LAST year was another eventful one for the nature reserves of Wyre Forest District Council.

Unlike 2004 though, the Ranger Service did not receive any big awards for their efforts to further preserve and enhance the wildlife of the district, although progress has been made on all fronts.

2005 was the last year that work on the heathlands was supported by the Tomorrow's Heathland Project.

For the past five years, this scheme has literally changed the face of these important wildlife habitats.

The scrub trees have been brought under control and now, if last August's display of blooming heather is anything to go by, the heathlands of the district are well on their way to being sustained for many future generations to enjoy.

Work also took place last year within the woods of Habberley Valley and Hurcott Pool. At Habberley, younger birch woodland has been removed from one area of the site to open up a clearing where the habitat of acid grassland, which was previously common within the valley habitat, but is now nationally rare, can flourish.

As in previous years, this work was carried out in a sensitive manner using zip lines to extract the timber to avoid having to use heavy machinery on the site, which may have had a negative impact on the valley's increasingly scarce adder population. It will be interesting to see the benefits of the large piece of conservation work during the coming year.

The work in Hurcott focused on dealing with the national menace of rhododendron that, if left unchecked, would engulf the drier woodland areas.

The wetlands were surveyed for over-wintering bird life and the rangers were pleasantly surprised to discover large numbers of snipe, water rail and woodcock.

What's new for 2006? Well, perhaps a couple more wetland nature reserves are on the cards. These are Stour Vale in Kidderminster and Mitton Marsh in Stourport.

Both of these are the result of appropriate use of the planning legislation to help preserve the district's biodiversity, but also to give nature lovers fantastic places to escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life.