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Saturday, December 5, 2015

1st December 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, David a, David p, mike m, Neil, Bernard, Ray, Keith, Ron, and martin

activities:

- the bonfires of brash left over from the chainsaw courses at the bottom of sphagnum heath.
- used spare logs to reduce the flow of water off the heath
- cut the odd Christmas tree for volunteers
- looked the ponies
- helped roz take some bracken peat
- cleared the remaining nest boxes

observations:

- raven
- woodlark
- woodcock


martin

24th November 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Neil, mike m, Keith, David a, David p, Ray, Alan, Bernard, and martin

activities:

- looked the ponies
- 3 bonfires on south heath of gorse previously cut
- some ditch work
- cutting up logs for firewood in the tool store
- brought a lot of logs into the tool store ready for next rainy day

observations:

- some logs taken
- weather not very nice to start with
- jack interested in looking at the iseki
- David a borrowing some tools for the weekend


martin

17th November 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Neil, Jonathan, Pat, mike p, mike m, David a, Keith, Ray, Bernard, Ron Stuart and martin

activities:

- pond work on the new ponds on OL1, making a cascade of small pond to retain water
- started mending the gate post near the small wooden gate. more work needed.
- fitted new lock to the south heath heave gate
- cleared the gutters of the tool store and filled the brochure box
- cleared the nest boxes on the NE side of the stream

observations

- woodlark calling
- raven
- kestrel
- storm broke just before stopping for lunch
- marsh tit

martin

10th November 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

Alan, John, Keith, Jonathan, Stuart, Neil, Bernard, Ray, mike m, mike p, Ron, Pat and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies.  the limping one looks a bit better, but still limps going uphill.  mark came and put out two Licks and some nuts
- pond work on muddy pond, the small pond just up from the bridge and the pond under the bridge.
- a glade was cut in OL 2, off the track from the wooded edge of the cricket field.  brash piles and a stack of 4 ft logs made
- mark left a new supply of fence posts beyond the corner of the cricket field
- Ron and Martin did the first third of the nest box route clearing out the boxes
- and then helped mark chose and red spot 45 trees for the chain saw trading sessions that are shortly taking place
- pat helped two ladies fill their car boot with bracken peat from the roller stand, after responding to a freecycle offer.

observations:

- peat bags donated by jack were taken
- mark got stuck in the mud in the corner of the cricket pitch and this will need some repair

martin

3rd November 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, mike p, Alan, Keith, David p, David a, Ray, Neil, Stuart, Bernard, and Martin

activities:

- bonfire near the car park of last week's arisings, plus more gorse and birch cutting
- pond work on thirteenth and Irish ponds and investigated muddy pond
- collected five bags of bark chippings for mike p, and taken away
- looked the ponies. limp on brown mare worse when climbing slope. evidence of four wheel drive vehicle going around reserve and the corral built at the roller stand.

observations:

- woodlark calling
- fieldfares
- reed bunting


martin

27th October 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, mike p, Pat, Bernard, David p, Ray, Alan, Keith and Martin

activities:

- pond work on one stump, upper and lower ponds
- pollarding birches along the top from the car park, and some gorse coppicing. brash around a future bonfire site.
- looked the ponies. one is still limping badly
- Ray checked the young deer that got hung up last week. absolutely no sign of it, so one thinks that it perhaps survived

observations

- 3 ravens
- very strangely coloured blackbird sized bird along the top. no identification yet made. possibly an aberrant jay
-woodlark singing, meadow pipits, skylarks passing through


martin

20th October 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John,  Jonathan,  Bernard,  mike m,  Stuart, Alan, Pat, Ray, David a and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies. they were not altogether
- four went on a fungus foray run by martin Allison for the Eastbourne SWT group
- pond work on Amex, Frog, Haywards and one stump.  the island in frog pond dug out for earth to increase the dam at Amex.  below the outlet of Amex clay was dug up also to raise the banks of Amex, this creating a new small pond.  the outlet on Haywards pond was cleared and maintained, and part of the bank that was also leaking water was filled in. work was also started on one stump pond, and two birch trees that were shading the area were felled and cut up
- Ray freed a deer that got hung up near the iron gate beyond the cottages along the road, which may survive though it must have got some injuries and shock. it was in hiding when we left. it looked reasonably OK, but we will have a check next week.
-the cut piece of fence was repaired

observations:

- raven
- brimstone
- very nice sunny day

martin

13th October 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Keith, David a, Neil, Stuart, mike m, mike p, Bernard, Ray and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies
- pond work on Amex and frog ponds and the surrounding boggy bits. clearing bullying vegetation and opening things up.
- cleared some bramble around the tool store and some bramble and gorse along the road
- took some peat from the pile at the roller stand.

observation:

- dozen crossbills
- skylarks migrating
- redwings


martin

6 October 2015 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

John, Jonathan, David a, Neil, Mike p, Mike m, Keith, Alan, Ray, and Martin

Activities:

- work on new pond on ol1, including extending path round far side, pond clearing at the top
- bramble clearing, pollarding in copse at side of tool store
- maintenance of the large green cart, and using it to bring gorse piles behind the cottages to behind the tool store
- looked the ponies
- bagged up some bark and pear for mike m
- work in the ditch along the road, digging up bramble and gorse

observations:

- weather not nice so kept near the tool store
- but not as bad as forecast
- southern hawker near pond
- some items in shop taken


Martin

29th September 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Keith, Bernard, Pat, mike m, mike p, Alan, Jonathan and Martin

Activities:

- replaced strainer, struts on a bit of fencing under the power lines which the ponies had knocked down
- with mark and Nick, cut down the birch stumps near the entrance, and a marked tree near Gilly g. Processed the brash and moved the logs back to the tool store log piles
- collected log piles from Reynard's way, breech's avenue and south heath and added to the log piles
- gorse work on south heath
- pollarding in copse near the tool store
- looked the ponies

observations

- nice day
- mike p brought some things for the shop
- passed on message that ray tantrum has died
- martin Allison will do a fungus foray on October 20, which people are welcome to join. we get this for free.
- discussed burning the bracken peat piles with mark


martin

22nd September 2015 ... weekly volunteers


present:

John, David p, Keith, Neil, Stuart, mike p, mike m, Jonathan, Alan and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies
- because two ponies escape last week, added a chain to the post at the pinch gate
- some gorse work on south heath
- some more work on new dam on ol1
- cut some logs for firewood
- cleaned some tools
- John and Alan put some earth on the kissing gate surface and other maintenance, and did some similar work and drainage in front of the tool store

observations:

- weather not nice
- mike took the grass hook to sharpen it and returned the sharpened sickle.


martin


-

15th September 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

John, Jonathan, Neil, Stuart, mike p, mike m, Keith, Alan, pat, and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies
- checked and repaired the fence from car park to roller stand
- checked and oiled all locks on same route
- removed unknown padlock from double gates
- refilled leaflet box
- made the lock and chain on the small wooden gate operative
- cut gorse on south heath. enough for two large bonfires
- dug some shallow holes in area with sundews
- completed the Dam on OL1, diverted water flowing out of small pond and cleared some of the pond weed from it
- pulled and cut pine saplings in area infront of barn owl nest box
- scythed some bracken on south heath
- mended the top wire on the heave gate

observations:

- two hobbies on ol1
- woodlarks 2
- many fungi


martin

8th September 2015 ... weekly volunteers

present:

Alan, John, Jonathan, Pat, Neil, Stuart, Bernard, Keith, Michael m, and Martin

activities:

- looked the ponies
- finished the stile over the fence between south heath and ol1
- built a dam for the old pond on Ol1
- cleared bracken on the bird count route in Ol1
- John did some bracken digging

observations:

- hobbies, ravens, siskins, kestrel, chiffchaff, stonechat
- migrant hawker, southern hawker, speckled wood



Martin

1st September 2015 ... weekly volunteers


present:

Keith, Neil, Stuart, Bernard, Julie, Jonathan, and Martin.  John around, but did not find us.

Activities:

- looked the ponies
- started building new stile from south heath to ol1. And removing old stile

Observations:

- Buzzard, which landed in tree on ol1.  Hunting from pole?
- redpoll, marsh tit, Lt tits, nuthatch, hobby,
- on Monday, 2 spotted flycatchers, 3 grey partridges
- sundews appeared rather small
- stonechats
- Jonathan has first grandson

martin

25th August 2015 ... weekly volunteers



present:

John and grandson(5), Neil, Alan, Mike (
new guy from east grinstead), Stuart, David a, Ray and Keith

No Martin, who is ill with vertigo


Activities:

- looked the ponies
- finished the mending of Irish bridge and path over bog
- John +1 did some bracken pulling
- bracken and brash used in work
- checked stream for damage down to bridge and boundary.  all looked fine

observations:

- weather broke just before lunch, with heavy rain
- Mike p going to doctors today, and did not make coffee
- green wheel barrow taken by David for a lions's do


Martin