Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Summer update

Dewsbury Oasis

During the River Calder Project the funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund has helped us to be able to provide free site visits and advice to people about the wildlife havens on their doorstep.

Probably the most surprising one was after a call about how to protect some swans, living in a flood defence overflow in Dewsbury. Not the most promising start, but we went out to look at the site after advising alternative sources of help.

What we found came as a very pleasant surprise as nestled in a concrete overflow some of the most interesting wetland for miles had developed. The island in the middle of the oasis was being used by breeding swans, ducks, moor hens and dragonflies and was regarded with great affection by the households living either side of it. The site was unusual because it offered fantastic views of the wildlife from the footbridge above it.

Such habitat is precarious at best and often at threat of drying out, or of being cleaned out (as it has developed on a flood overflow) and gets submerged under water in the winter. But it shows the resilience of wildlife that they make use of anything that affords a refuge.

It is the local people that form the best protection for such wildlife which is what we told the residents group and it was great to see such enthusiasm for this small patch of wild in the midst of the urban town. The affection they have for the wild animals in this accidental oasis is especially striking and is often overlooked in the obsession for rare species.

We were also able to show them the invasive species growing on the riverbank next to the overflow, and even better we found evidence of an otter using the land behind their homes and showed them the spraint (dropping). This brought the wild to their doorstep and a sense of wonder that such rare wildlife could pass by so close without humans knowing.

Since our visits sadly one of the adult swans has died, but the signets fledged successfully and the ducks and moor hens also produced healthy broods.  Let’s see what happens next year.

Thanks to Island View Residents Association for providing the great pictures of the site, and to the people of West Vale too who also love the oasis on their doorstep.