Ready for the growing season we are now making plans for the arrival of the grazing animals working with the local farmers to ensure that the plans work for them as much as they work for us. After we have undertaken a lot of management work to knock back the invasive species such as rush, the improved grass sward provides them with better grazing as well as hopefully providing improved habitat for our breeding warders. The cattle disappeared off the reserve at the end of December and I always find it makes the marshes look bare and empty. But the grazing continues, with the number of wildfowl spread right across the marshes at the moment, they have taken on the mantle and are doing an excellent job of keeping the sward beautifully tight which is name of the game ready for the rush of growth in the spring – just around the corner.