As some of Otmoor’s eagle eyed visitors will have noticed, the tractor has been trundling around the fields. It is the time of year we complete our wet grassland management. The breeding season for many ground nesting birds has now finished so we need to start preparations for next spring. This may sound early but most of the grass has flowered and seeded, therefore won’t grow too much before the onset of winter.
We start topping mid July when the water levels are low and still dropping. We will be topping all the fields first, leaving some areas of longer grass to provide a refuge for animals. During this time you may also see the quad bike with a large brush on the back, this is a weedwiper. We tow this slowly over the tops of the rush so that chemical gets brushed off onto the plant, which will then work down to the roots and kill the plant. Rush control in wet areas is an important task as it is a fast growing plant that will take over. Rush is good in some areas as it provides good cover for Snipe and small chicks, however other species like to nest in shorter finer grass in more open areas.
After we have topped the fields, we will move on to aerating and rotovating. Aerating is the process of creating holes in the ground to increase air circulation, helping to increase insect life and loosen the soil structure. This is beneficial to a variety of species, helping to increase earthworm populations and therefore increase food for wading birds. Improving the soil structure gives wildflowers better chance to establish across the fields, in the thick Otmoor clay. Rotovating is where we work along the edges of wet features creating a bare muddy patch perfect for chicks feeding in the spring.
Photo 1 - Joe on the weedwiper
Photo 2 - Topping in the tractor