Perhaps one of the most hidden habitats locally, the marshes are also some of our most bountiful in both flora and fauna. Here you can see (and hear) all sorts of unique species that you won't find in other habitats, so they are always worth a visit.
Throughout the year the marsh is home to numerous different species of birds, many of them are extremely elusive and difficult to spot from amongst the grass. Grey Herons are at least easy to spot by their size, but the much smaller Moorhens, Snipe and even Jack Snipe can lie out of sight amongst the reeds. Indeed we get relatively infrequent records of these birds, even though it is likely that they are present, they just remain hidden and silent. Other birds are much more vocal, and often you can hear both Reed Buntings and Sedge Warbler contributing to the song coming from within the marsh. Whistling Teals alongside Mallards often frequent the marsh pools, though with this recent weather these are mostly dried up and so we have not seen ducks at the marsh for a while. All of these birds provide a tempting target for would-be hunters, and the marsh has its own raptor. Aptly named Marsh Harriers are few and far between, but we've had records of them hunting around the marsh, where they often disturb many of the harder to find species whilst they are it!
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| Common Spotted Orchid (left) and it's hybrid |
The marsh is home to a great variety of fauna, many of it hidden behind the rushes and long grasses. The damp soils make this a good place for a great variety of plants, including Bogbeam, Ragged Robin and Marsh Sancfoil. If you're looking to tickle your tastes buds, then they also have Wild Mint and Water Pepper - having tried it I can attest that it is very peppery! Deep within the heart of the marsh lie some truly beautiful plants, the orchids. Common Spotted Orchids are our staple species, along with Northern Marsh Orchids Whilst none were of the latter flowering when we last visited, they did leave behind some evidence, a hybrid orchid. Crossed with a Common Spotted orchid it displays both a distinctive purple colour and spots on its flower and leaves. These hybrids are capable of propagating with the regular Common Spotted Orchids, indeed this plant was likely a 2nd or 3rd generation hybrid itself. Under ideal conditions, it is possible that even the Common Spots will be replaced, as over time they all hybridize.
Definitely the most numerous of all organisms at the marsh are the insects, of which there is a huge variety across many families. Butterflies can be found all through the meadows surrounding the marsh, and there are many within the marsh itself. During our visit this week we had a Meadow Brown, Large Skipper and even a Small Heath. It is around the small ponds that most of the insects can be found, however, thanks to the warm weather of late these ponds are much smaller than normal. Within the water are several Diving Beetles, whilst on the surface are Pond Skaters and flying above them are numerous small flies. These are ideal food for aerial hunters mobile enough to catch them, and sure enough, there are dragonflies present at the ponds as well. Pinning down which species they are however was a challenging ordeal, as they spend a lot of time on the wing and land only for a short period of time before alighting again. Eventually though we were able to get some pictures during a brief respite period on some grass, identifying our mystery dragonfly as a Four-spotted Chaser. On the same small patch of water we also recorded a Common Darter, as well as Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies in the surrounding vegetation.
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| A Four-spotted Chaser takes a brief moment of respite |
As you can see there is a wide range of organisms to be found amongst the marshes, far more than there initially appears. Patience really is the key to this habitat, as there are many places for everything to hide, but also lots of things to discover! Perhaps not as well known as other areas around the Wig, I would definitely recommend you to check them out, or even your own local marsh. Providing it hasn't rained recently (unless you have wellies of course) and the sun is out, there is guaranteed to be a plentiful bounty awaiting you.
[All photographs were taken by and belong to Stephen Grover, please ask for permission if you wish to use them.]
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