Frogs

March 2017 - night vision reveals a range of after-dark activity!

1st March

2 more Willows planted in triangle at east end of Pit Wood; bullfinch seen in front of Willow bower; woodcock in Pit Wood. 

2nd March

Yellow Rattle, White Campion, Field Poppy, Ox-eye Daisy, Chicory, Honesty seeds and Snowdrops and Campion plug plants into Wildflower Meadow. 

3rd March

More planting on Meadow - Honesty, Betony, Campion, Evening Primrose, St John's Wort. 

6th March

Bird and Flower survey. 

9th March

Bird boxes 29-33 put up in Scrub and Pit Wood. 

11th March

Preparations for bringing ponies down from Top Grazing (fencing off bird-watching Willow arbour, protecting new Willow saplings, preparing for electric fence from SW corner of Meadow to SE corner of Pit Wood); seeds from Grassland Conference (NWT) scattered on Top Grazing. 

21st March

Rushes dug out of pond at (W) base of crag - frog seen. Pond near bird hide site heaving with frog spawn!

20th March

Tim put up a motion sensor camera in the Orchard. 

23rd March

Camera moved to gate into Orchard. 

27th March

Camera reveals roebuck, roe-doe, badger, mouse, grey squirrel visiting at night, and pheasant and cat during the day!

28th March

Chiffchaffs heard and seen on Meadow and in Scrub; 3 deer beyond Meadow; plug plants into Meadow (St John's Wort, Great Mullein, Michaelmas Daisy, Sneezewort, Valerian, Poppy) and Mugworts planted near Beech by bottom gate.

Where did I put the tree?

Oh, there it is!

Playing cat and ...

mouse

August 2014 - one year anniversary and lots of Green Gym work!

7th August

One year as owners - breakfast at Liddells. 

8th August

Surveys evening - Gary and Jane, Tim and Jane, Mel and Cath, Keith and Rachel joined us for a thank you meal at home. 

10th August

Green Gym Day 2 cancelled because of forecast, which proved accurate, however we opened up the site to plant Rosemary T's Oak tree. 

14th August

Green Gym Day 3 - shredded all of bottom brash pile; tubes collected from Top Strip and Pit Wood; rushes dug out of Wildflower Meadow; much rain! Frog unearthed. Mel's wildflower survey.

20th August

We visited Little Sparta which prompted more ideas to be followed up. We felt challenged to think more about what we want from this project.

23rd August

Green Gym Day 4 - we were joined by Mel, Gary, Hal, Neil, Sally, Jane W, Tim and bagged 30 bags of shreddings, made 2 and started on a third dam on the Wetland, brashed in the Top Strip west of the spoil heaps. Once again we had to battle the rain, however everyone declared they had a great time!

24th August

We visited to see the effect of the damming - there was water holding in the potential pond at the west end of the bottom of the Crag and at the second site midway along the northern edge of the proposed Wetland. 

28th August

Work to protect the Oak (donated by Rosemary T) in the Top Strip. 11 Wood Anemone plugs planted in the Top Strip. 

29th August

Oak tree planting completed. Visit from Ian Everard to return English Woodland Grant Scheme application and discuss next moves. 

Tim and David rushing to remove the rush...

and finding this frog

Making friends

Damming in progress

Brashed area of Top Strip

Damming successful

Rosemary T's donated oak