Macclesfield - Grey Heron - Reaching out locally

The Borough of Macclesfield has a rich landscape, with much of that land being classed as Green Belt. It has over 200 nature conservation sites, a number of which have national and international importance. One such site is Trentabank Reservoir on the outskirts of Macclesfield itself; this reservoir is home to the largest heronry in the Peak District.

Trentabank Reservoir is a long established reservoir which provides Macclesfield with much of its drinking water. As herons became more established at Trentabank, Cheshire Wildlife Trust began running an area of the land as a reserve with the conservation of the grey heron as its prime concern Trentabank Reservoir has now become Cheshire's more visited nature reserve, with visitors able to view the herons on video camera monitoring systems at the reserve's Ranger Centre.

The grey heron is our only native heron species, making Trentabank Reservoir an important site for this majestic bird. With this in mind, the reserve is being managed to best conserve and promote the species. Introduced tree and plant species are gradually phased out and replaced with native species such as ash with regular coppicing of the trees on the reserve to maintain access to viewpoints for breeding and nesting activity at certain times of the year.

Did you know? The herons wingspan is nearly 2 metres

HELPING CHILDREN FALL IN LOVE WITH NATURE!