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A pdf version of this document is linked below.
Unfortunately printed copies of this document are not available.
This guidance has been developed specifically to support Environmental Stewardship agreements. It does not replace your Agreement and you must continue to follow the prescriptions and specifications. The outcomes shown may not be appropriate or suitable for all sites. Please consult scheme handbooks or your Natural England adviser for further information.
Pools and ribbons of shallow water that dry slowly over the spring and summer provide a valuable habitat for wildlife. When water levels in ditches are raised, pools often form in natural depressions or in relict drains or rills. Where this does not occur naturally, such as on large clay sites or very flat fields, a scrape is an ideal alternative. In the spring and summer, as the water retreats, the warm margins and wet mud provide conditions for plants to seed and for invertebrates to bask and feed. In turn, this attracts breeding birds such as Redshank, Lapwing and Yellow Wagtail which feed by probing both mud and water.
In winter the scrapes continue to host wading birds such as Snipe but also attract Teal and other dabbling ducks.