On the other side of Sandford Lane from the bustle of Dinton Pastures lie two quieter lakes – Lavell’s and Lea Farm. These are managed by the Lavell’s Wetland Trust especially for wildlife. On October 19th, the Trust’s Chief Visionary Officer, Fraser Cottington, told us about how the lakes came to be, the work that’s been done to make them what they are today and the projects the Trust has planned for the future. He’s passionate and proud about what the Trust has achieved – and rightly so. He showed us photos and maps showing the changes since 1984 when the Friends of Lavell’s Lake, the forerunners of today’s Trust, were formed. These included building hides and paths, creating scrapes and breeding islands, and putting in reed beds.
The lakes have an impressive range of residents and migrants – and some rare visitors. you’re lucky, and depending on the time of year, you could see kingfishers, oystercatchers, greenshank, snipe, water rail, marsh harrier, sparrowhawk, bitterns and mediterranean gulls.
Future projects include purchasing neighbouring land to create more habitat and continuing development of Lea Farm Lake.
The main challenges faced by the reserve are flooding, wildlife disturbance and predation, litter and vandalism, spread of non native weeds and lack of parking.
There is a membership scheme which helps raise funds and gives exclusive access to Lea Farm Lake and its hide and events include conservation work parties and dawn chorus walks. For more information on visiting and how you can help, go to www.lavells.org.uk
