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Manage lowland wet grassland for birds

The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.

Find out how land managers can manage wet grassland to help birds and other wildlife thrive.

If you’re completing this action as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, how you do it is up to you.

The advice on this page can help you get better environmental and business benefits, but you do not have to follow it to get paid.

About lowland wet grassland for birds

Lowland wet grassland is present in estuaries along coasts and inland river floodplains. Wet grassland periodically floods and often has a network of ditches. Structures like sluices may help maintain higher water levels.

Lowland wet grassland supports:

breeding waders like redshank, curlew and snipe
breeding wildfowl like wigeon, teal and shoveler
wintering waders like lapwing and golden plover
wintering wildfowl like Bewick’s swan and brent goose

Managing wet grassland can:

maintain and increase bird populations
protect bird populations from the effects of climate change
support other wildlife, such as invertebrates, plants and small mammals
slow the flow of water into rivers and reduce flood risk

Letting floodplain grasslands flood can help maintain the fertility of grazed pasture.

On larger sites you can use some areas of wet grassland for hay making. This can be important where there are species-rich floodplain meadows. Birds like curlew and yellow wagtail may nest on these areas while feeding on surrounding wet pastures.

Some wet grassland sites may be historic water meadows.

Where you can manage lowland wet grassland for birds

You can manage wet grassland for birds if it:

is low-input grassland or species-rich pasture
currently supports, or has supported, breeding or wintering waders or wildfowl
has large areas of open land, 10 hectares (ha) or more
has few trees or hedgerows, all of which should be 2 metres or less in height

You can use MAGIC to:

You need a good water supply to maintain the right conditions for breeding and wintering birds. This should be from watercourses, springs or groundwater, not just rainfall.

The land must:

flood or be capable of flooding in winter
have a way to control water levels
have hollows, channels, foot drains or scrapes (shallow depressions with gently sloping edges) where water can build up

There should be limited or no public access such as major rights of way or roads, so birds are not disturbed. There should be no perching structures, like power lines, as these can encourage predators.

How to manage lowland wet grassland

To manage wet grassland for birds, you need to:

graze or cut to create the right sward conditions
manage water levels in spring and winter
maintain or create scrapes or gutters
manage predation if you have breeding birds

You’ll need consent from Natural England for these activities if the land is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Grazing

Grazing with cattle is ideal, as they create a mix of longer and shorter vegetation and bare ground. Their dung helps maintain invertebrate populations. Invertebrates are an important food source for wader chicks and ducklings in the spring.

Sward height in spring

From the beginning of March to the end of June you’ll need to create the right conditions for a range of breeding birds.

Aim for:

50% to 70% short grass of less than 5cm, for lapwing
20% to 50% grass between 5cm and 15cm
10% to 30% taller patches of rushes and grass tussocks (more than 15cm)

Taller patches of grass should include:

scattered clumps within 6 metres of wet edges
open areas of shorter grass between them

You should have some taller patches if you have snipe, or aim to attract them, especially on larger sites with soft soils. You should also have a high water table until at least the beginning of July, as snipe breed later than other birds.

On larger sites you can let tall vegetation like sedges, reed or willow scrub develop on very wet areas. You can do this by excluding livestock. This will benefit birds like reed bunting, grasshopper warbler and water rail.

Sward height in winter

From the beginning of November until the beginning of March, aim for areas of short open grassland of between 5cm and 15cm. This will benefit grazing wildfowl like swans, geese and wigeon.

Keep some rushes or tussocky grass, like tufted hair grass. They provide shelter for invertebrates and amphibians, and camouflage for birds like snipe. You’ll need to manage non-jointed rushes like soft and hard rush if they cover more than 30% of the land.

Livestock levels

You should reduce stock levels in spring to avoid livestock trampling nests. Aim for one cow or 3 sheep per hectare of grazeable land between mid-March and June.

Ideally, have alternative grazing land available when you reduce stocking levels. On larger sites you can put livestock on drier areas where nesting is less likely to occur.

Increase livestock levels from late summer to restore the sward conditions for wintering birds. Stock levels must be high enough to provide the right sward heights for the following spring. You can keep livestock out over winter, if the ground is not too wet.

You can manage livestock numbers to protect sensitive features, like watercourses.

Find out more about grazing with livestock to maintain and improve habitats.

Cutting grasslands

You can maintain short open swards before winter by cutting between August and October. Do this either where grazing is not possible or to help manage rushes.

You can use machinery like:

pasture toppers
mowers
forage harvesters
low-pressure vehicles on wet areas to avoid ground damage

Remove cuttings by gathering or baling to prevent build-up of litter and nutrients.

Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law. You must check the site before starting work. If you see signs of nesting birds, delay cutting until birds fledge.

Water levels

You’ll need to manage water levels to provide the right conditions for breeding and wintering birds.

Winter (at least between early November and late February)

Maintain shallow surface flooding, ideally with:

a range of depths from 1cm to 30cm and up to 50cm on larger sites
cover of 5% to 30% of the area, which can change naturally to prevent stagnation
muddy edges for waders to feed in

Standing water provides birds with:

plant seeds, which are released into the water
invertebrates flushed from the soil
areas for roosting and feeding, safe from predators

Where possible, avoid large areas of grassland being under water. If too much of the soil is flooded for long periods, food sources like earthworms will be lost.

Spring (at least until the end of June)

To stop nests being washed out, gradually reduce surface flooding to 5% to 10% of the area. Aim for soft soil over large parts of the land throughout the season. Waders like lapwing will be able to pick invertebrate food from the surface.

Aim to keep:

water in low-lying areas like pools, scrapes, gutters and foot drains
some pools up to 50cm deep in larger areas as feeding places for ducks
around 150 metres of wet edge per hectare on the shallow margins of pools
soggy ground conditions over 10% to 30% of the area until the end of May

On peat and permeable soils, the water table should be within 20cm of field level.

How to manage water levels

Water supply and control structures

You need a good understanding of how water flows through and across the land. Plan how water can be kept on the surface and in the soil through winter and spring. Water control structures can keep and control surface water to make sure fields dry out slowly during the spring. You may need to manage water control structures and adapt to changing conditions each year.

Get specialist help if you need advice or if you plan to make changes to how water levels are managed.

You can install water control structures like sluices to:

keep groundwater at the right level on outflows (water discharge points)
redirect surface water from ditches or streams

You can create and manage ditches to help control water levels and move water around the fields.

Keep water in floodplain features like abandoned channels that dry out naturally during the spring and summer.

Before you start

Use existing low, wet areas.

For large areas, get a specialist to do a ‘levels’ survey for you. This survey will:

provide a map of the variations in ground level across the land
show you how water will move across the land
show the location and depth of low points where water will remain for longest
help you to decide where to install and how to manage water control structures

On smaller areas you can record a ‘winter puddle’ map or use aerial photos. Place some sandbags in a ditch to allow water to back up. This will show areas that hold water. You can judge ground level variation within a field by eye.

If you want to install a structure within an ordinary watercourse you may need land drainage consent from the local flood authority.

If you install a structure on:

a main river, you’ll need an environmental permit
an inland channel, you may need an impoundment licence

For work on land that includes a scheduled monument, you’ll need consent from Historic England. Register and request an SFI Historic Environment Farm Environment Record (SFI HEFER) to learn more about historic features on your land.

Avoid installing structures on main rivers where possible, to protect migratory fish movements.

If you need to take water from nearby water sources, you must make sure that:

downstream reaches (widening of a stream or river channel) do not dry out, as this could harm protected species like water voles
new structures do not stop the movement of migratory fish, like eels or sea trout
there’s no increased flood risk to nearby property from new structures

You can take (‘abstract’) up to 20 cubic metres of water a day without a licence. If you need more than that, you may need an abstraction or transfer licence from the Environment Agency.

If you plan to make significant changes to water levels that could affect large areas, you should get specialist advice. For example, get advice if you want to block or divert drainage channels.

How you manage water levels may affect neighbouring land. You can work with neighbours to extend wet grassland areas.

Soil type and water levels

Use MAGIC to check what soil type you have on your land.

Keep water levels high in free-draining soils like sand and peat by raising groundwater levels. You can use water control structures in field ditches to do this.

Soils like silt and clay are often waterlogged in winter and dry out in summer. You can use sub-surface drains and surface ditches to remove surface flooding. You can block or control outflows from drains on low points in fields. This will raise water levels in winter and keep higher levels into spring. More water may be needed to keep late spring or summer wetness.

Creating scrapes and gutters

Scrapes and gutters are wet features found in low points in fields. Water can stay in these areas throughout winter and up until July. Scrapes and gutters can support large numbers of invertebrates like midge larvae. Invertebrates are an important food source for wader chicks and ducklings later in the spring.

You may need an environmental permit for new scrapes and gutters if they’re within:

the floodplain
16 metres of any main river, flood defence (including a remote defence) or culvert

You may not need a permit for small scrapes (within a floodplain) that measure less than 0.10ha. Check scrapes meet the requirements of exemption FRA25. You’ll need to register with the Environment Agency.

Scrape and gutter location

You should make sure the location, shape and size are in keeping with the landscape character of the area. You can expand or deepen existing low areas. A levels survey can help identify these.

Do not create scrapes and gutters:

on historic features
on sensitive habitats, like species-rich grassland
in areas known to be important for species like amphibians or small mammals
within 100 metres of woodland, overhead power lines or hedges taller than 2 metres

Scrape and gutter design

Create several scrapes with different sizes and depths to attract a range of birds. Scrapes can be as small as 20 metres by 20 metres. These dry out quickly leaving muddy margins for wading birds.

Larger scrapes will keep areas of deeper water into the summer.

The scrape should have:

a scalloped edge, to increase the length of wet muddy areas
gentle slopes with an uneven finish, to allow gradual exposure of feeding surfaces

Ideally gutters should:

be broad and shallow
be 1 metre to 2 metres wide and 30cm deep in the centre
have gently sloping edges

Water depth in the scrape or gutter in early spring should be:

up to 25cm over half of the area
25cm to 50cm over the rest

You can reprofile existing ditches to create areas of shallow water that link with infield gutters.

Annual weeds can germinate each year on the muddy margins as the water retreats. These provide supplies of seeds for ducks and songbirds like yellowhammer, reed bunting and linnet.

You may need to deepen the scrapes or gutters over time to maintain the right water depths.

When to do the work

Ideally, create scrapes and gutters between July and November, when:

nests are no longer present
the ground is dry enough to support heavy machinery
soils are workable

You can extend the work into the winter on firmer, drier soils if you can do it with minimal disturbance to wintering birds.

Spoil disposal

To dispose of the spoil, you can:

spread it thinly within the field
use it to build up gateways or install water control structures
remove it from site

You may be able to use the spoil to improve the soil quality on other areas of your farm. Find out if you can do this under waste exemption rules.

Do not spread spoil on:

historic features
sensitive habitats, like species-rich grassland
fields at risk from runoff

You can create gutters using machinery that scatters spoil as it works, like spoil spreaders or rotary ditchers. This removes the need to spread spoil as a separate operation and is usually less expensive than using standard agricultural equipment.

Manage predators

Predators like foxes and crows can cause breeding birds to lose nests and chicks.

You may need to take action to manage predators. Measures may include:

non-lethal management, like anti-predator fencing
sustainable lethal management

You’ll need consent from Natural England for these activities if your land is an SSSI. For some activities you may also need a wildlife licence.

You’ll need a bird licence to kill, take or disturb certain species of wild bird. You’ll need to provide evidence that:

you need to control predators to maintain bird populations
lethal methods are likely to be effective in controlling predators

How to know if you’ve been successful

In spring you’ll see:

waders like lapwing, redshank and snipe feeding and roosting
ideal spring water levels and grassland height for breeding birds
signs that birds are breeding
successfully fledged young

In winter you’ll see:

waders, ducks, geese and swans feeding and roosting
ideal winter water levels and grassland height for wintering birds

Manage lowland wet grassland for birds

The guidance on this page is for SFI pilot participants only. Please visit GOV.UK for the official Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme guidance.

About lowland wet grassland for birds

Where you can manage lowland wet grassland for birds