Bird count for 23rd September 2010

Here is the birdcount for september 23rd 2010


click here to see spreadsheet

The odd thing went wrong again this month, but most of it has been recovered.  The positions for the last two records  and one other are probably wrong, but not material.

A lot of movements of swallows and starlings.  many chiffchaffs around, failing to call properly :-)

Jackdaws decided to fly across reserve en masse.

martin

occasional note for 21nd and 23september 2010

Observations:

- just to mention that there have been a number ( up to 4 ) grey wagtails around the reserve, presumably exploring from Pippingford
- Alan morris spoke about having the army put up a kestrel nestbox on Pippingford, and this having been successful this year.  Indeed we saw 3 of the birds at the same time.
- he also mentioned a escapade involving wire-cutters and releasing 3 Ravens, possibly in the Sheffield area, which was rather riveting.  Might explain population.  Oh for DNA.



Martin

occasional notes for 26th september 2010

observations

- Don has started removing some of his logs.
- looks as if he is using a new forwarder to do this.  Bruunett.  8 wheel drive !!
- This is parked down from the water trough
- There was a gathering of some sort under the high beeches, of about 10 persons.  Was this religious in some way?  If anyone has information I would like to know, as the reserve management should be consulted beforehand.

martin

Bird Count -- 27th August 2010

Here is the bird count for 27th August.

I had some difficulties with my PDA, and some records were later put into the records by hand.  These would have been in total with a strange grid reference.  Sorry about that.  The problem was later tracked down to a loose connection inside the machine, which may recur unfortunately.


click to see spreadsheet

cheers

Martin

21st September 2010 - Weekly Volunteers

Present:

John, Ron, Martin and Mike

Activities:

- lookered the Ponies
- Two bonfires of Gorse, one behind the cottages and the other near the cattle pens.  Continued coppicing the gorse along the road and feeding the first bonfire.
- One other bonfire was started, but abandoned as there was too much fire risk.  There is now a nice patch ready for burning when the grass is wetter.
- The fire centre were telephoned before the bonfires, and after.
- cleared saplings between cottages and willow pit.  brash in the willow pit
- cleared some more saplings the other side of the path.

observations:

- Raven
- Kestrel

This years fungus Foray .. Friday Oct 8th ..10.30 car park

Hi everyone,

Ray has kindly offered to do her foray on Friday October 8th, meeting in the car park at 10.30.

All welcome.

Best to let me or Nick know, just in case we have to alter arrangements due to weather.

cheers

martin

14th september 2010 ... weekly volunteers

present:

Keith, Mike, Ron, John and martin

activities:
- Dug up ragwort by the cottages along the road
- cut and stacked a large amount of Gorse along the road, making a gap in the gorse to improve the views from the road.  Cleared along the fence, which might allow better access for Ponies.
- Lookered the Ponies.
- cut pine and birch saplings between the cottages and the car park.

Observations:

- lots of nail fungus, some now quite large.
- Lady indicated that she disapproved of us cutting the gorse, as it was used by birds and as a wind break for visitors.
- John is taking the Glasses that were found for safe keeping off site.
- Mike shared some cooking apples and bags of horse manure.


martin

7th september 2010 ... Weekly Volunteers

Present:

John, Neil, Ron and Martin

Activities:

- rain threatening, and so stayed near the tool store
- looked at some of the nail fungus.
- lookered the ponies (15)
-coppiced area of Gorse near the cattle pen.  Brash put behind it.
- filled up the leaflet box.
- dug up bracken along the east bank, along to the ride junction approx.  Also cleared some pine saplings on the other side of the path.
- coppiced some gorse between the firesite behind the cottages and the small wooden gate.  There is a lot more to do there.  Brash either on firesite or at other end of this strip.
- told people about the date of Ray's visit Oct Friday 8th Noveber
- noted some ragwort behind the cottages
- planned to have some cut through copicing to break up the bank of high gorse along the road.
- dug a channel at top of beeches avenue to reduce water erosion

Observations

- kestrel, hobby and sparrow hawk.

martin

Smart Phone found

Just to record that nick passed me a camera phone that was found on the reserve a bit ago.

It is a T-mobile S-E device.

I am going to try to find its owner through the T mobile shop in Tunbridge wells.  It still has a SIM card and a Micro SD card intact.  The battery is flat, and I do not have a suitable charger.

Martin

2009 Fungus Foray Lists

Here are some of the results that Ray sent me of the 2009 foray.  one of them is an update of an original sent.  I include both of these.

click here for the original big listing

click here for the updated big listing

click here for the listing of 2009 fora details

We are hoping to have a foray this year, and I will post details when available.

martin

Future Task Sheet

This is a trial of a working task sheet

Objective is to record tasks that need doing, and to allow them to be allocated to dates, ie Sunday group or Tuesday group.

Anyone who wants to be able to enter new tasks and edit existing ones, just needs to ask me.  You will need a gmail account, which is not too onerous.

The spreadsheet is very limited in scope, purposefully.

click here for task sheet

martin

2nd and 3rd September --- Nail Fungus

Nail fungus is plentiful this year in the usual place.  This is rather early.

They are small, dense ( ie numbers per turd, and turds per dropping) and young

I saw them over most of the area.

I looked for them on the other part of the reserve, but no luck.

Other observations:

- hobby
- 2 buzzards
- just possible dartford
- blackcap
- house martin
- lots of swallows
- small heath butterfly

martin

31st August 2010 ... weekly volunteers

Present:
John, Ron, Neil, Mike and martin

Activities:
- Helped Monty round-up the ponies on South Heath, and move them onto the main reserve
- Coppiced the gorse and silver birch near the water trough.  Brash put into the gap between fence and road.
- harvested wood taken to wood pile behind tool store
- did sod cutting at lake pond
- coppiced the alder near the causeway, leaving the brash roughly where they fell
- started getting rid of birch and pine saplings, and bracken, between the gorse triangle and the car park
- Monty allowed us to skip the lookering since he had done it the day before

Notes:
- Neil cut himself with a bow saw, nicking his thumb through his leather glove.  Bandage applied.  Did not appear to be of any consequence.
- found a pair of ladies glasses between small wooden gate and road.  Ron has since told SWT about it.  They are stored on the first aid kit.


Observations:
- a Raven a couple of times
- two woodlark
- small heath butterflies
- migrant hawker
- common and black darters
- adder, and John saw one last week
- lots of fungi.  They appear very early this year


martin