Bushes can be great for wildlife, and the Long-Eared Owls like them for roosting in the Haverton scrub as Adam pointed out in the last blog entry. But for the rest of the Reserve we need grass, lots of uninterrupted, wet grass, great for nesting waders. Here bushes and trees just give predators places to watch for a tasty chick, so few birds choose to nest.
This week we are removing unwanted trees and bushes from the Clay Field.
Ed and Josh are using loppers and saws to remove the bushes and then we will clear the site and burn the waste. Cattle graze here all year to keep the grass short and reduce regrowth of woody plants and this will give the open space the waders like.
Late in the day, and walking back to the workshop, we disturbed a Brown Hare and even found the Form where it rests - hares do not burrow and rely on speed and agility to escape predation. We were very close to the Kestrel Trail which is where we often get very good views of hares as they walk down the path.