Keith on the Case

Not much doing at the Point of Ayr this morning as Becks and I were drowned out by heavy rainfall. A drenched Wheatear, plus fledged Stonechats and Common Whitethroats was as good as it got.

Perhaps it is fitting then that I take this opportunity to publish the RSPB’s response to Keith Ducker’s correspondence on the development of Inner Marsh Farm.

Credit to Keith for sticking his head above the parapet and seeking out answers to questions many regular visitors to the reserve have been asking amongst ourselves.

So, in the words of Marvin himself, just what is going on?

Keith’s correspondence:

To whom it may concern? A couple of questions for you:

Why after the RSPB bought more land for above - more than three years plus ago that
there are still no toilet facilities or new hides to be seen?

Is it because the RSPB - Inner Marsh Farm - Burton - Cheshire is based in the North West?

If it was based in the south would it have toilet facilities or new hides? Should there be facilities for the disabled as well?

There are a lot of disabled people interested in birdwatching. Again if it was based in the south - would it have these?

Should there be more bird boxes/bird tables on the reserve to encourage more birds? Not too much to ask for.

We are continually being informed of the great plans for this reserve without anything tangible taking place. What if anything is going to happen to the reserve in the next few months? Is somebody or someone somewhere dragging their feet?

I really feel very strongly about above along with other fellow members whom I know feel the same. I await your reply.

Regards,

Keith Duckers

The RSPB's response:

Hi Keith,

The following email has just been passed forward to us here in the Inner Marsh farm office

Thank you for your interest in the project.

For first hand information you are always welcome to come along on one of our monthly "Burton Mere Walks" where you get a chance to go behind the scenes and find out about the ongoing developments and step-by-step processes involved in transforming such a vast landscape.

After many days of preparation and mowing back in October we had the RSPB's Rotary Ditcher create over 4km of footdrains with a vision of creating ideal conditions for feeding waders and their chicks. The success of this creation was almost immediately realised this winter with 750 pink-footed geese and 2000 lapwing spending their time in this area alone! This spring up to 10 pairs of lapwing nested here.

The reedbed project has continued with now over 10,000 reeds having been planted by our team of hard working volunteers. Large areas of rush were cut back and then the area was flooded to allow the reeds to establish themselves. Many of last years reedlings have already produced seed with some reedlings popping up in open areas away from the planted areas. This winter's bittern was seen on several occasions flying into our developing reedbed whilst just the other day we recorded the 1st ever singing reed warbler in the reed bed.

At present we are awaiting the end of the breeding season to finish before we begin the major habitat creation project. A large area (5 ha) of abandoned arable land will be converted into a wader scrape which will create lots more habitat for wintering wildfowl and waders.

Once this major habitat creation has finished we can commence the construction of a purpose built reception-hide with a wide-angle view over the newly created habitat. Toilet facilities will be provide within the design of this building. Several bird feeding stations are planned as we work hard to bring nature closer.

The access to Burton Mere, reception-hide, nature trails and a number of viewing points around the reserve will be accessible to all. We are hoping to open up the benefits of bird watching and a wider interest in nature to many more audiences including families, people with disabilities and hard-to-reach groups. A large amount of interpretation work is being planned to make the reserve an enjoyable day out for all.

A blog has started up now on our home page detailing some aspects of our work here on the reserve so why not visit www.rspb.org.uk/innermarshfarm feel free to read and contribute your thoughts and bird sightings.

I hope that we have helped to alleviate some of the queries of your friends and yourself.

If you have any more question then please do not hesitate and just ask a member of staff or volunteer.

Regards,

Paul Brady
Visitor Development Officer
RSPB Dee Estuary


Well, make of that what you will - hardly a satisfactory response to Keith’s letter in my opinion.

In fairness, lots of work has gone in to the planting of the reedbed and the development of the new wetland meadow – both superb new areas of habitat that hopefully members will be in a position to enjoy fully in the future. The new scrape should be excellent too.

However, it is unacceptable that no provision has been made in recent years for members wishing to use the toilet. It does not take much effort to provide a portaloo - or something similar - until the RSPB is in a position to provide permanent facilities.

Moreover there is no acknowledgement of a delay in the work being carried out, any reasons put forwards for the delay, or perhaps more crucially any indication of when the project will be completed. In my view, this is where the RSPB have gone wrong – a few paragraphs in the hide detailing where the work is and outlining any current or potential problems would go along way.

Of a wider concern to me – and it is becoming more apparent – is the general nature of the RSPB and its tone. Large parts of the above text are just meaningless corporate jargon that has clearly been culled from some organisational document. What does ‘work hard to bring nature closer’ mean and who are ‘hard to reach groups’ precisely – people with no interest in nature?

In my opinion the RSPB should quite simply stick to managing nature reserves for the benefit of the people who visit them – us, the people who cough up our memberships. No gibberish, just plain and simple conservation for birds with the means to be able to watch and enjoy them in comfort.

Until later.