© JustOutThere
Kent Wildlife Trust are pioneers of rewilding & conservation grazing scenes. Carefully selected breeds of livestock roam and graze on nature reserves; by their natural food choices, their general lifestyle and behaviour on the nature reserves, they act as architects of the landscape, creating and restoring habitats in which native bidiversity can thrive. I’ve been a Volunteer Livestock Checker for Kent Wildlife Trust for 1½ years. It’s fun and educational catching-up with the animals each week, as they go about their lives on reserves. The different characters are brilliantly entertaining, and it’s genuinely a joy to hang out with them. KWT livestock must also be the best looked-after in the country - every animal on every reserve is checked to be present and well every day, with any limps or health problems reproted and treated quickly. Kent Wildlife Trust’s livestock breeds are also impressive and entertaining, and enjoyable additions to the landscape. They’re not the grass-munching fiends that we’re used to seeing in fields, fattening-up with rich, sugary diets. These are old-world breeds, hardy and capable of foraging for a well-rounded diet and triving on their own, much as wild animals do. They commonly chose to eat shrubs, scrub and bramble, opening-up space for native grasslands to thrive. By grazing grasslands they maintain vegetation at the perfect height for a diversity of grassland species, including rare native orchids. So, each photo of conservation livestock is supported by my own significant voluntary contribution to conservation (as with all my nature photography), and to their welfare. And I hope to share their great work, and joy of their great characters, to bring-up their proile as doing great work for biodiversity, and to encourage more people to contribute to their support. I wholly recommend anyone to become a volunteer livestock checker - it’s a worthy way to support conservation and local bidiversity gain; and a great reason for good day out each week wandering a nature reserve, for chance to happen-upon great nature spectacles througout the year. Kent Wildlife Trust are always in need of more checkers, to ensure the daily health of an expanding team of livestock who are out there working hard for conservation, so get in touch! Conservation livestock replace those who would have historically roamed and grazed our landscapes freely. These would have naturally supported the biodiversity that now struggles without them; a missing keystone species. The conservation livestock create pathways and hangouts in dense scrub that other animlas can use; they turn-over and disturb the ground allowing seeds to propogate; they naturally create water-catchments, bogs and ponds, and open-up pools in reedbeds. By rewilding nature reserves and supporting conservation livestock to maintain the landscapes and habitats through their natural instincts, Kent Wildlife Trust have achieved great results where traditional conservation methods (of hands-on hard work by people) have struggled. Jan 2021, Returning to Feed on Oare Salt Marshes Seasalter Beach, Dec 2020 A very wintery spell Feb 2021, Gorham Woods June 2021, Sittingbourne Industrial Estate (a wander during an MOT) March 2021, Seasalter Beach Hogshaw Woods, Milstead, Jun 2021 May 2021, North Downs Woodland February 2021, Oare Creek December 2020, Oare Marshes (Kent Wildlife Trust) February 2021, Oare Marshes (Kent Wildlife Trust) February 2021, Oare Marshes (Kent Wildlife Trust) July 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) March 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife Trust) July 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) March 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) June 2021, Indescript Kentish Scrubland February 2022, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) November 2021, Oare Creek January 2021, Shore of The Swale January 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife Trust) July 2021, Oare Marshes (Kent Wildlife Trust) September 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) August 2021, Hogshaw Woods June 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) May 2021, North Downs Woodland June 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) April 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) July 2021, Queendown Warren (Kent Wildlife trust) April 2021, The 1st of a re-introduction (Species Recovery Trust & Kent Wildlife Trust) Jan 2022, Going strong 9 months-on since re-introduction (Species Recovery Trust & Kent Wildlife Trust) Turnstones Tumble Into Flight Returning to Feed, Oare Salt-Marsh, Jan 2021 Turnstone Chilled by the Wintery Wash Seasalter Beach, Dec 2020 Chaffinch, Chilly-Toed in the Snow, Gorham Woods, Feb 2021 Feeding Little Woody, Sittingbourne Industrial Estate, June 2021 Turnstone Sneaks a Snail from the Shingle, Seasalter Beach, March 2021 Micro Moth’s Micro Roost, Hogshaw Woods, Jun 2021 Fresh Eyes for the World (Curious Badger Cub) North Downs, May 2021 Sanderlings in Winter Sunshine, Oare Creek, February 2021 Sunset Stonechat KWT Oare Marshes, December 2020 Barn Owl Haunts the Reedbeds, KWT Oare Marshes, February 2021 Reed Bunting in Reed Lighting, KWT Oare Marshes, February 2021 Faces in Flowers, Lizard Orchid, KWT Queendown Warren, July 2021 Wood Anemone Unfurls, KWT Queendown Warren, March 2021 Lizard Orchid Tongues, KWT Queendown Warren, July 2021 Wood Anemone Beetles, KWT Queendown Warren, March 2021 HIdden in Plain Sight, Crab Spider Kills in a Pyramid Orchid Indescript Kentish Scrubland, June 2021
Queen of the Woods, Queendown Warren, February 2022
Seal Basking in Sunset, Oare Creek, November 2021
Heron Wades in Winter Sunset, Shore of The Swale, January 2021 Winter-Foraging Blue Tit, KWT Queendown Warren, January 2021 Blinking Wren, KWT Oare Marshes, July 2021 Small Copper Butterfly, KWT Queendown Warren, September 2021 Marble White Butterfly Roosts on a Thistle at Dusk, Hogshaw Woods, August 2021 Fox emerges at Dusk, KWT Queendown Warren, June 2021 Badger Begins the Nightly Rounds, North Downs Woodland, May 2021
Bee Orchid Flower Phases, KWT Queendown Warren, June 2021
Solitary Bee Pollon-Bathed in a Cuckoo Flower, KWT Queendown Warren, April 2021
6-Spot Burnet Moths Mass Emergence, KWT Queendown Warren, July 2021 Kentish Milkwort Shining with Hope, The 1st of a re-introduction by Species Recover Trust & Kent Wildlife Trust, April 2021
Kentish Milkwort & Sprintail Thawing-Out a Frost, Jan 2022, … going strong 9-months-on (April re-introduction by Species Recovery Trust & Kent Wildlife Trust)
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Kent Wildlife Trust Conservation Livestock

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© JustOutThere
Sanderlings, Oare Creek, Feb’21
Sunset Stonechat, Oare Marshes, Dec’20
Barn Owl, Oare Marshes, Feb’21
Reed Bunting, Oare Marshes, Feb’21
Faces in Flowers, Queendown Warren, Jul’21
Wood Anemone, Queendown Warren, Mar’21
Lizard Orchid Tongues, Queendown, Jul’21
Wood Anemone Beetles, Queendown, Mar’21
Crab Spider Kills in Pyramid Orchid non-descript Kent Scrubland, Jun’21
Queen of the Woods, Queendown Warren, February 2022
Sunset Basking Seal, Oare Creek, Nov’21
Winter Sunset Heron, The Swale, Jan’21
Winter Blue Tit, Queendown Warren, Jan‘21
Blinking Wren, Oare Marshes, Jul’21
Small Copper, Queendown Warren, Jul ’21
Marble White, Hogshaw Woods, Aug’21
Fox Emerges, Queendown Warren, Jun’21
Badger’s Rounds, North Downs, May’21
Bee Orchids, Queendown Warren, Jun’21
Bee & Cuckoo Pollon, Queendown, Apr’21
6-Spot Burnet Moths, Queendown, Jul’21
Kentish Milkwort, Queendown, Apr’21
Kentish Milkwort & Sprintail, Thawing-Out a Frost, Jan 2022 … going strong 8-months-on (re-introduced by Species Recover Trust & Kent Wildlife trust)
Returning to Feed, Oare Salt Marsh, Jan 2021 Seasalter Beach, Dec 2020 A very wintery spell Feb 2021, Gorham Woods June 2021, Sittingbourne Industrial Estate (a wander during an MOT) March 2021, Seasalter Beach Hogshaw Woods, Milstead, Jun 2021 May 2021, North Downs Woodland
Badgercub, North Downs, May’21
Micromoth, Hogshaw Woods, Jun’21
Turnstone, Seasalter Shingle, Mar’21
Chaffinch, Snowy Hogshaw Wood, Feb’21
Woodpecker Nest in Ind.Estate, Jun21
Turnstones Tumble, Oare Marsh, Jan’21
Turnstone’s Chilly Wave, Seasalter, Dec’20
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Kent Nature Gallery