So long, Sheep

This morning the sheep enjoyed their last sunrise over the Snook, after four months on the dunes they’ve gone back home to the mainland.  They have been intensively grazing the Snook on Holy Island as part of our management of the dune grasslands.  This winter with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund Peregrini Lindisfarne Landscape Partnership project we’ve had 30 sheep which have grazed areas of the dunes that have never had livestock on them.  Along with grazing of sedges and grasses they have tackled invasive plants and even scrub. Coupled with other means of dune management the benefits of this extended grazing will be seen in the spring and summer months when wildflowers such as orchids and Grass of Parnassus will emerge and blossom.

 

Before the sheep did their thing and the after results!

Tackling Scrub

 

Off they go back to the farm.