WORK will begin tomorrow (Tuesday) on building a new viewing area at a popular Upton Warren wildlife park.
Thanks to the £8,000 from Tesco Bags of Help scheme towards the cost of the project, the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust will start constructing the new birdwatching hive and access path.
The project was voted for by Tesco customers last December and work has since taken place to secure planning permission and prepare the site.
It follows the devastating fire in April 2012 and destroyed three quarters of the green space which is considered one of the county’s most important nature and wildlife reserves. Police believe the blaze was started deliberately.
Andy Harris, the Trust’s conservation officer responsible for Upton Warren, said: “This is great news and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for us in Tesco stores across Worcestershire.
“In 2015 we undertook major restoration of the pool at The North Moors but didn’t have enough money to build a birdwatching hide to help our visitors make the most of the maturing wildlife habitat.
“Now we’re able to install a wheelchair accessible hide, which means that many more people will be able to enjoy the bird and other wildlife delights of this fantastic place.”
The new Hobby Hide will be the seventh hide at the popular nature reserve, which has breeding avocets and visiting migratory birds such as ospreys.
It will be situated overlooking the North Moors pool and other donations and grants received will be spent on the construction of a path to the hide through a small wooded copse. The copse is a mix of blackthorn, dogwood and spindle and is a great place for roosting birds.
The hide is a replacement for one that has been burnt down and replaced twice by Mrs Price-Stephens as a memorial hide. The location of the new hide has been changed.
Andy added: “Our volunteers at Upton Warren have been working hard to coppice willow and scrub in the area to encourage the growth of reeds and wetland plants that will, in turn, increase the number of birds using the pool and its margins.
“Visitors can look forward to seeing and hearing birds like water rail and Cetti’s warbler from the new hide. These are normally really elusive birds but a little patience in the right location is often rewarded.”
It is thought the work will take a week and part of the North Moors area will be cordoned off while it is carried out but all other hides across the Upton Warren reserve will remain open.
The Trust has also received donations from members, volunteers and The Gordon Gray Trust to help with the overall cost of the project.
Since launching in 2015, Tesco’s Bags of Help has awarded more than £25 million across more than 3,000 local projects.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork on its Bags of Help scheme, which sees grants – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to environmental and community projects.
For more information about the work of the Trust and visiting Upton Warren Wetland Reserve, readers should visit www.worcswildlifetrust.co.uk
