Park Corner Drovers Pond Habitat Project
The Park Corner Drovers Pond Habitat Project is in partnership with Wild Groombridge.
Wild Groombridge have been keeping watch on the pond across the seasons, and monitoring what visits and grows in this natural habitat.
They are on the look out for endangered species, and taking inventory of what wildlife visits and lives at the Drovers Pond. For example, the results of their bird findings are in the below report.
Spring 2025 Park Corner Drover’s Pond Habitat Report
You can see the most recent findings from Wild Groombridge’s Surveys at the Park Corner Drover’s Pond Habitat Project in their Spring 2025 Report , as well as see the next steps they will be taking for helping the wildlife thrive at the Drovers Pond.
You can also see their previous reports below!
Birds of Park Corner Report
You can see what kind of birds they have seen in the Birds of Park Corner Report.
Park Corner Summer 2022 Survey
Wild Groombridge began by creating an initial Park Corner Pond Survey Summer 2022 which shows what they found, and the initial plans for taking care of the area going forwards.
The first focus was to clear the area of litter, and about maintaining and monitoring for wildlife.
Current Plan and Actions
Wild Groombridge and Stephanie at Withyham Parish Council have been speaking and meeting with local experts about the area; including ecologists, land managers at Sussex Lund [external link, opens new window], and experts from Sussex Wildlife Trust [external link, opens new window] and getting their considered advice, based on the findings at the Drovers Pond Habitat so far.
Based on the recommendations of the experts the plan and actions for 2025 is to: follow a plan of minimal interference to allow Wild Groombridge to accurately monitor what is happening at the Drovers Pond Habitat.
This means leaving much of the Habitat as it is including:
- leaving fallen leaves in the Pond, which are good for bees!
- leaving trees as they are, whether fallen or standing – there is enough light getting through to the pond, and the fallen branches are great for wildlife and insects!
- leaving brambles to grow, they are great protection for plants such as snowdrops from wildlife like deer!
Wild Groombridge will be keeping watch on the Pond, so if you see the Team surveying do give them a wave to say “Hi”!
Clearing Park Corner Drovers Pond Habitat
Wild Groomridge will be clearing litter and debris from the Park Corner Drovers Pond Habitat, as well as cutting back invasive species such as laurel when appropriate. They were on hand and sprang into action when a huge amount of horse manure was illegally dumped at the Habitat – collecting, bagging up and removing sacks of muck – a smelly task!
Problem: Dumping at Park Corner Drover’s Pond Habitat Project
There has also been a few instances of dumping at the Park Corner Drover’s Pond while the Project has been underway. This has included things like grass cuttings, the sacks of manure, and most recently (May 2025) a mix of oak, hazel, yew and laurel hedge cuttings, and this is particularly bad news with the laurel as it is very slow to decompose, has low nitrogen content, is acidic, the leaves contain lauric acid which repels insects, and it contains cyanide that kills bugs.
Grass cuttings also have an adverse effect on the water and for wildlife, as they’ll raise the nutrient levels in the pond and surrounding area, which will promote certain plants over others, so the balance of the ecosystem is upset. This could mean some plants are lost, and with them the animals (large and small) that depend on them for habitat or food.
Wild Groombridge will continue to check on and monitor at the site, and we ask that anyone with information about dumping at the Drover’s Pond contact the Parish office.
Getting Involved
For more information check out the Wild Groombridge website [external link, opens new window]. You can find out more about Wild Groombridge, what they are up to and how to get involved, including becoming a citizen scientist by spotting wildlife and what’s growing around Groombridge and adding your findings as an iNaturalist report!
The photographs on this page have been kindly shared by Wild Groombridge members.
