15th March 2011 ... weekly volunteers

Present:
Anthony, John, Neil, Keith, Pat, and Martin

Activities:
- Moved some willow logs and branches from just outside the boundary to the log piles, moved the associated brash from the path to the car park.
- cut down and processed silver birch on the ditch and bank feature parallel with Reynard's way.  This allows for  the open space beyond the bank to be seen as more connected to the rest of the heathland.  There is still some processing to be done here.  Log piles along Reynard's way.
- checked the nest boxes from the large holly/birch across to One stump pond.  A new box was put up on the holly.
- Anthony and Pat taught some of the crafts of inspecting nest boxes.
- a new box was put up on the large beech by the tractor shed.
- more tidying up was done in the copse by the tractor shed, and more logs placed on the log piles.


Observations:
- there was a patch of gorse mite near the Ride Junction
- a few crossbills were seen later in the week
- An Adder was seen across the heath towards Jilly Goulden's house
- at least two male brimstones quartering their territories
- one red admiral seen
- the odd lizard evident
- tree creeper, nuthatch, wood lark, stonechat, skylark.
- Cattle not interested in the cut ( uncooked) birch.
- nice honeycomb structure cleaned out of a nest box.
- one very small holly transplanted to Crowborough.
- a long lost glove of martin's found in the swamp, in reasonably good condition.  Lost during last years nest boxing.
- first chiffchaff singing at top lodge.
- sap rising. Or rather dripping. As usual, taste is slightly under whelming.


martin