We had yet another massive effort by our Sunday volunteers yesterday, who turned up in good numbers for a day of installing chicken wire on our boardwalk. We are doing this to provide some extra grip when walking on the boardwalk and bridge, especially in wet or cold weather and it is a huge job, with approximately 200 metres of wire to install!
However, we are doing exceptionally well with this and the group yesterday completed a 35 metre length, taking us to just over half way across the whole length of bridge and boardwalk. Stuart and Julie also managed to finish our scrub management for this winter too – tidying up and burning the last of the brash and sorting the final few fish shelters out ready for installation in Phase 1 in the next few weeks.
And it was a glorious day too, with cloudless skies and even some heat in the sun! The reduced presence of winter wildfowl was notable however, but we were treated to some great views of shoveler, which are present in good numbers this year - the males looking glorious in pristine plumage, great crested grebes coming into breeding plumage, singing song thrushes and a ruby tiger caterpillar hibernating in among the slats of the boardwalk – good to see something making use of it other than us humans!
Thanks again to all involved for an excellent day.
Everyone hard at work. Photo - Barrington Randle
Phase 2 looking great in the sunshine. Photo - Barrington Randle