Cooling Reserve - Latest news

A New Dawn for Wetland Wildlife

In the heart of North Kent, where the river Thames meets the North Sea, a remarkable story of conservation and renewal is unfolding. The Kent Wildfowling and Conservation Association (KWCA), a stalwart of British wildlife preservation, is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its acquisition of the Cooling Marshes, a plot of land that has become a beacon of hope for wetland wildlife.

Over three decades ago, the KWCA made a strategic decision to purchase this expansive marshland. It was a bold move, a testament to their commitment to preserving the delicate balance of our natural world. Since then, the marsh has been a hive of conservation activity, with maintenance work ongoing from the very first day.

Last year, the Wild Spaces Fund, KWCA's charitable conservation arm, secured significant funding over £100,000 via the Greener Thames Project. This funding was earmarked for a project of paramount importance - the habitat recreation for breeding wetland waterfowl and waders, with a particular focus on the lapwing and redshank species.

In a remarkable display of unity and shared purpose, the conservation project is being run in conjunction with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Southeastern Region. The RSPB has organised the civil engineering works, which include the excavation of new scrapes and the installation of two solar-powered pumping stations. These stations lift water from the ditches to the scrapes, enhancing the marsh for the benefit of the breeding waders. Looking forward to 2024, KWCA and Wild Spaces Fund in conjunction with the RSPB have been successful in their bid for funding for a further two new solar pumps.

The Cooling Marsh is a testament to the power of human ingenuity and dedication when channelled towards the preservation of our natural world. It is a living, breathing example of what can be achieved when we set our minds to the task of conservation.

The site will be continually monitored by the Wild Spaces Fund and the RSPB, ensuring the successful breeding of the targeted species. This is not just a project, but a commitment to the future, a promise to the lapwings and redshanks that their song will continue to echo across the marshes of North Kent.

The story of the Cooling Marsh is a story of hope, dedication, and of deep-seated respect for the natural world. It is a story that the KWCA is proud to write and one that they are eager to share with the world.

For more information about the KWCA and their conservation efforts, visit https://kentwildfowlers.co.uk/

Black-winged Stilts settle at Cooling.

On his regular early morning nesting bird survey our head warden, Mark Robinson, spied a rare, but unmistakable sight; a pair of Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) settled on Whimbrel's pool. The recent heavy rain has temporarily filled all the pools, hollows and scrapes on the reserve, making ideal habitat for this most elegant, long legged wader, to feed on its staple diet of invertebrates and aquatic insects.

After completing his rounds, Mark returned to the reserve a few hours later with friend and cameraman Mick Brotherwood to capture this exciting and extraordinary event. A fellow member also had a close encounter with two pairs on the RSPB's Elmley Reserve and caught one on camera.

2012 is proving to be an excellent year for spotting this bird, with several reported sightings around the county. Although far from common, this Mediterranean vagrant is increasingly overshooting its northern most limits in France, even staying in Britain to breed on very rare occasions.

Work Party success

Last weekend saw the finishing touches being put in place for our Higher Level Stewardship capital works program. Following the installation of two new pipe sluices earlier in the year to control the water levels across the marsh, we have now installed additional stock barrier fences to protect them from poaching by sheep and cattle traffic. Not only will this protect the sluices, it will also aid, Eddie, our grazier in rounding up his stock.

Higher Level Stewardship begins

This is our largest reserve now entered into our Higher Level Stewardship agreement with Natural England. Work here will begin in the Autumn of 2011, with the first phase being completed by March 2014. The works will include the creation of 8 new large scrapes, the introduction of new sluices and bunds to improve water level management. In addition to these capital projects there will be specific ongoing maintenance to improve the habitat for wintering waders and wildfowl and the maintenance of wet grassland for breeding waders.
We are already successfully monitoring the site for the presence of American Mink.

Rejuvenation

The autumn programme of capital works is underway on our Cooling Reserve, with six culverts being replaced and 1,000 metres of ditch restoration completed so far. The rejuvenation of ditches and culverts are a vital part of the ongoing conservation work on the reserve to maintain good water levels and promote the amphibian populations.