Grazing at Holme Dunes

Gary Hibberd, Warden at Holme Dunes

Meet the new "management tools" at Holme

The recent grazing by our konik ponies and English white cattle in the dune slacks and paddocks respectively has highlighted what an amazing job these animals can do on our  sites. I gave an illustrated talk to our local group the other evening and used some recent pictures to show how important they are as management tools. I thought I'd share some of these images here:

The koniks over looking the slacks from the bank that was originally bulldozed up during World War Two.

Note the rank bush grass Calamagrostis epigejos, the bright green vegetation....

the koniks love it!

Another view of the main slack before grazing...

and after, note the "Toads in Holes" scrape in full view!

Now the work rate from the English whites!

The day they arrived at Holme on 29 October

and what they have achieved by 11 December!

A view of the paddocks main area of grassland...

and now. Well done ladies.