September 29, 2014 by Julian
Yesterday was a surprisingly hot late September day – a great day for some of us to be out in Chorlton Water Park! Trees have been encroaching into the reed bed at one end of the lake, to the detriment of this valuable wildlife habitat. Our task for the day was therefore to clear some of these and prevent the degeneration of the reed bed. A job well done – and we’ll be back here in January to work on some of the willow groynes, which are beneficial in protecting the lake banks from erosion and also provide an important habitat.
Clearing encroaching trees from the reed bed
Volunteer at work in the reed beds
Volunteer at work
Reviewing the cleared reed bed
The reed bed cleared of trees
Posted in Ponds and lakes, Reed beds | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley |
September 22, 2014 by Julian
This weekend before last (Friday 12th to Sunday 14th September) a group of us did two days’ work with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers, as our final residential weekend of the year. We were working on the edge of Tittesworth Water, to re-enable the use of a bird-screen which ought to have given excellent views of birds on the water and the shore but had become completely overgrown with willow. We were lucky enough to have pretty good (sometimes even hot!) autumn weather on both days and on the Saturday most of us also managed a walk once our work was done – heading to the Roaches and climbing Hen Cloud for a quick look at the view before getting back in time for our usual evening meal at The Lazy Trout!
The edge of Tittesworth Water 1
Volunteers at work by the hidden bird screen
The edge of Tittesworth Water 2
The bird screen, partially revealed
Volunteers at work
The edge of Tittesworth Water 3
Bonfire
Volunteer at work
Amphibious bistort
The bucket line
The revealed bird screen
Posted in Bird-hide, Ponds and lakes, Residential weekends | Tagged Peak Park Conservation Volunteers |
September 7, 2014 by Julian
This weekend has been the RSPB‘s Giving Nature a Home Festival in the Mersey Valley. As part of this, SACV volunteers were out in Chorlton Water Park yesterday to undertake a practical conservation task and help those attending the festival see the kind of useful work they can get involved in! The work was to help manage the reed beds in the bay of the lake by cutting back some of the regenerating willow and also to carry out repairs to the chestnut paling which helps to provide the reed beds with some protection from passing dogs.
RSPB setting up tents
Gathering thinnings
Water’s edge
Fence repairs
Volunteer at work
Caterpillar
Before work
SACV blackboard
Cuttings
After work
Frog
Beetles
Posted in Fencing, Ponds and lakes, Reed beds | Tagged Chorlton Water Park, Mersey Valley, RSPB |
Yesterday SACV volunteers were out in Finlow Hill Wood near Alderley Edge, giving the National Trust a hand with a project to open up areas of this woodland to allow it to revert to its former heathland state. We were helping with the clearance of trees which had been felled earlier in the year, and on this beautiful summer’s day it was very pleasing to see the parts of the site where heather and heathland species are re-appearing!
Woodland making space for heathland
Coppiced sweet chestnut
Peacock butterfly on heather
The return of heathland
Peacock butterfly on ground
SACV volunteer at work 1
SACV volunteer at work 2
Heather
Gatekeeper butterfly on heather 1
Gatekeeper butterfly on heather 2
Gatekeeper butterfly on heather 3
Posted in Heathland | Tagged Alderley Edge, National Trust |
Himalayan balsam is a pernicious invasive species which can take over large areas of woodland and the banks of streams, shading out and eradicating many other species. Today SACV were out in Black Moss Covert helping the Cheshire Wildlife Trust with attempts to get the Himalayan balsam under control at this site – fingers crossed that this will help in getting it eradicated here!
Posted in Invasive species, Woodland management | Tagged Cheshire Wildlife Trust |
SACV volunteers were working in yesterday’s fine weather at Priory Gardens, on behalf of the Red Rose Forest. The day’s task was to carry out some woodland management, removing saplings, particularly sycamore and ash. The increased light will encourage flowers in the understory, while allowing the continued growth of larger, more mature trees.
Volunteers in Priory Gardens
Volunteer in Priory Gardens 4
Volunteer in Priory Gardens
Volunteers in Priory Gardens 2
Volunteer in Priory Gardens 2
Volunteer in Priory Gardens 3
Posted in Woodland management | Tagged Priory Gardens, Red Rose Forest |
A couple of weeks ago (Friday 9th to Sunday 11th May 2014) we had our second weekend away of the year, doing a couple of days’ work with the Peak Park Conservation Volunteers. We were carrying out maintenance work on a bird-hide on the edge of Tittesworth Water – and it was just as well that we had the bird-hide to shelter in from time to time as some of the weekend’s weather was very inclement! But we managed to get most of the requisite done (apart from the outdoor painting!) and it was good to see that the hide gets plenty of use. In particular, a number of bird-watchers came by to use the hide to take a look at three oystercatcher chicks on one of the reservoir’s islands.
As usual, we had a relaxing Saturday evening in the local pub and a few entertaining card games (Saboteur!) back in the accommodation afterwards – so all in all a very a enjoyable weekend.
Before repairs to bird-hide
Shelf repairs in bird-hide
Volunteer at work
Rebuilding the entrance to bird-hide
Volunteer at work 2
Digging drainage channel
Work in progress on bird-hide entrance
View from the bird-hide over Tittesworth Reservoir
Laying wire
Laying wire 2
The completed work
The completed work 2
Posted in Bird-hide, Residential weekends | Tagged Peak Park Conservation Volunteers |
Today we volunteers were out on the Middlewood Way, along with Ed of the Cheshire East Rangers, to carry out some path maintenance. The task was to remove from the surface of the path some of the grass which has encroached over the past fifteen years or so. This was on the side of the Way used by walkers and cyclists (horses use the other side), and we had some appreciative passers-by who were able to try out our newly widened path! Despite the forecast of a rainy afternoon, we had fine sunshine weather all day and – even better – the grass adjacent to the stretch of path on which we were working was a mass of cowslips. We also had a chance to see the barley and poppy meadow that the Rangers have prepared as part of the First World War commemorations – the meadow ought to be worth coming to see in a couple of months’ time.
Widening the path
Ed and the cowslips
The barley and poppy meadow
The barley and poppy meadow
The widened path and cowslips
Cowslips and SACV volunteers at work
Widening the path
Widening the path
A stretch of widened path
Posted in Paths | Tagged Cheshire East Rangers, Middlewood Way |
Yesterday (Sunday 13th April) SACV volunteers were once again in action in Priory Gardens in Sale, on behalf of the Red Rose Forest. The day was spent continuing to open up the pond worked on a fortnight ago. Another lovely sunny day for the work – and a pleasing encounter with a newt!
SACV volunteers in Priory Gardens
Newt
Newt
Pond in Priory Gardens
Work on the pond in Priory Gardens
Posted in Ponds and lakes | Tagged Priory Gardens, Red Rose Forest |
Last Sunday (30th March) SACV volunteers were out in Priory Gardens in Sale. This woodland site is now managed by the Red Rose Forest. One task was to do some woodland management near the entrance to the site from Dane Road – in particular to carry out some thinning to allow more light through to parts of the wood. The second task was to start to do some clearing of reeds to try to open up a pond which is in danger of silting up. We were lucky to have a very warm spring day for the work – great to be outside! We’ll be back at this site helping with further work on Sunday 13th April so come along then if you’d be interested in getting involved!
Woodland management at Priory Gardens
Woodland management at Priory Gardens 2
Volunteers at work – woodland at Priory Gardens
Volunteers at work – pond management
Pond clearance at Priory Gardens
Work in progress on pond
Posted in Ponds and lakes, Woodland management | Tagged Priory Gardens, Red Rose Forest |
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