The first work party of July saw us return to the hedges laid over winter and once again cut back and remove weeds shading out the new growth on the hawthorns (pictured). This is always a satisfying job as the fruits of our labour is always immediately obvious. The good news is that all the stems cut back and laid are still alive and producing plenty of new branches, which will form the new hedge as it re-establishes itself over the next few years and produce lots of berries for birds, such as blackbirds and fieldfares, to enjoy. It is also testament to our excellent laying skills! Before the end of the work party, we had some spare time to go and tend to Isaac Newt-on, a newt made from rocks in the Discovery Zone (pictured). He was looking a little unkempt, so we cleared away the vegetation growing on and around him and dug a border around his perimeter. He was looking much more dapper by the time we had finished!
The following week, we took to the fields on the farm and pulled any common ragwort we could find (pictured). Whilst ragwort is a great nectar source for many invertebrates (and a favourite of the cinnabar moth caterpillar), it is toxic to livestock if eaten. Whilst we leave ragwort in other parts of the reserve due to its ecological value, the aforementioned fields are grazed by cows and cut for hay to feed said cows over winter, so it is important that any ragwort is removed. This is something that has been undertaken on the reserve for many years and it is heartening to see the amount of ragwort found each year reducing. Last year we filled two trailers with plants, whereas this year it was only about half a trailer (pictured)!
The third work party of the month saw more ragwort pulling, this time on the saltmarsh, which is necessary because it too is grazed, but also because it prevents the plant from spreading onto our neighbours’ land, a legal requirement under the Weed Act 1959. We also kept an eye out for two invasive plant species – Himalayan balsam and American skunk-cabbage – which are known to grow on the marsh. Armed with ragwort forks and spades, the volunteers set off to walk the length of the saltmarsh and keep their eyes peeled. Ragwort was dotted about, particularly along the road where its seed is helped to spread by the wind and quite possibly vehicles whizzing past as well. We also found a small amount of American skunk-cabbage in a ditch, where the water will help it distribute its seed, and a large patch of Himalayan balsam. A new area of balsam was also discovered amongst the gorse on the marsh edge, giving us somewhere to focus our gorse coppicing efforts this coming winter. All-in-all, another trailer’s-worth of plants (pictured) were removed from the saltmarsh, a great effort!
The final meet-up of the month involved walking the paths on the reserve and clearing any overhanging vegetation to ensure visitors can easily negotiate them, with a particular focus on the hedge along the path to the left of the hide (pictured). We also re-cut several viewpoints into the hedge, giving visitors a great view of the fen, where our marsh harrier once again successfully bred this year (three chicks fledged last month), and of the osprey platform, which has been getting significant attention from ospreys of late!
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.