The snow and ice stopped our planned task for December but the weather was kind today as the Friends of Dalby Forest gathered for the first task of the year. A small party worked at the Forest Garden brushing, tidying and cutting back, while the majority decided they were very happy to get muddy!
Before. Removing the reedsAfter. Good effort everyone!
This second group’s efforts were focused on our Drinking Pools for Turtle Dove project and spent the morning removing reeds from former animal ponds up near Ebberston Common. Turtle Doves prefer walk-in access to water and they don’t like steep-edges. We did this in two areas as well as creating a smaller third ‘scoop’ which will hopefully fill with water with the next rainfall.
Reed removal – the wet wayReed removal – the muddy wayWeed removal – the chatty way
It was a very physical task to start the year off and it was not a day to worry about your clothes! Thank you to all the volunteers who came out to help including three new volunteers Colin, Diane and Mike. We promise tasks are not always this mucky.
The task next month will also be followed by our AGM at the visitor centre at noon, to which everyone is invited.
BeforeAfter. This pool started filling up naturally within minutes of finishing