Preparations for the coming season continued with the arrival of the cattle back to the marshes meant all estate infrastructure needed to be up together. The warm weather has produced a flush of new growth so we are a few weeks ahead and the cows have returned a little earlier as a result. It is great to welcome them back; I always feel that the marshes look so empty without them. The animals over in Powderham have already done an excellent job of eating down the unpalatable vegetation– which greatly improves the area for the breeding lapwing. The birds seemed to have returned in good numbers and the first count indicates the number of pairs could be similar to last years. This will be an excellent starting point with the hope that under the protection of the predator exclusion fence the returning pairs will have higher productivity enabling the numbers to swell and spread in future years.
Looks great out there - I hope the water levels stick to the program, and you get a productive crop of grasshoppers for those buntings...