Another day was spent at Decoy pond, with a slightly altered group of four: Alison and Keith were replaced by Joe and Me, and lucky for us the rain was also replaced with sunshine! Needless to say, lots of work was done and a sterling effort from the volunteers meant that the vegetation that was obscuring the view from that path was removed, opening up the area and letting lots more light in (as can be seen in the before and after photos below). Some large-ish trees were also taken down from the edges of the pond and turned into some lovely log-piles that, over the next few years, will provide habitat for many invertebrates as it rots down.
An illustration of the pure joy that volunteering brings... that, and seeing me slip over on a muddy bank. Cheers guys.
The initial vegetation along the path, pre-clearance
The same stretch of path post-clearance. A terrific improvement!
So a huge thank you to Joe, Michael and Claire for their hard work.
If you're interested in volunteering with the RSPB at Tudeley woods, or elsewhere, then please get in contact: thomas.pinches@rspb.org.uk or 07872 157 743