Invertebrate populations are crucial to the whole ecosystem, particularly to the vegetation and sward, and thus to the other animals which use them as food. As well as the more obvious role of providing prey items for other animals some (such as small wasps) parasitize other insects or act as decomposers in the ecosystem. At Kingfishers Bridge a healthy invertebrate population is crucial to the successful habitats that we have. The impact on invertebrates of all our management initiatives is assessed to ensure we minimise damage to these populations. |
Many invertebrates are struggling due to the use of pesticides and other chemicals associated with modern farming practices, including livestock farming which can have a negative impact due to parasite control in farmed herds. None of our livestock or our tenant grazier's livestock are treated with avermectins. These are long lasting parasite medications which are used to prevent lice and worm problems in commercial herds. These medications last within the dung too and decimate fly populations which lay their eggs in faeces. The fly larvae and hatched flies are a major source of food for many birds and as such our grazing animals contribute far more to the habitats they graze than just managing the sward. To ensure the animals welfare is maintained at a high standard with no preventative treatment for parasites monthly faecal worm counts are carried out to monitor the animals parasite load.
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Our management of the reed bed is also aimed at minimising the damage caused to invertebrate populations by cutting and burning the reed. Draining the reed beds in order to manage them with machinery, entails a temporary loss of the habitat and loss of invertebrate populations whereas we rely on the water buffalo to graze out the dense reed and trample the litter and rhizomes without the need for drainage. This means that the new young reed which grows the following season already has mature invertebrate colonies as it would have in a natural system where reed is controlled by flooding rivers. Our management for invertebrates even extends to mowing practices where we avoid the wholesale low cutting of rush and tussock grasses, especially after September, in order than we maintain wintering and hibernating habitat for adults and larva for the following year. The calcareous water which feeds the water bodies at Kingfishers Bridge is perfect for aquatic invertebrates. The high calcium content gives developing larva a ready supply to build their exoskeletons whilst the lack of any agricultural run-off, such as the chemicals present in the River Cam, ensures an abundance of aquatic organisms. This is vital to maintain a stable fish population to feed the Bittern and other piscivores which use Kingfishers Bridge. |