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

A wildlife garden continues to develop

April 24, 2016 by Julian

Today we were back at Chorlton Water Park to continue work on the new wildlife garden being created here in conjunction with the RSPB. We planted a few wildlife-friendly trees and shrubs and finished building a flowerbed mound where our plantings included flowers such as cowslip and ox-eye daisy. We then helped finish the bog garden around the new pond – and added wetland plants such as marsh marigold, water avens, ragged robin and flowering rush.

It was good to see the willow arch (which we constructed in December) looking healthy and sprouting well, fulfilling its function as the entrance to this developing wildlife area!

Volunteers at work

Volunteer at work

A canine volunteer supervises

Volunteers at work 2

Marsh marigolds etc. in the new bog garden

Cowslips, ox-eye daisies etc.

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

Rhododendron-bashing at Priory Gardens

April 4, 2016 by Julian

As with last year’s similar task, some of us were in action yesterday at Priory Gardens, on behalf of the Red Rose Forest, to help control the invasive rhododendrons here. Hard work dealing with some of them, but a sunny spring day for it! We’ll probably be back at this site over the summer for some other activities.

Volunteers clearing rhododendron 1

Volunteers clearing rhododendron 2

Volunteers clearing rhododendron 3

Cleared rhododendron

Wildlife encounter

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

Encouraging butterflies at Tegg’s Nose

March 13, 2016 by Julian

The dark green fritillary has not been encountered at Tegg’s Nose Country Park, but has been seen a mile or two from the site. Volunteers from SACV and Butterfly Conservation were therefore out in lovely spring sunshine today to help with an experimental activity to encourage this butterfly to the site: the dark green fritillary is attracted by violets, so patches of the hillside were cleared of bracken litter to encourage the spread of violets from other parts of the site, particularly from further down the hill. It is not known how successful this will be, but is one in a series of activities that are likely to be attempted to attract the butterfly to Tegg’s Nose!

Getting started on the hillside

Volunteer at work

Volunteers at work

Cleared bracken litter

Volunteers at work

Posted in Heathland | Tagged Cheshire East Rangers, Tegg's Nose Country Park |

An elderly hedge at Alderley Edge

February 21, 2016 by Julian

Some more hedgelaying today – this time with the National Trust at Alderley Edge, working on an old hawthorn hedge. We also planted saplings to fill some of the hedge’s gaps. It was hard work carrying our tools and the saplings to the work site over some challenging terrain – but the rain stayed off and all in all it was a satisfying day!

Posted in Hedgelaying | Tagged Alderley Edge, National Trust |

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.