Intersected by the busy A1 and bordered by a mixture of industry and local communities, you wouldn’t normally imagine that this could be home to a plethora of different species and protected as both a Site of Specific Scientific Interest and Local Nature reserve. To me, this is what gives the two sites their charm, whether it is watching the mix of wading birds on the pond, seeing a slightly unusual sward of plants growing over the old hockey pitch, walking through the lush grasslands and seeing dingy skipper and brimstone butterflies, or even watching the curlew roosting in Shibdon Meadow, you are never far from signs of industry, though you may feel in another world.

Shibdon has not been without its difficulties, following the driest year since 1976, the three inflows that feed the pond ran dry in May 2022 leading to unrecognisable water levels on site, perhaps insight into the real threat to wildlife climate change may hold. Despite the challenges seen across the region and country last year, the pond and its wildlife have recovered well this year. We have been pleased to contribute to this, courtesy of funding from The Daniell Trust. Amongst the deliverables, the funding allowed us to both improve the existing nesting rafts by replacing the pea shingle gravel, and to construct a new raft for the common terns.

After much research, I began the design process for the rafts, it is 3m x3m in size, of wood construction and kept afloat by 16 air cannisters below, which are secured in place and further protected by a number of feet that will sit on the pond floor in times of low water levels. The raft is topped with a mix of 0-20mm pea shingle and roofing tiles to provide shelter to the chicks from predators. Finally, the raft is surrounded by clear polycarbonate plastic sides to provide further protection from predators, while allowing us to see them.

The raft was constructed by our wonderful volunteers initially at Rainton Meadows before dissembling it ready for transport, to ensure a quick installation on the day. The timing of the installation was essential.  Too early and we risked the raft being monopolised by black headed gulls, too late and we risked the terns either picking somewhere with a lower chance of success or dismissing the site altogether.

Fast forward to the installation day itself and I can tell you, I was certainly a little nervous that my buoyancy calculations were correct. The pictures don’t do justice to how big and heavy the raft was.  It took 12 volunteers to lift it into the water before we paddled out towing the raft behind to find the prime tern real estate. Once anchored into place, we left the raft, hoping that the terns would follow. As if the terns were waiting, within a week, they were using the raft and have since had a number of chicks. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience to see the terns successfully using the raft, something both myself and the volunteers can be proud of.

Other successes at Shibdon Meadow

Shibdon Meadow has also had its successes with breeding birds. The site is primarily used as a high tide roost, with a number of wading birds taking refuge there when the nearby Tyne water levels rise pushing them off the river’s soft mud. Unexpectedly, over the past few years, a number of species have bred there including oystercatcher, tufted duck, coot, moorhen, mallards and, more recently this year, lapwing.

Work on our Shibdon sites will continue with further work to maintain and enhance the site. This work wouldn’t be possible without the support of our volunteers, members and funders, for further information please visit https://www.durhamwt.com/get-involved and click on the links to find out more.