The volunteers have made a great start on the winter habitat work.  Last Tuesday, we entered Longrock Pool by boat and cleared the edge of the reedbed to create loathing platforms for the birds.  Volunteers also made a good progress removing the willow that had grown back since 2008/09.  You will see us continue to clear the willow in this area for several weeks then we will cut an area of reed as part of our ongoing management.  To keep a healthy reedbed with some wet and some dry areas we need to cut an area of reed every couple of years on rotation to reduce the build up of leaf litter.  This allows the reedbed to flood and provides fish and aquatic invertebrates with the perfect wet home, these are the favourite hunting ground for bittern in the winter.