Yesterday was hot once again and I had voluteered my services to help with the massive job of trying to clear the poisonous Ragwort from the marsh. The team spent last Thursday doing the same in 30+ c and with lots more to remove we cracked on.
The Ragwort Bashing Battalion was in fine form yesterday and gave the yellow menace a run for its money and we managed to clear all of one of the big fields within Aveley Marsh and fill our mega-trailer twice.
Before...
and after! What a job!
In some ways it is a pity that we have to do this job but Ragwort is highly invasive and dangerous to our cattle so we have to remove it from areas where they feed. It is incredibly good for many sorts of insect (as we saw yesterday!) so we leave it alone if it is hrowing alongside the path or in areas where the cattle do not graze.
And of course there are always birds and while out there we saw four young Marsh Harriers heading through along with a huge ball of high flying Swifts, a pair of Peregrines and odd waders such as Greenshank , Black-tailed Godwit and Whimbrel as the moved between foreshore and pools.
Hard work but very satisfying although I cannot move much today!
9-8-13
Howard Vaughan, Information Officer