Winter is a time for maintenance and tidying up so the estate team volunteers have been working hard clearing unwanted vegetation and pruning thorn trees. In the past, before we started managing Saltholme, many small Hawthorn trees were planted - not always in good places - and these have grown. Many in the Clay Field have been cut down and now the short grass grazed by the Belted Galloway cattle is also being grazed by Wigeon. These can be seen from Haverton gate.
Just beyond the gate there are trees that overlook the wet grassland and are potential perches for Crows which predate young waders. We have reduced the height of these, leaving enough to to give nesting sites for small birds. Small piles of cut branches have been left to provide habitat for small mammals and insects, and the larger logs will go on the Wildlife Garden log pile. This left lots of material which just had to be got rid of so we had a fire.
Quite a pleasing task on a lovely January day - and with a Stonechat watching us fron the recently cut trees. The photo shows twigs being taken to the fire - we would not want to kill a sleeping hedgehog by setting fire to a pile material.
If your own garden bushes need attention then think about leaving some branches and twigs (if the are healthy) as habitat for wildlife, Hedgehogs and frogs will eat slugs and other pests and Ladybirds will spend the winter there before feeding all summer on greenfly.