NO MATTER what your age, one of the greatest delights in life is getting stuck into a bit of pond dipping.

Radipole Lake, the RSPB reserve near the centre of Weymouth, is one of the best places in town to discover what goes on beneath the surface.

A new family dipping platform has been built near the visitors’ centre. Fringed by reeds and set in shallow water that shelves upwards towards the bank to aid the rescue of any over-excited child who should happen to fall in, it has proved a huge hit.

Pond-dipping kits can be borrowed from the centre and there is room for several families to have a go at once.

Nick Tomlinson, manager of Weymouth Wetlands which includes the Radipole reserve, is a staunch advocate of pond dipping.

“People get excited about the animals of Africa, the lions killing zebras and antelopes, but there is just as much excitement going on under the water in our ponds,” he said.

“It’s just smaller and stealthier, that’s all.”

Messing about in ponds is terrific fun and in just a few minutes we saw all sorts of wee - and not so wee – beasties in a small path-side area of water at Radipole.

Swimming among the reeds and lilies are minute stickleback hatchlings while pond skaters scoot about over their heads, held up by the surface tension of the water.

But not everything is as benign.

The larvae of diving beetles, ugly and predatory, wait patiently on submerged leaves and hunt in the watery shadows.

“They have incredibly powerful jaws and will take anything they can get,” said Nick. “Tadpoles and sticklebacks are their prey – they shoot out their jaws and grab them and then suck their juices out.

“The larvae of the great diving beetle Dytiscus is especially vicious and if it nipped your fingers, you would really know about it.”

One of the streams that bisects the reserve is alive with mature sticklebacks. The males dig out small depressions in the riverbed and line them with moss, while heavily pregnant females swim nearby.

Once the female has laid her eggs, the male will fan the nest with his tale to oxygenate the water and keep the embryos alive.

“We have dug out the banks so the water flows into the reeds,” said Nick. “The fish swim in and among the stems and are picked off by the herons and other animals that eat them.”

As well as the small fry, Radipole is home to large mullet and sea trout. They in turn are picked off by the reserve’s otters.

“I was walking through the reserve with one of the volunteers when we saw an otter down near the visitors’ centre,” said Nick. “We followed him for about 20 minutes and then he disappeared and we thought that was that. But then he popped up right under the bridge we were standing on. I’m not sure who had the greatest shock.”

Plans are also afoot to set up feeding and ‘pooh platforms’ for the reserves growing colony of water voles. They are partial to a bit of apple, so slices of the fruit will be nailed firmly onto the platforms so (quiet) people can watch these delightful creatures, the Ratty of Wind in the Willows, feeding.

This is the time of year when Radipole is at its best. The reeds are a luscious green and the pathways are fringed by all manner of flowers, from bright pink southern march orchids to vibrant yellow flag irises and softer clumps of comfrey.

But be careful – some of the plants that look like cow parsley are the poisonous hemlock water droplet.

Some of Radipole’s most popular residents are its birds.

The ‘beardies’ - bearded tits – that are its signature bird are low in number following the ravages of a hard winter, but other species are thriving.

A pair of imperious marsh harriers can be seen at the north end of the reserve – the male also has a mate at nearby Lodmoor reserve – and the kingfishers have bred and should have fledged by now.

When the young emerge from the burrow, which is in mud next to the sand martin wall, their feathers are not as bright as their parents’, but that soon changes.

“Kingfisher nests are revolting,” said Nick. “They are full of bits of dead fish and pooh and it all clings to the babies so when they first emerge they look quite dull, as you would imagine.

“But they soon shed that plumage and get their bright adult feathers.”

One of the main delights of Radipole is the fact that although it is a five-minute walk from the town centre and edged by busy roads, once you are there, you can forget the manmade hustle and bustle and speeding cars and immerse yourself in the wonders of our local wildlife.

“You can enjoy the reserve on so many levels,” said Nick. “You can just come here for a nice walk, or to feed the birds or to completely get into the area’s natural history.

“It is not just here for the birds and their fans. It is for anyone who likes to come and see wildlife and marvel at the beauty of the place.”