We had a Work Party arranged for Saturday, 9th October at the Reserve but at very short notice postponed it till the Sunday because of a bad weather forecast. It was a good call. I glanced through the window at 9.50 on Saturday - ten minutes before the work party had been due to start - and already it was raining. Whereas on Sunday the weather was fine and sunny and we had perfect working conditions.
There were 11 of us on site and we had one particularly major task in front of us - demolishing the old boardwalk which after 10 years or more had rotted and regularly needed replacement boards. It sits in water for several months of the year so the new boardwalk is to be raised slightly with ramps at either end. Hopefully this will prolong its life.
It's funny how demolition is always popular! Most of the volunteers opted to help Ian who is masterminding this project and set off with a variety of lethal looking crowbars and pikes towards the old boardwalk. I left them to it and with Helen's welcome help made a start on yet another major project in the pipeline - our new dragonfly pond/ pond dipping area. The brambles on the edge of this site have never been cleared and have swamped a Rowan tree which nevertheless has continued to valiantly produce berries. To give ourselves some working space when the project starts in earnest Helen and I set about cutting back the brambles and liberating the tree. After an hour I thought I should check out how the boardwalk workers were doing and take a few photos. To my amazement they had pretty much finished the job and were sawing and stacking the old wood, for which we also have plans. If I had hoped for action photos with those pikes and crowbars I had left it too late. Nothing but bare earth remained.
This seemed a good point at which to have our refreshments so we headed for the hide where Janet and Margaret had thoughtfully provided home made cakes - Ginger and Chocolate. I felt obliged to do quality control on both sorts! Both delicious. Whilst relaxing in the sunshine we suddenly realised we had Long Tailed Tits in the willows just behind us - a nice little bonus to the morning (SC209694)
With the boardwalk demolished we turned our attention to cutting back brambles . Helen and I returned to our own chosen spot while everyone else tackled those which annually encroach onto the damp meadow. We always cut back to a line of hawthorn trees and each year the job needs doing all over again!
I am really grateful to all the volunteers who came along at such short notice on Sunday to make a start on both these jobs. Once the timber is ordered and delivered we'll be able to make a start on constructing the new boardwalk without further delay. Routine tasks don't go away just because something more exciting is afoot, so I was also pleased to see so much progress made on the brambles.
Many thanks to you all, including the cake makers. It's the thought of the cake that keeps us all going sometimes!
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The old boardwalk. The lighter planks were all replaced this year.
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and the old wonky bridge
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nearly done
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just a bit of tidying up now
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stacking the old rotten wood
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sawing the old wood into manageable planks
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final consultation
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forgive the frivolity - couldn't resist!
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putting in the closure notices
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Meanwhile this bramble patch needed attention
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Helen was determined to liberate the Rowan tree
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easier said than done
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but at the end of the morning the site looked like this - well done, Helen!
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Castletown ladies sharing a joke
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Legend in his own lifetime, Dessie Robinson, joined us today
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a well earned break
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demolition is thirsty work
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October picnic in the sunshine
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then back to work on a new task
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I always walk round the reserve before leaving just to check no tools or jackets have been left behind and whilst returning the barrow to its storage area suddenly spotted a brilliant white, shiny toadstool by the side of the path. The habitat is wrong for Waxcaps although that was my first thought. I'll try to get it identified. It may be yet another new fungus record for the reserve, I think
Which leads me to rather a sad announcement. You may have noticed my Blog posts often end with thanks to those people who have helped me with identifications. In the case of fungi it is nearly always to Karen and Mick Rodger to whom I turn. Sadly, Mick passed away very recently. In the past some of you may have been on fungus forays led by Mick in South Barrule Plantation and arranged by the Manx Wildlife Trust Southern Group Committee If so, you will remember Mick's very engaging way of putting over the facts relating to fungi and his infectious enthusiasm for the subject. A modest man, and always very generous with his time. He will be very much missed.
Our thoughts and sympathy are with Karen and her family at this very sad time.
And finally.....................
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the circular route round the Reserve is temporarily suspended
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the previous boardwalk neatly stacked
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the bridge taped off until its turn comes to be demolished
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| the reserve has to be treated as two halves for a week or so |
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I have since been back to the Reserve to do a recording visit but it may be a little while until I can post my findings on the Blog.
please click on photos to enlarge them
