We missed much of the usual summer tasks of monitoring positive and negative species in the various meadows. Once we were able to restart volunteering, Lewis identified several priority tasks for autumn and winter.

First, we strimmed and mowed and created bare patches of soil on the earth banks at the main entrance. We then reseeded the banks with wildflower seed collected from around the reserve, and over the coming season we will manage the dock to give other species a fighting chance of establishing.

A major task this season has been to coppice the willow and alder around the pond edges, especially the pond close to the main entrance and the one along the lane. The idea is to let a little more light into the ponds and reduce the amount of leaf drop in the autumn, see before and after pictures below. There is a little more clearing to be done around some of the smaller ponds and we have begun to pollard a couple of willows in Crossway. 

The remaining project for the the winter is to start laying the hedge on the northern boundary of Pool Field. The hedgerow is primarily hazel and blackthorn. Preparation has started, but it is going to be a pretty damp experience as the drainage ditch in front of the hedge has been filled by winter rainfall! Given the length of the hedgerow it will probably take us two seasons to complete the job. If time allows, we will manage some of the scrub to stop it encroaching too far into the grassland, although Alan Pritchard’s cattle have given us a great head start on this task