After bracing for the remnants of tropical storm Henri it has been a surprisingly dry and pleasant week on the reserves. An added bonus is that I have managed to avoid the worst of the bad weather with some opportunely timed office based work; nothing like pouring rain to focus the mind on health and safety risk assessments!
The drier than expected weather has been a real bonus in terms of cutting, baling and removal of grass from Exminster and Powderham Marshes. The tense checks of reserve maps and consultation of weather forecasts can stop again from another year, or at least until the next piece of weather dependent management is required.
One of the finishing touches has been the mowing of the grass in the Discovery Area. The cuttings have been built into one of the most impressive grass piles I have seen and, as a habitat for snakes and lizards, is akin to transforming their one bedroom flat into a palatial estate. Pop up and take a look, it is amazing how different the whole area looks.
The last few weeks have also seen us making numerous forays over to Bowling Green. We seem to be waging an ongoing battle against the estuarine mud deposits which appear to be slowing the drainage of water from the lagoon in front of the hide. Despite digging out drainage channels and having established a good flow of water from the reserve, the water levels do not seem to be draining as quickly as we hoped they would. The investigation and work continues and I suspect the next blog will report of more drastic measures!
Also at Bowling Green, we are currently working on maintenance to the hide itself. Some visitors may have had a shock when peering out the windows to see one of us staring back at them as we sand, clean and varnish the window frames to help preserve them.
The hide garden is now also adorned with organic hanging sunflower heads as a tasty treat for the finches, tits and other perching birds that are in the area. These have been generously gifted to us by Riverford Organics and if you order a Riverford Organics Farm Box you may find a pack of the seeds as an extra gift – Riverford want to encourage everyone to help Give Nature a Home in their own gardens too.
As a final thought, what a good week it has been for bird and wildlife spotting. I have spoken to many visitors who have either recently spotted or arrived to see the Grey Phalarope, Spoonbill, Osprey and Yellow Wagtails that have all been seen on and around the Exminister and Bowling Green Marshes.
The first of the returning Avocet have also been spied over at Bowling Green, which is a nice link to mention the Avocet Cruises. These are a highlight in the Exe Estuary calendar and booking is now open. More details and booking is available here.
Incidentally, keep an eye on RSPB events as there are lots of things going on over the coming months and it would be great if you could join us.