* search Old Lodge blog *

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

31st December 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Keith, Alan and Martin

Activities:
- checked perimeter for storm damage.  Little change from last week.   Moved a few branches off the heather and made a few things safer.
- cut logs in tool store
- cut some gorse along the road


Observations:

- reed bunting
- plenty of bags of logs taken
- stollen and xmas cake eaten around the tree
- heavy rain after lunch stopped play


Martin

24th December 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Keith, Mike and Martin

Activities:

- walked boundary checking for gale damage. 
- Birch in ditch in ne corner leaning over garden.  Who is owner?  Needs attention.  But currently safe.  It would get hung up in large ill-looking cherry tree in middle of garden.  Occupants look as if away at the moment.
- plenty of branches down, and a couple of trees and all look safe.  One large oak near previously mentioned birch should be dragged down with ropes and plenty of bodies.  Did a little clearing of path.
- stream very high, but little obvious damage.  Cleared channel to keep path on west side drier.
- trimmed Rowan that has fallen along road
- moved pile of gorse branches back to store
- cleared ditch running under road by the stone pillars
- noted that kissing gate has shifted and won't shut properly

Observations:

- mike took remaining small logs
Keith took hen sweepings
- forester's cottage has some cattle


Martin



17th December 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Neil, Stuart, Mike, Jonathan, Keith and Martin

Activities:

- 3 brash bonfires along beeches avenue, before slope
- prepared a bonfire site at end of the left hand side wood
- cut Xmas tree for no 1, top lodge
- put up unneeded tree in tractor shed

Observations:

- last day of chainsaw training
- brambling.  Jim said he saw 50!
- crossbill
- redpoll
- mulled wine from Jonathan


Martin



10th December 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Neil, Stuart, Keith, Allan, David Airey and Martin

Activities:

- cut some xmas trees
- 2 brash bonfires in Owl wood
- some gorse cutting along the road
- made good two 'hung' trees that contractors left


Observations:

- 8 crossbills, redpolls, reed bunting
- Raven


Martin

3rd December 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, Mike, Pat, Stuart, Ron, Keith, Neil, and Martin

Activities:

- 2 gorse bonfires on north side of road
- coppicing more gorse near fire
- cleared old cuttings across road onto fires
- Collected further away arisings to a future bonfire site on SH
- went with Paul Copsy and remarked a lot of trees for him to fell

Observations:

- a dozen crossbills
- brambling
- mike has article on Tristram

Martin




26th November 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Mike, Alan, David a, Jonathan, stewart (trial visit), Neil, Pat and Martin

Activities:

- two brash bonfires along beeches avenue where trainee chainsaw people cut down marked trees

Observations:

- raven, redpoll, reed bunting, brambling, goldcrest, meadow pipit
- new neighbour consulted over nest boxes. Given a robin box, and will put up later


Martin

19th November 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

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

Activities:

- gorse bonfire on SH
- more gorse coppicing along road

Observations:

- Raven, Crossbill, pigeons, Redwing, goldfinch
- Ron made surprise appearance

 Martin



12th November 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Mike, Alan, Pat, David a, David p, Jonathan, and Martin

Activities:

- sawing and splitting firewood to start with while raining
- bonfire next to Sunday groups last fire on slope above beeches avenue
- helped mark some trees for chain saw training and felling

Observations:

- crossbills
- redwing


 Martin 

5th November 2013 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

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

Activities:

- tidied up the felled trees by Jilly's stables.  Two stacks of logs
- gorse cutting on SH
- pollarding birch to side of tool store
- replaced poor long blades in bow saws
- separated out poor blades of short bow saws
- mended a lopper
- moved remaining logs in old pile into shed

Observations:

- kestrel
- poor initial weather
- Fieldfares
- goldfinch
Keith had shrew under one of his tins

 Martin