After the rubbish weather we had last Wednesday, Thursday turned out really rather nice, and we had a very productive day with our Thursday volunteers.
We are always trying to improve the visitor experience here, ensuring the facilities are fit for purpose and improving the habitats for the various wildlife that calls the reserve home, and for our visitors trying to see them! One facility that has definitely not been performing is the bike racks, which were situated in the main car park. Very few cyclists used them, instead pedaling up to the visitor centre and chaining them up outside the door, causing all sorts of potential for tripping over them. So we decided to move the cycle racks closer to the visitor centre, where they would be more visible and secure, and hopefully more attractive to cyclists.
Paul, the digger driver, had very kindly hoiked them out of their current spot the previous day and deposited them near to where we wanted them to go. So all we had to do was dig a few holes, plonk them in, and chuck in a bit of concrete to hold them in place – easy! Actually it wasn’t quite that simple (these things rarely are), but Tony and Jim did a sterling job, and after laying some membrane and a layer of tarmac planings, the relocated bike racks look the business and are all ready for our cycling visitors to use!
Tony and Jim on the level By Katherine Puttick
Newly re-installed bicycle racks near visitor centre By Katherine Puttick
There are always bits of the reserve that we want to do a bit more with, and the nettle infested bit between the visitor centre and dipping pond is one of these areas. It’s not the most attractive of areas, and so instead of nettles, we’d like to create a small area of ‘arable’ habitat by sowing a weedy wildlife friendly cereal mix that will hopefully attract lots of insects, and provide a seed source for various birds in the winter. We also want to encourage one particular plant called flixweed, which is the food plant of a rare Breckland moth, called the grey carpet.
Grey carpet moth by Katherine Puttick
Flixweed is an annual weed on arable land and comes up readily in soil that has been disturbed, particularly around the visitor centre. In preparation for rotavating and sowing the seed mix, Darren used the strimmer to clear the vegetation, while David White, usually more at home in the visitor centre but wanted to help out with the work party, raked up all the cut vegetation. Rotavating will hopefully take place in the next few weeks.
Newly strimmed and ready for the rotavator! By Katherine Puttick
Emma took Nigel and Phil over the river to our Norfolk fields with the aim of carrying out a bit of fence repair after some four-legged vandals (our grazier’s naughty ponies) had a go at some gates and fence-posts. A bit of work is still needed, especially as the description of ‘this bit needs mending’ was a bit optimistic in some cases, when ‘this needs a whole new bit of fence’ would have been more appropriate!
Repair the fence? What fence?!!
Fence replaced! Photo's by Phil Hammond