Erin Murton and other members of the Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust have been messing about with an amphibious tractor to help wildlife thrive in a hidden canal-side wetland

Just north of Wolvercote, where the Oxford Canal and railway line meet and the A40 passes close by, lies Dukes Lock Pond, a Local Wildlife Site and surprisingly hidden haven for birds, insects and otters.

This former gravel pit supports a mosaic of wetland habitats, including a large reed bed, pockets of wet woodland and areas of open water. However, after being forgotten for many years, much of the open water habitat has been choked by reed, and in turn scrub and trees are starting to grow across the reed bed.

Both reed beds and clean water ponds are priority wildlife habitats and now increasingly scarce in our county. Without intervention Dukes Lock Pond would soon no longer be able to support the rich diversity of plants and animals found there.

Earlier in the spring we brought in a specialist Truxor amphibious tractor from Wales to cut meandering channels in the reed bed and open up the pond once more.

This created shallow areas for aquatic insects such as great diving beetles, dragonfly larvae and water scorpions, as well as open areas for fish, that in turn attract feeding kingfishers and otters.

The cut reeds were cleared using a rake attachment on the Truxor and stacked at the margins of the reed bed to create special habitats where wetland insects can feed and grass snakes can lay their eggs.

Oxford Conservation Volunteers have been hard at work on the site clearing willow scrub to create a path along one side of the pond.

A local contractor came in to pollard large willow trees at the entrance to the site, extending the life of the trees and allowing more sunlight in to encourage aquatic plants to flourish including water mint, ivy-leaved duckweed and the unusual carnivorous bladderwort.

The restoration of this wetland haven is being managed by the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) and funded by the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment and the Canal & River Trust, which owns the site. We aim to encourage more people to enjoy Dukes Lock Pond as well as ensure wildlife continues to thrive there for many more years.

Now this wildlife hotspot is no longer hidden from the canal towpath, we will install an interpretation and information panel for passers-by to appreciate Dukes Lock Pond and its wildlife for themselves.

Few people realise there are more than 360 Local Wildlife Sites in Oxfordshire. Close to the River Cherwell there are several other wetland sites like Dukes Lock Pond that together form a really important network of habitats for otters, dragonflies, amphibians and birds such as kingfishers, cuckoos, grasshopper warblers and starlings that fly in to roost in the reeds.

Also nearby is the internationally-designated Oxford Meadows Special Area of Conservation, which includes BBOWT’s Oxey Mead nature reserve and Port Meadow.

BBOWT is managing Dukes Lock Pond as a pilot project. If successful, it could extend the restoration work to other Local Wildlife Sites in the Cherwell valley and beyond.

By enhancing all these natural wetland areas as valuable ‘stepping stones’ for plants and animals to use, we are creating larger networks within a living landscape. We hope this will help us achieve our vision of an environment rich in wildlife, valued by all.