It's been a busy start to the summer season, with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust establishing a series of new ponds across the reserve. This major project was a top priority for the year, carried out with support from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme to benefit water voles and European eels. While these ponds were designed with specific species in mind, they are also providing freshwater habitats that benefit a wide range of wildlife. Already, several dragonfly species have colonised the ponds, and there has been an increase in little egrets, herons, and various duck species making good use of the new habitats. Over the next few months, the ponds will adapt to their surroundings and will be closely monitored as they become established.
With the summer holidays comes a flurry of work on the reserve, this is typically the busiest period of the year after the nesting season and before any winter floods. This year, alongside our regular management activities, we have several significant habitat creation and restoration projects taking place. We're working to restore various channels and ditches throughout the central portion of the nature reserve, aiming to enhance freshwater habitats and improve flood water management during the winter months.
We’ll also be collaborating with the RSPB on a national project to trial different methods of managing soft rush, with the aim of improving the quality of wet grassland habitats on site. Additionally, we are focusing on improving overall access to the site, especially the main entrance footpath, which is particularly problematic during the winter months. These efforts will help ensure the reserve remains accessible and enjoyable for all visitors throughout the year.
More recently, Gowy Meadows has seen sightings of the great white egret, alongside a variety of dragonflies and damselflies, in addition to especially high numbers banded demoiselles on the River Gowy and black-tailed skimmers. Excitingly, otters have also returned to Gowy Meadows. This family of otters has been spotted swimming in the ponds and moving through the reeds. To monitor their activities, we’ve set up a specialised camera that captures their movements day and night, allowing us to observe them without disturbance.
