It is mid December. We had unseasonably mild and dry weather in November, but it has now gone cold with a smattering of snow. This time last year we were knee deep in snow! My family in Australia report similar strange weather. My conclusions based on this limited evidence is that climate is indeed changing. I am pleased that this now seems to be accepted by the scientific community if not the community at large.
In the spring, surveys are carried out of woodland birds in the two main woodland sites. These surveys are carried out to provide data to the British Ornithological Society. In 2010, su;rveys were carried out along the riverside site every week during the breeding season. This year a similar number took place along the trail. I went out with The Birdman a couple of times. It turns out that even though the data had been collected, no-one had time to collate it all. So I volunteered for the job. Using the data sheets, which are maps of the area onto which are plotted sightings (or birds heard), I counted them all and entered them onto a spreadsheet. It is an interesting list, although I don't think anything particularly unusual was sighted. The commonest birds along the trail are, bluetits, followed closely by blackbirds and robins. The least common were mistle thrush, red poll, and surprisingly woodpigeon. Mr Head Ranger says the data will be used in a management report.
I've been a bit busy with other things of late, so have only managed to go out maybe two times in November, and once since. However, on one of the occasions I learnt how to lay a hedge. We went to the wildflower field, and removed a fence separating it from the trail. There is an old hawthorn hedge along this boundary, interspersed with ash saplings. Old hawthorn, I learnt, is hard and brittle. As a consequence we spent a frustrating time trying to lay the hawthorn, only for it to split and snap at the point where you bend the branch to lay it. Sadly, we dispatched three or four old hawthorns in this manner. We were more successful with the ash, which is quite bendy.
On another occasion we were replacing some fencing alongside an old quarry. This site is now an amenity area, with pools where the quarrying took place, surrounded by cliffs. Apparently it is a popular site for picnics in the summer, and local youth risk their young lives by jumping off the cliffs into the water. They also camp out and build campfires out of any bits of wood they can find. This is why the fence, which was a wire and paling affair, needed replacing. Bits of the paling have been removed over time to make fires. So we took off what was left and replaced it with fencing netting and barbed wire strands along the top. We left the fencing we removed in a tidy pile to provide fuel for future fires as it was no longer in sufficiently good condition to keep. It was cold on this day. I found it hard to keep my fingers warm enough to function, whilst at the same time retaining the dexterity required to manipulate fencing staples. It was a question of gloves on, gloves off all day.
This week we had our annual Christmas dinner at a local hostelry. Nice meal, but for some of them it provides and opportunity to drink a lot, so I left after the food and hugs all round.
In the spring, surveys are carried out of woodland birds in the two main woodland sites. These surveys are carried out to provide data to the British Ornithological Society. In 2010, su;rveys were carried out along the riverside site every week during the breeding season. This year a similar number took place along the trail. I went out with The Birdman a couple of times. It turns out that even though the data had been collected, no-one had time to collate it all. So I volunteered for the job. Using the data sheets, which are maps of the area onto which are plotted sightings (or birds heard), I counted them all and entered them onto a spreadsheet. It is an interesting list, although I don't think anything particularly unusual was sighted. The commonest birds along the trail are, bluetits, followed closely by blackbirds and robins. The least common were mistle thrush, red poll, and surprisingly woodpigeon. Mr Head Ranger says the data will be used in a management report.
I've been a bit busy with other things of late, so have only managed to go out maybe two times in November, and once since. However, on one of the occasions I learnt how to lay a hedge. We went to the wildflower field, and removed a fence separating it from the trail. There is an old hawthorn hedge along this boundary, interspersed with ash saplings. Old hawthorn, I learnt, is hard and brittle. As a consequence we spent a frustrating time trying to lay the hawthorn, only for it to split and snap at the point where you bend the branch to lay it. Sadly, we dispatched three or four old hawthorns in this manner. We were more successful with the ash, which is quite bendy.
On another occasion we were replacing some fencing alongside an old quarry. This site is now an amenity area, with pools where the quarrying took place, surrounded by cliffs. Apparently it is a popular site for picnics in the summer, and local youth risk their young lives by jumping off the cliffs into the water. They also camp out and build campfires out of any bits of wood they can find. This is why the fence, which was a wire and paling affair, needed replacing. Bits of the paling have been removed over time to make fires. So we took off what was left and replaced it with fencing netting and barbed wire strands along the top. We left the fencing we removed in a tidy pile to provide fuel for future fires as it was no longer in sufficiently good condition to keep. It was cold on this day. I found it hard to keep my fingers warm enough to function, whilst at the same time retaining the dexterity required to manipulate fencing staples. It was a question of gloves on, gloves off all day.
This week we had our annual Christmas dinner at a local hostelry. Nice meal, but for some of them it provides and opportunity to drink a lot, so I left after the food and hugs all round.
