25/02/19 - Barmby Barrage

Last week our band of volunteers headed south to the mouth of the River Derwent, to the Environment Agency owned Barmby Barrage (where the Derwent joins the Ouse). The barrage prevents brackish water entering the Derwent, allowing the abstraction of fresh water for drinking supplies by Yorkshire Water at Loftsome Bridge. The purpose of our visit was to help the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust manage a small nature reserve established at the mouth of the Derwent. The site is being cleared of scrub to make it more open and attractive for breeding and passage waterfowl, before hopefully additional and improved scrapes are created along with other habitat improvements. The site does have a bird hide, however it’s closed at present, and in need of some TLC – but hopefully in the years to come there will be a thriving nature reserve that will benefit both wildlife and people. Many thanks to our fantastic team for a great start to the improvements, we couldn’t do it without you.