plans by the RSPB to improve Exminster Marshes hope to increase the number of wading birds using the reserve. Sixteen sluices and three earth banks – 270 metres long with protective ditches – are being created for the benefit of the wildlife on the marshes. The work is being carried out to make the area more habitable for wetland birds, primarily breeding waders such as lapwing and redshank. The RSPB's Exminster reserve site manager, Malcolm Davies, said: 'Those birds, in the last 20 or 30 years, have undergone major regional decline in the whole of the West Country. Nationally they are slightly declining, but we seem to have more than our fair share of those diminishing here. The work will improve the area for them.' Exminster marshes is one of only two sites in Devon where lapwing and redshank are breeding, with 70 per cent of the lapwing population of Devon found at Exminster. The RSBP wants to make sure the area is in the best condition possible for the birds – damp fields and open areas of water with muddy margins. Mr Davies continued: 'This sort of habitat will not only provide the adults with an excellent area to feed and breed on, but when the youngsters hatch they will have an area to run around as well, which is vital for the chicks.' The works will improve the water flow at the top of the reserve, where it would previously drain quickly away. The banks and sluices will direct the flow back into old creeks in the fields, providing additional water features, which are ideal for wading birds. Planning applications for the work were this week received by Teignbridge Council. Once approved, it should take no longer than a couple of weeks to complete, weather dependant. Mr Davies added: 'I'm very excited with what's going on here at Exminster. I have been on the site for the RSPB for more than 12 years and when I first arrived there were few areas of open water. Throughout the years the wetland has grown and the wildlife has flourished as a result. Visually, the area will also look more appealing and it should be appreciated by the public that use it.'