29th May 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, David p, David a, Neil and martin

Activities:

- mended two gaps under South heath's bank fence.  One with stones and stakes, since actively used and getting large and eroded.  The other by reconstructing a log hanging beneath a squeeze gate.
- scythed, slashed and dug up bracken along ditch and bank.
- took jonathan and david p to see sun-dews
- filled 4 bags with bark chips.  2 taken by david t, and other 2 used at kissing gate to counter erosion.
- dug and pulled bracken along beeches avenue
- rubbed new growth off birch stumps there
- cut and moved some logs there
- failed to see or find ponies by end of day
- looked to see if veteran trees needed more space along beeches avenue
- ring barked two that were intrusive

Observations:
- green hair streak, small coppers, small heaths
- sundews
- crossbills, linnets, redpolls
- tree creeper
- b b chaser
- Large red damsel flies
- lizard
- brimstone

Martin

22nd May 2012 ... weekly Volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Neil, David p, and Martin

Activities:

- nest box survey
- ragwort on both sides of cricket field
- bracken on m1

Observation:
- 5 bats in hanging nestbox
- strange lone pale egg in box that had 4 redstart eggs
- crossbills
- dead blue tit nest already emptied and all but nest material gone
- an unidentified dragon fly
- brimstones, blues, small copper


Martin

Bracken spraying in 2012

Mark sent me this map of the spraying for 2012.

you may need to rotate it to really appreciate it.  I am not sure how to do this in google drive at the moment. But if you download it, and view it locally it should be easy.

The guys doing it have spent two days on it.  This map dates from half way through.

This is what mark said  on July 20th           "I have attached the map of bracken spraying that was undertaken on Tuesday. The sprayers will be back 1 day next week to do some more – we have tried to include the areas that John Marking indicated in the map he sent to me and I will have a final map for you all soon."




click to see map of spraying for 2012

martin

article about nail fungus appearing in Norfolk ... martin

I thought this was interesting.  Another site where after introducing ponies for grazing, they found that they had nail fungus.  Very like our experience at Old Lodge.

A nice photo as well.

click below to see the article.

martin



click for birdguides article

***  update .  this article seems to have disappeared.   maybe thier server was down when I tried.  Google came up with at least four links, all of which timed out for me today.

24th July 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Keith, Ray, Mike, Pat, David a, Alan and Martin

Activities:

- moved ponies from main reserve onto south heath. Monty amazed how easy and quick it was.  Nina came along to help.
- pulled ragwort at cricket field. Hid arisings in brash pile on ol2.
- pulled ragwort on south heath and road side
- pulled  bracken on middle of reserve east of stream across to birch patch.
- pulled bracken along sides of stream either side of bridge
- scythed bracken along beeches avenue and path from bridge upstream


Observations:
- raven
- stonechat
- crossbill
- john did dragonfly count.  Keeled, brown hawker, emperor, azure, large red, 4 spot
- bracken sprayers working
- Ray on a trial day
- Mike has taken broken fence hammer to remove the broken handle
- scythe handles reset and tested
- hammer head refixed by soaking



Martin

17th July 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Mike, Pat, David P, and Martin

Activities:

- resharpened and reset two of David's saws
- mended the lid to the brochure box at the car park
- cleared thistles near tool store
- pulled bracken, birch and pine down from the bench, both sides of path
- Monty counted ponies, and we saw at least 11 looking fine.



Observations:

- kestrel
- stonechat
- bog cotton and asphodel
- meadow browns, large skipper
- B b chaser, emperor, azure
- 2 herring gull
- bell and cross leaved heather flowering
- Pat took picnic rucksack
- new path working fine, but perhaps needs a little extension into car park
- apparently no dartfords on forest
- celebrated David's 65 with champagne

Martin

10th July 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan , Mike, Alan, Keith, Neil and Martin

Activities:

- bracken pulling, along road, M1 and area of open heath to the right before cricket pitch and cross roads
- some ragwort also pulled along road
- lowered the Owl box from original two ladder stages to effectively ground level.  Cleaned out the inside.
- heard and saw some ponies being bothered by two free running dogs.  Did not manage to count them.
- 'told off' the dog owner concerned as politely as possible

Observations
- tree creepers and goldcrests singing and calling
- two young tawny owls
- two ravens around nest site
- herring gulls
- owl nest box full of debris, including egg shell chips, a few small bones and pellets, and at various levels 10 eggs.  There cannot have been much room left recently for new nests. No new nest material seen, being mostly crumbly dry matter.
- Owl box battens in terrible condition and taking it down probably avoided a collapse.
- found a pine tree that probably had been struck by lightening, and burned, scorching nearby trees. difficult to give a date, but probably not in last couple of years
- lousy rainy weather and gave up after lunch.
- some spare items brought and changed hands
- some fire wood taken
- at least one, possibly two adders

Martin

3rd July 2012 ... Weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Alan, David p, David a, Mike, Neil, and Martin

Activities:

- bracken clearing on South Heath
- along road, together with ragwort
- along the east boundary
- oiled and graphited locks along road and oiled one near car park.
- remade path up to kissing gate, allowing water to drain into ditch.  Covered in bark chippings from roller stand
- cleared some thistles alongside tool store
- lookered ponies
- sharpened scythes
- readjusted two handles on scythes.  One still needs to be done.

Observations:

- 5 woodlarks
- horrid weather


Martin

26th June 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Pat, Keith,  Neil and Martin

Activities:

- Ponies lookered by Monty
- rest of nestboxes done
- bracken clearing north of road from roller stand to cattle pens, and across stream to slope the other side under power lines
- built new supporting post and rail to strengthen kissing gate post, that was getting weak
- small bit of bracken clearing on south heath
- some locks eased with graphite, many still to do

Observations:

- woodlark, skylark
- kestrel
- emperor dragonfly
- 3 bog asphodel


Martin

19th June 2012 ... Weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Pat, David a, Mike, Jonathan, Keith and Martin

Activities:

- nest survey up to high beeches
- finished clearing path to car park
- clearing bracken and birch along the top and down to power-lines
- lookered ponies.  The pale one is less pale in summer coat
- deadish tree down relatively safely diagonally across heath from where fence posts piled.  No action needed

Observations:

- b b chasers, large reds, azure
- juv redpoll
- wood larks and tree pipits
- raven
- plenty of redstarts
- swallows
- possible roe deer near west pond

Martin

12th June 2012 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

David a, David p, John, Jonathan, Mike, Neil, Keith and Martin

Activities:

- cut fire wood from logs in tractor shed
- checked first aid kits
- moved some cedar for Jonathan to car and shed
- collected more saw dust for Keith.  Still in shed.
- made safety improvements to path to east of shed
- lookered ponies
- made safe by hammering into ground the angle iron fence remains along Pippingford boundary
- dug ditches to protect path at end of power lines
- some ditch and some  bank work at stony pond and amex ponds
- scything grass and bracken on path from tool store to car park


Observations:

- hobby calling in usual area
- sun-dews on the reserve where reintroduced by Alan.  Not seen for several years.  Two very small patches
- 13 crossbills
- buzzard
- terribly rainy and wet.  Streams in places where we have never seen them.  Ponds overflowing all over the place
- bullfinch
- Group of 3 woodlarks

Martin