On the back of the all the great work done by Malcolm, Jeff, Dragan and Simon, I have finished my winter work on the final stretch of hedge at Underhill Wood. This 500 yard section is almost all hawthorn and has been long neglected. Many of the hawthorn bushes have morphed into 30 - 40 foot trees - long & leggy. Over the past 2 weeks I have reduced these and come spring they can rehabilitate into dense bushes producing more flowers and fruit, and thereby support a greater range of fauna.
At the same time I have removed a 500 yard post and rail fence (a legacy from the days when this paddock was grazed by ponies) - this has increased the size of the owl field. I can now incorporate this ground into the vole rich habitat and increase the volume of prey available to the barn owls....
