Kings Dyke Nature Reserve has been presented with new equipment on behalf of celebrity naturalist Chris Packham.

It follows the announcement of Kings Dyke at Whittlesey as the UK’s most biodiverse wildlife site during last year’s Bioblitz.

Tina Lindsay, Chris Packham’s UK Bioblitz campaign manager, visited the nature reserve to present several pairs of binoculars to a visiting school group.

The binoculars were bought following a donation made to the reserve as a thank you for taking part in last year’s independent wildlife audit Bioblitz.

This resulted in Kings Dyke Nature Reserve being named the most bio-diverse nature site of the 50 that took part, with 1,139 different wildlife species recorded at the site.

The BBC Springwatch presenter led a team of naturalists and volunteers during the 10-day survey, investigating the extent to which the nation’s wildlife species are under threat and raising funds for local conservation projects.

Philip Parker, who runs Kings Dyke Nature Reserve on behalf of Forterra, said: “We were delighted with the results of Bioblitz last year, and we continue to be proud of the biodiversity of our nature reserve.

“We hope that the research team’s findings, along with their recent donation of equipment for our bird hide, will help us to continue educating and inspiring future visitors to the site.”

Tina Lindsay said: “It was a pleasure to return to Kings Dyke Nature Reserve after last summer’s Bioblitz, this time to thank the Reserve for their willingness to take part.

“Brownfield sites such as Kings Dyke Nature Reserve offer the most diverse spread of species and are crucial for biodiversity, particularly for invertebrates.

“We were thrilled with the amount and range of different species we discovered here at Kings Dyke last year, and we hope the reserve continues to grow and thrive in years to come.”

The UK Bioblitz team included hundreds of experts, species specialists, young conservationists and filmmakers, all working together to highlight the state of Britain’s wildlife and the need for urgent centralised action to ensure wildlife is maintained everywhere, as nature reserves and wildlife sites are not enough.

The campaign was privately funded and included a crowdfunding element, with all monies raised being distributed back into grassroots front-line conservation projects visited throughout the campaign, as well as to the National Autistic Society.

Kings Dyke Nature Reserve was established in 1995 for the benefit of local residents and schools, and has been regularly extended.