Ponds and Preparations

Friday, October 18th 2013

A new pond-dipping platform is due to be constructed in the series of pools in the Willow Carr. This new platform will have wheelchair friendly access like the existing ones and will allow the pondlife to develop as only two platforms (out of three) will be used in a summer season. This rotation will benefit the pond wildlife. Work began today and the chosen pool was re-profiled in preparation.

Close by, volunteers helped to remove cuttings from a large glade that had been brushcut in order to encourage more wildflowers to grow. As you can see care was taken to leave the delicate ferns intact!

Brambles and grasses were also cut down and raked off in the newly planted orchard. A wildlife corridor was left in between the two cut areas for small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates.

A log pile remains as an ideal habitat for the animals mentioned above.

Team Thursday carried out many tasks in addition to the raking. They dug out overgrown dams, removed barley straw bales from ponds (these had been preventing the growth of algae during the summer months), weeded out invasive New Zealand pondweed and welcomed visitors.

Thank you to everyone involved today and also to Tony and Adam who toiled in the torrential rain yesterday afternoon in the glade and orchard. Elizabeth led a guided walk to look at the Autumn flora and fauna (amongst numerous other jobs) and found plenty to see.

The Kingfisher has been showing off on the lake and large flocks of Redwing have been seen throughout the day. There are still some flowers and butterflies hanging on to the last few days of Autumn. Devil's Bit Scabious continues to add a dash of colour to path edges and a Peacock butterfly was spotted today.

To assist with coffee mornings, a team of volunteers is being sought. Please get in touch if you would like to be included. The new 'Team Cappucino' will be dedicated to maximising this fundraising opportunity! It will involve varied tasks such as serving teas, selling cakes and Foxglove items, running raffles and tombolas, washing up, drying up and spreading the word about the reserve and its wildlife. The next coffee morning will be in Richmond Town Hall on Thursday 14th November.

Collections are now being made for the Christmas hamper. If you have any suitable food items that you would like to donate then please bring them into the Field Centre. Raffle tickets are on sale and the winner will be announced at the Christmas party on Wednesday 18th December. Why not make use of a 'Buy One Get One Free' offer and donate the free item. Christmas cards and calendars are also on sale in the centre. 'Tis almost the season to be jolly “fa la la, la la la, la la la”!

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