Rewilding

A morning trip to Delamere Forest.

It’s still the school holidays in these parts, so there were plenty of family groups around, especially on bikes. But we quickly found a route off one of the main tracks, and were readily able to get away from the “action”. This was a part of the forest we didn’t know at all, so we explored.

Before long we passed an interesting fence line - very sturdy wooden posts and firmly secured, with the occasional “ private keep out” sign. We realised that we had stumbled upon the area where the Cheshire Wildlife Trust commenced a beaver reintroduction scheme last year, This was confirmed when we came across a chap coming out of and securing a heavy metal gate. It turned out he was a volunteer who checks the fence line every week. He hasn’t yet seen a beaver (they are nocturnal) but has seen plenty of evidence of their activities.

The beaver used to be native to the UK, part of our native fauna, but exterminated with the last record in the 16th century. It’s great that there are so many reintroductions going on. Their ability to manipulate habitats has fantastic ecological benefits, and “slows the flow” reducing flood risks.

Another highlight was hearing lots of willow warblers in full song. The sound of spring and summer.