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Tuesday 16th January 2018 It was a sunny day, but quite cold. This month we had six volunteers turn up for Ranger Mark to organise. We split into two groups, one doing work up on the High Ridge, including taking down a leaning tree and extending the dry hedge, and the other replacing the deep water sign in the middle of Fox Pond. The latter was far trickier than it might sound, as people have found themselves stuck in the mud a couple of times when venturing into the water. However thanks to an ingeneous use of the green crates (the ones which were the base of the old path on the West of the Reserve) the sign was replaced without anyone falling in or getting sucked under. The recent rain has seen a remarkable turn around in the Reserve with most of the ponds now containing water, and Puckles Pond is now covered in common duckweed - a big change since November when we had the previous work party. We didn't see much wildlife, but a group of fieldfares was spotted near Prewer's Pond - our last recorded sighting was in 2007. (They look similar to song thrushes, but greyer and not so distinctly spotted.) Tuesday 20th February 2018 Despite the recent wet weather, the rain held off for the most part, but there was still a chilly wind. Neverthless, five volunteers turned up to find Rangers Mark, Ashley and Gary already there. Work had started earlier in the day using a tractor with a large flail attached to clear back the sidegrowth on Plotlands Way, and along the path through the Western side of the Reserve. The result is effective, but not pretty, and clearing up by hand was needed afterwards to remove the remains of small branches sticking out into the path. More work was done extending the dry hedge being built along the High Ridge, which is now starting to look quite impressive. And of course there was the usual litter-pick, mainly concentrating on the area around the Eastfield Road entrance. For the first time in many months all the ponds had water in them, with Meadow, Rosebay and Puckles Pond being the fullest. However despite large patches of ground water visible amongst the shrubbery and woodland, the water level in the other ponds was still low. The sound of the flailing machine probably contributed to a lack of wildlife sightings, though a bullfinch and long tailed tit were recorded. A couple of mallards were swimming in Puckles Pond - they used to be a common site in Willow Pond when it was full, but for most of last year it was little more than a large puddle. There are few plants in flower yet (apart from some dead nettles) but the daffodils in the East Meadow are starting to bud and should be blooming by next month. Tuesday 20th March 2018 Five volunteers turned up to help Ranger Mark with the March work party on a sunny but very cold day. The two main jobs were to put up signs by the ponds warning people not to disturb newts during the breeding season (which is now!), and to clear the drainage ditch which takes the overflow from Puckles Pond to the small stream flowing along the northern edge of the Reserve. Keeping the ditch clear is important as it prevents the water rising above the level of the dipping platform, and on occasions flooding the approach path to the pond. The two snowy periods set back many of the spring flowers, though the white flowers of the blackthorn are now out and there are patches of purple violets along Plotlands Way. There was more evidence of birdlife this month. Sightings (and 'hearings') included robins, great tit, long-tailed tits, jays and a wren. If you are interested in birds, then please come along to our annual bird walk which this year is on 13th May, starting at 10am, meeting at the Eastfield Road entrance. Tuesday 17th April 2018 A lovely day, sunny and warm, but only four volunteers came along this month. Rangers Mark and Ashley used a hedge cutter to clear a patch of brambles and blackthorn overhanging the path leading to the Noak Steps, while others took on the task of clearing the last part of the drainage ditch where it goes under the Woodland Path before entering the stream. Despite the use of drainage rods, the attempt was only partially successful, so we'll probably have another go next month. The Reserve was looking lovely with very little rubbish to collect (thanks to an unofficial litter pick the previous day by two of the Society's members), so more time than usual was spent checking the ponds for wildlife. All the ponds are very full, and smooth newts were spotted in three of them. (The water in the pond which great crested newts are usually seen in was very murky and it was hard to see below the surface.) Several butterflies were spotted (the first ones this year), including brimstone, comma and peacock, but surprisingly no whites yet. We have blackcaps and chiffchaffs in the Reserve! These are both summer visitors, though more of them are thought to be overwintering here because of recent changes to our weather. The blackthorn is now fully out, and its masses of thick white blossom provide a glorious display throughout the Reserve. The purple common dog violets can still be seen along the side of the paths, as well as the white flowers of garlic mustard and greater stitchwort. A clump of primroses can be found at the entrance of the East Meadow, and patches of daffodils, presumed to be plotland survivors, provide a splash of colour, having once again survived its Spring flooding. Tuesday 15th May 2018 [report not available] Tuesday 19th June 2018 It was a very hot day, with the sun blazing down all afternoon. There were six volunteers this month, led as usual by Ranger Mark. More work was done on cleaning out the drainage ditch leading from Puckles Pond to the little stream which runs along the northern side of the Reserve, and side-growth was cut back along the woodland paths and the boardwalk leading to Meadow Pond. Despite the recent hot weather, the ponds were in good shape, especially Fox and Meadow Ponds where plenty of damselflies could be seen. There were also lots of butterflies on the wing, mainly blues and skippers. At this time of the year the Reserve is dominated by vetch and cow parsley, but other plants to keep an eye out for are meadow vetchling, yellow rattle, woody nightshade, mallow, ribbed melilot, ragwort and yellow flag (the tall plant growing round the edges of some of the ponds). Towards the end of the work party we spend some time in the cleared scrubland area looking at the insect life flourishing amongst the willowherb, thistles and vetch. Species identified include comma, large white and speckled wood butterflies, black-tailed skimmer (dragonfly), marsh tiger hoverfly, and green shield bug. Tuesday 17th July 2018 Another sunny day, and Rangers Mark, Ashley and Gary were joined by just four other volunteers this month. The main tasks were strimming, mowing and cutting back the new growth along the sides of Plotlands Way (leading from the main entrance towards the middle of the Reserve) and the Boardwalk. The water levels of the ponds were much lower than in June, with the surfaces almost covered by algae (Puckles Pond), duckweed (Willow Pond), great reedmace (Meadow Pond) and broad-leaved pond weed (Fox Pond), all of which have flourished during the recent hot weather. The East Meadow is now at its most colourful with fleabane, vetch and goats rue all in flower. The Reserve has suffered some more minor vandalism, the targets being warning notices by the ponds and one of the dog litter bins. Although annoying, and time-consuming to repair the damage, at least it's not aimed at the Reserve's animals and plants! Tuesday 21st August 2018 We had yet another hot and sunny day, humid and no breeze. There were eight of us on the work party including rangers Mark and Ashley. The tasks were again cutting back side-growth along the paths and a litter pick, though this month it was more extensive than usual as we were able to do a major clean up of Willow Pond, which had completely dried out. Unless there is a large amount of rain in the next couple of weeks, we hope to tackle Fox Pond later this month (September). Wildlife sightings included dragonflies and damselflies (migrant hawker, ruddy darter, emerald), butterflies (brown argus, common blue, small copper, speckled wood and various whites that no-one was brave enough to try and identify), grasshoppers (field, meadow), and a common frog. Plenty of colour was provided by late summer flowers (knapweed, purple loosestrife, ragwort, red bartsia) and fast ripening Autumn fruits (brambles, haws, sloes). We will soon have a notice explaining the various features of the biodiversity storage container. The clusters of holes drilled into the outer wooden cladding and the bamboo-filled habitation panels are for small insects and solitary bees to lay their eggs in. Tuesday 18th September 2018 As usual Ranger Mark was on hand to direct the activities of the volunteers, seven of us this month. For the first time since June we had pleasant weather for working, breezy but very mild, a welcome change from the hot weather which sapped our energy during the previous three work parties. Nearly all the ponds were dry, so we took the opportunity to complete last month's task of clearing normally inaccessible litter from the pond areas, though there was less than expected. The sidegrowth along the woodland path was cut back as usual, but more work is needed to pull out the ivy which is starting to encroach and take root along the edges. Meanwhile Ranger Gary was busy using a tractor and big cutter to mow the cleared scrubland area, while an assistant did some strimming. Most of the Summer flowers have faded, apart from some yellow splashes of ragwort and fleabane and patches of white dead nettles, but the Autumn fruits are providing a splendid display - hips, haws, sloes and brambles as well as occasional Plotland survivors - apples, crab apples, damsons and pears. (The latter might sound tempting, but the trees are old and haven't been maintained, and their fruit is now more attractive to birds and insects than to humans.) There were few wildlife sightings, but if you're walking through the wooded areas listen out for jays, and if approached quietly, you might see frogs in the small amount of water that's left in Puckles Pond. Tuesday 16th October 2018 The turnout for this month's work party was disappointing, all the more so considering it was a perfect Autumn day. Nevertheless the three volunteers who turned up did some useful work. A persistent problem with Puckles Pond is its tendency to overflow and cover the dipping platform and approach path. In the past, the main cause has been a blocked drainage channel which leads from the rear of the pond, but most of that has now been cleared. Unfortunately there is a blockage in the final stretch running beneath the footpath and into the stream to the North of the Reserve. We now know approximately where the pipe has collapsed but more work needs to be done to pinpoint the exact spot before contractors can be called in to repair it. Meanwhile Ranger Mark and an assistant continued clearing back the shrubbery on either side of Meadow Link. There was some delay in starting up the large hand-operated mechanical cutter, but we managed to finish that stretch of the boardwalk. Earlier a flail had been used to remove the larger shrubs - the result is not pretty, and won't improve until the damage is hidden by next year's spring growth. (The only casualty was one of the plum trees which date back to plotland days.) Opening up the walk to the sunlight should encourage a wider range of woodland plants and flowers rather than the blackthorn, briars and brambles which tend to run rampant. Despite the recent shower of heavy rain, most of the ponds in the Reserve remain either muddy or dried out. The exception is Puckles Pond where a small patch of duckweed-covered water remains in which frogs can still be seen jumping about. There have been lots of sightings of frogs this year - perhaps we have fewer grass snakes than usual? If so no doubt the balance will soon be restored. Nearly all the summer flowers have now gone, though there is a splendid display of white michaelmas daisies behind the bench near Prewer's Pond. A few fungi have started to appear, the most colourful being a small patch of fly agarics, their first recorded sighting in the Reserve. Tuesday 20th November 2018 Perhaps to the surprise of Ranger Mark, three volunteers braved the cold, the wind and the occasional showers of rain and hail for our last work party of 2018. We had intended to do some renovation work on one of the steps but the weather was too wet for the sealants to be effective, so instead we restricted ourselves to the usual walk round, checking the ponds, looking for signs of vandalism or anything unusual, clearing a few overhanging branches, and tidying up rubbish (thought there wasn't a lot thanks to a litter pick carried out by two of our members the previous day). Despite all the recent rain only Meadow Pond had a reasonable amount of water in it for this time of the year. Willow, Rosebay and Prewer's Pond were still dry, while Puckles Pond and Fox Pond were little more than big puddles (albeit puddles with a dangerously large amount of mud). Nearly all the late blooming flowers have now finished apart from a few members of the nettle family and some patches of hedge garlic along Plotlands Way. We were expecting a display of fungus, but that characteristic Autumn mould smell hasn't been much in evidence this year, though there were a few shaggy inkcaps growing in the Dragonfly Loop area and we found a patch of stag's horn fungus (also known as candlesnuff fungus). There are some mysterious small holes in the cleared scrubland area which looked like attempts to dig up roots or tubers -- reports of any such activity there by squirrels or small rodents would be welcome! If you're walking through the Reserve over Christmas listen out for wrens and thrushes. (The mistle thrush, which used to be called the mistletoe thrush because of its taste for their berries, is one of the songbirds most likely to be heard over mid-winter.) |