The Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate has made special provision for the animals and birdlife in the area with the building of five 40m² ponds.
With the wildlife and birds on the estate a particular priority, estate supervisor Hugh Wiblin said it was important to create better habitats for the various species located in the Sardinia Bay area.
“Besides the aesthetic value that the ponds will add to the estate as a whole, they will also create new habitats for birds, various ducks and small creatures as we plant greens in the dams,” Wiblin said.
Wiblin, who does all the supervisory work on the estate, said they considered very carefully where the ponds would be sited.
“We chose to build the ponds in a big grazing area where most of our animals like to spend their afternoons,” he said.
“So the reason we built the ponds there was because there was no water close by for them.
“It is situated in a little valley. It is a natural area to build dams.”
The ponds would serve a dual purpose. Not only would they capture rainwater, they would also enable the estate to utilise excess treated sewerage water and “in so doing we create a natural environment wherein species can live”.
The estate was self-sustaining, Wiblin explained, which meant they had not used municipal water to fill the ponds, but rather recycled water from their sewerage treatment plant.
Four of the five ponds were also interlinked so when one pond filled the next one would do so, and so on, he added.
“We are using reclaimed water,” he said. “At the moment the water is still fresh and murky, but once the water has fully settled and the grasses and algae have begun growing we also plan to get fish for the pond.
“We wanted to create extra habitats, not just for the buck and birds, but also species such as lizards, frogs and insects.
“Sardinia Bay is a very sandy area without many rocks, so you don’t really find reptiles here. Now little lizards and geckos will be able to find a place to live.
“All of those species are important for the environment and we are trying to create an area that is conducive to their reproduction and life cycle.”
With the construction of the ponds having begun two weeks ago and nearing completion, Wiblin said he had already noticed the difference it had made.
“It’s already attracting many birds,” he said. “It’s even attracting birds to this area that I have never seen here before.”
From an aesthetic point of view the ponds, which were built in phase three of the complex, were sited on the lower side of the road for a reason.
“The higher side of the road has plots [in phase three] that haven’t been sold yet.
“We are also trying to create a nice environment for people – potential buyers – who would want to live in those houses on the 10 plots above the ponds.
“All the houses would overlook the beauty of nature, which includes a central point of animal and birdlife below them at the ponds.”
In due course, Wiblin said, he planned to plant trees and other vegetation around the ponds to expand the natural habitat.