Woodwalton Fen & Holme Fen National Nature Reserves

03/11/2024

A timely reminder with Halloween at an end.

Please don’t bring your left over pumpkins down to our nature reserves.

👇👇

A polite reminder, with Halloween around the corner.

Please do not bring your left over pumpkins to our nature reserves, as we have seen happen in recent years.

While this is no doubt well meant, it is not appropriate on sensitive wildlife sites.
Pumpkin can be harmful to some wildlife like hedgehogs, in the worst case fatal.
Plus when it doesn’t get eaten it is an unpleasant rotting mess.

Either compost your pumpkin or put in the bin.

07/06/2024

The Angus cows have also started to come back onto Woodwalton Fen. They graze different areas to horses, resulting in a different vegetation structure, benefitting a different suite of species.

Please note that areas being grazed by the cattle and ponies are now closed to public access, this is signed at all field entrances. Please respect these closures.

There are still plenty of paths to access site along

07/06/2024

It’s the start of our main grazing season, and look who’s back 👀
The lovely highland ponies.

The wet weather the last few month has been making life difficult. Having come back into the fen in April, further downpours meant they had to go back home again for a bit.

But with water levels returning to normal and the sun returning they are back for the summer. And will be joined by a couple more in due course.

Please rest assured, they vegetation they are grazing has all the goodness they need so no feeding please. They actually thrive on our natural low quality vegetation, it keeps their weight on point and has lots of natural minerals.

15/05/2024

We have received reports that members of the public have been kayaking on the meres at Holme Fen in recent weeks.

Please be advised that this is not permitted.

Holme Fen is a nature reserve, please stay out of the Meres and leave them for the wildlife to enjoy.

Not only does this disturb wildlife but it poses a biosecurity risk for the aquatic environment too.

Please refrain from fishing and swimming also, and keep dogs on dry land please

30/04/2024

Chirpy new arrival by the Woodwalton office yesterday - a Garden Warbler

29/04/2024

!

Not much on our moth surveys last week due to the cold nights. This lovely Angle shades moth was a highlight.

26/04/2024

Despite the dreary weather, our summer wildlife continues to arrive this week.

We spotted our first Hairy Hawker freshly emerged this week, Cuckoos are back and the first Swallows have been passing through.

If you are coming to enjoy the Dragonflies at Woodwalton Fen, please enjoy them from the safety of the mown paths. While it’s tempting to take a step or two off the path to get a better picture, this causes damage to the vegetation around it and also risks trampling other dragonflies/insects.

18/04/2024

With vegetation starting to grow and weather improving, it was all change for some of the Highland Ponies that graze the site.

Having spent the winter in our restoration land, the first 4 came back into the fen yesterday. Quickly greated by the first returning Swallows of the year hunting overhead.

With the reserve still quite damp we will just be grazing a few areas for now, but hopefully the rest of the herd and the cattle can trickle on soon.

16/04/2024

It doesn’t take long for the fen to reclaim the man made.

A bit of annual maintenance for some of our bridges last week thanks to our fab Wednesday Volunteers. Not a cosmetic thing, keeping the wood vegetation free prolongs its lifespan and allows us to identify structural issues quicker.

They also made some final repairs post flooding which meant we could finally reopen.

📸 before, during and after

15/04/2024

We have been made aware of dirt bikes accessing Holme Fen recently.

This hopefully is a case of those people not being aware, but it goes without saying that use of motor bikes of any kind is not permitted on any of our nature reserves including Holme Fen

Neither is the use of peddle bikes.

If you see anyone onsite with either please let us know with any information you can-eg descriptions/number plates/photos etc.

15/04/2024

Good news, Woodwalton Fen is now open again.

It is still wet in places, so a few rides remain closed off in addition to our normal closures at this time of year. We are hoping it now stays dryish so we can stay open.

As always please stay on the mown paths, there are special plant and insect species alongside all the paths which are easily damaged by trampling.

Great Fen