Ten volunteers today - two teams of five - to make a start on some of our essential autumn tasks. The choice seemed to be either get scratched or get muddy! One group tackled the brambles and blackthorn along the paths and later under the willow trees too. The other team was removing some very vigorous Brooklime from the pond in order to keep an area of open water visible from the hide. This job is always complicated by the fact that there is New Zealand Pygmy Weed in the area, an invasive alien species, and we have to observe strict bio-security measures to ensure we don't carry it round the reserve or indeed home to our own gardens.
Therefore what we rake out has to be piled on plastic sheeting where it rots down without any stray shoots of the pygmy weed being able to root back in to the soil. It also gives any water creatures a chance to return to the water. I noticed several fresh water shrimps and a water beetle doing just that.
We carefully washed down our boots before refreshments and again before leaving the site. Gloves and tools, including our two wheelbarrows also got a good clean.
Our two teams met up around 11.30ish to enjoy cakes and hot drinks thoughtfully provided by some of the volunteers. It was good to catch up with old friends again and there was plenty of laughter and chatter.
Then back to work to get the jobs finished by one o'clock before all heading home for a well deserved lunch. A big thank you to all the volunteers for their hard work this morning and especial thanks to those who provided refreshments.
Some of us will be back next Saturday ( weather permitting) to finish off the hide roof job and, who knows, attack a few more brambles too!
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secateurs at the ready
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brambles galore
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the path through the willows afterwards
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| making a start on the pond | | | | |
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much of the weed could be raked out from the edge
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| a good stretch |
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| a feast in store |
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ah, that's good
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good to sit down
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so how was Guernsey?
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the washing down begins
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special attention to soles of wellies
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and the finished job
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Wildlife seen SC209694:
5 x Swallows flying over; juvenile Moorhen; Mallard. Chiffchaff. Unidentified water shrimps and a water beetle.
