Page 9 - Issue 80 Online

MANEA MATTERS
MANEA MATTERS
by drained land, it sits two metres higher,
which makes keeping it wet a challenge.
So we actually have to pump water out
of the river onto the Fen. Otherwise, it
would dry out and the many insects and
birds that depend on it being wet would
simply die out.

If you want to see The Fens
as they were, you just need
to travel twenty miles

Winter Water on Burwell Fen
Keeping the prime, historic fragment of 1st November each year, we turn a tap
Fen wet is a challenge, especially during (with a metre-long key) and water flows
hot summers, so the National Trust have onto Adventurers’ Fen. This is one of my
created spreading space for wildlife by favourite jobs because, literally overnight,
acquiring surrounding land and turning it it creates pools that draw in hundreds of
back to nature. It is on this adjacent land ducks, geese and other birds from miles
that the herds of Koniks and Highland around - proving the importance of
cattle roam. (Konik is Polish for ‘small standing water for wildlife.
horse’). We try to keep these new parts
of the nature reserve as wild as possible. In the winter, on Burwell Fen, thanks to
But we do one thing: add water. our seasonal re-wetting, an increasing
number of Whooper Swans have been
Between 1st November and 31st March, visiting. I counted a record 370 just
we have a licence from the Environment before Christmas. Now, as we head into
Agency to take a set amount of water spring, many of the swans, ducks and
from the river, to put on the Fen. On geese migrate north, but a host of other
birds start nesting and areas of water
provide protection from predators (foxes
and badgers) for those that nest on the
ground. The watery wilderness of Wicken
Fen is a haven for wildlife and well
worth a visit. Listen for cuckoos in May,
look at orchids in June or watch darting
dragonflies in July.
Ajay Tegala
(If you would like to read more about Ajay’s
work, his book Wetland Diaries: Ranger Life
and Rewilding on Wicken Fen is published
on 2nd May)
All images © Ajay Tegala
Koniks on the Fen
DEADLINE FOR ISSUE 81 (SUMMER) – FRIDAY 17 MAY 2024 PAGE 9
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