Health Checking of Owlets at Sawbridgeworth Marsh

On 22nd July, DL Dame Claire Bertschinger was invited to watch the gentle health checking and the ringing of 5 Owlets at Sawbridgeworth Marsh, Nature Reserve, run by volunteers, under the auspice of the Herts and Essex Wildlife Trust.  The boxes were donated by Stort Valley  Barn Owl Project, courtesy of Big Lottery Funding.

Sawbridgeworth Marsh is a 6.3-hectare biological site of Special Scientific Interest lying in the valley of the River Stort. This nature reserve is a great place to see several rare plants that are now only found at a few sites in the county, such as Southern Marsh Orchids, Marsh Willowherb and Marsh Valerian. The reed beds become alive during summer. with singing Warblers, an abundance of invertebrates and a chance to see one of the UK’s rarest mammals, the Water Vole. The reserve is grazed by rare breed cattle during the summer.  In the photos are volunteers Jenny Sherwen and Bob Reed.