NEWS
3 Floating islands arrive, are constructed and then floated out and secured one cold, sunny Saturday morning. Lake depth was normal and was over 5 feet deep at the deepest part. The islands are intended to provide 'flood-proof' refuge for nesting birds, rising and falling with the water level as well as enriching the underwater habitat. They comprise a 2m square of floating cylinders under which is slung a metal mesh cage to protect the roots. A metal mesh platform suspends coir matting, preplanted with rushes and sedges, and a further metal mesh cage is fitted on top and is intended to be grown through as the plants mature. Anchoring is via steel cables attached to several large pieces of concrete which rest on the lake bed. 
Working party shores up the dam/sluice at the mouth of the stream connecting the north lake to the River Frome so as to preserve water levels in the lake when the river level drops. Some exposed mud at the lake edge is desirable for wading birds.
Depth measurements in the north lake in preparation for the installation of floating islands. On the day the water level was roughly a foot lower than the normal. Measurement showed a maximum of roughly 4 feet in the middle of wider sections of the lake quickly decreasing to 2 feet or shallower in less central parts. Even with the lake being low this was much shallower than had been understood. It is possible that flooding has deposited mud or silt in the last couple of years.Thanks to Alison Tutt from the Somerset Mammal Group we were able to borrow 29 Longworth traps with which to begin surveying the small mammals on site. The weather was fairly wet and blowy overnight however the traps attracted 3 short-tailed voles, two wood mice, a common shrew and a toad! The areas covered included two places in the hillside plantation next to large rotting logs, two meadow/long grass areas and two waterside areas; one by the river and one by the lake which produced the shrew. All areas were on the western side of the reserve.
Working party takes on several jobs: reed planting in the lake, clearing patches of turf on hillside for species diversity and insect nesting and litter clearance in the turning bay area
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The January floods brought a large amount of litter into the reserve which suffers from wind-blown litter already. The clean-up continues!
A rather early sighting of frog spawn laid in a ditch at the foot of the embankment on the ASDA side of the site.
The previous hide, built as part of the original design was removed in summer 2007 due to vandalism and inappropriate use. The willow screen has been built in the north field adjacent to the north bridge to provide cover for observing birdlife on the main lake. (Photos: J Vickers, R Roberts)
