Kingfishers Bridge Nature Reserve

Since 1995 the Kingfishers Bridge Project has transformed 150 acres of arable farmland into a mosaic of wildlife habitats. Water meadows, reedbeds and sandstone cliffs now provide a welcome refuge for hundreds of bird and plant species.

Where tractors once cultivated the soil to grow potatoes and cereals there are now meadows with hundreds of wintering wildfowl, reedbeds with nesting Marsh Harriers and limestone cliffs with breeding Sand Martins and Kingfishers.

The project, which was started by private initiative, has many special features. It benefits from various water sources including clear clean water seeping from a limestone ridge which lies adjacent to the site. Water levels are carefully managed for optimum wildlife benefit with the use of banks, ditches and sluices which ensure none is wasted.

Reedbed, fen, mere, ditches, ponds, islands, meadows, scrapes and cliffs have all been created, each with the special features needed to attract a variety of species. For instance the reedbed has open pools, some deep water, an extensive ditch system and variable water depth to attract species such as Bittern. It has also been stocked with fish and small eels to ensure a good food supply is available.

Since 1995 over 300 plant taxa have been recorded, most of which have colonised naturally. A few have needed some help. Water Germander had declined in eastern England to just 12 plants all at Kingfishers Bridge. With the help of some funding from English Natures Species Recovery Programme our work has increased the population to over 500, 000 – an increase of over 4, 000, 000%