RSPB Ynys-hir is turning back the clocks by using a pony to help give birds like the whinchat, tree pipit and yellow hammer a home on the reserve.
Tyler - a 10-year-old piebald cob - has been employed to crush bracken with a heavy roller on a steep part of the reserve, as Dave Anning, reserve manager explains. “The slope is too steep to use a tractor, but Tyler can cope with it quite easily and he’s also more environmentally friendly than using a tractor or chemicals! Crushing the bracken instead of cutting also means that it reduces food energy for the bud the following year, so there is less bracken on the slopes year on year.”
Barbara Haddrill Tyler’s owner said: “This type of old-style working is becoming loads more popular these days, with people slowly becoming aware of the environmental and conservation benefits of using a pony.” To find out more about RSPB Ynys-hir click http://www.rspb.org.uk/ynys-hir
image below - Barcbara Haddrill with Tyler the cob at RSPB Ynys-hir - credit Dave Anning, RSPB Cymru