The reserve has a number of hawthorn trees but active conservation does mean we have to reduce the size of the hawthorn trees, some of the trees have reached heights of eight foot and never been trimmed before. The hawthorn, if it is managed over a period of time, will increase in strength from the bottom of the tree, and by reducing parts from the top it will remove the ‘heavy top’ effect.
This is the estate team today, with Linda, Ian, Brian, Dean, George and me tackling the hawthorn. By creating a shorter tree and denser hedge we can increase habitat for breeding song birds around the area and make it a safer place for them to choose to nest.
The main point of the estate team’s work today was to remove some of the height from the trees because crows would use the trees as a platform to scan across the area, this particular area is being encouraged to use as a breeding area for a number of species. One of the significant species is the lapwing, at Saltholme in spring it is not unusual to see them using the breeding grounds of the grasslands. I seen a lapwing today close to where I was working, it was performing a sky dance, with the display call ‘peewit’. The lapwing is in decline across Britain with the changes in agriculture methods in recent times. You can find out more about the lapwing here, their breeding, their survival and the population trends by clicking each of the links.
By removing height from the trees the crows will not have the opportunity to sit and spot potential prey. The potential prey could be lapwing (or other species) eggs and chicks. You can see from my photo below it shows the chopped branch has reduced the platform view for the crows. The visibility does not cover as much area as it once did and it gives the baby birds in the spring a greater chance of survival.
- Josh McGowan