Recent news
Stop Press - ‘A History of the Reserve’
If you have wondered about how the Reserve came into being, and the story of the land of which we are custodians, this book will be of interest.
Following the talk by George Demidowicz at our July AGM, Brian has produced an expanded History of the Reserve, with George’s permission including some of his material. The book has fifty pages with many illustrations. Copies are still available for £10 by contacting enquiries@fknnr.org.uk
Our attempts to control Himalayan Balsam will be a continuing job for 2025.
Look at our Diary page to see how you can help.
On May 3rd we held our Spring event, ‘Dawn to Dusk’, including a 5am Dawn Chorus walk, with twenty-six bird species identified.
Our stalls and exhibits in the Meadows were well-attended, the plastic duck races in the River Rea also popular with children. Claire and Amanda led a Wildflower walk, and river-dipping with nets and trays enabled visitors to find some tiny invertebrates that live in the river.
Over forty adults and children attended the Bat walk in the evening, led by Chris Sherlock of BrumBats; using detectors near the lake we identified Pipistrelle, Daubenton and Noctule species.
Regrettably the Rangers have requested the closure of the informal track leading between the Merecroft Dam and Sheila’s Meadow.
The purpose is to protect the boggy habitat in Sheila’s meadow and to allow the woodland on the slope to be enjoyed exclusively by wildlife. The closure will also ensure that the sloping dam embankment does not get eroded by footfall, and to prevent any safety issues arising from treefall and sloping paths in the woodland. Some of the lakeside is still accessible.
Here is a poem by Dawn, one of our volunteers, hoping people will respect the need to protect this area…
‘We’re sorry that we have to ask
You not to tread this weary path
It’s the means to a worth
‘We’re sorry that we have to ask
You not to tready end:
Protecting our wet and wild friends…’
