Towards the end of last year, I
reported on a new wetland being created at Hollesley in Suffolk and given the
name ‘Holl-utopia’ after the Dutch site Utopia Farm that inspired it. At Hollesley Marshes there were very few
breeding and passage waders and the site sustained only two pairs of breeding
Lapwing annually. This fell well short of the aspirations and targets for the
reserve. The issues revolved around the layout of the field system and the
inability to raise water levels high enough. The plan was to create a new
13ha coastal wetland habitat following the design of ‘Utopia’ on the island of
Texel. However, the wetland would be freshwater rather than the brackish
conditions of the Dutch site, at least in the short term, due to the difficulty
of constructing a sluice through the sea wall.
The key feature of Holl-utopia is that it is a
shallow wetland with a high percentage of islands; some grassy, some bare, some
covered in sand or gravel. The landform creates extensive terraced areas
of shallow water down to just 20cm depth, with a slightly deeper central ditch
system. Water levels will drop during the spring and summer to expose
extensive muddy areas and ultimately dry out to just retain water in the deeper
ditch features. The drying out is seen as an essential feature for rejuvenating
the wetland in the future. New water control structures allow water
to both enter from, and drain to, the adjacent existing ditch system. An
electric anti-predator fence around the margins of the wetland keep the local
foxes as mere spectators.
The
first spring saw Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Temminck’s Stint and Garganey
recorded, along with 25 species of wader.
So how did the first breeding season shape up (with thanks to Dave
Fairhurst for the data)? Not too bad:
· Shoveler - 1 female seen with 7 ducklings.
Lapwing - 25 nests fledged 60 young with 100% hatching success.
Ringed plover - 3 pairs fledged 9 young.
Little Ringed Plover – a male was on territory throughout May
Avocet – 41 pairs fledged 82 young, the largest number of young fledged from a single site in Suffolk since 1986.
Oystercatcher – 1 pair fledged 2 young
Redshank – 10 pairs fledged 30 young.
Black headed gull – 1 pair fledged 3 young.
Shelduck – 1 pair fledged 7 young.
Lapwing - 25 nests fledged 60 young with 100% hatching success.
Ringed plover - 3 pairs fledged 9 young.
Little Ringed Plover – a male was on territory throughout May
Avocet – 41 pairs fledged 82 young, the largest number of young fledged from a single site in Suffolk since 1986.
Oystercatcher – 1 pair fledged 2 young
Redshank – 10 pairs fledged 30 young.
Black headed gull – 1 pair fledged 3 young.
Shelduck – 1 pair fledged 7 young.
Pics above: Hollutopia in May and July
