This is the round tower at Ouaisne, Jersey, It was a beautiful day yesterday, the sun was shining and it was 13 deg c. Ouaisné Common is one of the Island’s richest and most diverse nature reserves. For its small size (10 hectares), Ouaisné consists of a remarkable variety of habitats. It comprises of a stabilised sand dune which is in transition to heathland. These changes are taking place due a number of reasons including the loss of grazing by larger animals, and the construction of the German defensive wall. L’Ouaisné has a rich and varied wildlife due to the large number of small but varied habitat types. These consist of wetland areas including dune slacks, bog and mature willow carr as well as open sand, and a varied mix of vegetation stands including blocks of gorse, dwarf shrub heath and grassland. There is also a large pond and reed bed on the southern edge of the site. The Common is now separated from the beach by a coastal protection wall, constructed by the Germans during the Occupation in 1940-45. This has played a major role in stabilising the dunes by interrupting the flow of sand being blown from the beach onto the common. This stabilisation enables scrub to grow which tends to overshadow lower growing species. Present day management of the Common includes control of scrub and other invasive species including bracken. Thank you for your views and comments Susan