A couple of heavy downpours trapped us in our cars this week while out doing curlew surveys, but aside for that the sun’s been shining.
I took a walk through Swell Wood over the weekend, enjoying the sun and brushing up on my wildflower ID skills. There was woodruff, with its small white flowers and rings of leaves, the lilac-blue wood speedwell, red clover, and the green cup-like flowers of wood spurge. And on West Sedgemoor, the banks and fields are full of colour, with flowers such as ragged-robin, water forget-me-not and what I believe is southern marsh orchid, pictured below (but let me know if I’m wrong!).
We did a quail and spotted crake survey late one eve this week, starting just before dusk and finishing well into the night. Neither bird was heard, but we all made it back without getting the cars stuck on the droves which I’m told is a success in and of itself!
Cattle checks continue; we have more on the reserve now and they are as uncooperative as ever, testing the limits of our fencing and our patience (they’re lovely really). And of course, there was more path-strimming at Greylake, the grass just keeps growing!
That’s all for this week.
Luke
West Sedgemoor Residential Volunteering team