Tag Archives: Cattle

Babies, Birds & Barossa

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First Kid Of The Year (James Adler)

SPRING HAS DEFINITELY ARRIVED, even though it may not have quite felt like it recently, because we in the grazing team have been busy trying keeping track of the arrival of new calves and kids! At the time of writing we have had 9 kids and 20 calves, we’re still expecting a few more kids and around another 40 calves, so we still have a busy time ahead. Most of the goats and cattle need no help during labour, but we check them regularly so know which ones are close to giving birth and monitor them in detail to ensure they deliver their young with no problems.

The cattle and goats are also due to start heading out onto their summer sites very soon. These will predominantly be heathland sites and rangers very often advertise the arrival of the cattle in advance so the public know when they will be there and where they will be. The cattle are used to help reduce the dominance of purple more grass. This deciduous grass can dominate the heathers and other delicate heathland flora which suppresses its establishment and growth. When the cattle eat this grass down it increases the opportunity for these more delicate, slower growing plants to become established. The goats stay in electrified pens and are used to target woody, scrub species such as silver birch. Not only do they take the leaves from the plant, but they also strip the bark too which further stresses the plant and hopefully kills it.

The other side of my job involves looking after Barossa and Poors Allotment as a ranger. This is a large 600ha heathland site near Camberley. Around Easter, rangers with heathland sites are on edge as this tends to be a period of arson activity. Sadly this was the case on Barossa this year when a large section of the heath was set alight. This obviously sets back the development of the habitat, but will have killed any animals that were unable to escape the flames. Most importantly however, it puts human life at risk. If you are on a site where you suspect there is fire then call the fire service straight away.

This is also a good time to remind anyone using a heathland site that ground nesting birds are well underway now and all site users should stick to the paths. This includes dogs which should be kept on a lead or under close control (on a path and in sight at all times).

James Herd (Assistant Ranger, Grazing Team)

Blindley Heath: Adopting a New Nature Reserve

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Blindley Heath (Bob Crompton)

SURREY WILDLIFE TRUST now manages 26 hectares of Blindley Heath on behalf of Godstone Parish Council, under a 25-year management agreement. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Local Nature Reserve and registered Common land.

Often described as “the best known example of a relict damp grassland on Weald Clay in Surrey”, the site was in fact quite dry when I first visited, but as many were to assure me, that was soon to change!

Work has commenced with much enthusiasm and plenty of support from Godstone Parish Council and local residents. The common has been managed in the past with the help of Paul Newdick from Tandridge District Council and the Trust has inherited an active Higher level Stewardship Agreement which enabled the core of the common to be stock fenced into two grazing blocks, an area of scrub clearance and pond management. The site has been monitored with the help of Anne Sankey, Gwyneth Foulkes and many others from the Surrey Botanical Society, so we have a good ecological database as a foundation to build on.

The potential difficulty of establishing a grazing scheme has been avoided as a group of young cattle have been grazing the common for many years courtesy of Mr and Mrs Mills from Lingfield. They are very supportive and we are of course very grateful for their help and friendly input.

A Liaison Group comprising of Godstone Parish Councillors and Clerk, local residents and graziers help guide our work, and we have a complete Ten-Year Management Plan, which has been approved by the Liaison Group and Natural England.

David Millen – the Voluntary Warden at Bay Pond and Graeme Hendrey Wood – lives in Blindley Heath village and has agreed to add the common to his portfolio of sites. We now have the assistance of him and his Tandridge area Volunteers on site on a regular basis!

Tree and re-growth clearance on the open heath and management in the woodland periphery has been undertaken over the last two winters by the SWT Land Management Team, SWT East Team, Richmond Conservation Volunteers, UK Power Networks (on a Corporate Day) and the SWT Wednesday volunteers.

There are big plans for the future of the site, with an official launch in the spring. The Trust will also be carrying out guided walks, a community firewood day, installing and repairing stiles and kissing gates, controlling invasive saplings and re-growth, managing rush on the grassland, carrying out ecological surveys, monitoring and generally enjoying a wonderful site in a friendly corner of Surrey.

It is also very handy for Lingfield racecourse if that floats your boat (quite literally as yes, I can testify, it is very, very wet!!).

SWT Ranger (East Area Team) Bob Crompton

Grazing Team: James Herd

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AS A RANGER WITH THE GRAZING TEAM my role is pretty diverse. One day I can be leading a guided walk or doing habitat management work, the next I can be moving and vaccinating cattle. I’ve been with Surrey Wildlife Trust for nearly 3 years now and it’s this diversity within my job that makes it so rewarding.

As far as the cattle are concerned things are starting to settle down at this time of year. We’ve had 55 calves this year, taking the herd up to a total of 282 animals. Most of the herd are on sites where they will spend the rest of the summer. In Surrey these predominantly tend to be heathland sites where they are used to control the rank grasses such as Purple Moor Grass, as well as make some impact on silver birch scrub. This allows some of the more delicate native heathland flora to establish and thrive and in turn support other biodiversity.

With my ranger hat on I’ve started doing more survey work. I look after Barossa and Poors Allotment, a 550ha heathland site on the edge of Camberley. Survey work here has included reptiles, birds, invertebrates and orchids. I also recently ran a very successful nightjar walk where we heard the male birds churring as well as good views of cuckoo and woodcock.

We’ll be keeping you updated with goings on within the grazing team on a regular basis so keep checking back here for more information.

James