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Tuesday 20th January 2015 Eight volunteers plus Ranger Mark. Cold and sunny - still some ice and frost on the ground, much of which was water-logged. Lots of strimming. Dog mess along Plotlands Way sprayed with fluorescent aerosol so it turned a disgusting yellowy green presumably to help people avoid stepping in it, and also to remind irresponsible dog owners of the mess they're leaving behind. Lots of mess round the Eastfield Road entrance. Tuesday 17th February 2015 [report not available] Tuesday 17th March 2015 Seven volunteers turned up for the work party. It was a lovely spring day, but the Reserve is still very waterlogged with some of the paths flooded, and large pools of groundwater everywhere. Supervised by Ranger Gary and his assistant Andy we set to work raking up the debris left behind after the clearing of the central scrubland by contractors. We did what we could but there's plenty more work needed to remove all the small branches and twigs to allow the grass (and hopefully the flowers) to come through. The biggest changes in the Reserve in the last two months have been the relaying of the green "milk-crate path" with standard chippings (not before time many would say), and the building of a 300 meter walkway stretching out across the East Meadow and round to Meadow Pond which had become almost inaccessible over recent years. Even though the Meadow has pools of water everywhere, some of the daffodils have come up, and by the entrance there is a pretty patch of primroses. The white flowers of the blackthorn are now out, and along the east side of Plotland Way there are small patches of violets. Sadly it looks like we have lost the lupins as Lupin Grove has been under water for much of the last eighteen months, and last year they failed to flower for the first time since the Reserve was formed in 1999. Tuesday 21st April 2015 The day was hot and sunny with very little wind, but surprisingly only four volunteers turned up. Ranger Gary was on hand with three assistants to help take away the remains of the camp site in the scrubland at the far east of the Reserve. By the time the area was cleared up the trailer was almost full! Meanwhile there was some strimming going on along the sides of the path by the entrance, and we did the usual litter pick. The warmth tempted out lots of butterflies - we spotted a small tortoiseshell, peacock, orange tips, speckled woods and a comma. The ponds are still very full. Prewers pond, which sometimes dries up when the weather gets warm, was quite deep and had plenty of newts in it. The highlight of the day for me was coming across a large clump of white wood anemones in the woodland on the right of the path leading down to Fox Pond, though the dandelions on either side of Plotlands Way looked glorious in the bright sunshine. Tuesday 19th May 2015 Ranger Mark and Ranger Gary turned up with three assistants (in high visibilty yellow jackets) to tackle the sidegrowth along the new boardwalk. They were helped by nine volunteers, more than twice as many as last month. It started off sunny, and we managed to get most of the work done before a heavy shower of rain put an end to our activities for the day. The Reserve is looking lovely with all the ponds full, and the hawthorn and bramble now out. In the meadow areas there are lots of buttercups, and the purple vetch is starting to flower. We saw several orange tips and some blues (which didn't stay still long enough to be identified). Tuesday 16th June 2015 Five volunteers and Ranger Mark. Mainly trimming back the sidegrowth and the usual litter pick. Wonderful dispplays of flowers everywhere, including ox-eye daisy, red and white clover, scarlet pimpernel, vetch, dog rose, yellow flag, buttercups, daisies, common mallow, yellow rattle, trefoils, cow parsley, sorrel, hogweed, irises, honeysuckle and elder. A pair of buzzards were briefly glimpsed in the woodland on the east side of the reserve. There was duckweed in the ponds, and also spotted were great crested newts, water boatmen, and a stickleback. Azure and blue tailed damselflies, broad bodied chasers and a black tailed skimmer were observed at Meadow Pond. And much higher, flying over the Reserve was a common tern. Tuesday 21st July 2015 Ranger Mark and eight volunteers. Lots of odonata, including a red bodied chaser. We had a rare sighting of a common shrew on one of the paths, and the sun brought out a peacock butterfly and several whites (not identified). The vetch is now fully out and we seem to have an abundance of fleabane. Moorhens are nesting in Puckles Pond, where lots of whirlygigs circled on the surface. There was the usual trimming back of the sidegrowth, and of course the litter pick. Tuesday 18th August 2015 It was raining steadily early in the afternoon, so the work party as such didn't take place. However a couple of us had a leisurely walk round the Reserve picking up litter and clearing away some of the lower overhead branches above the paths. Ranger Mark spotted a green woodpecker and a goldfinch, and amongst the ground vegetation we found a couple of harvestmen and a field grasshopper. Despite the rain there were plenty of colourful flowers for us to try and identify, especially in the newly cleared central meadow area which has quickly been colonised by creeping thistle, spear thistle and perennial sow-thistle. Along the sides of the paths we saw fleabane, knapweed, ragwort, red bartsia, ribbed melilot, bindweed and smooth hawksbeard. By Prewer's Pond there was a mass of golden rod and some teasels, and by Rosebay Pond a colourful display of purple loosestrife. In the hedgerows the haws, sloes and brambles are now ripening, and the large plum tree half way along Plotlands Way is bearing juicy fruit! Tuesday 15th September 2015 Five volunteers plus Ranger Mark. A bit cloudy and a couple of showers where we had to seek shelter under the trees. The water in the ponds has gone down, and Prewer's Pond has dried up. Two southern hawkers were patrolling along the new west path, which is bearing up well after the renovation and removal of the green "milk-crates". Otherwise there was little sign of animal life, apart from a wren singing away in the scrub. There is a fine display of fleabane in the East side of the Reserve, visible from the new meadow walkway. Red cuckoo pint berries along the High Ridge. Plenty of white dead nettle. The fine August display of thistles is now almost over - we have several types in the Reserve. Sloes and haws and brambles in profusion. Also the occasional elderberry. The main activity was trimming back the side-growth along the paths. Tuesday 20th October 2015 The day was mild but overcast. There was a good turn out of nine volunteers, again led by Ranger Mark. A couple of us repaired the wire netting laid over the dipping platform at Puckles pond, whilst others did maintenance work on the steps, filling the dips with gravel. There are white Michelmas daisies along the side of the paths, and lots of colour came from the autumn berries, especially the profusion of haws and sloes. Despite the recent rain the ponds were fairly low, especially Fox Pond, where it's now almost possible to walk round the edge to the far side. The water level in Meadow Pond has also gone down, but it looks healthy, with the bullrushes providing a thick mass of vegetation. Tuesday 17th November 2015 Eight volunteers turned up despite the stormy weather, but as the rain started falling heavier most decided it was too wet to continue. Nevertheless Ranger Mark and Tony had a look round, and a couple of us cut down a small overhanging tree near the approach to Noak Steps. It had been intended to clear a couple of obstructions in the small brook that runs through the Reserve, but this now looks likely to happen on the January work party. |