NEW KINGFISHERS ON THE TRAIL
Those who worked with us on the Kingfisher hedges may be interested in these new wooden sculptures which have recently been installed - two at each end of the trail. Many thanks to Stuart for the pictures. |
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SAMARITANS WAY WALK
There is a Samaritans Way website which may be of interest to those doing the long-distance walk in May/June. The site includes pictures of the route and also an online version of the guide book. If anyone would like a conventional copy of the guide book for the walk, please let Shane know before our next BCV meeting on April 1st, so we can put in a bulk order. |
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TOWERING ABOVE
At the end of February we had a woodland maintenance day in Tower Wood overlooking Burton. Tasks included formative pruning (to encourage strong straight stems) and crown-lifting (to open up the trees close to the paths).
Earlier in February we had a hedge-laying session at Christian Fields, Lichfield, and a day at Chasewater. We also worked with local Winshill residents to create a nature trail. |
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JANUARY NEWS
The cold snap resulted in one or two events being rescheduled (including the monthly meeting), but we eventually finished the annual willow-coppicing in the reed beds at Branston Water Park, and subsequently used some of the coppiced material to create a natural screen on the Washlands.
On Old Twelvey Night (during the day actually) we had a Wassail in the Orchard next to the allotment - with suitable verses, accompanied by Margaret on her bongoes, hot mulled cider, pumpkin soup and home-made cakes.
We had a day at Christian Fields site in Lichfield, working with local volunteers to clear the overgrown paths and improve the site, and a day at the equine clinic near Alrewas to maintain the willow screen we constructed last year.
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Herefordshire cattle grazing on the Washlands |
Willow screen |
| Our Christmas/New Year meal was enjoyed by almost 30 volunteers, but unfortunately not by organiser Jo as she was struck down by a bug and couldn't make it - get well soon Jo! |
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NEW YEAR WALK
Our New Year walk started in Coton-in-the-Elms and took us on a 10-mile circular route through several of the villages in and around the Mease Valley. Although the walk was flat, there was plenty of variety along the route including ancient farmland, woodland and some fine village churches. The only setback was that the planned pub in Harlaston was closed when we got there, but fortunately there happened to be another hostelry in the next village a mile further on - The Black Horse at Edingdale - where we were warmly welcomed.
(Jan 2010)
Crossing the River Mease near Edingdale |
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| BURTON MAIL WOODLAND: Maintenance work including crown-lifting and pruning. We also planted a few new apple trees as part of the Tree O'Clock world record attempt. (Dec 2009) |
KINGFISHER TRAIL: We have started laying some new sections of hedge at the Shobnall end of the trail. We had a visit from a former national hedgelaying champion, Geoff Key, who gave us some very useful tips and demonstrations. There are further sessions scheduled there on January 30th and 31st. (Dec 2009) |
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| BADGERS HOLLOW: A new site to us, at Coton Park Nature Reserve near Linton, managed by the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. We put up a dozen or so bird boxes which had been made by the local Scouts. (Dec 2009) |
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ONE GOOD TERN...
Fradley Pool Nature Reserve is a canal reservoir at the junction of the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals. The reserve is an important wetland area home to a wide variety of birdlife. In conjunction with British Waterways, BCV have built a tern raft on the reservoir. The floating timber platform should be an ideal breeding site for common terns as it is well out of the reach of predators such as foxes. We have positioned the raft in the middle of the lake so it is easily viewed from the bird hide. (Nov 2009)
More pictures
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PIPEHILL COMMON
Pipehill Common is part of an ancient heathland just outside Lichfield. We cleared bracken and brambles and did some selective coppicing to establish a new path and help encourage the heathland vegetation. We recycled one of the felled birch trees into a small bench. (Nov 2009) |
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BEANS COVERT
Our annual Make-A-Difference (MAD) Day at this urban woodland site included some coppicing and also cutting back the boundary hedge. Also a chance to use our new heavy-duty winch, which made light work of removing sycamore tree roots. Plus pumpkin soup and apple puddings and custard. (Nov 2009)
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YOXALL LODGE
Our task here was to construct a new woodland path above the stream. We made use of coppiced willow material to build a fence marking the edge of the path. (Nov 2009) |
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| CIDER-MAKING WEEKEND |
BCV members enjoyed a cider-making weekend at Broome Farm in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside.
The format of the weekend was simple: picking, camping, pressing, panking and drinking, athough not necessarily in that order!
A fabulous location in which to work, lots of opportunities to try the different skills involved in cider making, a really warm welcome, and plenty of sampling of the end product! What more could you ask for?
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it may even become an annual event.
More pictures and links |
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ST PETER'S SCHOOL, YOXALL
We built the pond and wooden dipping platform at this site several years ago now. Then on subsequent visits we laid hedges around the wildlife garden area. Our makeover day here included clearing the neglected pond (although there was no shortage of frogs and other wildlife), trimming the overgrown hedge, tidying the wildlife garden, and giving the platform barrier a fresh coat of paint although the colour didn't seem to be to everyone's taste! The pictures below give an indication of the progress we achieved in just a few hours. (Sept 2009)
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FOXLEY WOOD, LINTON
Here are a few pictures from our work day at Foxley Wood, Linton on August 23rd. This woodland site is part of the National Forest and is owned and managed by the Woodland Trust. The pond, which BCV first restored several years ago, is sited in the corner of the woodland. This was our first visit to the site for two years. During that time the reeds had taken over the pond completely, so our task was to cut back about half of the reeds to restore the water and hopefully the wildlife habitat for such water creatures as dragonflies, frogs and diving beetles (see picture). With a good turnout of BCV members, plus help from local volunteers and cub scouts, we formed a "chain gang" and cleared the area in good time. A messy job but well worth it! We also pruned an area of woodland adjacent to the pathway to let in more light. |
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For more information about the Foxley Wood site, see the Woodland Trust website. |
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