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Koen Maréchal, Nature GuardMobile phone: (0479) 89 01 05

Ministry of the Flemish CommunityNATURE DIVISIONCoastal Zone CellZandstraat 2558200 Sint-Andries (Brugge)tel.: (050) 45 41 76fax: (050) 45 41 75

The Nature Division of the Ministry of the FlemishCommunity is responsible for the preparation and imple-mentation of Flemish nature policies and the managementof nature reserves owned by the Flemish Region. It alsoprovides financial assistance for the purchase and man-agement of land by recognised nature associations.

WelcomeTO THE’CLAY PITSOFHEIST’

WelcomeTO THE’CLAY PITSOFHEIST’

BLANKENBERGE

ZEEBRUGGE

RAMSKAPELLEWESTKAPELLE

HEIST

KNOKKE

1

2

34

5

6

78

910

11

12

13

14

16

15

RETRANCHEMENT

Nederland

België

Noordzee

CADZAND

CADZAND-BADNIEUWVLIET-BAD

KNOKKE-HEIST

1Fonteintjes2Bay of Heist3Sashul4Vuurtorenweiden5Clay Pits of Heist6Palingpotweiden7Willemspark8Park 589Golf course

(Brabantse Panne)

10Blinkaartbos11Inner dunes of the

old Hazegraspolder12Zwinbosjes13Zwin14Dievegat15Reygaertsvliet (De Vrede)16Verdronken zwarte

polder

DUNES AND OTHER NATURE AREAS BETWEEN BLANKENBERGE AND BRESKENS

The ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ are aptly named: while relativelyrecent reclamations (1950-70) led to the development of amultitude of reed-covered shallow ponds, the historical land-scape of the microrelief-rich polder meadows dates back tothe peat and clay excavations of the Middle Ages.Unfortunately, only a few vestiges of this original landscapesurvived the extension of the inner harbour of Zeebrugge:

the plain of ‘Ter Doest’ aroundLissewege, the ‘Dudzeelse polder’between the Boudewijn canal andthe heightened grounds of theinner port area, the ‘Vuurtoren-weiden’, the ‘Low Meadows ofRamskapelle’ and the ‘Clay Pits ofHeist’. Brackish groundwater seep-ing from the underlying peat packsleads to the development ofunusual halophytic vegetation.

The Isabella canal, which was exca-vated in the 17th century, cutsthrough the area, and since the19th century it has carried thewater of the Zwinpolder down tothe Leopold canal. The Heist-Brugesrailway line, which was reposi-tioned in 1982 when the sea lockwas built, divides the ‘Clay Pits of

SITUATION

REGULATIONS

NATURE RESERVETHE ’CLAY PITS OF HEIST’

In every Flemish nature reserve it is forbidden to disturb thepeace, play sports or games, trap or kill animals (includingfish and worms) or destroy nests. This nature reserve is man-aged by the Nature Division of AMINAL in accordance withFlemish and European legislation on nature conservation. Themain rules governing public access are displayed at theentrances. The flora and fauna of the ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ arevery fragile. In order to protect this valuable wildlife, we askvisitors to abide by the following code of conduct:

•DO NOT PICK FLOWERS OR DAMAGE PLANTS•DO NOT DISTURB ANIMALS•KEEP TO THE PATHS•DO NOT LIGHT FIRES•DO NOT DROP LITTER•KEEP DOGS ON A LEASH•DO NOT MAKE A NOISE•MOTOR VEHICLES PROHIBITED

The central pool and surrounding reed fields can best beobserved from the permanently accessible bird observationhut, which can be reached from the Moerstraat.

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling Natuur

PICTURESQUE GRASSLANDSThe vastreed bedsare the first thing to catch the eye.They separate the central ponds from the pastures. Thesereed marshes are not only a paradise for many birds (seebelow), they are also home to plants such as lesser pond-sedge, marsh woundwort and common meadow rue.

At least as valuable are the bumpy wet meadows, which arecriss-crossed by numerous channels and pools. The micro-relief of these meadows is characterized by the alternation ofdry ridges and damp hollows. In the damp hollows – espe-cially where cattle have trampled the turf, forming hum-mocks and channels – salt-tolerant vegetation is to be found,including lesser sea spurrey, sea aster,strawberry clover andsalt marsh grass. The prettiest and most halophytic vegeta-tion is found in the area adjacent to the Leopold canal tow-path, where pioneer vegetation thrives with – in addition tothe above-mentioned species – glasswort, lesser centaury,knotted pearlwortand mud rush. The drier hummocks arecovered with dogtail grass meadowvegetation, includingdogtail grass, meadow barley, daisy and bulbous buttercup.

MORE INFORMATION

Caterpillars of the cinnabar

Dogtail grass Twisted moss Sea buckthorn

Heist’ into three parts. Between 1996 and 2002 the NatureDivision of the Ministry of the Flemish Community (AMINAL)systematically purchased the part located between the rail-way line and Heistlaan (22ha). The part between the Leopoldcanal and the railway line (14ha) belongs to the FlemishRegion, Waterways and Marine Affairs Administration,Coastal Waterways Division, but is managed by the AMINAL-Nature Division. The ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ are a desig-nated ‘nature area’ and ‘buffer zone’ under the regional town& country planning map, and large areas have the status ofFlemish nature reserve. The Flemish Government has put the‘Clay Pits of Heist’ forward for classification as a special con-servation area under the European Directive on the conserva-tion of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.

In the lush, bushier flora along the canal and the old rail-way embankment one regularly finds bee orchid amongstwild carrot, red clover, yarrow, oat grass and orchardgrass.Where the terrain has been disturbed (i.e. raised) whenunderground gas and water pipelines were installed, thelime-loving sea buckthorn has developed spontaneously.On the boundary between the nature reserve and the adja-cent camping site, AMINAL-Nature division threw up anearth bank in 2000 and planted it with indigenous shrubsand trees to create a hedgerow (including blackthorn, one-seed hawthorn, alder and common ash).

Reed warblerStrawberry cloverLesser sea spurrey

Salt-tolerant vegetation with sea aster and glasswort

Ministerie van deVlaamse Gemeenschapafdeling NatuurVLIZ

Photos: Michel Decleer

Nature reserve’Sashul'

Gustave Van Nieuwenhuysest

raat

Heistlaan

Moerstraat

Isabella canal

Isabella canal

Leopold canal

Schipdonk canal

Junction dock

Old railway bridge

Old railway em

bankment

Old railway em

bankment

Heist-Brugge railway line

Sluice

Camping

N

0 100 m 200 m

temporary pool

reed marsh

grassland with pools

embankment vegetation

water

thicket/wood

rough grasslands

urban area

dry grasslands

Footpath

Main road

Road

Limit of reserve

Entrance/information

Parking

Observation hut

Railway

Banks

LEGEND

POOL TO ATTRACT BIRDSThe rich relief of the moist meadows provides an idealnesting site for many coastal birds (such as common shel-duck, avocet, common redshank and oystercatcher) andmeadow birds (such as northern lapwing, black-tailedgodwit and northern shoveller). In 2002 a colony of black-headed gulls settled in a former ploughed field which hadbeen converted into a relief-rich pasture in 2000. Typicalwater birds such as little grebe, water rail, moorhen, com-mon coot, greylag goose, mallard, gadwall, common teal,garganey and tufted duck nest alongside the watercoursesand in the vast reed marshes and brushwood. The marshharrier, an elegant bird of prey with a penchant for reedbeds, is at home here, as are a multitude of songbirds (reedbunting, bearded tit, sedge warbler, Savi’s warbler,bluethroat). Various southern species of songbirds whichare expanding their distribution area northwards can occa-sionally be observed, such as Cetti’s warbler and zittingcisticola, and whinchat, which has become exceptionallyrare. In the thickets keep an eye out for willow warbler,grasshopper warbler and common stonechat.

BATS, FROGS,TOADS AND NEWTSThe most conspicuous mammals are the Daubenton’s andwhiskered bat hunting above the ‘Clay Pits’ at dusk. In themeadows hares offer quite a spectacle at the end of winter-time and in early spring, when they are completely caughtup in their love-play.

The most eye-catching amphibian of the ‘Clay Pits of Heist’is the European water frog. This masterly croaker finds hisideal home in the permanently wet pools, puddles andditches. His relatives, the common toad, brown frog, andsmooth newt, are much quieter.

The ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ don’t just attract breeding birds. Insummer and during the spring and autumn migration periods quite a number of small and larger waders, such ascommon greenshank, spotted redshank, wood sandpiper,green sandpiper, common sandpiper, little egret andEurasian spoonbill, break their journeys along the wetditches and pools. When the water drops to its lowest level, waders have a great time feeding in the nutrient-richmudflats of the large central ponds. The water leveldepends on the tides: at low tide the polder water fromthe Isabella canal is discharged into the Leopold canal, andthen the mudflats of the ‘Clay Pits’ can run dry, whereas athigh tide, when the water is retained in the Isabella canal,the ponds are flooded. During the winter the ponds arepopular with large numbers of common teal, mallard andnorthern shoveller.

The meadows offer excellent feeding opportunities tooverwintering flocks of ruffs, Eurasian curlews andEuropean golden plovers. The moist meadows and reedmarshes also attract the common snipe. Towards the endof the winter the hundreds of permanently residentGreylag geese are joined in the meadows by large flocks ofwhite-fronted geese coming from the Arctic. Throughoutthe year the high concentrations of birds (and especiallytheir young during summer) regularly attract birds of prey:marsh harrier, hen harrier, common buzzard, peregrine fal-con, hobby, common kestrel and Eurasian sparrow hawk.It is no surprise that birds can regularly be seen ‘commut-ing’ between the ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ and the nearby ‘Bay ofHeist’, ‘Sashul and Vuurtorenweiden’, ‘Dudzeelse polder’and ‘Plain of Ter Doest’.

MANAGEMENTThe management of the ‘Clay Pits of Heist’ is aimed at safe-guarding and strengthening the landscape of microrelief-rich wet meadows. This valuable biotope, which in otherparts of the polder all too often has to make room for ster-ile fields or industrial zones, is given absolute priority here.Indeed, ecological engineering measures have even trans-formed some ploughed fields into relief-rich meadows. The grasslands in the reserve are also subjected to seasonalgrazing by cattle and horses. To obtain even more species-rich types of grassland by decreasing soil nutrient content,any form of external fertiliser input – even indirectly bysupplementary feeding of the grazers – is avoided. Thisbotanical abundance is also vital for birds: fledglings areusually insectivores, and they find plenty to eat in theflowery grasslands. A sufficient quantity of good-qualitywater is also a prerequisite for amphibians. Everywhere else,low water levels and excessive manuring contribute to thegrowing scarcity of the European water frog and his bud-dies. Winter mowing injects new life into reed beds whichare becoming overgrown (with great willow-herb and bush-grass). The meadows, on the other hand, are mown duringthe latter part of the summer.

Bluethroat

Marsh harrier

Avocet Common teal

European water frog

CLAY PITS OF HEISTNATURE RESERVE