After having the tracked tractor on the reserve last week the work has been having a good effect drawing in Lapwing, monitoring at the beginning of this week showed they are beginning to prospect and display and hopefully the results will be some cute furry little chicks protected by our electrified predator exclusion fence in the near future.
In this time of transition between winter and spring there is a shift of work programme on the reserve, this small period of time gives us the opportunity to maintain some of machinery we will be using in the coming months and get some other odd jobs done. On Monday work was done on the weed wipers we will be using to get rid of soft rush on the reserve, cattle will not graze the rush and therefore it has a tendency to take hold of grassland areas. Once the surrounding vegetation has been grazed by cattle the weed wipers will come through to target the rush using an appropriate herbicide which will give us the grassland habitat we require. Reserve volunteers helped out the membership team by fixing gazebos and painting over graffiti on the workshop on Tuesday, and Wednesday was spent at Bowling Green painting the hide putting up a lapwing chalkboard, which will be used to write recent sighting and general notices, and fixing the lock.
There was a proper spring feel in the air yesterday and a rather enjoyable day was spent out hedge-laying in the sunshine with the work party. I left the work party in the capable hands of Steve, our newest residential volunteer, for an hour or two to walk the Powderham trail, checking for any damage caused to trees after the high winds on Tuesday and Wednesday. I was delighted to notice that the warmth had drawn out Small Tortoiseshell butterflies. These adult butterflies have spent the winter in a dormant phase which is sometimes said to be “hibernation” although technically hibernation is a survival tool employed by warm blooded creatures. It was a lovely sight to see them frolicking around newly budding goat willow.
This morning was an earlier start for some of us on the reserve as we carried out the end of winter high tide count. As expected numbers are down as the birds have begun to move off to their breeding grounds. Teal are noticeably down and Avocet on Bowling Green numbered 180 individuals, Black Tailed Godwit have begun to show signs of their lovely orange breeding plumage and will soon be disappearing to Iceland to breed. Golden Plover on the other hand still seem to be sticking around.
Ryan Woodcock
Residential Volunteer, RSPB Exe Estuary Reserves