Nature | Aqualate Mere Farmers

A vibrant wetland mosaic

Aqualate Mere is over a mile long, surrounded by sweeping reedbeds, fen meadows, wet pasture, and low-lying woodlands. This patchwork of habitats has been created by thousands of years of farming in the area.

It is this mosaic of interconnected, semi-natural ecosystems that enables the unique local mix of wildlife to thrive here. The catchment is home to a range of mammals, amphibians, fish, insects, and plants, including many species rare in the UK, but the mere is particularly famous for its vibrant birdlife.

Around 160 species of bird have been spotted around the mere, 86 of which are known to breed here. This is one reason why the lake and its surrounding area is designated as an internationally important wetland reserve under Ramsar, and has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1956.

There are also nationally important geomorphological features around the mere. At the end of the last ice age when the glaciers covering this land began melting, they created streams of melt-water which deposited long winding banks of sand and gravel – known as eskers – as the ice retreated. The esker formation on the north side of the mere is over a kilometre in length and among the best quality examples of this landform in the UK.

Wildlife

The stunning array of birdlife is perhaps the greatest draw for visitors to the mere. The site has nationally important numbers of breeding herons and passage shoveler, and is regionally significant for breeding waders. Three different species of woodpecker have been spotted in the woodlands, as well as a wide variety of songbird species like warblers, tits, thrushes, larks and sparrows, and cuckoos during the summer months.

Three thousand or so ducks may be present on the water in wintertime, including mallard, teal, wigeon, pochard, tufted duck, goldeneye, gadwell and a historically-important flock of wintering shoveler. At dusk, when the starlings come to nest in the reed beds, spectacular murmurations ripple above the lake.

The low-lying pastures at the east and west of the reserve, dominated by rushes, provide breeding areas for wading birds such as lapwing, curlew, snipe and redshank. Prey birds like hunting barn owl and buzzard are also spotted regularly over these fields.

Kingfisher

Often spotted from the bird hide on the south side of the mere, perched on low branches over water or flying past in brilliant blue streaks.

UK Kingfishers suffered severe declines in the 1960s–70s and the recovery of the species is linked to improved water quality as a result of better farming practices. These apex predators are an indicator species: the presence of Kingfishers signals a healthy freshwater ecosystem with abundant prey of small fish, insects and aquatic invertebrates.

Buzzard

Nesting in trees and hedgerows but preferring to hunt over open ground, the farmed and semi-natural habitats of woodland edges, pasture, and arable fields surrounding the mere suits the buzzards perfectly.

Farmland creates the buzzard’s ideal hunting conditions, and you’ll often find them hovering over the fields searching for mice, voles, rabbits, small birds or similar. The buzzard preys on creatures that like to eat the farmers’ crops, and it performs a vital service by helping to keep their numbers under control.

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Great Crested Grebe

In the 19th century, the Great Crested Grebe nearly went extinct in the UK due to hunting for its feathers; only around 50 breeding pairs remained. Farm-influenced waterbodies like Aqualate Mere played a significant part in the recovery of this species.

Nutrients from the surrounding farmland increase the numbers of aquatic invertebrates and small fish in the mere. Combined with the abundant waterweeds for nesting, this creates ideal conditions for Great Crested Grebes to thrive.

Around 30 different species of mammal live around Aqualate Mere, existing on a spectrum from domesticated to wild.

On the wild side, the oak and sycamore woodlands are home to mammals including badger, fox, polecat, stoat, and yellow necked mouse. Pipistrelle, Daubenton’s, Natterer’s, Brandt’s and whiskered bats have also been sighted in the area and on the mere itself, you might even spot some otters.

There are red deer, fallow deer and wild ponies roaming in the parkland and meadows around the mere. These animals are not fed and looked after by the landowners like cows or sheep, but their wellbeing and habitats are monitored to support the health of the herds.

Nationally significant rare breeds of sheep and cattle are raised by our farmers in the fields nearby. They are specially bred to enhance the local ecosystem and farmed with as little input from humans as possible.

Exmoor Pony

Conservation grazing is essential at Aqualate to maintain biodiversity in the moist grasslands, or coarse grasses and rushes would dominate, reducing habitat for ground-nesting wading birds like curlew, lapwing, snipe, and redshank.

Exmoor ponies roam free with minimal human interference in the wet grassland and rush pastures around the mere. They love to eat coarse grasses, sedges, and rushes and their selective grazing creates a mosaic of vegetation—mixing short-grazed areas with taller undisturbed patches—creating ideal habitat for insects, and birds.

Hare

Brown hares they thrive in the mosaic of arable land, hay meadows, and grazing pasture around Aqualate Mere. This species is closely tied to open farmland. Unlike rabbits, they don't dig burrows but live in "forms" in shallow depressions in fields and meadows.

Grazed pasture and arable land provide hares with opportunities for feeding on grasses and cereals, with shelter and protection from predators to be found in hedgerows and ditches In return, they support traditional mixed farming by.feeding on young shoots and crops, they influence plant communities and the structure of field vegetation.

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TBC

The SSSI citation flags important populations of beetle, moth and fly species at Aqualate. Noteworthy beetles recorded on the mere’s fringes include the rove beetle Philonthus atratus, the willow weevil Dorytomus salicinus, and the leaf beetle Lema cyanella — who all like to damp woodlands, wet pasture vegetation and plant litter.

In the warmer months, the mere is abuzz with dragonflies and damselflies, including the azure damselfly, Coenagrion puella, and Calopteryx splendens, the banded demoiselle. Aquatic snails like Aplexa hypnorum and Viviparus viviparus live under the water; a good indicators of low-to-moderate nutrient, vegetated water that many insect larvae require.

Clearing farmland ditches during peak larval periods can destroy water beetles, caddis, and dragonfly larvae. Rotational desilting late in the season, leaving refuge sections each year, helps keep the invertebrate population intact while maintaining farm drainage.

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Dung Beetle

Aqualate boasts a vibrant array of dung beetles, who rapidly return nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil when they bury and consume dung, This speeds up pasture recovery and supports a more balanced mix of grasses, sedges, herbs, key for invertebrates and ground-feeding birds.

Burrows and tunnels created by dung beetles aerate soil and improve water infiltration, helping balance surface wetness with drainage in grazed areas. Many livetsock parasites breed in the animals’ dung, so these beetles also help to keep our cows and sheep healthy when they break up pats and bury them.

Painted Lady

Butterflies thrive in “untidy” farmland. Though not resident in Britain year-round, huge waves of beautiful Vanessa cardui arrive from North Africa via continental Europe in some summers, attracted by nectar in the open, flower-rich fen margins, hay meadows, and scrub edges.

But some years you might not see any: their migratory pattern is influenced by climate and weather, with their presence indicative of continental weather events. Tidy farmers are also unhelpful to butterflies, as eaaly, frequent cutting for silage reduces the nectar supplies these insects rely on.

Snipefly

These tiny carnivores can be seen resting in wait for their prey on foliage in damp wood or around the fens. Their larvae live in moist soil or decaying vegetation, where they feast on smaller invertebrates.

They love high-quality wetland and grassland habitats, including damp meadow edges and ditches. Over-drained fields, overgrazing, or heavy weeding and trampling removes the damp microhabitats snipeflies need. These micro-predators provide a quiet ecosystem service, controlling the numbers of smaller flies and insects that might be pests to farmland.

Community

The unique character of this landscape is shaped not only by its wildlife, but by the people who spend time here too.

An army of dedicated local volunteers supports the work of Natural England in maintaining the reserve. This includes conducting biodiversity and habitat surveys, managing invasive species, and cutting back foliage that threatens to clog up the wetlands. They play an invaluable part in the conservation of these habitats.

The unique natural features and abundance of wildlife around Aqualate Mere attract many welcome visitors, both locals and tourists, including ramblers, bird-watchers, wildlife and landscape photographers, and families of all ages who enjoy spending time together in nature.

All the photography on this site has been genorously provided by members of our community, with particular thanks to Rose Godwin, Phil Green, Alan Hartley, Ashley Evers-Swindell and Peter Jordan. You can enjoy more of their outstanding work and get to know this landscape better in the gallery below.

Click the arrow on the right to scroll through the gallery.