Although MWT originally acquired the site in 2011 it had previously been closed to visitors. MWT volunteers, the Midweek Muckers, have been working hard with Reserves Manager, Tricia Sayle, to make the reserve more accessible. Works have included path improvement, waymarking, a new bird hide by the largest lake and screening to reduce bird disturbance. There are also some new information panels in the hide itself.
The two lakes and two overflow ponds in the MWT Ballachrink NR were created by the previous owners to provide nesting habitat and flight ponds for winter migrating wildfowl. They are surrounded by a mix of largely planted broadleaved and coniferous trees and many planted shrubs. The site also includes three open meadows on the west side which are sheep grazed. It’s a great place to see Teal, Tufted Duck, Grey Heron, Treecreeper and Goldcrest.
Members and volunteers of MWT will now be able to visit MWT Ballachrink NR by permissive access during daylight hours all year round.
Membership of MWT can be obtained from as little as £30 a year from mwt.im where a full list of publicly accessible nature reserves can also be found.
