NEW HOME FOR WETLAND BIRDS WILL NOT BE A VISITOR ATTRACTION INSISTS COUNCIL

Work taking shape on the new wetland bird site near Grimsby

A WETLAND bird mitigation site  being created at Stallingborough, near Grimsby in North-east Lincolnshire, will NOT be promoted as a visitor attraction in the same way as, say, Frampton Marsh, Titchwell, Slimbridge or Gibraltar Point.

That is  the emphatic message from Mike Sleight, ecology officer of North East Lincolnshire, the body which will be managing the site when contractors have finished work on the project - to be known as Cress Marsh - later this year.

"It's a gem of a site, but we won't be publicising it in any of our tourist literature," he told a meeting comprised of members of Lincolnshire Bird Club, the RSPB and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

"It is not a park - it is an area where we want waders, wildfowl and other birds to be able to feed, roost and nest undisturbed by the public."

To this end, even the gate to the designated car park will be kept locked except for special "events" such as escorted trips.

That said, a wooden bird hide has been built on a bank close to the centre of the site about a kilometre away from the car park and hopefully out of sight of prospective ne'er-do-wells.

Mike, who is set to retire at the end of August, is keen that dedicated birders, including LBC members, actively monitor Cress Marsh and record their sightings.

But rather than broadcasting the information, he would prefer it to be noted in a logbook within the hide and/or relayed to his colleague, Rachel Graham, who will be liaising with Natural England which will have oversight of the project.

It is from data supplied by volunteers that the two organisations will be able to assess whether the venture has proved  to be a success.

Cress Marsh covers an area of about 40 hectares, but it is set to grow by a further 50 per cent as the result of acquisition of neighbouring land, some by compulsory purchase.

Its creation is providing compensation for habitat loss as the result of other areas of land on the Humber Bank being designated for large-scale industrial development

Four other mitigation sites are also in the pipeline, these  being adjacent to an ABP holding area for import of cars, the Cristal factory, the Humber Power plant and the Novartis factory.

The meeting heard that these areas should all be viewable from the sea wall.

LBC has asked to be represented on the board that oversees all these mitigation initiatives, but so far no invitation has been forthcoming.

The board currently comprises professionals from North East Lincolnshire Council, North Lincolnshire Council, Natural England, the Environment Agency, the RSPB and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Mike and Rachel fielded numerous questions both during and their presentation.

Once grassed (seeding will take place in September), the  banks will be grazed by 100 head of cattle.

There is no on-site electricity, but this may be achievable - possibly through installing solar panels on the hide. Also proposed is a webcam if  IT issues can be resolved.

Some of the edges to the lagoons and scrapes have been topped with shells or sand in the hope that this might encourage nesting activity from species such as ringed plovers and/or avocets.

Talks are ongoing with the power distribution companies in the hope that some of the overhead cables - which pose a collision risk - might be fitted with diverters or, better still, re-routed underground.

The footpath is currently being reinstated, but birders are welcome to view the site, though, in its incomplete state, don't expect to see anything special for a few more weeks. The best birds so far have been a flock of 60 lapwings and occasional skylarks.

What if a mega-rarity turns up and word gets out on social media, attracting hundreds of birders?

Mike and Rachel are aware of this possibility, but are hopeful of being able to manage any such situation.

However, they would prefer for the council - rather than Twitter - to be the first point of contact for the sake of the site's integrity.

Anyone wishing to provide voluntary assistance, for instance in supplying bird and wildlife records, is welcome to contact Rachel Graham at  Rachel.Graham@nelincs.gov.uk (01472 324267).

The meeting lasted about and hour, and the NELC duo were congratulated both for all their work towards creation of Cress Marsh and for taking the time to give such an informative presentation. 

Will the overhead power cables pose a bird collision risk?