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Title: Better for Wildlife, Better for People at Potteric Carr Author: Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  ID & Publication: 20121211041 ~ The-Villager.co.uk  Area: Doncaster  Subject: Environment

Biffa Award has awarded Yorkshire Wildlife Trust £24,681for their ‘Lapwings on your Doorstep’ project which will cover a number of habitat management activities at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve. The work will benefit a range of species, both common and rare, including ground nesting birds, bats and insects. This will also increase its value as an important tourist attraction in the South Yorkshire area, boosting the local economy.

Jim Horsfall, Reserves Officer for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said:
‘The habitat management work includes new grazing areas to improve the grassland, extension and enhancement of woodland habitat, hedgerow renovation and the putting up of bat boxes around the site. Potteric Carr is an incredibly diverse haven for wildlife, right on the edge of Doncaster – about as urban as you can get for a wildlife hotspot – and this work will only make it better! ‘

In addition to funding from Biffa Award, funding for some of the work has also been provided through Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme.

The grasslands at the east end of the nature reserve will be improved to provide the perfect conditions in spring for breeding birds such as lapwing and mammals such as brown hare. This will be achieved through conservation grazing, which means a number of fields require new fencing. Grazing will also ensure the success of the lowland fen grassland on the nature reserve, a rare habitat type important for many BAP priority species – these are species that have been identified as being the most threatened in the UK.

In the part of nature reserve known as Seven Acres Carr an area of wet woodland habitat has already been enlarged, with a mix of both dense woodland stand and open woodland. The open woodland is packed full of possible breeding spots for the rare willow tit, the habitat is also fantastic for insects and woodpeckers which feed on insects burrowing in the dead trees.

The lack of roosting spots for bats is also being addressed by fixing fifteen new bat boxes across the nature reserve, so that species associated with both open water and woodland are catered for. With the roosting sites sorted Potteric Carr should be the ideal place for bats, with its large numbers of insects, midges, mosquitoes and flies providing copious food supplies.

Finally hedge renovation will help the nature reserve to regain some of its original character, as there would have once been many more hedgerows in the local landscape than we see today. The hedgerows will also provide a boundary to the fields whilst providing a home and refuge for many plants and insects, plus benefit bats in acting as a clear marker as they travel in the dark using echo-location.

This suite of work will really up the biodiversity value of this already fantastic urban nature reserve. Potteric Carr truly is a remarkable place, just on the edge of Doncaster yet home to an astounding 230 bird species many of which will benefit from the work. The nature reserve is open to visitors seven days a week, and is only closed for four days over the Christmas period so take a trip down there yourself to experience this wildlife oasis right on your doorstep.

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