dual purposes actually benefit and may even enhance the wetland ecosystem.