Delayed update from 10th December

Rush seed head

It turned out that on the 8^th when i slipped on the old railway embankment we were working on, i managed to sustain a injury to my ribs.  As the days went on and the pain grew I decided it was time to find out what I had done.  After a visit to the doctor on the 11^th it turned out I had sustained bad bruising to my ribs and it was going to take some time to heal.  For the day or so after the fall there was nothing, then suddenly the pain started and as it turns out with rib trauma the pain continued to get worse for a number of days.

Before the reeds were cleared      

 After clearing

The day was spent cutting back the phragmites reed beds that lined two channel in front of a hide.  The idea is to cut back a margin, so as to improve the habitat for bitterns.   Any regeneration of willow that could be observed was cut back to ground level with loppers and the phragmites reeds cut with a strimmer.  The cut reed was discreetly pilled up out of sight in a number of heaps to rot down.

Oak tree

A mixed bag to pass the day

The day started nice and sunny and soon warmed up to tee shirt temperature.

The long access road to the mess room

Once the feeders outside the feeding station hide had been topped up, the next task was to ensure the hebridean sheep were ok and not stuck in the brambles. 

Railway lines cross the site at many points

On the Sunday there is a planned event for children that require willow stems to be used to make Christmas shapes.  So with a pair of loppers in hand it was off to the far side of the reserve where some willows had been cut the previous year and would provide a suitable size and number of stems for use by the education team.  A peanut sack of stems later it was off back to the mess room.  On the way back i found a pair of lost binoculars at the side of the path and chatted with a chap that had just taken some very good bittern snaps. 

The mother drain that provides water for the ponds

 

Peanut sack of willow cuttings

After a quick lunch break it was onto tidying up some more of the weeks vista opening site and placing the cut stems into a pile and selecting larger stems to at a later date chip for path material.

A very tidy scrub heap