First working party of the season - 6 October

Hi Folks

 

Please don’t say you’ve forgotten that as the long hot days of summer gradually morph into mists and mellow fruitfulness, so the bold green reminders start arriving. The much anticipated start of the new cutting season commences on Sunday week, 6th October, at 10:00am, in the Central Area.  The Central Area is easier, or rather less hard, and more pleasant to work on so I thought we could make a start there this year.  We are also starting earlier in the month than before because last season was a struggle. But, acknowledging a clear preference for Sundays, all working parties have been scheduled for Sundays this season, and they will all start at 10:00am, out of consideration for our comfort.

 

A lot has gone on behind the scenes since we last met. We almost became saddled with additional work for which Natural England wanted us to pay contractors, whilst Grizzly is only back in the nick of time from major repairs.  So we were rather taken to the brink, only to be marched back down again, like the Grand Old Duke of York.  On the plus side, water voles are actively colonising The Beck, their presence having been scientifically verified.  We’ve passed inspection with flying colours so any shortcomings which seem so apparent to me must be quite insignificant really.  And that’s all down to every one of you who helped in any way last year.

 

I do hope you can see your way clear to joining the team again as without you none of this is possible.

 

Kind regards

John

Good for butterflies and bees

There may not be many birds showing off at the moment, but there are plenty of bees and butterflies enjoying  the flowers on the common at the moment. This seems to be a particularly good year for peacocks, so after a couple of years of not having many opportunities to photograph one, I finally found an obliging specimen in good condition this morning.

Balsam bashing

Very successful working party this morning, to pull Himalayam Balsam plants out before it sets seed. It has pretty flowers, but is massively invasive and if left unchecked would choke the Beck to the detriment of all the native vegetation and the animals dependent on it.

Here's our chairman choking some plants in retaliation.

And here's what he has to say on the matter:

"Dear All

Saturday morning’s exertions were recorded for posterity and here (below) is one of the best.

Thanks again for helping with this annual task which counts among SCT’s success stories.  It must be so  because this year we had to penetrate so much further just to find any Himalayan Balsam to pull out.  I really think we got it all for which not just the community of Southrepps should be grateful but the whole of the Rivers Ant and Bure watershed including all the Northern Broads right the way to the sea.  So now you can feel justly proud of your achievement on Saturday morning – thank you.

Regards

John"

The plant grows along the sides of the Beck and anywhere damp enough nearby to support it, so a certain amount of exploring the deep dark recesses of the site is needed. Here are some intrepid volunteers on their return from the interior.

Urgent trim, and good spots

The call to arms came last evening, that we needed to convene a working party urgently. The recent excellent growing conditions had caused the vegetation lining the side of the boardwalk to grow intemperately, and people were finding it impassable in places. So 10 intrepid volunteers gathered in the growing heat and cut, slashed, raked and swept what felt like several tons of reed and assorted plants. It was nice to discover the boardwalk underneath it all! Anyway, it looks great again now, until it all grows again.

What it did illustrate once again was that we need more volunteers. If many hands make light work, the reverse is true and we all got pretty hot.

I was excited to find a decent sized lizard basking in the sun on the boardwalk: haven't had a good view of one for a couple of years. And then, going back this evening, I found this nice female common darter dragonfly, enjoying the early evening sun.

Great moth, and Crafty Creatures at the FAYRE

One of our Twitter followers found an egg-laying Garden Tiger Moth on the Common a day or two ago. This is a rarity these days, and a great find on our little patch. It's a great moth to look at too: See http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/species/garden-tiger

It was the Southrepps Fayre today, and despite a dire weather forecast it all went well, with no rain. Southrepps Commons Trust had a big presence, with Dr Tim and his able assistants making dragonflies from reeds cut from the Common. We had hoped to recruit more volunteers, so with luck some of the people who took away our details will decide to join in over the next cutting season.

Cuckoo and marsh flowers

Although the weather seems to have reverted to the grotty stuff we've been enduring for weeks, I managed a pleasant walk across the common this morning, clocking up 27 bird species. The best, for me, was the cuckoo I heard, since I have heard no other so far this year. Various Lower Street residents have been telling me that they have been hearing it, often at an unearthly hour, but I was beginning to wonder if it was going to elude me.

The male reed bunting that has been in residence on the main reed bed was showing well, and singing loudly, but sadly was still too obscured by reeds for a clear photo. A reed warbler was also chuntering away deep in the reed bed at the same time. Those, combined with song thrush, blackcap and chiffchaff all singing at the same time more than made up for the lack of sunshine.

The marsh is coming into flower now. As well as the bog beans that have been showing for a couple of weeks, we also have marsh valerian, orchids and cotton grass in flower. I tried to get them all in a single shot, but that wasn't too impressive, but here at least is some cotton grass.

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