Wading birds find west Dorset haven

8th July, 2010

There is cause for celebration at a west Dorset nature reserve, with news of the first ringed plovers to breed in the area. A pair of the small but striking wading birds has nested at Chard Junction Quarry, raising a family of four chicks. Just one year ago, Dorset Wildlife Trust and site owners Bardon Aggregates turned the disused part of the quarry into a community nature reserve for the benefit of local people and wildlife, hoping that wildlife would start to move in.

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Joy Wallis, said: “This is fantastic news, showing how quarries can become wildlife havens. The birds could leave any time now, possibly to winter on the coast, but we hope they will be back to breed here next year.”

Ringed plovers have amber status as birds of conservation concern and have increasingly chosen to nest inland on sand and gravel pits and even old industrial sites as well as coastal beaches.

Bardon Aggregates are still extracting gravel on the working part of the quarry, but as soon as they heard of the plovers’ nest, Quarry Manager Tony Pearson ordered an exclusion zone to make sure there was no disturbance to the pair.

Mr Pearson said: “It's fascinating see how these birds have progressed, considering the natural predators that share the same area, including foxes, badgers, crows and buzzards. We just hope they will become regular visitors now.”

Dorset Wildlife Trust, local volunteers and the quarry owners, Bardon Aggregates, worked together to put in a permissive path and bird hides for the public to enjoy the wildlife.
The community reserve contains important wildlife habitats, including woods, ponds and establishing grassland. In the far west of the county, close to the Somerset and Devon borders, it provides a much needed haven for wildlife as there are no other nature reserves nearby.

Chard Junction Quarry nature reserve, near Chard Junction at grid reference ST 345045, is open daily, free of charge. Reserve leaflets are available from Chard Tourist Information Centre. More information from Bardon Aggregates on 07730 832767

Story by Dorset Wildlife Trust

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Image credit: Monique Vanstone

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