Celebrate World Wetlands Day at one of Yorkshire's beautiful wetland wildlife havens

Biodiversity is the theme of World Wetlands Day which is being celebrated tomorrow.
Jono Leadley Director of Development at The Nursery pond at the new Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve, where reeds were grown to be transplanted around the rest of the nature reserve.Jono Leadley Director of Development at The Nursery pond at the new Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve, where reeds were grown to be transplanted around the rest of the nature reserve.
Jono Leadley Director of Development at The Nursery pond at the new Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Ripon City Wetlands nature reserve, where reeds were grown to be transplanted around the rest of the nature reserve.

Wetlands are vitally important to our eco system providing a habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species, but what exactly is a wetland?

It is pretty much as it sounds – an area of land defined by the presence of water, either permanently or seasonally.

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As an ecosystem, wetlands are incredibly special, their unique, consistently wet soil (known as hydric soil) supports plants and animals found in no other places; they are generally considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems on earth.

World Wetlands Day can be celebrated in Yorkshire at one of six fantastic sites.World Wetlands Day can be celebrated in Yorkshire at one of six fantastic sites.
World Wetlands Day can be celebrated in Yorkshire at one of six fantastic sites.

Wetlands can be found on every continent, with some of the largest including the Amazon River basin and the West Siberian Plain, but globally they are disappearing three times faster than forests.

Toad patrol volunteers get ready for the first Yorkshire Toad Summit looking at ways to help halt the drastic decline in numbersYorkshire Wildlife Trust reveals thousands has been raised to help preserve Yorkshire's peatlandsWorld Wetlands Day is designed to raise awareness of these fantastic places and here in Yorkshire, we are lucky enough to host dozens of wetland habitats, many of which are managed or were even established by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

February is a wonderful time to visit a wetland as, whilst many mammals are still asleep through winter, birds are very much awake and on the move.

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Many species migrate to or through Yorkshire from colder climates, often travelling in huge numbers and many will stop off at a wetland to rest and feed before continuing their long journey.

There are three wetlands in Yorkshire which are well worth a visit and are a great place to find out more about the valuable role they play in helping our biodiversity.

Ripon City Wetlands is one of our newest reserves and formed in the footprint of a former quarry.

It may sound surprising, but ex-quarries can – and often do – make ideal wetland habitats. In the case of Ripon, the sand and gravel deposits in the river valley were quarried until they became very low-lying, meaning they are now easily and regularly flooded by the River Ure which runs alongside.

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Creating this wetland not only made a wonderful habitat to wildlife, it also protects local towns from seasonal flooding as now all the floodwaters come into and are stored by the wetland.

A footpath winds around the reserve, navigating you to places of interest and away from those kept purely for wildlife. There is a hide at the edge of the canal reedbed, and a screen further along the reserve at the edge of the riverside lagoon.

The canal reedbed was designed to attract birds who love dense foliage; look out for the long-billed snipe (particularly if it’s flooded in late winter or early spring), and watch carefully for the skilled marsh harrier stopping in to hunt on his spring migration.

Another migrating visitor is the tiny sand martin, which usually start to arrive from early March. They can be seen zipping lightly over the lagoons, feeding on the insects that hatch from the water. Listen out for their distinctive ‘buzzing’ call.

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North Cave Wetlands is another wetland formed in the footprint of a former quarry.

The nature reserve near Brough, is a great place to visit in February for duck-spotting. Large flocks of wigeon, teal and tufted ducks wheel through the skies and gather on the surface of one of the many lakes to feed.

You can also watch for more secretive wading birds from one of the strategically placed hides. Look out for the long-billed snipe treading carefully amongst the reeds, or listen out for the distinctive squealing call of the secretive water rail.

Staff from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust will be at the site tomorrow as part of World Wetlands Day to answer any questions visitors may have about wetlands.

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Join them at the main Crosslands Hide, which is an amazing natural hide made from straw bales and a green living roof, between 10am and 1pm. There is also a free guided walk around the nature reserve, looking at possible future extensions to this special wetland.

Wheldrake Ings differs from the other two sites as it is not a quarry but a site which has been in use for centuries. The wetland near York, has been managed in a traditional way which means you can still see habitats that have been there for hundreds of years.

Situated at the heart of the Lower Derwent Valley, this nature reserve is a natural floodplain, flooding from the River Derwent every winter.

This type of meadow community is now incredibly rare, which makes Wheldrake Ings an area of international importance for wildlife.

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Around 40,000 birds come to the Lower Derwent Valley through winter, and most visit Wheldrake. During these colder months, you can see whooper swans and ducks like wigeon and pintail, as well as peregrines and marsh harriers hunting silently overhead.

Look out for bounding hares and quiet roe deer in the meadows at dusk and dawn, and if you stay very still and very quiet for some time, you may even hear the quiet ‘plop’ of a water vole heading into the water.

To find out more about YWT events go to ywt.org.uk/events