A blast from the past.

Yesterday we had a novel discovery on the reserve - possibly not a first but notable nevertheless. Anne was brush cutting a clump of bamboo, (another pesky non-native) recently discovered in a bigger clump of brambles when the metal blade suddenly went clunk on something metallic. Lo and behold it only transpired to be what we believe to be an old anti-aircraft shell. As the photo show the case was well rusted but the detonator pin remained intact.

A call to the police resulted in them coming out to inspect it and in turn  to refer it to Explosive Ordnance Disposal who eventually turned up and took it away.  Remarkably this was the second shell to turn up on Dorset RSPB sites in the space of 48 hours as a second was found on Arne on Sunday.

Interestingly we have a circular pool at the top of Radipole which we have always presumed to be a bomb crater... kind of strange to think that a lovely pool on this reserve that we treasure was inadvertently created by the Luftwaffe.