News | SMCV | A voluntary conservation group working in and around south Manchester, England

Tricky hawthorn on Hawthorn Lane

February 7, 2016 by Julian

Today SACV members teamed up with the Friends of Chorlton Meadows (FoCM) for some hedgelaying on the aptly named Hawthorn Lane. The long stretches of hedge alongside the lane have been neglected for many years but FoCM and the wardens have started laying parts this autumn and winter. Because of the age and thickness of the stems, this was a challenging hedge to work on (but it wasn’t all manual work – we did have a lot of assistance from a chainsaw!). However, some good progress was made and there was even some root-laying done. FoCM might manage more work on the hedge in the remainder of the winter and doubtless SACV will perhaps be back to work on it next year too!

Some initial tidying

The hedge before laying 1

Panorama of hedgelaying in action

Laid stem and billhook

Hedgelaying in progress

Stem following root laying

Working on the hedge

The laid hedge 1

The laid hedge 2

Posted in Hedgelaying | Tagged Friends of Chorlton Meadows, Mersey Valley |

Hawthorn on grassland

January 24, 2016 by Julian

Our arrival at Brunt’s Barn on the Friday night of this, our first residential weekend away of 2016, was like something out of And Then There Were None. The original eight for the weekend had over the previous couple of days reduced to six due to illness and other adverse circumstance; and then one by one these six postponed their arrival at the Barn, for one reason or another, from the usual Friday night until early Saturday morning, until in the end only a hardy couple of attendees were in the Barn on Friday. Still, against the odds, everyone (even the habitually late) arrived in good time on Saturday – in time for breakfast, no less, probably lured by the promise of a vast vat of excellent porridge.

The work for both Saturday and Sunday was to be out with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers, on a hillside between Tideswell and Miller’s Dale, to remove young encroaching hawthorn from a site which is being restored as a grassland habitat. As part of a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, this hillside will in the future be grazed between August and February, the grassland habitat and wildflowers then being allowed to flourish for the rest of the year. It was hard work, teetering on a steep slope and pitchforking bundles of hawthorn down to a bonfire at the bottom (shades of Indiana Jones sometimes, dodging the rolling bundles), but fine home-made cake from a very generous PPCV volunteer on both days helped to sustain us!

At the end of Saturday’s work, there was much enjoyment of Brunt’s Barn’s new showers (a great improvement in comfort) and then a trip to the bar of The Maynard for an evening meal, followed by drinks and games back at the Barn (endless rounds of Bananagrams and Dobble proved the popular choice this time).

The next residential weekend will be in May!

Volunteers at work 1

Collected hawthorn

Rock

Tea break around the bonfire

Volunteers at work 2

Volunteers at work 3

Tree and rock

Posted in Grassland, Residential weekends | Tagged Peak Park Conservation Volunteers | 1 Comment »

Maintaining the rides

January 14, 2016 by Julian

Last Sunday (10th January 2016) saw SACV’s first activity of the new year! After Saturday’s heavy rain, we were delighted to find we had a sunny winter day to be back at the Woodland Trust‘s New Moss Wood, where our principal task was cutting and clearing to prevent the narrowing of one of the wood’s rides.

Before – overgrown ride 1

Before – overgrown ride 2

Before – overgrown ride 3

Cut wood for a habitat pile

Winter woodland 1

Winter woodland 2

Canine volunteer on lunch break

Fungi

Winter woodland 3

After – opened ride 1

After – opened ride 2

Posted in Woodland management | Tagged Woodland Trust |

Groynes, an arch and seasonal festivities

December 27, 2015 by Julian

A day at Chorlton Water Park on Sunday 13th December marked the end of SACV’s activities for 2015. We worked on maintaining the willow groynes at the edge of the lake, which provide an important habitat for birdlife and spawning fish; using the cut willow, we then created a willow arch which will provide a living entrance to the new wildlife garden being created in conjunction with the RSPB. Then, to finish the day, we had our annual Christmas get-together with plenty of mulled wine and seasonal delights – all of that, plus a 40th birthday to celebrate!

Working on the willow groynes

The willow groynes

Working on the willow groynes

Starting the base of the willow arch

Canine volunteer

Working on the willow groynes

Starting the willow arch

Working on the willow arch

Cut willow

The base of the willow arch

Working on the willow arch

The completed willow arch

Mince pies

Brandy snaps

Birthday candles

Posted in Ponds and lakes, Willow structures | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley, RSPB | 2 Comments »

Two Sundays in Priory Gardens

November 18, 2015 by Julian

On two recent Sundays (25th October and 8th November 2015), SACV volunteers were hard at work doing some woodland management for the Red Rose Forest in Priory Gardens. The first Sunday in particular was a perfect dry, crisp autumn day, providing a great opportunity to see the trees’ changing autumnal colours!

SACV volunteers at work

SACV volunteer at work

Posted in Woodland management | Tagged Red Rose Forest |

Post-and-rail fencing on the Middlewood Way

October 11, 2015 by Julian

On a lovely stretch of the Middlewood Way near Schoolfold Lane (SJ932809), SACV volunteers were today working with Ed the ranger to carry out repairs on post-and-rail fencing along the path. We were able to enjoy not only the fine autumn weather but also the flourishing wild flowers along this stretch (including cornflowers, corn chamomile, corncockle and corn marigold). The rangers have been managing and improving this wild flower area over recent years, with help from a legacy in memory of a local person, and it’s developing beautifully.

SACV sign

Volunteers getting started

Cornflower and corn marigolds

Removed rotten post

Work in progress

Volunteers working next to path

Volunteer at work

Replaced post

Repaired fencing

Posted in Fencing | Tagged Cheshire East Rangers, Middlewood Way |

Rhododendron on Tittesworth

October 1, 2015 by Julian

This past weekend was our final residential weekend of 2015. Working as usual with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers, we helped to clear and burn invasive rhododendron on the banks of Tittesworth Reservoir. The reservoir’s water level was looking lower than any of us could recall seeing it, but that gave us a good space on the shore for our bonfire of cut material. The removal of the rhododendron will help to avert the monoculture which is otherwise developing along some of the bank, and encourage native species to flourish. We were blessed with fine and warm autumn weather to enjoy the scenic location. In the evenings and in the breaks from work, the weekend followed the usual sort of course: great meal in The Lazy Trout on Saturday night, good chats, crossword attempts, entertaining post-dinner tabletop games (Saboteur, Coup, Avalon, Werewolves!) and a home-made cake to celebrate a recent wedding!

Rhododendrons before clearing

Volunteer at work 1

Starting the bonfire

Volunteer at work 2

Volunteer at work 3

Fly agaric

Tittesworth reservoir

Bank revealed after removing rhododendron

Celebration cake!

Posted in Invasive species, Ponds and lakes, Residential weekends | Tagged Peak Park Conservation Volunteers |

Digging into the past at Hare Hill

September 13, 2015 by Julian

For today’s activity on a sunny September day, the focus was less on ecology and habitats and more on heritage conservation. Hare Hill has an extensive system of culverts (on which we’ve worked many times in the past), but today we were working on a structure which might have been part of a sheep dip, dating perhaps to the first half of the nineteenth century. A lot of the construction was overgrown or buried under soil and turf – so we were doing what we could to clear and reveal the original stonework and, where part of the structure had collapsed, try to identify its original line and formation. This led to a lot of interesting archaeological and architectural theorizing (“Are these buried stones part of a collapsed wall? Would there have been steps? Is this rusted length of metal part of a rail? Could there have been a sloped descent to the water at this point rather than a wall?”)! We don’t know that we came up with any of the right answers but the speculation was entertaining!

The National Trust is arranging for the revealed stonework to be assessed by someone with more expertise and it might follow in due course that there is a plan for more exploration and restoration of the structures here – so we’ll keep an eye out for future developments!

The overgrown wall 1

The overgrown wall 2

The revealed wall

Volunteers at work

Part of the revealed structure

The exit channel and cleared top of the stonework

Stonework revealed 1

Stonework revealed 2

One side present, one side absent

Stonework revealed 3

Posted in Culverts | Tagged Hare Hill, National Trust |

Woodland work and Himalayan balsam

August 23, 2015 by Julian

Another late-in-the-season bashing of Himalayan balsam was the order of the day today, this time in Priory Gardens (approximately SJ797926) on behalf of the Red Rose Forest. Some of the balsam will already have flowered and set seed, but there was plenty to go at which hadn’t yet seeded. Alongside this, we were also doing some woodland work, reducing some of the density of saplings, particularly sycamore, to open up the woods and allow more light to some parts of the woodland floor. A fine and hot summer’s day but gradually building up to refreshing rain – although the clouds helpfully held back until our work was done!

Working in the woods

Loppers

Himalayan balsam and trees

Himalayan balsam flower

Volunteers tackling Himalayan balsam

Seeds of common hogweed

Posted in Invasive species, Woodland management | Tagged Priory Gardens, Red Rose Forest |

Invasive species on the banks of the Bollin

August 2, 2015 by Julian

Invasive species were given a battering today when SACV volunteers were out with the Friends of the Bowdon Bollin. Our main aim was to clear Himlayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) from a stretch of the Bollin near Ashley Mill Lane (approximately SJ761855), but there was also a chance to have a go at injecting herbicide into Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), which is another common alien invader along the banks of the river. Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) was not the main focus of today’s activities but we had to be aware of this harmful plant as it can also be found here, although the Friends have been doing a good job in recent years of treating it and reducing its presence. A lovely sunny day to be on the banks of a river, and we hope to have done some good in the ongoing battle against these damaging species!