Last week our team of staff and volunteers were hard at
work on Wheldrake Ings, helping out the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust by burning the
remaining piles of scrub, felled earlier in the autumn. If the piles had been
left it’s likely that they could have floated off in the winter floods and
cause damage to the hay making machinery next summer. Any scrub piles can also
host species like foxes and rats, which can adversely have an impact on our
breeding bird populations if they are breeding in the heart of the reserve.
It was another cold start to the day, but once the work began and the fire was started everyone warmed up nicely. With a concentrated
effort we managed to get the last pile carried to the fire and burnt before the
end of the day, and now looking at the current view of the Ings – flooded up to
the top of the gates – it may be the last time we work on there this winter! So
not only was it well timed, but it also provided an instant success with the
birds – with the area hosting a Glossy Ibis this weekend.
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