After a very windy night I woke expecting the worse and the heavens to spring a leak and a wet day ahead. But no the sun was on its way up and little cloud in the sky. The motorway was playing ball and the trip into the rising sun was a nice way to start the day.
The day’s main activity was to be removing reed (Phragmites australis) – if reed beds are not cut back and the old stems removed the pond margins will gradually fill in with biomass and turn from open water into a wet wood land through succession.
Luckily it was volunteer day so a small group of keen volunteer’s descended on Potteric to assist in clearing the site and reopen the view of open water from the hide.
before the clearance
after the day of reed removal
The day was spent in leg waders in water often all most at the top of them raking out freshly brush cut reed, sedge and rush onto the bank. From here the reed was then pitched onto the back of the tractor trailer to be then deposited into the undergrowth out of site to rot down and provide a site for inverts, reptiles and amphibians.
rabbit at the side of the path
The final task of the day for me was to wade into another pond and place a perching point for kingfishers in view of the hide to ensure the visitors get the opportunity to see and photograph the bird in action.
view from the hide before the kingfisher post was put in
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