WINTERTIME is when most of the large-scale conservation works take place out on the reserves.

At this time of year most of the wildlife is dormant, so the inevitable disturbance that tree felling or other large-scale work causes is kept to a minimum.

This year has been no exception and as in previous years the heathland restoration projects on Burlish Top and the Rifle Range / Devil's Spittleful nature reserves have been in full swing.

This work is part of the national Tomorrows Heathland Heritage project which is now entering its final year.

Since 1999, this project has seen the landscape and wildlife these reserves support change dramatically. To some, conservation and saving trees is one and the same thing, but this is far from the case when you consider the case for lowland heath.

Here, the loss of regular harvesting of scrub trees and grazing has resulted that in over the past few decades this habitat and its specialised wildlife, which has existed in our country for millennia, has become seriously under threat of extinction.

Hence the large-scale works on these reserves has revolved around the felling of a large quantity of scrub trees.

The effect this has had on the landscape is awe-inspiring. It now has wild and open vistas with clumps of woodland and scrub giving depth.

On Burlish Top as you walk along now, you have views over Clee Hill on one side and Clent Hills on the other. Walking along the Rifle Range, it feels more like walking across wild mountain moorland than a fragment of countryside on the fringes of Kidderminster.

Wildlife-wise, heather has started to show on many new areas, unconfirmed sightings of snakes have been made and exceptionally rare tiger beetles have been seen thriving.

It is hoped the majority of this project will be completed this year and then with regular maintenance in place these reserves will remain wildlife havens for future generations to enjoy.

In addition to the major works that have taken place on these heaths, we hope to begin an additional project based at Habberley Valley this year.

Habberley, like Burlish and the Rifle Range was once a lowland heath, but unlike these reserves its heath has become much more degraded and only fragments of heather heathland remain.

There are large chunks of acid grassland though, another rare habitat, which unfortunately are also rapidly diminishing.

The works at Habberley hope to reverse this trend, but they will need to be of a more delicate nature as substantial consideration needs to be given to minimise disturbance to the Valleys extremely important adder population.

If you would like to find out more about this project then you can meet up with the Rangers out in Habberley Valley on Saturday at 11am.