There is a colony of sand-martins nesting in the reserve, last year a pair of ringed
plovers nested there and the record book in the hide makes interesting reading.
A butterfly survey was carried out in 2009, noting a total number of 209 butterflies
between July and September. The most common were the Meadow Brown and the Gatekeeper
Where is it? Grid
ref: ST345045,
From Thorncombe drive towards the Quarry, past Heward and the turning to Holditch
along Headstock Road. Near the end where it bends round to the right there is a Public
Footpath sign by a stile on the right, and a lay by for parking on the left soon
after. Cross the stile and the little bridge, lift the "electric fence" gate and
head off diagonally to the top left corner of the field. Go through the gate, keep
going straight to the opposite side of the second field to the stile. Follow the
footpath to the entrance gate. (approx 7 mins easy walk from the road)
There is another entrance further along this same footpath, and following this path
will lead you to the road between Chard Junction and Forde Abbey.
Joy Wallis, People and Wildlife Co-ordinator at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: "The
reserve is just beginning to become established, so it is an exciting time. It is
a fantastic amenity for local people and we hope that the community will enjoy watching
the wildlife move in over the next few years."
The reserve opened in May 2009 and shortly afterwards everyone was devastated to
learn that vandals had burnt down and completely destroyed one of the two bird
hides. The remaining hide still stands, (see above) although it has been damaged,
and a viewing platform has been built to replace the other hide, giving clear
views over the lakes.( See below)
