A It’s a wild place, right in the middle of Kilconquhar village and surrounded by agricultural land. In a marsh, you can see plants, insects and birds that you will not find in the neighbouring countryside.

A The snipe have been brilliant this year: I raised eleven on one walk. We get jack snipe and common snipe over-wintering in the marsh. My wife, Maggie, and I have found sedge warblers nesting, as well as willow warblers and reed buntings.

A There is a large range of marsh plants at Barnyards. We keep count of the varieties by means of an annual transect each June. This entails walking in a straight line across the reserve, between the same two fixed points each time, and stopping roughly every ten paces to list the plants we have passed. There are usually four of us – one to pace the route, one to take notes and two to identify the plants. We record the plants found and categorise them by DAFOR – that is whether they are dominant, abundant, frequent, occasional or rare for this location.

A Clearing the paths for the first time each year in late May is hard work. I use shears to avoid the noise pollution caused by strimmers.

A Yes, definitely, volunteers would be very welcome and no expertise is necessary. Once the paths are cleared, we need volunteers to walk them so as to keep them trodden down and open during the summer months. It’s a rare opportunity to relax and enjoy the rich life of the reserve and to help at the same time. We would also welcome anyone with a knowledge of plants to help with cutting back. Then in November when the plants are dying back we would be glad of help to rake the small marsh pond so as to prevent the sedges from encroaching.