As we celebrate the official arrival of Spring - the volunteers of the "Friends of Oughtonhead Common" have been busy repairing vandalised stock fences in the grazing pastures and building "deer baskets" that protect small hazel trees from being eaten.

In a post on Facebook the industrious group explained how they used hazel stakes to create a perimeter protected by thin willow or hazel branches to create the basket effect.

The group also updated that "birds are starting to build nests and frogs are laying tadpoles in the ponds" on the common.

Oughtonhead Common is a 16-hectare site situated along the northwest edge of Hitchin. The site is comprised of a mosaic of important wildlife habitats, including wetland, grassland, woodland and scrub.  

Owned by North Herts Council (NHC), the site is managed by the council in partnership with CMS and the Friends of Oughtonhead Common for informal public access and nature conservation