River and Flood Plain Restoration on Leconfield Estate, Petworth

Leader:
Andrew Thompson (Fisheries Bailiff for Leconfield Estate)

On private land, Andrew, the Fisheries Bailiff for the Estate, showed 25 members the work that is being done to restore the River Rother to its flood plain. The banks are being lowered and so, when in the past winter there were 4 floods, a reed bed is forming and on the recently made pond was a pair of Gadwall.
Monthly Andrew monitors the water quality. He demonstrated kick-sampling and from his net identified were: olives (small may-fly nymphs), aquatic snail, pea mussels, caseless caddis fly larvae, Flat Bodied Stone Clingers and a Loach.
Birds of note were: 4 Little Egrets, a pair of Mandarin Duck, 4 Greylag Geese and more than 4 Yellowhammers.