LBC - RSPB meeting - Sept 6

I have nothing against dogs... Its the owners I don't like. 

I like spaniels, but the breed is probably the worst when it comes to chasing birds across marshes/beaches etc. They’re absolute shockers.

 

I visit this area regularly, in fact at least a couple of times a week. However, after a rather unsavoury experience with a woman walking two young spaniels I no longer visit it at the Yacht club end. 
Regardless of the signage about dogs being on leads when on the site, dog owners seem to be above reproach when it comes to adhering to this request. I also find that having to walk with my head down to avoid stepping in something, is a hindrance to enjoyable birding.
However, from the Tetney end it is a wonderful place and I will continue to visit it.

Far from being "unloved" and seldom-visited as suggested by me in an earlier post, Tetney Marshes reserve is greatly cherished by the RSPB and monitored as often as twice a week by two of its team.

Birds and other features of this unique saltmarsh habitat are closely monitored, litter is cleared and staff engage with visitors, including dog-walkers, as positively as they can.

Alll this emerged when the society's Humber area chief Pete Short met with LBC chairman Phil Espin and me for a couple of  hours yesterday morning.

Pete said he would welcome a return to the days when Tetney Marshes had its own dedicated warden, but he explained  that,  for budgetary reasons, this was not realistic.

The cost of employing warden - including salary, an office and a vehicle - would leave little, if any, change from £50,000 per annum.

During our discussions, overhead waders, including a party of half-a-dozen snipe, two turnstone and a single black-tailed godwit,  provided a refreshing reminder of what the marshes are all about.

Although the reserve, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, attracts waders and wildfowl of many species, the resident star is unquestionably the redshank.

Because this expanse of  saltmarsh is almost undisturbed by sheep or cattle grazing or by human activity, it is reckoned to be most authentic of its kind in the east of England, possibly the whole of the country.

For this reason, redshank are thriving with at least 50 breeding pairs, maybe as many as 100 pairs.

At Tetney, as elsewhere, this precious wading species faces many threats. The nests face predation from carrion crows, badgers, stoats, foxes and more.

However, Pete is confident that the population is sufficiently resilient to withstand the pressures and to continue to flourish. He expressed his appreciation for dog-walkers and others who mostly (though not always)  now refrain from venturing across the marsh in response to new illustrated signage which highlights the vulnerability of the birds   

The RSPB owns much of the saltmarsh, but, contrary to common belief, not all of it. Other stakeholders include a wildfowling group, which owns a huge chunk,  the Crown Estate, ABP, Phillips 66 (formerly Conoco),  Humberston Fitties site owner Tingdene and Fitties chalet owwners.

Other interested parties include Natural England, the Environment Agency and local authorities - notably  East Lindsey District Council and, to a lesser extent, North East Lincolnshire Council.

And, if anything were to go awry in what is potentially quite a dangerous place, be sure the Health and Safety Executive would soon have a team on the scene. 

Much of Pete's time is spent in the office where he has to balance the competing interests of the various organisations in such a way as to ensure that the welfare of   birdlife is not compromised. Not infrequently, legal niceties add to the complexities.

Happily, however, huge amounts of time are also devoted by Pete and his team to exploring ways to enhance or enlarge habitat - for instance, by creating or extending lagoons,  for the benefit of birdlife. 

Pete would welcome interest from anyone helping with the oversight of the reserve on a voluntary basis.

It is hoped that the Lincs Bird Club might be able to part-fund some small-scale Tetney Marshes projects in the future.