The Canal and River Trust has teamed up with the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust to create a new wetland haven for amphibians and water-loving plants at a secluded lake beside the Oxford Canal.
Part of the project is clearing openings in the reed beds using an amphibious harvester, known as a ‘Truxor’ that floats across the surface of Dukes Lock Pond, north of Wolvercote, Oxford.
The Truxor works by cutting meandering channels within the reed bed which will help provide shallow areas for aquatic insects such as great diving beetles, dragonfly larvae and water scorpions, as well as open areas for fish that attract the feeding birds and otters.
Once cut the reeds are then cleared from the water using a rake attachment on the Truxor and stacked at the margins of the reed bed to create special habitats for toads, frogs, newts and water insects.
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