Godmanchester Nature Reserve

The overall aim of the project is to secure positive management of Godmanchester nature reserve and improve key areas of reedbed, open water and floodplain grassland within the Ouse Valley. In December 2012 the Wildlife Trust BCN took over the lease of Cow Lane Gravel Pits from Lafarge-Tarmac, with an agreement to purchase the site within three years. The pits were restored for conservation after the gravel workings ceased in 1999, but limited management since has left areas overgrown and in need of restoration. The reserve is a key wetland bird site, providing an over-wintering refuge and larder for many species of duck, goose and wader arriving from breeding in the arctic or sub-arctic. The project will provide improved roosting, breeding and feeding conditions for nationally important bird species and improved habitat for wider wildlife.