by ReserveTeam | Mar 25, 2022 | Birds, Management, News, The Fleet
Background As a result of human disturbance and predators driving down the numbers of both Common and Little Terns nesting on Chesil Bank, it was decided to construct an island within the Swannery embayment to aid in their breeding success. The Tern Island was...
by ReserveTeam | Aug 6, 2021 | History, News, The Fleet
For many centuries, perhaps even a millennium, the West Fleet has been an ancient sanctuary within the Reserve, and not that many decades ago it was known as such. In his book ‘Nature Conservation in Britain’ (New Naturalist Series), Sir Dudley Stamp referred to it as...
by ReserveTeam | Jun 1, 2021 | Management, News, Scientific Research, The Fleet
I’m Jake Bowley, a PhD student from the University of Exeter. In collaboration with our partners at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), my research is investigating whether microplastics can act as novel surface to carry marine...
by ReserveTeam | Mar 15, 2021 | Marine, News, Scientific Research, The Fleet
The temperature is one of the factors influencing variety and abundance of microscopic communities in the Fleet. Despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Research team from Cefas has successfully completed the 3rd summer of water sampling. The...
by ReserveTeam | Jul 1, 2020 | Birds, News, The Fleet
In 2019 Cormorants successfully nested and fledged young for the first time on the Reserve and they have repeated their success in 2020. This aquatic bird has made use of an old Tern platform. Up to 50 individual Cormorants can be seen perched on these wooded beams at...
by ReserveTeam | Jul 25, 2019 | Birds, News, Scientific Research, Swans, The Fleet
This month saw the Swannery’s 20th Biennial Round-up. This is when Swannery staff, the Reserve team and over 100 volunteers, over a two-day period, push Mute Swans along the Fleet up to Abbotsbury. This is possible when non-breeding Mute Swans go in to moult, meaning...
