8th August 2017 ... weekly volunteers

Present:

Keith, Ian, David a, David p, new David, Stuart, Mike m, Mike p, Ray, Steve, Alan, and Martin

Activities:

- looked the ponies and cattle
- mended the dog notices. One is now missing.
- altered the hanging of the gate on the cricket pitch
- dug up some ragwort. Taken by Keith for compost
- collected pony and cattle poo for compost, all taken away as perks
- dug some bracken peat for perks. Most taken, a few bags still in tool store
- cut bracken on the second part of the bird count route in ol1
- cut bracken down the slope from the pillow mound, which is the start of the third leg of the bird count.
- bit of bracken clearing on south Heath
- cut some logs in the tool store
- Mike marked some more pines for keeping
- moved the feeding ring down the slope into the wood. A better place for feeding, without trouble of seedlings after disturbance


Observations:

- weather threatening, and final broke at lunch time. Better than expected
- some Blackberry picking
- brown hawker, common darter
- good crop of sundews particularly in places where we have cut out divots
- 2 or 3 Dartford warblers on boundary of south Heath. Another seen along the top on Wednesday
- lots of gate keepers and small Heath. A few brimstone.
- Ron has had pacemaker fitted
- a Bullock has a 'grey' eye. Mike m writing to mark.
- spraying has been done
- Ravens, kestrel, Stonechats, blackcap, whitethroat


Martin