With the second lockdown being followed by tier 3
restrictions Tophill Low has seen yet another long closure. Not only did we
shut the doors to the public but also to our volunteers who generously donate roughly
13,000 hours a year to help us keep on top of our habitat management programs
around the reserve. Considering their absence and to help keep things ticking
over we have reached out to seek assistance from some unlikely helpers, 7 Boer
Goats.
Promo picture for upcoming horror movie 'Giant Goat East Yorkshire Rampage'
Lucy making herself at home in North Scrub
In early November Charlotte Taylor, a local grazier and
owner of ‘Nibbles & Co’ moved 7 of her Boer goats to Tophill Low to work
alongside the Belted Galloways to help maintain our scrub habitats and hay
meadows. Unlike the Belties, the goats have a really varied diet and prefer to
eat more fibrous, woody vegetation, have a natural preference for brambles and
are thoroughly enjoying their new home in North Scrub!
With a varied diet Boer goats get a lot of their nutrients from bark, making light work of species like goat willow. Ring barking like this slows down scrub species encroaching into open spaces.
Our volunteers would spend days removing goat willow by hand. Relying on powered equipment and herbicides to try and stop scrub species from walking out into the scrub is a never ending battle.
Boer Goats originate from South Africa and are predominantly
a meat breed, in the UK they are the only pedigree meat breed and Charlotte
intends to grow on the herd for this purpose. More information on the goats,
their antics and their progress can be found on their Facebook page ‘
Nibble
& Co’.
Like all goats, Boers are agile climbers and do so to reach the more succulent leaves, twigs and buds a little further off the ground. Being a meat breed, they will soon be too heavy make any major escapes... we hope!
With conservation grazing being the main objective, we are
keen to ensure high standards of animal welfare are followed so we implore
anyone visiting Tophill Low Nature Reserve, please DO NOT FEED the goats. They
have sensitive digestive systems and any abrupt changes can cause serious
health implications. Charlotte travels to the reserve daily to ensure the
animals welfare needs are being met and this was a key factor in our decision
to bring in ‘Nibbles & Co’ to take on the workload.
Our agile workforce enjoying some winter sun
Charlotte Taylor, Beswick local grazier introducing her gang
Our aim is to get the goats into some of the more unruly
parts of the reserve, to work alongside the Belties opening up areas to create
more edge habitat which is vital for much of our local biodiversity. With their
help we can also strike a balance between the encroaching brambles, self-seeded
hawthorn and willows to regain the important open grassy habitats that these
scrub species have been able to take over in absence of our volunteer’s hard
work.
They wasted no time getting stuck in. Within the first few days they were jumping into the brambles to get right in there to the 'good parts'. If there are any good parts at this time of year?!
The goats were a little weary of their big roommates to start with but now they've settled in they are rarely apart, always in close proximity to the gentle giants.
Introducing the goats to Tophill Low means we can refocus our volunteer team allowing us to take on exciting new projects and give existing ones the time and effort they deserve. It is also significant because it is another step forward for Yorkshire Water and Tophill Low to reach the carbon net zero ambition by 2030. The goats enable us to leave the herbicides, the tractor, the brush cutters, the reapers and the chainsaws securely in the workshop, not having to use herbicides or fossil fuels, not burning the cuttings on a bonfire and probably most notably, not polluting the idyllic sound of nature that many of our visitors come to enjoy. Although, the idyllic sound of nature now features a lot of goat bleating!
The team taking down the intruding branches from outside the enclosure in a coordinated and serious effort to stop succession on North Scrub getting any worse.
We would have to dedicate many hours of work with powered equipment, over many consecutive weeks with almost all of our volunteer teams to achieve the same outcome as these goats.
In other news, work is being done to firm up the access to North Marsh Hide. With serious damp affecting the supporting beams under the boards we are working hard to replace the supports and get access back to the hide ready for future use.
With goats tackling scrub succession, we can refocus our efforts to ensure a safe and enjoyable time is had by anyone visiting the reserve.
We look forward to welcoming you all back soon, when it is safe to do so and when the East Riding is downgraded to a tier 2. Until then, please stay safe and take care.
We aren't they only ones looking forward to safely reopening!
