Havant Thicket Reservoir - The Director's cut
Post 5 - The Little Ringed Plover (continued)
A lot has happened since I first reported on the Little Ringed Plover nest on our site. It has been a journey of hope, disaster and finally joy.
These birds are summer visitors to Britain and are rare with an estimated 1,300 breeding pairs. They nest on open ground relying upon the camouflage of their eggs – not a great strategy on a site with large vehicles tracking around but good for avoiding predators – or so you would think.
The irony is that the Plovers have been kept safe from construction thanks to our keen-eyed ecologists, a substantial exclusion zone and the care of our people. But Rooks also have keen eyes and the first and second clutch of eggs were predated, caught on our on-site video camera footage.
At this point we had given up on the idea of the Plover population increasing, so imagine our joy when we spotted a third clutch of four eggs, a joy matched with a dread of further predation.
So we had a dilemma. Do we let nature run its course or do we provide a helping hand?
After much debate, divided opinion and research we decided to follow a practice used by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust using a modified Gabion Basket (wire cage) placed over the nest with openings big enough for Little Plovers and too small for predators.
There was a risk that this would deter the Plovers from returning to the nest and so we monitored the situation very carefully and this proved not to be the case. Some 2-3 weeks later the eggs had gone and were replaced with sightings of at least 3 Plover chicks.
-----------------------
Next week marks some very significant steps on the project as we commence construction of a trial section of the water draw off culvert and a trial of the ground improvement works for our main embankment. I look forward to sharing this with you next time.
