A WILDLIFE habitat in Weymouth is having a haircut.

Essential reed cutting work is being undertaken at the RSPB’s Weymouth Wetlands reserves at Lodmoor and Radipole to help protect the habitat.

Reedbeds are now Britain’s most threatened wildlife habitats and reed cutting is essential to protect what’s left.

It comes after work was completed on the second phase of a £685,000 project to revitalise the Radipole Lake reserve over the next 10 years. The work has created a mosaic of habitats to make the place more appealing to wildlife as well as more attractive to human visitors.

Reedbed cutting ensures they remain healthy for birds such as bitterns and bearded tits as well all the mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that depend partially or entirely on reeds for their survival.

Weymouth Wetlands warden Nick Quintrell said: “Reedbed is unlike any other kind of habitat because it is transient. In prehistoric times, it was created and destroyed by natural events like floods but in today’s landscape, it cannot exist without constant management.

“Reed cutting prevents the beds from drying out and being taken over by scrub and woodland. We cut different sections at certain times to create a mosaic of age structures throughout the reedbeds to suit the needs of the different inhabitants. For example, it provides birds such as bearded tits, which feed almost exclusively on reed seed in winter, with a brand new food source every year.

“Our once vast reedy wetlands have disappeared over the past 200 years due to drainage and reclamation, primarily for agriculture, or have gone unmanaged and become overwhelmed by scrub.”

Annual reed cutting also promotes tall straight reed growth good enough to be used for commercial thatch. Now the reed from Weymouth Wetlands has been cut and bundled, it will be stored ready to re-thatch the Radipole Lake Visitor Centre next winter.

Mr Quintrell added: “Although it’s a bit of a slog at times, reed cutting is also a very a satisfying job, especially when the reed grows back in the spring, green and healthy and ready for all the summer visitors to set up home in.”

Although the visitor centre is now closed until early spring for major refurbishment, the reserve and hides are open as usual.

For more information about what’s going on at Weymouth Wetlands, visit rspb.org.uk/ weymouthwetlandsblog or twitter.com/rspbweymouth