Help wanted

Hello All

 

Today, John Dowland and I shored up the worst sections of Jubilee Boardwalk, which needed doing urgently.  But we ran out of time when it came to replacing the broken board at the Lower Street end, as it transpired that the bearers are rotten and the whole section needs replacing.  This is a more straightforward job than the one we I did today and is suitable for any 2 or 3 willing persons. Would anyone like to do it for us, ideally when school is off, i.e. at a weekend or during the coming half term holiday, week commencing 27th May?  The job comprises lifting the old section of about 6 feet, laying parallel bearers and nailing boards to them, finishing off the whole thing by stapling on wire netting.  Timber is already prepared and materials are ready.  With several other jobs stacking up for me, it would really be a great help if somebody else could do this one.  It is important because this section of  boardwalk is used daily by a lot of people during term time.

 

Kind regards

John

Reedbed birds at last

Sitting for 10 minutes of the "Chadwick bench" yielded my first encounter with a reed warbler this year; I was beginning to think they weren't going to come this year. At the same time I heard, and saw, a reed bunting, looking like a sparrow on a hot date. And just before that I heard a whitethrtoat, along of course with the usual chiffchaffs and blackcaps.

Bees and deer but not much else

Good to see plenty of bumble bees out and about, but sad that there were few birds in evidence. I had heard several chiffchaffs last week, but this time there was only one singing, and no blackcaps either. Perhaps it was the chilly wind that had sprung up, or maybe it was just the time of day, but they stayed resolutely quiet. I had heard reed buntings previously, but again, nothing today.With luck, I'll get better luck next time.

However, I did see this muntjac in the last area we cut. It clearly had an idea that I was in the vicinity because it maintained its pose for several minutes, looking in my direction. As I crept closer it finally felt the need to slink off into the bushes, but not before I had manged several photos.

After that, once I had crossed the Beck and emerged into the Warren Road side of the common, another muntjac calmly walked off into the bushes there.

Getting there at last

A beautiful day; completely clear blue sky, wall to wall sunshine, and the cold wind has gone. At last the spring migrants have begun to arrive and the flowers are coming out. The warm sunshine has brought some insects to life too; peacock and brimstone butterflies are in evidence, as well as lots of bumble bees.

I heard my first blackcap of the year on School Common this morning, and my first swallow of the area near The Hill. I counted at least six singing chiffchaffs across School Common and the main Common itself; including this obliging individual.

The section of the Common between Warren Road and the Beck is looking very colourful, partly thanks to a fine display of lesser celandines:

Could this be spring?

At last! A warm day, or at least what passes for one in this shivering year. The wind has dropped and this is the second sunny day in a row. No summer migrants have yet made it to the Common, although a reed bunting has been singing. But the frogs are very busy, as evidenced by the decent quantities of frogspawn.

End of another cutting season

A very wet working party finished off the cutting season for another year; the conditions underfoot were as wet as anyone could remember, and several people got very wet. The Grizzlie got bogged down a couple of times, and needed some ingenuity and brawn to rescue it.

Nonetheless, the 10 brave souls who tuned up worked with a will, and we completed the programme for the year, to our great relief. We all needed a rest at the end!

But at least we had the satisfying sight of a whole new vista opened up; at least, until it all grows again!

Here's what Chairman John had to say:

Dear All

 

Well that’s it for another season, and today’s stoic stalwarts deserve their thank you to be as public as possible, which is why I am writing to the whole volunteer group.  After the dreadful winter we’ve been through you would have thought the weather gods would cut us a bit of slack on this last working party of the 2012-13 season, but not a bit of it.  This morning dawned grey and wet, with no promise of improvement, whilst the conditions underfoot have never been worse.  You all knew we would struggle to meet the requirements of the programme but everyone went to the work with a will and the end result is truly remarkable.  I am hoping for some great photos from Duncan and Tim showing the impressive and beautiful view from the corner of the boardwalk, looking right across to the boundary, a vista that has never been seen before in its completeness.  Thank you all once again, and remember the provisional date of 5th May for our non-working party.

 

Best wishes from John

Good birds lately

We've been very fortunate to have had a couple of really good birds flying over the common in the last couple of weeks. First we had a rough legged buzzard, with its characteristic habit of hovering briefly in mid-flight. That stayed around for a couple of hours, but I suspect has moved on. And then a flock of 45 whooper swans flew over on the morning of 2nd March, making a wonderful sound. Perhaps they are gathering together to fly back to the wild north.