A busy and highly productive day at Aust Wetland Reserve saw both valuable wildlife monitoring and important engagement with national and international visitors.

🌿 Bird Survey Results

Our volunteer birding team completed a full “BirdTrack” survey between 09:35 and 11:15, recording 18 species across the reserve. Their continued efforts are hugely appreciated, providing a reliable indicator of biodiversity on site and helping to track seasonal changes.

A few lines from the uploaded survey:

“18 Species… 1 Grey Heron… 6 Swallow… 6 Robin… 6 Stonechat.” “Weather for 23/09/2026, 09:00: few clouds, 17.6°C, WSW wind.”

These regular counts form an essential reference point for ongoing habitat management and future ecological reporting.

🌍 Visit from IENE Conference Delegates

On the same day, 18 delegates from the Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe (IENE) Conference, joined by SGC officers, visited Aust to walk through Buffalo 2, Buffalo 1 and Lapwing fields. 

• the Aust Reserve project to date
• its role within the 80‑hectare mitigation area for the ASEA flood defence scheme
• current biodiversity findings (with thanks to the bird data)
• future management plans and survey programmes

Delegates expressed strong enthusiasm for the project and praised the scale and quality of survey work being undertaken. Their visit formed part of a wider walk along the Severn Estuary, finishing at Oldbury Power Station.

🙌 Thanks to All Involved

This was an epic day at Aust, combining hands‑on conservation, international engagement, and high‑quality ecological monitoring. The Parish Council extends sincere thanks to all volunteers, students, partners and visitors (including people from the Parish) who contributed.