Monday
Today was bat roost survey day and I’d been looking forward to it for aaaagggeeees! I’d like to be able to say I woke to the sun shining but of course, it was lashing it down! The purpose of the survey is to highlight trees that have potential to be used as bat roost sites. We are looking for things like dead wood, hollow stems or limbs, ivy cover and cracks and crevices. The first job is to check trees previously identified as having bat roost potential are still there. Being that many of the features of a good bat roost site are found on dead or dying trees a good storm can bring down several. Waterproofed up to the max myself, Rachel and Kayleigh, who you might remember as a previous intern here, wound our way in to the woods. Some trees were down but we also found other trees, which had potential as bat roost sites. To identify these to contractors and other staff and volunteers we tie a piece of red and white tape around them. You might have seen some of these trees on the reserve; you’ll look at them in a whole new light from now on. Finally drenched to the bone and extremely pleased with our days work we headed back discussing how well we’d done not to get stuck in any muddy patches. Of course, with my next step I sunk up to my hip in a bog! You can’t win them all I suppose...
Bat Roost Tree by Becky Austin
Tuesday
I was out with the work party accompanied by Carl, Rachel and Steve. It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of working with the fabulous volunteers that give up their Tuesday every week to assist with the habitat management at Coombes Valley. We’ve been tackling the coppicing over the past eight weeks and have now cleared all of this year’s plots equating to approximately 0.5 hectares of coppice being cleared - woweee. Coppicing was once a dominant type of woodland management in the UK with approximately 230,000 hectares managed in 1990. This has reduced drastically with only 23,000 hectares now managed! The various stages of growth that coppicing creates is essential for many birds, plants and invertebrates, particularly moths and butterflies. Here at Coombes Valley the coppicing is of particular benefit to the argent and sable moth a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority species which is found on the reserve. At Coombes Valley, the coppicing is managed on a ten-year rotation as it is in the first ten years of growth that most of the wildlife-associated benefits occur. I always enjoy days out with the work party and not just because of the tea and cake! What better way is there to luncheon than laid out in the wood surrounded by fantastic like-minded people with the sounds and sights of buzzards soaring overhead? It’s certainly the highlight of my week.
Work Party Coppicing by Becky Austin
Wednesday
Coombes Valley makes up part of the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership and through this is partnered with many other organisations such as the wildlife trust. Today I’m assisting with the youth rangers group. Inspiring kids is an important part of the work of the RSPB and other partner organisations. With scary statistics showing that only one in five children are connecting with nature, activities like these are an essential part of growing up. I spent the day with a great group, setting up camp, making mud masks, building chairs and playing games, what a great way to spend the day, forgetting your age and running round the wood getting caked in mud! Come to think of it that’s how I spend most of my days. Fun, fun, fun!
Mud Mask by Becky Austin
Thursday
Rachel, Steve and I spent the day out completing some of the selective thinning. A habitat management technique which involves removing some of the smaller trees to allow other bigger trees, particularly oaks, to form and develop better canopies and structure. Rach went first and it was perfect, the tree made some fantastic noises on its descent with the final crash echoing through the wood! What a way to start the day! No such luck for me unfortunately, my first tree was hung up, resting in the branches of a particularly spindly silver birch - doh! With the use of a felling bar, some leavers and some brute force, we got the blighter down. What a feeling it was too, with high fives all round (we really are that cool). The rest of the day, we spent much the same way and then it was time for the dreaded walk out. After a full day of lifting, rolling and felling on difficult terrain, the half-mile undulating walk in heavy personal protective equipment carrying chainsaw, fuel and the rest of our equipment is definitely not the highlight. Luckily knowing the benefits that selective thinning provides has us back each day doing the same walk out, still with smiles on our faces. Even if we can now only manage, low fives!
One For Warden's Weekly by Steve Brown
Friday
I guess my week of fun practical outdoor work had to come to an end at some point and much to my dismay a good majority of time does need to be spent in the office. The view helps to keep me sane though. While here, I have worked on several projects giving me even more experience. It really is an essential part of the internship especially when you are on a reserve which other than the one member of staff is run solely through the commitment, enthusiasm and know how of the volunteers. We would be lost without them...
Office View by Becky Austin
Are you or do you know someone who is interested in volunteering? There are so many possibilities and it’s such a fantastic experience I would recommend it to anyone. Follow the links to find out more...
http://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/5006-visitor-centre-volunteer-coombes-valley
https://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering/5426-let-there-be-light-at-rspb-coombes-valley