This week we staged our final Rethink work party of the ‘winter’ season and – as per always – very productive it was too. The task in hand was to move a fairly considerable pile of willow logs, the ‘fruits’ of another Rethink event way back when the prospect of this beautiful spring sunshine seemed very distant.
Although we have made mention of it before on this blog, I make no apologies for saying it again; the amount of work achieved in our Rethink gatherings is immense and would otherwise take Anne and I an RSI inducing age. Many hundreds of logs, collectively amounting to tons of timber, moved to form habitat piles adjacent to two of our woody pools - a breeze with our many-handed ally in tow.
In between productive bouts of industry we watched a pair of sparrowhawks prospecting over the willow carr and marsh harriers cavorting over the reeds. Seemingly unconcerned by their feathered foes chiff chaffs and willow warblers ‘flycatched’ all around and the occasional Cetti’s song detonated within the scrub. We also saw our first orange tip, speckled wood and red admiral of 2011 – just rewards from the insect world - in whose name the habitat piles were lain.
Orange tip. Tom Marshall(rspb images).
Typically, amidst all this dainty colourful fluttering, the most interest was reserved for this huge otter spraint pleasingly confirming their ongoing residence at Radipole.
As well as ourselves the local Rethink conservation group at times work with DWT, Butterfly Conservation, Portland Rangers and others, but even so are looking to branch out. If you can think of any projects or groups that may benefit from ‘a Rethink’ please contact Brian or Andy on 01305 766193 or click on the link below.