Rare Ponies Gallop to the rescue at Bickerton Hill
The National Trust has enlisted some new four-legged recruits to help save some of Cheshire’s most valuable habitat for future generations.
Working with the Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Project, the Trust have introduced a herd of rare Welsh mountain ponies from Carneddau in North Wales onto Bickerton Hill to help halt the spread of birch trees which threaten the future of rare heathland habitat on the hill.
Bickerton Hill is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and provides a home for many rare or threatened animals and plants, including lizards, adders and birds of prey. The heath is considered to be the best of its kind in the county.
Dave Morris, the Trust’s warden at Bickerton Hill says: “Sadly, lowland heath like that which we have here at Bickerton is disappearing faster than the rainforests: nearly half of this type of habitat has vanished in the last 50 years. We’ve been working over the last decade to restore the hill’s original heathland which was lost when heathland grazing stopped in the 1930s. This allowed pine, oak and particularly birch saplings to flourish, so it’s a constant battle to keep the saplings at bay – and that’s where the ponies come in”.
Ponies arrive at Bickerton - April 2011
“We’ve had cattle on the hill for a number of years, but we felt ponies would be well suited to this kind of conservation grazing and compliment the grazing of the cattle. The ponies tend to be less fussy eaters than cattle and will tackle older saplings – making them more efficient at keeping the birch down. Left unchecked, the birch trees would quickly colonise the heath and the canopy cast by the mature trees would kill off the heather – along with much of the wildlife that depends on it for food and shelter. Natural England, the government’s advisory agency is also fully supportive of the introduction of pony grazing on the hill, as the cattle have struggled to graze the re-generating birch sufficiently over the last few years. Ponies grazing the site will allow the specialised heath land plants such as heather and bilberry to flourish”
The ponies have been supplied by AGAP – the Anglesey Grazing Animals Partnership. Hilary Kehoe, AGAP’s Local Grazing Scheme Co-Ordinator comments: “AGAP works to link farmers and graziers - who can supply suitable grazing stock - with organisations and landowners to establish sustainable grazing on conservation sites and wildlife-rich landscapes in Anglesey and beyond. We’re delighted to have been able to assist the National Trust at Bickerton Hill, and are sure the ponies will make a real contribution to helping conserve this rare heathland landscape”
Ellie Soper from the Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Project which has helped fund the project said: “This is a really exciting project to be involved in. The heath on Bickerton Hill is an important habitat within Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge landscape, correct management is key to its sustainability”
Ponies grazing on the Carneddau in North Wales
The Carneddau ponies will be non-breeding so there will be no loose stallions or mares with young foals. Although tough and used to living outside all year long, the animals are naturally timid and won’t be attracted to people or horse riders. Essentially wild, they will be fed when necessary, for example when there is snow on the ground by Trust staff who will also give medication when required, but the ponies are not tame, so visitors to Bickerton are asked not to try and feed them, and dog walkers should keep their pets under control. The ponies will be grazing the same area of the hill which cattle have done in the past.
Meanwhile, the National Trust wants to recruit a team of
volunteer ‘lookers’ to check the condition of the ponies and
to monitor and report on their health and welfare. Anyone
interested in helping should contact Dave Morris at Bickerton on
07831 561588 or 01829 782725.
