Creating Wetlands at Bere Marsh Farm: A Vision for Wading Birds

Helena Darragh, Head of Conservation at the Countryside Regeneration Trust, shares her excitement about the project to create wetland habitats at Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset. 

The initiative, set to begin in the summer, aims to provide a vital haven for wading birds. 

The project is in collaboration with Wessex Rivers Trust. The planning phase has already been completed, with the perfect location identified for the new wetlands. 

The Heart of the Project: Nine Acres 

The chosen site for the wetland habitat is a field known as Nine Acres, where a natural pool already exists. The plan is to shape a shallow, muddy gutter leading to this natural low spot in the field, which will be widened and extended to create a scrape, encouraging wading birds to thrive in this area.  

By using the natural contours of the land, these new features will allow water from a nearby ditch to flow onto the field during periods of heavy rainfall. By taking into account the topography of the land, water will move across the field naturally, and be held in the gutter and scrape for longer periods. 

Helena explains the importance of this initiative: “We want to have shallow, muddy areas on the land for longer. At the moment, water sits on the grassland for a few weeks, but our hope is that these features will hold water from November through to April, to create which will be ideal for wading birds. These birds need shallow wet areas in winter to feed on invertebrates before the breeding season.” 

Natural pool on site in 9 Acres 

Sanctuary for Wading Birds 

Once the wetland is completed, the CRT hopes to see a variety of wading birds come to the area. Helena anticipates seeing more species like the common snipe, which are already present at Bere Marsh Farm. The creation of the wetland will provide them with an ideal environment to thrive, with hopes of attracting even more of these birds. 

“I would love to see redshank and also lapwings,” Helena adds. “While lapwings are a rare sight in Dorset—breeding pairs have been declining since the 1960’s —this new environment could encourage them to winter here and possibly breed. Lapwings would be the dream.” 

Additionally, the wetlands could attract black-tailed godwits and other coastal birds from nearby Poole Harbour. The project not only targets wading birds but will also benefit other species, attracting egrets and rarer duck species, such as wigeon and teal. 

The creation of this wetland will not only support biodiversity, but also help with flood alleviation and improving water quality. The slowing of water in the catchment will allow sediment and nutrients to settle on farmland, preventing them from entering the River Stour. 

This project also aims to address the impact of intensive farming, which has led to the loss of vital wetland areas for wading birds.  

The CRT's Helena Darragh

Helena explains: “While people may think we are getting more flooding on fields, we’ve lost the shallow margins which wading birds need. They might not look attractive to humans as they are just muddy, shallow wet patches, but such, fringe environments are crucial for wading birds to find food over winter.” 

Wading birds rely on these muddy, damp spaces to forage for earthworms, molluscs, and other invertebrates. If the ground is too dry or flooded with too much water, the birds cannot feed effectively. These delicate ecosystems are essential to their survival. 

Alex, Catchment Programme Manager from the Wessex Rivers Trust, said: "We look forward to supporting CRT’s ambitions to improve the health of the Stour at Bere Marsh, via the measures identified originally by Peter Stone and developed by the team here at the Trust.

"By restoring natural hydrological processes back to the floodplain, we’re hoping our work will contribute towards localised improvements in biodiversity, water quality and quantity at the Farm."

How You Can Help  

We need your help to provide the resources and habitats that wading birds so desperately need.   

By contributing to our winter appeal, you can make a real difference in the fight to save these remarkable birds.  

With your support, we can restore wetlands, build vital feeding channels, and create safer, more resilient habitats for lapwings across our farms. Together, we can help protect these birds for future generations.  

Your donation could help save a species. Donate today and make a difference to the survival of lapwings and the entire wetland ecosystem. 

Donate

Published: February 2025