The Little grebe pair on our pond by the visitor centre have finally produced young with three tiny chicks appearing on the water and being fed by the adults. The reserve volunteers and warden continue to maintain the reserve to keep it at its optimum for wildlife and a beautiful place for visitors. Lots of trimming back of path edges, and we recently did some maintenance of the education pond area to get it ready for the many summer holiday activities to begin. The ponds are looking really good with lots of healthy vegetation and loads of pond life waiting to be discovered. We have had lots of Purple hairstreak butterflies on the mature oaks at the edge of the reserve this year, and many other butterflies and dragonflies taking advantage of the wildflower areas. The sheep are back in the meadow for a couple of months, and they will help maintain it by eating the flowers from over-vigorous plants such as Bristly ox-tongue, creating a more varied sward.