Grassland Management at Saltwells National Nature Reserve

A big cheer went up when the minibus arrived to take us to Saltwells NNR, this week, with everyone full of enthusiasm to continue working towards their JMA conserve challenge. Once again, litter picking along the way and the rest us carrying our tools, we walked up to Razza Bank. This area of the reserve is no longer grazed by ponies and we are helping the wardens with grassland management. Before starting work, we reminded ourselves how to use tools safely and to be mindful of the many anthills to prevent trampling. Three small holes had been dug out of one ant hill, possibly by a badger or fox feeding and there was a strong musky smell in the area. We also talked about the possibility of birds nesting in the hedgerow and bramble in the forthcoming weeks because we do not want to cause disturbance. Work started clearing bramble and raking the cuttings off the grassland. One member of our group found a football amongst the bramble. The football was later taken home by another student for his dog, Dexter to play with. It was a beautiful sunny and frosty day. No buzzard in sight this week but we saw a robin collecting worms in the area we had cleared, and a great tit perched in the hedgerow as we worked. On our way back to the wardens base, we found a sit spot and listened to the sounds of Saltwells Wood for two minutes. There was a Buzzard calling in the distance and the sound of rustling leaves. After two weeks of bramble clearance, the grassland is much more open at Razza Bank but there is still a lot of work to do to restore the habitat. Next week our group will continue with this and have a go at identifying trees by their twigs in Saltwells Wood for the JMA Explore challenge.