Hi everyone,
We had a morning with the BTO's Nest Recorder Jo Jones last week; she showed us how to find birds’ nests and how to go about recording them for the BTO on recording cards. This was a really good day as I had never really thought about birds’ nests, I just assumed they were built away from prying human eyes, but once I got my eye in I realised that nests are pretty much everywhere!
We were shown a wrens nest in the Roger Clarke hide, which was full of chicks, we thought there were only two, but on the Friday, Tim and I were filling the bird feeders, and the Female Wren flew into the hide and fed three chicks right in front of us which was awesome! Though the nest looked cramped enough with two wren chicks in it so we were surprised by the third.
The swan eggs along the lode bank have hatched and there are 4 (there could be more) little signets paddling around with their parents!
I also helped to maintain the community woodland out on White Fen, where we cleared the grass around some 1800 plus trees with a heavy duty mower from Anglesey Abbey (which you steered with the brakes like a tank) and strimmers! But while we were out we could hear a yellowhammer and looked for ages only to find it halfway up an electricity pylon!
Birds are crafty little things!
Jack
Tuesday 24 May 2011
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Mowing and more..
After a long gap the Blog returns!
We have been up to loads in the last few months!
I have been trained on the twose mower recently so have been plodding along around most of the trails putting in nicely mowed paths! The twose fits onto the little Kubota tractor which is really good fun to drive using its rocking pedal, ( you use your toes to go forwards and your heel to reverse)
We have also finished putting in loads of perch benches around the boardwalk! and even put out a solid oak "sofa" hand crafted by Wicken's very own carpenter Jamie Cakebread. so there are plenty of spots to sit and enjoy the nature on the Fen.
There has also been lots of wildlife about! there is a Swan's nest amongst the reed in the lode right next to the visitor centre! and there are loads of swallows and cuckoos around the Birds on the Fen certainly are making themselves heard. The flora is also appearing rapidly with plenty or ragged robin, comfrey and creeping buttercup coming into flower there are even some orchids in bloom!
The biggest news is of course the opening of the new windpump! We had the opening ceremony yesterday, and good news the pump works! It offers an interesting and sustainable solution to the potential acidification of the fen due to rainwater, by pumping calcareous water from monks lode onto the fen to act as a buffer to the acidic rainwater. I will be (as I'm sure many people are) following the results of this with great interest.
more news soon!
Jack
We have been up to loads in the last few months!
I have been trained on the twose mower recently so have been plodding along around most of the trails putting in nicely mowed paths! The twose fits onto the little Kubota tractor which is really good fun to drive using its rocking pedal, ( you use your toes to go forwards and your heel to reverse)
We have also finished putting in loads of perch benches around the boardwalk! and even put out a solid oak "sofa" hand crafted by Wicken's very own carpenter Jamie Cakebread. so there are plenty of spots to sit and enjoy the nature on the Fen.
There has also been lots of wildlife about! there is a Swan's nest amongst the reed in the lode right next to the visitor centre! and there are loads of swallows and cuckoos around the Birds on the Fen certainly are making themselves heard. The flora is also appearing rapidly with plenty or ragged robin, comfrey and creeping buttercup coming into flower there are even some orchids in bloom!
The biggest news is of course the opening of the new windpump! We had the opening ceremony yesterday, and good news the pump works! It offers an interesting and sustainable solution to the potential acidification of the fen due to rainwater, by pumping calcareous water from monks lode onto the fen to act as a buffer to the acidic rainwater. I will be (as I'm sure many people are) following the results of this with great interest.
more news soon!
Jack
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