Totternhoe Knolls and Quarry have both had an extended grazing season and this is welcome due to the recent absence of grazing pressure on the sites. Time has been taken up moving the animals back to Pegsdon for the Christmas period to limit issues, but since they have returned the sheep are pushing hard into the clematis and scrub fringes. 

Pegsdon Hills and Knocking Hoe grasslands have again housed the majority of our sheep and our four highland cows for the winter, joined by nine redpolls from our regular grazier. Site access has been troublesome and ensuring the animals have sufficient water a challenge at times. The site has benefitted from two work parties a month all winter, and this has allowed us to rein in some of the expanding low scrub in the open grassland ex-arable areas. 

Livestock management through the wet winter and on the above sites in particular has been challenging. We are grateful for the assistance of the Northants livestock staff for their assistance with rounding up, health treatments and emergency response, with the team providing invaluable aid. This will be a necessary contribution for the remainder of this year whilst our own livestock focussed Senior Reserves Officer is still on adoption leave. 

We are coming to the final year of the Network for Nature project and work has been continuing with staff and external designers finalising the complete refresh of the Blow’s Downs interpretation suite. As we move into the next quarter we will be able to complete some installation of new cabinets and benches that have been delayed due to access restrictions. The site has benefitted from lots of work by the volunteer team and staff to complete scrub clearance, and the site has been grazed by an external grazier throughout the winter months. 

We are pleased to have been able to apply to the Chilterns AONB FiPL grant scheme and have been successful in getting a mobile sheep race used for livestock management 80% funded. This will be invaluable in the coming years as we continue to graze our own and other third parties important grassland sites across the North-east Chilterns.