The Sculthorpe Reserve has been 'beavering' away impending the arrival of a family of Beavers in April 2022.
The project has been funded under DEFRAs Green Recovery Challenge Fund; a government-funded initiative of which we received £247,000. The project includes erecting 2km of new fencing which will enclose approximately 20Ha. The fencing will look no different to the stock fencing that the reserve already uses to keep the sheep and cattle in, only the mesh is smaller - so not much intrusion spoiling the feel of the reserve.
The Beavers will be coming from a wild population in Scotland and will be a family group of 2 adults and 3 kits. These are being sourced through Derek Gow and his colleagues, who have been instrumental in the reintroduction of Beavers in the UK. This project will run for the next 5 years to manage the changes, both positive and negative, in how the Beavers manipulate the Wensum habitats. We will require an army of volunteers to help us monitor these changes; this will include surveying flora, monitoring Beaver movements, looking at the colonisation of the aquatic habitats, creating fence wardens etc. All of these activities will include training, so the only qualification is a commitment to attend. If you’re interested, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. who is the volunteer coordinator.
‘Why Beavers at Sculthorpe’ you may ask yourself when thinking of the Hawk & Owl Trust? Well, it’s all about creating habitats. The more biodiverse we can make these areas, the better it is for our native wildlife, and this includes our top predators. Hobbies, for example, need dragonflies for food - especially during the breeding season – and Beavers will create individual ponds and open water areas which will particularly attract dragonflies and subsequently feed the Hobbies.
Images: Jacob Kenworthy - showing the construction of a culvert, this pipe has to have extra reinforcements in place to deter Beavers from scrapping in the pipework.
