Now breeding bird season has officially come to its end we have been making plans to cut back unwanted scrub.
At Moor Green Lakes Nature Reserve the banks of the lakes are prone to being taken over by bramble. This is no good for wading birds and ducks as it is good at hiding predators and too thick for them to nest in. The banks of the lakes can also be very steep, making it difficult to cut. Unless you have a trusty Robo-mower on hire!

Sam using the Robo-mower to tackle a big slope of bramble
We used the Robo-mower on Colebrook Lake north to remove large patches of bramble on steep slopes that would have otherwise been very difficult and time consuming to tackle.

Bramble tackled, a Dexter cow comes to investigate
Bramble does provide a great habitat for many birds and good food source for many insects, so there are areas where we consciously leave it alone. However it is quick to spread so to maintain a diverse habitat and a diversity of wildlife we removed it from areas of the lake bank.
Keep an eye out for waders and ducks using the cleared areas next Spring.
Acting Ranger Jenny
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