Saturday, 23 February 2019

Ballachurry Reserve, 16th February 2019. Work Party.

The weather was kind to the 13 Volunteers who tackled a variety of tasks at the Reserve on Saturday, 16th February. Ten o'clock saw lots of activity - the hide received a first coat of fresh wood preservative and several rotten planks in the boardwalk were replaced. These were the two main tasks scheduled for the morning but the number of willing hands allowed us to tackle several other necessary jobs as well. The back of the noticeboard received a fresh coat of blackboard paint and additional gravel went down on wet areas of path. We were also able to finish off "brambling" in three areas not completed at the last work party. A light strim and raking off of the grass near the noticeboard should further reduce the fertility of this area to encourage its colonisation by wild flowers.

We very much enjoyed the refreshments provided at half time by our volunteer bakers ( thank you!) and as always it was pleasant to chat and catch up with everyone's news

a sure sign that wood is going rotten
 when fungi starts to recycle it!

the underside of the same bracket fungus on the boardwalk

first the chicken wire had to be removed -
 old staples going into empty bucket
(if you are wondering about Slug Gone - it's made from sheep's wool!)

a fiddly job

getting the old planks out

new ones neatly slotted in

they will soon weather to match the rest no doubt

meanwhile, a few more brambles cut back

they are not allowed to advance beyond the fence post!

gravel added to the wettest part of the path

our hide was very much in need of some TLC

some preservative quickly made a visible difference

more brambles near the gate

cut back to reveal....

a clump of snowdrops

a light strim for one of the potential wildflower areas

outdoor picnic in February

arty shot!
a welcome cuppa
 My thanks to all concerned, an excellent morning's work!

(click on photos to enlarge)