I've been spending time recently collecting soil samples from the Greenaway. This was the first field purchased by the RSPB on Otmoor and prior to its purchase it was an intensively farmed arable field. Because of this, the soil sturcture isn't great and so we are aiming to improve and loosen up its thick clay structure, allowing easier root penetration and increasing aeration. In turn this will benefit soil organisms and anything which feeds on them.
The main method we've been using to improve the soil sturcture is using the aerator, which we drag behind the tractor and which creates slots in the soil to allow air to penetrate. On top of this however, we are also planning on carrying out a trial using gypsum, this will be spread on a small area of the field and then the soil structure monitored over time to see if it can be improved.
After digging out the sample, it is dropped three times to allow it to shatter and then the pieces layed out in size order to give some idea of the structure and particle size. The number of worms and leather jackets are also counted.
As you can see the cows were very helpful and used the quad handle bars to clean out their noses, ate part of one of my samples, chewed the spade and then ran off with my white analysis bag!
We've been away this week, up at the Warden's Gathering in Scotland, attending workshops, field trips and lectures, swapping ideas and generally being inspired and enthused by how amazing the RSPB is and how Otmoor fits into the bigger picture. The future direction and aims of the society are very impressive and very exciting... Seeing crested tits and red squirrels was also pretty good too.
Since we've been away some interesting birds have been reported from the moor, wading birds are passing through and other migrants are making use of the feeding oppurtunities on the moor:
17th September. Spotted redshank, green sandpiper, common sandpiper, curlew, snipe, hobby, whinchat, wheatear, raven
18th September. Marsh harrier, whinchat, wheatear, snipe, kingfisher, ruff, green sandpiper, common sandpiper
19th September. Whinchat, black-tailed godwit, hobby
20th September. Ruff, dunlin, green sandpiper, black-tailed godwit, merlin, whinchat, wheatear, yellow wagtail