Countryfile visits Great Fen - plus Wildlife Trust updates from Trumpington Meadows, Cambourne and details of a bat safari
Amy Gerhard, of the Wildlife Trust Beds, Cambs and Northants, discusses work on Trumpington Meadows, the Countryfile team visiting Great Fen, grazing on Cambourne nature reserve and the chance to try a bat safari.
Making hay while the sun shines at Trumpington Meadows
If you are a regular visitor to Trumpington Meadows, you may have noticed that we have carried out our annual hay cut.
Rebecca Green, senior ranger at the reserve, explained why this annual event is so vital for the management of the habitat: “The annual hay cut is the most important job we do at Trumpington Meadows and we take a lot of care and attention to make sure we get it right. We work with local farmers to do much of the actual cutting and baling - they have multiple big tractors to make the task easier and use the hay to feed their Longhorn cattle.
“It's always a lot of work but when we see how diverse and wonderful the meadows look the following year we know it's worth it!”
Our regular volunteer teams, and several corporate work parties have been busy pulling ragwort in preparation for the hay cut. This is another vital job because although the plant is a great food source for invertebrates, the hay would be unsuitable for consumption by the farmers livestock if ragwort was present. We have made sure that plenty of ragwort has been left to thrive in the field margins though!
Results from grassland surveys at the trust show that hay cutting combined with grazing in our meadows is the most beneficial management for botanical diversity. As a result, we have also been busy installing some robust new fencing around Edmundsoles Meadow, using a mix of sweet chestnut strainers and metal posts, and are exploring the potential of introducing livestock to the area.
It is important to say, at this time of the year and alongside vital hay cuts such as this, it is vital that all visitors to our reserves are aware of fire safety and the risks involved when the grass is dry. We have to be very careful about the risk of wildfires, which is why no barbecues or bonfires are allowed on the reserves and we ask that people are very careful to make sure that cigarettes are put out and disposed of appropriately.
The fire service had to be called to Trumpington Meadows recently to put out a hay fire. The reserve team described it as “a very scary situation which could have been a lot worse”.
A visit from Countryfile
The Great Fen has once again been given an amazing moment in the spotlight, as it featured on a recent episode of Countryfile!
Matt Baker and Anita Rani alongside a large crew of producers, presenters and camera people spent time on the fens filming and interviewing our staff and partners about the wildlife, history and future plans across our sites and Natural England areas.
They lent a hand with a peatland health check and learnt about the environmental impacts of the historic draining of the Fens for agriculture whilst exploring alternative techniques for fenland farming. They joined Henry Stanier, Wildlife Trust monitoring and research officer at the Great Fen, on a wildlife safari, surveying species by sight and sound to determine the results of an ambitious fenland restoration project. The episode aired on Sunday 28 July and is available to view on iPlayer. It is well worth a watch!
‘Are they antelope?’
A question from an onlooker visiting our Cambourne reserve and spotting the Hebridean sheep. These sheep can have two, four or even six horns, so it is not surprising that they can surprise people and appear quite exotic.
They are a rare native breed of livestock playing an important role grazing at Cambourne Nature Reserve. We have had Limousin cattle grazing in Cambourne for a few years, but unfortunately not enough of them to keep on top of all the grazing required. So this year we have some extra animals on site to help.
Searching for bats in Cambridge…
Are you interested in learning more about the bats you can find in Cambridge? There are some brilliant bat spotting experiences that offer the opportunity to learn more about these amazing animals and their awesome adaptations!
Hop onto a River Cam Bat Punt Safari, with Scudamore's, or a St Ives Electric River Boat twilight trip along the River Ouse, both of which provide some of the most exciting evening experiences of summer! Using hand held bat detectors you can listen to bats echolocating, and watch them flying overhead as you travel down the river.
Both companies contribute 50 per cent of ticket proceeds to the trust, so every booking helps wildlife. You can book your place online at www.wildlifebcn.org/bat-punts and www.wildlifebcn.org/st-ives-electric-riverboat-co-wildlife-tours.
Or step back onto dry land and join a guided bat walk at one of our reserves. Take a look at our events listings at www.wildlifebcn.org/events to see what’s on.