Another Blog from Marjorie - This one gives you an idea of how you can help on the Reserve.It's not just birds and moths that keep the gates open there are many other things we need to do and you could be part of it!
When part of the wall at the entrance to the reserve collapsed,two members of the volunteer work party came to the rescue. Making good use of skills acquired in a previous life Neil G. and Laurence assessed the situation, and worked hard in poor weather to sort through the heap of rubble and stones and rebuild the wall.
Good as new. A job well done!
To complete the improvement to the entrance to the reserve a new gate has been put in place by Estate Worker John. The old metal gate beside the cattle grid was quite narrow and rather scruffy. The small wall between that gate and the cattle grid was demolished earlier, making space for a wider gate which makes pedestrian access easier while still keeping out the cattle which roam the marsh for half the year.
Recently more fencing has been removed from the fields and the Thursday Vols have been honing their staple-removing skills (memo to future fencers, don’t hammer the staples right in or you will be cursed many years hence if the fence has to be removed). Taking this fencing out means that two more fields can be joined together to make a better habitat for lapwings.
Many years ago, the Thursday Vols planted a hawthorn hedge around the corner of the big field which is in front of the hide. The hedge has grown well and this week the Vols removed the tree guards which were no longer needed.
This looks to be a good blackthorn year with bushes covered in white flowers everywhere just now. (Thoughts of sloe gin come to mind!) Some bushes planted by the Thursday Vols a few years ago as part of a mixed hedge are no exception, their blossom brightening up the blue trail around the reserve.