Kingfishers Bridge Project

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  • Home
  • About us
    • History
    • Our Founder
    • Who's Who
    • Habitat creation >
      • Grazing
      • Predator Balance
    • Wildife >
      • Birds
      • Plants
      • Mammals
      • Invertebrates
  • Visiting
    • Walking
    • Wildlife Viewing
    • Car Parking
    • How to find us
    • Download a Map
  • Events and Activities
    • Family Open Weekend
    • Holiday Activities
    • Book a Guided Tour
  • Outdoor Learning
    • Schools
    • Home Education Groups
    • Youth Groups
  • Make a Gift
    • Donate
    • Leave a legacy
    • Become a Supporter
  • Find Out More
    • Warden's Blog
    • Volunteer
    • Wildlife Recording >
      • Bird census
      • Moth census
      • Bird and Wildlife Reports
      • Aerial Surveys
      • Kingfishers Bridge Publications
    • Projects >
      • Classroom Regeneration
      • New HIdes
      • Mound Observation Deck
  • Contact us
  • Shop
    • Branded Cloithing
    • Mugs and Coasters
    • Educational Packs and Equipment
    • Forget Me Not Apiary
    • Events Tickets
  • Staff Portal
    • Event Contact Details

Warden's blog

Dry Reed Beds

5/5/2017

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The water levels in the reed beds are significantly lower than normal for this time of the year, up to 24" in some places! This means a lot of the normal nesting areas are unusable however there are still suitable habitats in other areas for the bitterns, bearded tits and hopefully cranes!
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SSSI Bridge

3/5/2017

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A new bridge has been put in the SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) which will allow access to more areas for our bird ringing volunteers. Although this section of Kingfishers Bridge is not public access it can sometimes be seen with a guided group. The area provides the perfect habitat for birds such as Sedge, Reed and Cetti's warblers, sometimes Willow warblers and many other Passerines (perching birds). 
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River Bank Pools Reopened

24/4/2017

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On the bank of the River Cam small pools of water were dug out but have since been filled with silt and rubbish carried by the river. We have now cleaned out these areas to re-establish the still, shallow water bodies. The shape of these pools have been designed to create slack water which will deposit food from the river for fry and invertebrates, who will hopefully thrive in these pools where predators will be unlikely to reach them.
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Summer Jobs commence...!

24/4/2017

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Summer work has begun with the weather improving, thus the mowing has started...using the tractor and flail for the larger areas and the ride-on mower for the fence lines and the visitors centre garden.
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Cowslips - Primula veris

18/4/2017

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Cowslips Primula veris - The common name Cowslip may derive from the old English for cow dung, possibly because the plant was often found growing amongst the manure in cow pastures.   
The species name is veris; veris is from the latin meaning of Spring although the Primrose, Primula vulgaris, flowers earlier, from December to May in the British isles.
Primula veris  is a variable evergreen or semi-evergreen perennial plant growing to 25 cm (10 in) tall and broad, with a rosette of leaves 5–15 cm long and 2–6 cm broad.  In Spring the flowers are deep yellow, in clusters of 10-30 blooms together on a single stem.  Each flower is 9–15 mm broad. 
The cowslip is frequently found on more open ground than the primrose, including open fields, meadows, coastal dunes and clifftops. Unfortunately the Cowslip suffered a decline due to changing agricultural practices throughout the 1970s and 1980s in Britain. Therefore it may be rare, but where found it is likely abundant.  Additionally the seeds are now often included in wildflower seed mixes used to landscape motorway banks and similar civil engineering earthworks where the plants may be seen in dense stands.  Fortunately this practice has led to a revival in its numbers!

The cowslips in Kingfishers Bridge are growing in larger numbers and more dense populations as well as reaching new areas for the first time.

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Moth Trapping

3/4/2017

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Kingfishers Bridge expert in Moths, Tim Bagworth  started trapping in March.  This has continued on almost a weekly basis, and although there were not many Moths flying in early, there have overall still been a significant number of catches.  Here are some of the high lights below...
Bronze Shieldbug
Diurnia Fagella
Acleris Cristana
Figure of Eighty
Streamer
Double Striped Pug
Early Thorn
Purple Thorn
Oak Beauty
Red Chestnut
Powdered Quaker
Twin Spotted Quaker
Pale Pinion
Nut Tree Tussock

A Moth Trap

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The New Peat Cliffs

1/4/2017

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Drilling the holes in the Cliffs

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On the 1st of April drilling began on the new peat cliffs.  This is to encourage the (Common) Sand Martins Riparia riparia who breed colonially in vertical sandy or earth banks, near to water where they are often seen in numbers flying low  hunting insects over lakes and rivers.  The compacted peat was much harder than expected and it was arduous work drilling of approximately sixty holes, 70cm in length, and 5cm diameter.  However, the 'back-breaking' work proved to be well worth while with immediate results, as Sand martins were already inspecting the new environment in the afternoon!
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Kingfishers Bridge New Edition!

24/3/2017

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On the 24th March 2017, there was a new edition to the Konik Ponies at Kingfishers Bridge.  A Filly was born at approximately 18.00hrs.  The above photographs show the Filly immediately after the birth, joined by its Mother and Sister from last year.  The maternal bond is very strong in horse society, with daughters often staying with their mothers and sisters until sexual maturity.  Only 15 minutes after its birth the Filly is endeavoring to take its first steps!  The afterbirth usually passes within a couple of hours of birth and it is common for the mother to eat it, minimizing the scent left by the birth and reducing the chance of predators finding the foal in the wild.

The Following Day...

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The Filly is standing firmly and feeding.
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Kingfishers Bridge help at Pauline's Swamp 

15/3/2017

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Volunteers from Kingfishers Bridge went to Burwell again on Wednesday to finish raking and removing the vegetation cut by the tractor to lower the nutrients available to dominant weed species.

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​The weather seemingly Spring like, enabling a much needed break  by way of a picnic! 

In The Pond...

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Toads forming a mating ball!

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 The Pond was full of up to two hundred Toads!


  • ​The Latin name for the Common Toad is Bufo bufo​​
  • Statistics of Toads:  Length: 8cm Weight: 10-100g Average Lifespan: up to 40 years
  • Common Toads are amphibians and they breed in ponds during the spring whilst spending much of the rest of the year feeding on dry land in woodland, gardens, hedgerows and tussocky grassland.  Common Toads breed in larger, deeper ponds than Common Frogs.  They are famous for their mass migrations back to their breeding ponds on the first warm, damp evenings of the year, often around St. Valentine's Day.
  • Common Toads can be identified by their olive-brown, warty skin and short back legs.  Toads walk rather than hopping.  Toads lay their eggs in long strings of spawn, wrapped around aquatic plants.
  • Toads are widespread across the country but are in decline.  Found almost everywhere, except for Scottish Islands, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isles of Scilly and most of the Channel Islands.  
  • Toads need a wetland habitat, and can  be encouraged into gardens with wild-life freindly ponds with log piles for hibernation.
  • Statistics of Toads:  Length: 8cm Weight: 10-100g Average Lifespan: up to 40 years
  • Conservation status:  Toads are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, and classified as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
      Reference:  The Wildlife Trust wildlifetrust.org
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The clean up after Storm Doris

10/3/2017

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After removing nearly 700 trees our contractors have done a wonderful job clearing the mess that Storm Doris left.

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Moving forward, we now need to have the timber removed from site as we have a proposed agreement with Natural England. We hope to extend the water bodies to include new ditches and scrapes, complimenting the adjacent habitats.
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    James Moss

    Reserves Manager at the Kingfishers Bridge wetland creation project in Cambridgeshire.

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