Brandon Marsh nature reserve
Notification | 1973 |
Brandon Marsh is a
.The reserve is also the headquarters of the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.[1] Formerly used for sand and gravel quarrying, the 92 hectares (230 acres) site is owned by French industrial company LaFarge Industries and is leased to the Trust.[2][3]
Today, Brandon Marsh is a mixture of flooded
History
Although the landscape features of the site are mainly derived from gravel pits and settling pools alongside the River Avon, the area was originally farmland, and the first pools were created by mining subsidence in the 1940s and 1950s caused by workings at
The first bird hides were constructed in 1984, overlooking the East Marsh and Teal Pools. Quarrying ceased in 1989, and by 1991 the Trust had moved their headquarters to the site and erected a small visitor centre.[8]
As improvements to the reserve continued and visitor numbers grew, a requirement for a much improved infrastructure was identified, and in 1998 the new Visitor Centre at Brandon Marsh was opened by Sir David Attenborough.[9] It cost over £600,000 to build and was mainly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, with support from Lafarge through the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme and an appeal to Trust members. The centre is open to the public every day of the year except Christmas Day, and also houses an Education Centre catering for school visits, a conference centre, and a tearoom and gift shop.[2]
Nature reserve
The nature reserve itself is a large expanse of wetland and pools. There are a number of paths and trails for visitors to follow, and seven bird hides from which to observe the wildlife. The flora and fauna is extremely varied due to the numerous types of habitat, and includes many species that are otherwise rare in the area.
Large numbers of bird species are resident or
As well as birds, the reserve also harbours a varied selection of mammals. These are mostly of common species, although
Plant life varies throughout the reserve depending on the habitat, and notable species are mentioned in the relevant sections. As the reserve develops, new species are being regularly recorded, including four in 2008 and three in 2009. The large number of fungus species recorded is also due to the diversity of habitat, but even so, species unknown elsewhere in the region have been recorded, such as Taphrina pruni[12] and Otidea bufonia.[13]
Pools
There are eight main pools in the reserve, some of which are maintained to support specific flora or fauna. At the centre of the reserve is East Marsh Pool, the largest of the pools, which contains two islands. Tern Island is composed of gravel and pebbles which attracts certain species to breed here, notably common tern and little ringed plover. There are also a number of artificial rafts on the pool, again to induce common tern to breed; eight pairs did so in 2008.[13] Willow Island is much larger and more grassy, providing suitable areas for lapwing, common redshank and green sandpiper.[7] The existence of the islands helps to prevent the nests of species such as these being predated by foxes. There are three hides overlooking the pool. An artificial structure alongside the pool is designed to attract sand martins to breed, as they did when the gravel quarry was operational; this was successful for the first time in 2009, with eight nestholes occupied and over 40 young fledged.[10]
To the south lie Teal Pool and River Pool, created in 1983 when an earth dam was constructed between the two in order that Teal Pool retained water to provide habitat for
Central Marsh and Pool is a diverse area where the main flora is common reed, reed sweetgrass, sedges, bulrushes and teasel. Willow trees are particularly important in this habitat as they have over 250 species of insect associated with them.[7] Alder trees support birds such as redpoll, siskin and various tit species.[8] Beyond Central Marsh lies West Marsh Pool, a small area of water surrounded by reedbed, where a number of dragonfly pools have been dug. Plants which thrive in damp areas, such as marsh marigold and meadowsweet, flourish here.
Adjacent to the visitor centre are three further pools. Grebe Pool is named for the great crested grebes which regularly breed there, whereas Goose Pool was used by the aggregate company for water storage, and as such the water level is very variable due to its unstable base. Swallow Pool was so named because it was formerly a favourite roosting area for swallows, although this is no longer the case.[7]
Reedbeds
The main reedbed on the site is known as Newlands, an extensive area forming the eastern end of the reserve. Together with other areas in the West Marsh, the total area of reedbed is now around 25 hectares (62 acres).
Other habitats
New Hare Covert is woodland, mainly composed of
Horsetail Glade, as the name suggests, is home to a large area of
Threats
Brandon Marsh has a very low risk of pollution[19] and as such the main threat from man has been from vandalism; in 2007, a fire started by youths destroyed a third of the Newlands reedbed.[20] This was the second time the reed bed had been targeted, the previous attack seven years earlier having occurred shortly after threats were made by animal rights activists protesting against a cull of ruddy duck.[21]
Most of the current threats to the biodiversity of the site are natural in origin. A perennial problem is the invasive
References
- ^ "Warwickshire's beauty could be wiped out". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 31 July 2002. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ a b "Brandon Marsh SSSI". Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Hydrological & Hydrogeological Assessment" (PDF). Warwickshire County Council. 4 February 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ "Brandon Marsh SSSI Notification" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 21 July 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Report, 2018. Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team. May 2019.
- ^ Rushforth; Wincott; Yates (May 2014). Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Report, 2013. Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Wincott (March 2005). Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Guide. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.
- ^ a b c "Brandon Marsh history". Brandon Birding. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Get close to nature at Brandon Marsh". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Norman; Wincott; Rushforth (April 2010). Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Report, 2009. Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team.
- ^ "Adopt a species in Warwickshire" (PDF). Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ "Newsletter 2005". Warwickshire Fungus Survey. Archived from the original (DOC) on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d Wincott; Jury; Rushforth (April 2009). Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Report, 2008. Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team.
- ^ "Progress Report: Reedbeds" (PDF). Warwickshire County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "Action Plan for reedbeds". UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Archived from the original on 7 July 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "Cetti's warbler". BirdGuides. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ "Bittern - Action for Wildlife" (PDF). Warwickshire County Council (Biodiversity). 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ^ Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve Report, 2014. Brandon Marsh Voluntary Conservation Team. June 2015.
- ^ "Fen and Swamp" (PDF). Warwickshire County Council (Biodiversity). 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ^ "Fire Devastates Reed Bed at Brandon Marsh SSSI". Wildlife Trusts. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ^ "Brandon Marsh Set On Fire". Coventry and Warwickshire News. 20 May 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
External links
- Warwickshire Wildlife Trust page for Brandon Marsh
- Map of the Reserve
- Unofficial Guide
- Flickr Photo group
- Brandon Marsh Geology Time Wall shows 650 million years of Warwickshire's Rocks by WGCG
52°22′34″N 1°26′02″W / 52.376°N 1.434°W