Snow Patrol

Thursday, January 18th 2018

Heavy overnight snowfall meant that Foxglove was covered in up to 5 inches (125 cms) of snow, and looked particularly stunning as the early morning sun lit up the landscape. That was if you had the chance to stand and stare at it as the conditions were also causing chaos on the roads leading to Catterick Garrison. The depth of snow also meant that attempting to drive along the Reserve's access road was only for the brave or foolhardy with vehicles being parked outside the gate.

The snow covered much of the Moorland but Taurus and Lark had little problem in scraping it to one side to find plenty to eat. Looking at where they had been walking to find food showed that most of their hoof prints had exposed vegetation, quite possibly as a result of the combination of their weight and heat from the hoof.

The amount of snow that fell can be seen on the signs and bridge near to the Outdoor Classroom, but this also had an effect on a number of trees. Many of the species with softer wood such as Silver Birch and Willow were bent over under the weight of the snow, making following the footpaths almost an obstacle course. Some had suffered even more, an a Willow next to the Lake had a branch overhanging the trail which had snapped and had to be removed.

Despite the conditions, we did have one Volunteer who made it in to help with work today, so thanks to Peter for his efforts to get here. The first task today was to help sort out parking around the entrance gate and to get cars properly parked on the Square. After that it was important to make sure that the bird feeders were full in the Field Centre garden and at the hides, so a sled was deployed to carry the bird seed and peanuts.

The final task was to continue with the cleaning and tidying of the store for nest boxes. This meant taking them all out, sweeping and vacuuming the floor and then putting around 40 boxes back in their assorted designs. Poles for the net rides were also checked and sorted. This has been a job on the 'to do' list for some time, so the snowy conditions made today an ideal time to get that one ticked off!

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