Hackfall Wood: 15-06-2021

 

 It's keep your eyes peeled time!!

The volunteers needed to be very observant this week. They were back at Hackfall and had to look out for a variety of things. First up - Himalayan Balsam to uproot and crush. Yes! That's right! It's the balsam time of the year already. As well as the invasive weed, they were also on the search for any litter. There a path repair site to find and any  fallen trees to remove. Added to this was the need to look out for any vistas that were blocked by vegetation. We can't have visitors complaining that the special features can't be seen can we? So much to do - and only one day to do it!! Let's have a look and see if they managed to complete the job list shall we?

Liz scratches her head wondering how best to deploy the man 

(and woman) power on so many different tasks.

Team B (for balsam and other things))

This small but perfectly formed little group got started before they even 

reached the wood. By the end of the afternoon they had collected a 

single flip flop, a pair of trousers and a discarded rubber dinghy, 

amongst the more usual kinds of litter.

Luckily for Liz their well peeled eyes spotted that the fallen tree had already

 been removed by the Woodland Trust workers. No need for her to carry

 the chain saw down. A phone call was made right away.

Further evidence that the WT contractors had been at work. 

So many logs from so many dead ash trees - 

and that's nowhere near all of them!!

Unfortunately the vehicle they had used to remove the logs has

 churned up a particularly muddy section of path. This may be

 something that the NCVs have to deal with in the future 

(although McAlpines may be a better option!!)

Once in the woods it was a case of heads down to spot the balsam.

Dave won the 'longest balsam stem' competition.

The team spotted that the old hurdle above the 

sand beds needed some filling out.

Yep. That looks better.

On the hunt for more balsam they came across a fallen tree. 

Unfortunately they hadn't brought a saw so

 just did what they could with their loppers.

At least now visitors can step over it easily.

Team V (for vistas)

Clearing the forty foot falls was one of their main tasks.

Spotting where it was certainly needed peeled eyes.

Ros K. - "Might it be up there?"

Ruth - "I think it may be".

Ros K. - "In that case up there is where we need to be. 

Come on team V."

Well - that is an improvement. You can see where the water is now.

The top part had to be left - it was too dangerous

 to climb up without a rope.

Of course they just had to have a sit in the grotto

 to check that the vista of the 40' falls was visible.

Team V then pressed on, looking out for further vegetation 

that was in the way of a vista or just plain in the way.

That looks clearer too gang.

This seat allowed them to check on the vista to the river.

Or were they just using it as an excuse for a break?

Team P (for paths)

Team P had to trek the long, long way to Mowbray castle where,

 they had been told, there was a path that needed covering with stone.

They soon spotted the path. Now - where is the stone?

Eagle eye Alistair spotted it - but didn't look impressed.

He had been hoping for a small heap of gravel.

No such luck!!

OK chaps - let's get busy with the lump happers.

A good deal of bashing later.....

the muddy path had been turned into grade 1 motorway.

Onwards they pressed and found a gully that needed attention.

Sorry lads - I'll just have to have a lean

 on my sledge hammer first.

That didn't take too long.

Now - one of the team's gone missing. Where is he?

He was nowhere to be found - until a pair of peeled eyes spotted him 

in the undergrowth. He claims he was looking out for more jobs

 that needed doing but perhaps he was hoping to escape from

 any more heavy duty work. It was just too hot!

 And what have these peeled eyes spotted?

Ahhh! Lovely! The fountain - in good working order.

Anyone for a nice cooling shower before

 hiking back up to the car park?

Finally - news of an owl box from Tony K:

The Tawny box we made for the scout camp at Thornthwaite has hosted a successful Tawny nest before this year, but there’s been an unusual new resident in 2021, successfully raising two young. Tony says that there are no prizes for identification, suggesting that he feels you will all find it easy. However - for those of you who, like me, have no idea of the species, you will find the answer below.

Thanks to Bob Elliott for the two photographs.

Here are the two chicks....

...and here is the very attentive mummy bird!!

Apparently it is a Mandarin duck, one of several species of duck that nest in trees! Now - I never knew that - did you?!

 

Back to the prickles!!

Having had two weeks away from hard graft, thanks to our moorland training walk and the half term holiday, this week the NCVs were back to a familiar task at a new venue. One of our own group members has bought Day Ash Farm, Thornthwaite, which he is trying to develop into a much more wild-life friendly environment. The land includes a number of small woodlands, one of which is rapidly being taken over by holly. Halo coppicing of this prickly invader, for the sake of the other trees and the underlying woodland flora, was desperately needed - so that is what was on the agenda for the day. Unfortunately the AONB don't provide full suits of chain mail for their workers but they DO provide work gloves. These were definitely going to be needed! The pictures below show what was achieved.......

Uh oh. It looked very holly dominated in there.

And from the outside it looked a bit daunting too!

This dead birch was in danger of falling 

onto the path - it needed to go.

It wasn't going to go quietly.

In fact it was hanging onto its friend next door for dear life.

However - it surrendered eventually and can now decay on the ground in a safer place.

Gradually things starting to improve in the vertical position

 but this, of course, led to things worsening in the horizontal.

What was to be done with all the brash?

We all know that Anita will always rise 

to a challenge and so she did.

 

By close of play a neat dead hedge was constructed 

along the path that used up all the unwanted holly.

These 2 NCVs kept supplying the hedge

 builders with building materials.

This trio attacked the holly along the wall from the rear.

Eventually a two pronged attack ensured that 

the wall was visible from both sides.

Whilst everyone else toiled hard, up to their elbows in prickly 

holly this NCV simply lay back and watched the proceedings.

At lunchtime Anita laughed uproariously at a joke from Brenda.

Phil, however, was a harder audience to please.

Liz was joined by  a yellow visitor whilst eating her sandwiches.

Eventually the job was finished.

Now THAT looks a whole lot better. You can see the wood for the trees!

Once the holly was cleared you could hug the trees more easily.

Not surprisingly Anita and Brenda took quite a shine to this one.