23rd December: Cattle update

Like the sheep who were sent home a few weeks ago, our cattle will be heading home in January too, just after New Year.

The cattle were found hunkered down in the strong winds and rain of the 23rd and 24th December, sheltering in a dip in the dunes.

As you may have read in previous posts about our cattle, the herd is brought onto Lindisfarne NNR to graze the rough grasses among the dunes and slacks to allow plants such as our amazing orchids to flourish in Spring and Summer. The cattle are good at maintaining the grasses and other vegetation at a shorter, more varied height.

In addition to keeping the rough vegetation well grazed, the herd have been doing a really great job of grazing and trampling the invasive plant, Pirri-pirri bur, reducing its vigour and also making it susceptible to frost damage.