Training and Toft Gate once more: 03-04-2016

Once more our loyalties were split. To train or to return to Toft Gate? 

• Following on from last week’s near white out, 11 NCVs braved the journey up to Toft Gate Lime Kiln, uncertain what weather conditions would confront them. To our relief it was a cold, cloudy, breezy, snowless day, good conditions for a bit of vigorous path and fencing work.  

The team split into two departments, path work trolls and fence building junkies. The former set to work cutting edges and peeling back turf to reveal the former wheelchair path. After a productive morning, linking two straights via a chicane, the team enjoyed an alfresco coffee break and lunch at the picnic tables made all the better by Anita’s fruity, healthy-ish flapjacks. Mucho gracias Anita. There was a slightly disconcerting moment when two of the NCVs left, muttering something about previous commitments whereupon the blasting sirens at Coldstones quarry sounded. “Don’t worry”, said one of our party confidently, “it will only be a little thump. You’ll barely hear it”. Several minutes later after a conversation of how ‘it was not just a little thump’ the team returned to work.

 The excavations begin once again.

 Off Terry goes for a load of turf....

...passing Tom on the way down 

with a fuller barrow.

Richard, a well known turf mosaic artiste, decides where the 

next bit of unwanted grass should go in his latest art installation.

After lunch, path work became tricky as significant archaeological effort was put into tracing the course of the path on a switchback bend for the final run in to the Lime Kiln. Having dug multiple exploratory flaps of turf a widened path with, hopefully, a good incline and cambering for wheelchairs was revealed.

Terry moves into the lead on the final bend. 

The team at work on the home stretch.

Meanwhile across the field, the crack team of three NCV fence builders and our glorious leader were installing strainer posts for a path fence from Toft Gate café to the Lime Kiln area. This will provide a safe path avoiding the public needing to use the road. It will also eventually provide a link to the network of public footpaths on Greenhow Hill.

 Two NCVs got in some training for the 

2017 giant pencil carrying race.

 The latest in IKEA's fencing range.

Having laid out the fence posts and rails, the team set about digging out holes to the length of Jan’s arm (~ 3ft) to allow the strainer posts to be inserted and secured. It was noted by our correspondent that the ancient measuring device of said arm length seemed to be exaggerated on occasion by the partial disappearance of said person into the fence post hole. Nevertheless, after much spiking, shovelling, sawing and compacting of soil the strainer posts were secured, aligned and stood proud and true. A testimony to the junkies’ skills.

 Excuse me. 

I say - is there anyone down there?

Only me. Just looking for some flapjack.

Captain James 'Ahab' Searle tries his 

hand at harpooning the notorious Toft Gate monster - Moby Mole.

 

Leaving the remainder of the fencing to be completed at a later date the elite team joined the path reinstatement mortals for a final frantic push.

Eight tired NCVs called it a day around 2:00pm after countless loads of turf had been wheeled offsite and approximately 30+ metres of path had been uncovered. With about 20 metres of path to go, the end is thankfully nigh.

Osian

• 6 NCVs chose the Wading Bird Survey Training - with David Pearce, an experienced consultant ornithologist. This was a much less demanding day! During the morning he helped us understand how to:

1. identify wading birds and their ecology 
2. carry out standard upland wader surveys
3. use British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) recording protocols

Everyone listens carefully to how to register 
the different birds on their maps.

After lunch there was a field trip to Pateley Moor, binoculars at the ready, to look at applying these methods in the field. For some of us this was not easy - the birds just wouldn't stay in one place. They kept flying out of field 1 and going into fields 2 or 3. 
"Was that lapwing one that we've already recorded?"
"I have no idea - they all look the same to me!"
Others were more experienced birdy people and took it all in their stride.

Standing behind the wall in an attempt to stay 

out of sight (and out of the icy wind).

No Dave! You're supposed to be counting the birds 
over the wall - not watching the NCVs working up at Toft Gate!

A telescope could be used on this one. A bird that 

was standing still and identifiable. (A sky lark.)

At last - the sun came out. The temperature soared to 0 degrees.

The point of this particular training session was for us to be able to help out with wader surveying this April, May and June. According to Tara Challoner, a wildlife officer with Nidderdale AONB:

"There are 5 sites that we would like to be surveyed this year. These are all sites where we are undertaking a programme of habitat management for waders- rush cutting, weed wiping and scrape creation. As well as  establishing bird numbers for conservation purposes, we know that having a bird survey specific to a farm really helps the farmer to engage and become enthusiastic about their conservation and this is something we would really like to promote." 

More information can be found about the Nidderdale AONB wading bird monitoring project by clicking HERE and the methodology used to date can be found HERE.

Needless to say - we had a very interesting and informative day and I, for one, am keen to have a go at putting my new found skills into practice!

Ros E.