silhouetted oak

silhouetted oak
Originally uploaded by bowsawblogger

Volunteer Sunday

So Sunday means half a day with volunteer help on the reserve and we were out in the light rain. The morning was spent continuing to burn the previously collected up biomass. Apart from maintaining the fire the morning was also spent controlling the crowds using the hide close by as there had been a couple of bittern spotted on the pond and with a couple of large groups bittern fans on sight it proved a popular spot.

In the afternoon I continued to burn the lumber whilst trying to keep the numbers in the hide flowing and the queue outside minimum. There was the odd person that decided to try and sneak round the front by climbing a muddy bank but these had to be stopped both for their safety and also so they did not scar off the birds they were all there to see.

Still iced over

Still iced over

The morning was spent bagging up more food for the weekends sales and tidying up and putting out the recycling.  The afternoon was clearing up the previous weeks tree felling.  As there was so much biomass piled up along the path it was decided the afternoon would consist of building a fire and then burning as much of this as possible whilst keeping the fire small its foot print limited.

York - Flooded pub

 the pub that floods
Flooded pub
 

Everyone from the trust had to go to York for the day, for an all day meeting.  There was a series of talks on what different parts of the trust get up to as well as where the trust is going.  Mid afternoon it was time to finish and a quick pint was had in York’s famous pub that floods, the water from the Ouse was still on the river path and the front door boarded up with its flood gate but the side door was open and the fire lit.  A quick pint later and then it was a long wait at the station to go home.

Misty oak tree

 oak tree with owl box
Misty oak tree

Volunteer day

The day was spent continuing to clear the side of the paths and also mark out using birch trunks.  I took two assistants with me and went out to one of the levees separating the pond cells and cleared some trees that were blocking a view point over the points and also to a oak tree containing a owl nesting box.

The afternoon was then spent back continuing to clear up after the mornings tree felling.

winter fungi

 Jelly ears

We continued to clear trees from the side of the path as well as removing old rotten fencing and its associated wire.  The area that had been marked off by wire fence was to be marked out using the trunks of felled silver birch. 

Cold caps

Cold caps

The day was due to be more tree felling and tidying up as i was to be the only person working out on the reserve.  This all went to pot though and after putting out the bird feed, I set off to count the sheep and then remove some trees blocking a view from a hide and i was approached by a range of different visitors and so spent the next few hours stood out in the snow chatting over that mornings sightings, these included two bitterns, a few foxes and three roe deer.

In the afternoon a consignment of bird feed was delivered so the afternoon was spent bagging this up for sale and then putting some out for the weekends feed.

Snow cap

Snow cap

Back to chopping down trees and scrub re-growth at the side of a path.  The idea again was to open up the area to let in more light and increase the amount of plants growing there.  Whilst carrying out this task in the morning and the afternoon two groups of perspective jobs fund applicants were given interviews and their work skills and ethics judged. 

Grey sky and ice skating bitterns

Grey sky

The day was spent checking the hides and insuring they were not affect by any vandalism, contain rubbish and had the correct signage. Apart from giving each the hides a clear out, there was also the task of removing any ice from in front of the doors and any dangerous trees on the paths between hides.

As we went into a hide we were fortunate enough to come across a bittern that then decided to walk right across the ice to the front of the hide.

Moor hens in the snow

Volunteers day

The volunteers that made it in through the snow as well as the reserve staff spent the day clearing the remaining snow from the café frontage and also the access road and parking area.  The parking area had become compacted ice and required the use of brute force to chip away the ice and pill it up out the way. 

Back to the reserve after the snow

Selby abby

First day back after being snowed in for a week and the reserve had a magical look about it.  The paths were all deep in snow and this had to be cleared in areas of heavy footfall.

So the day was spent insuring that the paths around the cafe leading off into the reserve were cleared of snow.

A few trees had been report to have started to come down from the mass of snow on them and so these had to be made safe and put out the way

Snow covered trees

Snow covered trees
First day back after Christmas and back on bank clearing.  The snow from before Christmas was thin on the ground in Doncaster.  But the paths still covered in ice and with the tractor stuck in a ditch it meant taking the tools to the work site in wheel barrows.  At the end of the day the snow returned.  

Outcrop in the snow - Sutton Bank

Outcrop in the snow
Originally uploaded by bowsawblogger