Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of earth shifted to create new wildlife reserve on the Humber

The £29m joint initiative between the Environment Agency and Associated British Ports involves building a line of flood defences further inland and then breaching the old banks so water flows in through channels to create new saltmarshes and mudflats.

The four-year project is now halfway through.

Since May a fleet of excavators, dumpers and bulldozers have moved 700,000 tonnes of earth, including 400,000 tonnes of clay going on building substantial new defences, which will eventually extend for 4.5 kilometres.

In the summer of 2024 the old defences will be breached allowing water to flow in on high tides and creating 175 hectares of intertidal habitat.

Work has almost been completed on the western part of the site – 75 hectares of wet grassland – with a complex of ponds, scrapes and lagoons created where birds can roost safely, after feeding on the mudflats next door.

Birds make incredible journeys on their migrations and for centuries have stopped off on the Humber for a pitstop or to over-winter.

However much of their natural habitat has been lost to drainage and development, including the building of hard defences including the new £42m tidal wall in Hull.

The scheme – which is legally required under the Habitats Regulations - aims to provide habitat for key species including golden plover, dunlin and redshank - some of which are now in sharp decline.

They include the curlew, known for its haunting call, and the lapwing, with its familiar wavering flight, both on the red list of “Birds of Conservation Concern”.

Avocets – black and white waders with long up-curved beaks which are the emblem of the RSPB – have already nested on the new lagoons, and there are three breeding pairs of marsh harriers.

They have also attracted oystercatchers, as well as black-headed gulls and greylag geese.

"It’s good to see that target species like avocets have moved in over the period so far which bodes well for when we’ve completed the whole site,” said project manager Andrew Gee, from the Environment Agency.

The project seeks to strike a balance between allowing the birds to live undisturbed and giving people a chance to see wildlife from the new flood bank.

Three bird hides are going to be built and an extra parking area provided south of Weeton, with a right of way running along the top of the flood bank, and dipping behind it in areas considered sensitive for wildlife.

In future the Environment Agency is looking to appoint a site manager. Previously sheep grazed the western end of the site, and they may return with cattle in the wider area. The contractors working on the site are JBA Bentley.

The Environment Agency says the work will improve the standard of flood protection for people living in the nearby villages of Welwick, Skeffling and Weeton. Next Thursday they are holding a drop-in, where people can learn get an update on the work done so far.