Here is a whistle-stop roundup of the work undertaken by our volunteers throughout August and September!
August saw us taking in the temporary electric fence from the saltmarsh which is put up to stop cows grazing some of the areas around the pools during breeding season. We also patched up the fence on the western edge of our bit of the saltmarsh to ensure that the neighbour’s sheep were kept off. They seem to enjoy nipping through and grazing all our lovely plants when they get bored of their bit of the marsh! Next, the volunteers battled through midge-mageddon to pull ragwort at Biglands, so that the warden team could get in to cut the rushes without inadvertently spreading ragwort seed. The following week saw us take to the workshop to construct a new donations cairn for the visitor centre and freshen some of the signs from around the reserve (pictured). The final work party of the month involved the volunteers surveying the prevalence of devil’s-bit scabious in East Block, with over 500 plants counted and mapped!
September saw our volunteers removing birch from the bog, to ensure the bog remains nice and wet, and transporting the brash down to the woods on the bog-edge (pictured); clearing willow scrub from around some of the ponds in Paisley Pools to open them up; and raking up hay cut in the Discovery Zone so that next year’s wildflowers come back bountifully (pictured)!
We are always on the look-out for new volunteers to join us at Campfield Marsh (and Hodbarrow). We meet on Thursday mornings. If you are interested in helping with the sort of tasks mentioned above, meeting new people, developing new skills, and enjoying the outdoors, click on the following link to find out more and apply: Practical Reserve Work (Campfield Marsh, Bowness On Solway) | RSPB Volunteering.