February marks the final month of any major habitat management work on the reserve so as not to disrupt wildlife that, for example, may be settling down for breeding season or emerging from hibernation.
The first work party of the month was the final session of gorse coppicing on the saltmarsh edge. We have had a productive winter of gorse coppicing with our volunteers cutting a quarter of a hectare (2500 square metres) by hand. That’s equivalent to the total area of Notre-Dame Cathedral’s stained-glass windows!
The following work party saw volunteers split up into groups and become wildlife detectives in search for clues of predator activity on the reserve. Clues can take the form of trails, droppings, nests and burrows, footprints, prey remains, or actual sightings. Evidence of predators is mapped, and this data gives us an idea of the prevalence of predators on site and the potential impact on ground nesting birds such as snipe and curlew. Volunteers found evidence of foxes, badgers (see badger prints pictured), otters, stoats (droppings pictured), and crows around the reserve.
The third session of the month entailed volunteers sowing wildflower seed onto the freshly stripped bunds located around the reserve. These bunds were formed out of the surplus soil left over from the creation of the ditches and pools in the wet grassland fields. Their primary function is to create a barrier between footpaths and the electric predator fence, so visitors do not unwittingly shock themselves whilst walking around the reserve. However, they also provide an opportunity to grow wildflowers for the benefit of insects, whilst also improving the reserve’s aesthetic for visitors! After a while, the bunds get taken over by grass, nettles, and thistles so they are strimmed and reseeded to reinvigorate the wildflowers.
The final workparty of February took place at Hodbarrow. We returned to the same site from January to finish clearing sea buckthorn and other scrub from a bank to improve its botanical richness for the benefit of wildlife and visitors alike!
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.