bird count for may 26th 2011

Hi

here is the bird count for May 2011

We had a garden warbler in OL1, not a million miles away from the last one that I was with alan on a count say four years ago.  That was the just the other side of the road in OL2.

click on the link as normal to see or download the spreadsheet

click on link for spreadsheet


martin

Bird count for June 2011

Here is the link to the spreadsheet of the June Bird count.

Clicking on the link should take you to where you can either download or inspect it.  You may need to be a Google user to inspect it, but this is no sweat and you will find out what you are missing.

our first spotted flycatcher.  But the weather meant that things were a little on the quiet side.

click here for the spreadsheet

martin

Last of Wood Pile taken

After the end of play of Tuesday, we noticed a very large wood lorry and large trailer going down the old lodge lane.  This had come to take the last logs off to a eco-power station.

They have taken almost all the pine, but the large and small bits of chestnut are still there.

I have tidied up a little, but it would be best to use the small chestnut for firewood, and take the remaining pine down to the wood and ditch below, to create habitat piles.  This would just leave the very large chestnut pieces. Maybe these can be split in some way.

Martin

Mistle Thrushes

I was out behind the tool store, looking over the south heath, when I noticed some Mistle Thrushes.  They often come up the Old Lodge at this time of year.  The Rowan berries are red, but maybe not quite ripe.

I started counting them, and got to the enormous number of 51 birds.  I don't think they were going round in circles !!

Turtle Dove calling again in the normal place.

Martin

12th July 2011 ... Weekly Volunteers

Present:
John, Anthony, Mike, Alan, Neil, Katherine, Pat, Keith, David and Martin

Activities:
- Rounded up the Ponies and moved them onto the South Heath for a couple of weeks. lookered them.
- Did more work on the M1, including collecting the stones that had been picked up last week
- bracken and birch clearing on the slope down from the log piles
- clearing the odd ragwort that is in flower

Observations:
- Woodlark, crossbills, tree pipit, siskins, redpolls, linnets, mistle thrushes
- rain threatening stopped work


martin

scythe, small scythe and pitch fork

I have acquired these through tunbridgewellsfreegle.com for the volunteers.  They are in pretty good nick, though one of the handles of the scythe needs tightening a little.

They have been sharpened and oiled ready for use.

Thanks to Ann and her husband for providing them.

Martin

lots of butterflies and a mouse

The last few days have seen quite an emergence of butterflies.

I have seen

- the silver washed Fritillary again
- Peacock
- small tortoiseshell
- large white
- small white
- gatekeeper
- small heath
- holly blue
- small copper
- meadow brown
- red admiral
- large skippers

More surprising, I saw a mouse near the tool store.  Maybe it has been pushed out of the cottage while it is being refurbished.

martin

Thursday 14th July 2011 ... bracken spraying

I noted that the bracken spraying was being done on Thursday.  This probably was the end of it for the year.

The areas covered included

- respraying much that was done last year
- the back along Reynard's way
- the edge of the wood near Gilly's house
- the new scrapes
- a bit along the east side of the stream near the bridge

They were all togged up in protective clothing, driving two landrovers.

The ponies are on South Heath which is good timing.

The weather was dry for sufficiently long, but maybe a little windy.

Martin

5th July 2011 ... weekly volunteers

Present:
John, Alan, Mike, David, Neil, Ron, Anthony, Keith and Martin

Activities:
- we were going to move the Ponies, but Monty cried off at the last moment because of transport problems.  To be rearranged in two weeks time.
- basically bracken pulling and digging all the time, mostly along the top, and then down to the Island, and back along the path along the stream
- but dug out some reasonably sized birch and pine saplings as well.
- collected some more stones on Reynard's way for the road building on the M1.  These are bagged up and left by the side of the path to be collected by car.
- Neil cleared the gutters on the tool store
- could not find the ponies :-(


Observations:
- Hobby flying above the bench
- Turtle dove heard calling again in the normal place.
- crossbills, redpolls and siskins
- swallows, gliding pheasant(?),
- emerald, emperors, brown chaser, azures and large reds
- cattle must now have gone.  The corral has gone and there are signs of animals having been penned up for a bit.  John saw them on the previous Sunday.

martin

Broad Bodies Chasers at Stony Pond

Keith has provided is photo of a pair of BB Chasers, which we saw on the bird count in June at Stony pond.

click on it to see it in Picasa and larger

martin

Large Emerald Moth .. July 1st 2011

Hi,

I was walking around the tool store, when I happened to notice a strange colour of green on some of the grass.  Just a very small bit, say an inch by half an inch.  It looked a little like the green fungus that can affect pine wood.

On closer inspection it was one of the front wings of a large emerald moth.  Or should I say late moth.

Ah well.

There do seem to be plenty of butterflies emerging.  Masses of Meadow browns, still some small heaths, green veined white, comma, red admiral, plenty of large skippers.

But no gatekeepers or second batch of blues yet.



martin

28th June 2011 ... weekly volunteers

Present:
John, Alan, Keith, Mike, Pat, Neil and Martin

Activities:
- went to the valley near the bridge, and pulled bracken, and dug up saplings, particularly in the stream itself.
- lookered the ponies sw of stream.
- after lunch did some more work on the terrible patch of birch opposite foresters cottage.
- shortly after thunder made us go the shortest route back to the tool store


Observations:
- very hot and sweaty in the morning
- just got back before the heavens opened
- woodlark singing again
- crossbills, siskins, redpolls
- turtle dove seen
- discussed collapsing pillow mounds, and wish to have archaeologist show us the finds on the reserve.
- Keith has mended the small 'pick axe. and martin a ragfork.
- Emerald dragon fly, plus azures, common darter and large reds
- john  saw cattle on Sunday.  Corral still there.

martin

21st June 2011 ... weekly volunteers

Present:
John, Neil, Pat, Lee, Alan, Anthony, Keith, Mike, David and Martin

Activities:
- started near the tool store as rain threatened.
- ragwort and saplings in the area of the tool store dug up
- more bracken digging on south heath
- moved a lot of north most wood pile into the tractor shed
- tried out the new two handed saws.  The asymmetric one needs the points set further apart.
- split into two groups after coffee
- one went to the m1 to inspect how the road works are operating.  Tings look fine, and we did a little more work at various places.  Then joined the others.
- lookered the ponies near reynard's way.
- The others went to the area near the bench, clearing bracken, saplings, including any regrowth of birch that had been loppered.
- After lunch continued same.

observations:
- corral at the roller stand makes it look as if the cattle may be moving
- extra padlock on the gate, which is potentially a security worry
- had a look at the sundews, bog-asphodel, and bog cotton.


Martin