Protos comes alive with nature! 

Did you know that over 50 hectares of land is being dedicated to nature at Protos where we’ve already planted over 2,600 trees? 

Spring has well and truly sprung at our two purpose built habitats Snipe Haven and Goldfinch Meadows. If you pay an early morning visit to Goldfinch Meadows you will be treated to a barrage of beautiful bird song.  Migrants such as chiffchaff, blackcap and whitethroat have arrived and are trying to attract mates, as are some of our resident birds, like the incredibly loud for its size, wren.  

Coot and their young have been observed on the pond, and it is very likely there has been breeding by moorhen and mallard, on nests hidden amongst the vegetation.  So, it is even more important to please keep your dog on a lead and out of the ponds and ditches!  

In Snipe Haven we’ve captured some great footage of water voles on the hidden cameras (follow us on Twitter to see for yourself!). These cameras are a great way of monitoring nature activity at the site and recently captured a stoat running along the bank of a ditch – a species which until now we didn’t know was at Protos.  A number of wildfowl have had their first broods, including mallard, moorhen, coot, and a gadwall with 11 ducklings (which were possibly not all her own!). 

A barn owl has been observed in the vicinity of the pole mounted barn owl box, so fingers are crossed that they may successfully breed in the box this year.  Last year, the box was taken up by a pair of stock doves.   

There are a busy few weeks ahead with lots of survey work, including breeding bird, water vole, and vegetation.  We are also getting ready to sow two acres of wild bird seed mix into the cropped field, which will see mustard, barley, millet and phacelia plants grow later in the year. This will become a giant bird table to provide farmland bird species with a food source over the tougher winter months.  

Can I visit the nature areas? 

You can explore Goldfinch Meadows on your own or follow one of the walking routes. Snipe Haven is an extensive area entirely dedicated to nature, with habitats created particularly for water voles and wading birds. To help protect these species Snipe Haven is not open to the public. 

Look out for the information boards with fascinating wildlife facts for all ages. The species you see will depend on the time of day and season so there is always something new to discover. 

For more information on the nature areas and walking routes visit  http://www.protos.co.uk/community/nature/