Another update on some activities over the last month.
With all the wet and windy weather in recent times, the track around the office and yard area where we drive the vehicles had become a mud sludge area. So with shovels in hand, we dug out all the muddy patches until we hit the stones underneath. We then shovelled tractor bucket loads of hard core stone along the path tracks. After some further rain, the track has remained relatively mud free.
We have been clearing out the burn, removing any debris that has fallen in which would otherwise block the flow of water and aid in flooding the fields. We have also been around and cleared a number of field drain end pipes which flow through some of the fields.
We have also erected a new early cover area fence line to replace an old line that was there. A small fence line did not seem that difficult to create, however under a third of the area was a layer of bedrock. This meant that we had to change the angle of the fence line and had difficulty with putting in some of the fence posts.
This month was bonfire night so in aid of this we worked with Project Trust to gather wood from around the island from people who are donating it and drove it to the bonfire area. After a good few tractor trailer loads, the bonfire was looking mighty impressive. On Saturday 4th some of the locals came along for the big burn up, along with some warm drinks and fireworks.
This is my last week here volunteering with the RSPB on Coll, and I have greatly enjoyed my three months here. I must say that it is strange getting used to island life when you come from a big city, with the single lane roads and everyone waving to each other, a sort of more close community. But it was a great experience with all the driving, fencing, maintenance and other interesting jobs. A big thank you to Ben and Dave who work here and have made me feel at home here, and of course the lovely accommodation that’s like walking into a show room.
Signing off,
James Duncan