The last willows in the rough get cleared with the help of Graham and his tractor winch.  having all of the trees gone has made a huge difference to the area, for the first time we can really see how much space there is.

We moved the Buffalo onto the Cam washes today where they will graze all year round, except for when they are needed to manage the reedbeds.  The move went very smoothly and they are now calmly exploring their new home.

Work has begun on the new scapes and islands on the Cam washes.  3 Large scrapes with islands and 4 small scrapes are being created using the lowest points on the floodplain to hold water through the summer.  Culverts are also being installed to allow movement of the grazing animals across the site more evenly.
It is hoped the islands will be used by Black Tailed godwitts and Avocets, both have attempted to breed at Kingfishers Bridge in the past.

The Limestone that makes up the Sand martin cliffs is great for supporting the cliff face for several years but is too hard for the birds to dig nesting burrows themselves.
Using a 30 inch long petrol auger holes are drilled into the face of the cliff and a nesting chamber is excavated at the end of the burrow with a high pressure water hose.  It is quite hard, slow work!

We have felled alot of large willows over the winter which need to be cleared off the droves.  This little loader made light work of the job, thanks to Sian and Lizzie for their skilled driving in such a cramped area!