Restoration and Biodiversity

Langford Quarry is a wetland haven for wildlife, with habitats supporting a wide range of species. Since 1988, we’ve partnered with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to safeguard and improve these habitats as part of our quarry’s restoration. One of our restored areas – the RSPB Langford Lowfields Nature Reserve – is now an award-winning, flagship site. It has become a rich refuge for wildlife with rare species such as bitterns, marsh harriers and bearded tits and the largest wetland resource within Nottinghamshire.

A total of 220 bird species have been recorded at Langford. In 2023 alone, 51 bird species bred in the quarry’s restored areas, showing just how popular it is with the local wildlife!

Wildlife Success Stories

Bitterns

Thanks to the partnership between Tarmac and the RSPB, the Langford Lowfields Nature Reserve enjoys the largest reedbeds in the East Midlands at 70 hectares in size. These reedbeds are now home to many wildlife success stories, such as the return of the bittern, a rare and secretive heron-like bird that was on the verge of extinction in the UK in the late 1990s. Thanks to our careful restoration, bitterns have successfully bred at the reserve, contributing to their recovering numbers and a healthier ecosystem.

Great White Egrets

The reserve has also become a home for Great White Egrets, another rare heron species. In 2023, two Great White Egrets successfully bred at a nearby reserve for the first time in over a decade. They’ve since used Langford Lowfields to feed and raise their chicks.

Other Wildlife

Beyond birds, Langford Quarry is also home to a range of other wildlife. Otters can often be spotted in the restored wetlands, and badgers and brown hares are thriving in the area. The quarry also provides for many smaller creatures, such as frogs, toads, and an impressive variety of insects, including 19 species of dragonflies and 27 species of butterflies, all adding to the site’s rich biodiversity. In 2023, bee orchids were also found flowering for the first time at the site.