Monday 21st May – River Monitoring

Having been delayed due to high April rainfall making the water level and flow rate unfavourable for safe monitoring followed by a pollution incident covering the surface of the water with a film of oil (traced to a local petrol station with the help of the Environment Agency). This seasons 2nd river monitoring session on Hyndburn Brook was at last completed.

Unfortunately no action was taken against the culprits for this particular incident but hopefully the authorities made them fully aware of the potentially serious consequences, that regular monitoring is being carried out and that any future incidents will result in legal action.

During this evenings session olives, stonefly, caddis fly, flat bodied and mayfly nymphs were recorded, although the general water quality is still a cause for concern; not helped by incidents that I believe could have been avoided with better controls during petrol storage tank cleaning.

Sunday 20th May – Fencing at Hardcastle Craggs

A day spent installing fence posts along the inside of an existing dry stone wall at High Laithe on the Hardcastle Crags Estate The main 2.2 metre straining posts being buried to ½ their length, back filled and tamped down well in layers with a punner (a heavy steel pole with a small round base plate that fits in the hole around the installed post) the first couple of layers being largely stones and small rocks the rest just soil to give a solid base for the posts. Circular holes are then bored in them at about 75 cm (2 ft) above ground level to take the shaped end of 2 metre long support struts set at 45^o vertically with the opposite flat end buried to a depth of about 30 cm (1ft) butted up against a stone plate known as a thrust plate to prevent the post pulling out when strained. Corner posts with one strut into the field at 45^o horizontally and mid posts with 2 struts in line with the fence wire on opposite sides of the post. This installation method is used so as to cause minimum disturbance to the dry stone wall which it is hard against whilst still providing the required security for the posts when fully strained.

A base tensioning wire was fixed between the straining posts at ground level to give the fence line which acts as a guide for the thinner 1.75 metre supporting posts set about 2 metres apart along it and buried to a third of their length using a drival (avoids damage to the post top that would be caused if heavy mallets or mells were used) on the low wall sections where the top of the wall is at ground level (this will have full stock fencing), changing to a mell where the wall rises to its full height of just under 3ft (about 90cm) as the drival would catch on the top of the wall.

The days work done, the next (fencing) stage will be completed by the warden during the week. Full stock fencing as mentioned above for the low sections of wall and 2 tensioned top wires attached to the posts above the wall height for the full height wall sections to prevent the sheep that will be kept in the field jumping over the wall.

Saturday 28th April – Stock fencing along Gayle Beck

A day spent erecting stock fencing along a section of Gayle Beck near Ribblehead to protect the beck and banksides from erosion by livestock (mainly sheep). The fencing being of the strained mild steel wire type with hinged joint stock netting and barbed wire. The main straining posts and a large proportion of the thinner supporting stakes having already been installed our job for the day was to finish installing the supporting stakes along the line of the tensioned bottom line wire about 2 metres apart and buried to a third of their length using a drival (avoids damage to the post top that would be caused if heavy mallets or hammers were used) making sure they remain vertical without any leaning.

Box strainers were then constructed at each straining post by cutting appropriate sized grooves near the top of the post and first support stake, creosoting the cuts to maintain the preserving coat and inserting a horizontal wooden stay between them to fit neatly in the cut grooves. A length of mild steel wire is then wound round the two posts diagonally from the top of the stake to the base of the straining post using staples to fix it in place, one to fix it to the post and a second vertically between the post and the wire to act as a washer and prevent the wire cutting into the posts. Finally this ‘retaining wire’ is tensioned with a monkey strainer and secured with the aid of staples, just one of several different methods that can be used.

The netting was then secured and rolled out, one reel from each main straining post, to meet in the middle of the fence section where the two reels were tensioned with a pair straining clamps and monkey strainers before being trimmed and joined with short lengths of twisted wire. The fence was then fastened to each support stake by stapling top, bottom and alternate horizontal wires with the top 850mm above the ground level and the bottom line wire fixed half way between the ground and the bottom of the netting, this prevents young lambs squeezing under the netting.

Finally the barbed wire was reeled out along the fence line, secured to one main straining post, tensioned with a monkey strainer at the other and secured off before being stapled to the support stakes 50mm above the top of the netting.

All the staples except those used as washers were angled to prevent splitting of the post wood and left slightly raised to allow movement of the wire.

Sunday 22nd April - A moderate circular walk in the Clwydian Hills

A circular walk with Northern Link from Moel Arthur cp watched over by the Moel Arthur hill fort, which dates back 2,500 years and has some of the largest ramparts in the area.

Starting with a climb up along Offa’s Dyke path, which loosely follows the 8th century King’s boundary marker via Moel Dywyl through heavy hail showers to Moel Famau’s viewpoint with its jubilee tower, built to commemorate George III’s Golden Jubilee in 1810, for lunch in glorious sunshine and blue skies on the highest peak of the Clwydian Range. This was followed by a return to Moel Arthur by contouring round the Clwydian hills accompanied by wonderful panoramic views across the Vale of Clwyd towards the distant peaks of the Snowdon range partially hidden in the low cloud.

Wildlife seen and heard during the walk included:
Flora – Bilberry shoots, Blackthorn, Gorse, Hawthorn, Heather (Ling), Holly, Primrose, Soft Rush, Sycamore
Fauna – Blackbird, Buzzard, Crow, Rabbit, Robin, Skylark

Sunday 15th April 2012 - A Langstrothdale and Wharfedale Walk

A circular walk from Buckden, an old Norman hunting forest headquarters in what was known as the Valley of the Bucks (Buck Den) starting with a climb up the Buckden Rakes, part of an old Roman road then descending to Cray followed by the Limestone pavements that look down on the valleys of Wharfedale and Langstrothdale and Scarr House, an old Quakers meeting house now used for holiday lets. From these wonderful landscape views it was then down to Yockenthwaite with its pack horse bridge and 2 farms, all that’s left of the original 8 back in the 1600’s. Where I joined the Dales Way for a pleasant riverside stroll back to Buckden with a stop in Hubberholme to visit the church with its Rood screen, one of the last remaining in England.

The wildlife heard and seen during this walk included
Flora - Ash, Hawthorn, Primrose, Willow
Fauna - Chaffinch, Great Tit, Jackdaw, Mallard, Moles (their tell tale mounds), Oystercatcher, Pheasant, Pied Wagtail, Rabbit, Skylark, Sparrow

Saturday 14th April 2012 - A circular walk around Grimwith Reservoir and Burnsall

A day of 2 parts starting with a saunter round the reservoir - a source of Yorkshires drinking water and a nature reserve. This route took in the sites of Gate Up - a small hamlet now mostly submerged under the reservoir; Grimwith House - now derelict and vacated in the 1970’s to make way for an enlarged reservoir and Grimwith High Laithe with its heather thatched roof thought to be one of the last remaining Cruck barns. The wilfowl and other birds seen during this lakeside wander included Robin, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Pheasant, Skylark, Mallard, Greylag Goose and Canada Goose.

This was followed by a variation on my Grimwith reservoir and Burnsall walk (YD2) with a trek across Appletreewick Pasture towards the ancient settlement of Hartlington to join the Dales Way through Burnsall then on to cross the Mill Bridge suspension bridge and head up over Hartlington Raikes along a mix of paths, road and track back to Grimwith, taking the path across the reservoir parapet back to the car park.

Being unaccompanied on today’s walk allowed more time for observing the wildlife with sitings not already mentioned in part 1 of this walk including:

Flora - Alder, Ash, Daffodil, English (Pendunculate) Oak, Lesser Celandine, Silver Birch, Willow and Wood Anemone
Fauna - Black headed Gull, Blue tit, Curlew, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Jackdaw, Lapwing, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Nuthatch, Oyster Catcher, Pied Wagtail and Rabbit, with the local sheep being mainly Swaledale.

Sunday 1st April – Nest Boxes And Site Furniture

A day spent on the RSPB Marshside reserve with an initial task of re-coating the site bench seats with preservative after their battering by the winter weather. This was followed by installing nest boxes around the edge of the reserve after replacing the waterproof strip roof hinges on some of the older boxes that were in need of a little TLC before being reused.

Judging by the size of the entrance holes and the location of the installation sites between the reserve and adjoining residential estate, the boxes were for smaller members of the Tit family and House Sparrows. A total of 10 being spaced out to supplement existing boxes under Higher Level Stewardship guidelines for the site.

Although our main attention was the search for suitable trees for the nest boxes (Alder being the main hosts), we did also manage to spot Skylarks, Black Tailed Godwits, Avocets, Black Headed Gulls, Reed Warblers, Jackdaws, Crows, Canada Geese, Marsh Hares and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies.

Saturday 31st March – Tree Planting

A day spent planting young tree saplings along Stock Beck near Gisburn with the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust. The saplings consisted of Willow, Alder, Ash and Common Oak bare root transplants and due to the onset of Spring this will be the last planting until the autumn.

The planting method involved installing 4 ft (1.2m) wooden stakes 2 – 3 metres apart in an irregular (natural looking) pattern to a depth of about 1 foot (30 cm) into the ground, digging out a small square of turf against one side of each stake into which a transplant was positioned allowing just enough room for the guard to be placed over it and tied to the stake. The tree roots then being covered and bedded down up to the soil line, a point just above the roots where the bark colour changes showing the level to which the saplings roots were buried in the soil at the nursery. Finally the tree guards are placed over the transplants and secured to the stake, with the ties that are already pre-attached making sure the transplant isn’t caught in the tie and the guard is placed with the flange at the top.

During the day Oyster Catchers, Crows, Curlews and a Buzzard were observed and the planting area was backed by a line of trees dominated by Hawthorn.

Sunday 25th March – River Monitoring

The first river monitoring session for the 2012 season, being carried out for the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust as part of an ongoing Riverfly partnership scheme that aims to protect the water quality of our rivers, further the understanding of riverfly populations and actively conserve riverfly habitats. It involves sampling for key indicator species of water bugs (invertebrates), the variety and numbers present giving an indication as to how good or bad the water quality is at the time of the sampling

During this mornings session olives, stonefly caddis fly and mayfly nymphs were recorded on the Hyndburn Brook, a tributary of the River Ribble with the pleasant background sounds of the morning chorus. This particular sampling site has 2 sample points, 1 either side of  an outflow from an old industrial site that is known to be a pollution source, on this occasion it was pleasing to see no evidence of pollution from the outflow, although the general water quality is currently a cause for concern.

Saturday 24th March – Site Clean Up

A day with the Lancashire wildlife Trust clearing litter from around 3 of the ponds and adjoining woodland paths on the site of the former Kirkless Iron & Steel Works, situated on the outskirts of Ince near Wigan. The site now consists of a mix of woodland, open meadows and ponds. This work is needed to protect the resident wildlife, as litter isn’t just an ugly mess, it can trap, maim and kill animals, birds, plants and even young children in the following ways.

· Apple cores and banana skins take up to 2 years to decompose and along with other bits of food left in discarded containers attract rats and other rodents who then spread serious diseases.
· Discarded cigarette ends and glass bottles cause fires which destroy the sites plants and animals.
· Cigarette ends choke the animals and birds that swallow them.
· Plastic bags take up to 20 years to decompose and can suffocate inquisitive animals, birds and young children who play with them.
· Broken glass and rusting tins can cause nasty cuts to anyone falling on them. They can also maim and kill foraging animals and birds.

Sunday 18th March – A woodland planning survey and more Rhodi bashing at Gawthorpe

The final session of Rhododendron clearance for this winter season consisting of a tidy up and burning of the latest cuttings followed by a walk round with the rest of the volunteer team and site warden to look at what needs to be included in the next volunteer work programme. Future tasks include improvements to the woodland path network, woodland surveys through the summer to log the vegetation species present including existing native trees and any dormant in the soil seed bank that can germinate now the invasive rhododendrons have gone leaving plenty of open space for ground flora. The results of the survey can then be used as a base to develop the estates native woodlands with suitable species of local provenance. During the walk Robins, Crows and a Woodpecker were heard and the pond was full of mating frogs.

Saturday 17th March - A strenuous circular walk around the Hartsop Valley

A circular walk with Northern Link from the Cow Bridge car park by Brotherswater, which was originally known as Broad Water but had its name changed to commemorate 2 brothers who tragically drowned in it sometime in the 19th century. The route started with a roadside path through Low Wood with its moss laden trees including rowan and hazel and various varieties of moss together with soft rush grass and clover in the lower level fields, followed by a climb up to Harts and Dove Crags with a few skylarks overhead, Dove Crag forming the first chapter of Wainwrights Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells.  After admiring the Wainwright views through a heavy snow shower the route followed the Fairfield ridge before descending via the peaty High Hartsop Dodd with its mix of grasses and sedges to Hartsop Hall that is said to have had an 18th century extension built across an ancient right-of-way that at least one dales man insisted on using by walking through the hall. The routes final leg followed the lakeside path back to the car park with crows foraging on the hillside and the occasional robin watching our passage from their treetop perches.

Sunday 11th March 2012 - A strenuous circular walk above Ullswater

A circular walk with Northern Link from Patterdale nestled in Wainwright’s favourite Lakeland valley, starting with a climb up over Bordale Hause, Place Fell and High Dodd with splendid views of Striding and Swirral Edges and the still snow capped Helvellyn, even the distant Penrith was clearly outlined with no mist or haze. A mix of moss and yellow and green lichens were evident on the stonewalls and rocks and we were accompanied on this high level section of the walk by the periodic sound of a skylark with a sleepy white tailed bumblebee briefly joining us during our lunch stop by the dilapidated sheep fold on Low Moss.

After High Dodd there was a drop down to Sandwick returning to Patterdale along the wooded shoreline of Ullswater the Lake District’s second largest lake, which included Holly, Alder, Hazel, Sessil Oak, Ash, Blackthorn, and Silver Birch. Robins and a few Great tits were also evident presumably attracted by the midges and hoverflies that were very evident on some sections with a few crows scavenging in the more open areas and 2 picking floating morsels from the surface of the lake in Silver Bay.

Sunday 4th March 2012 - An afernoon stroll around Wayoh and Turton & Entwistle reservoirs

Starting by the Entwistle Dam, which at 33 metres in height was when constructed the highest in Britain, the route follows the south western edge of the Wayoh Reservoir passing the nature reserve area, important for its wetland plants along the reservoir margins and over the Wayoh Dam to join the Witton Weavers Way, a 51 Km trail exploring Lancashire’s history, as it heads north-westwards. Shortly after passing the Strawberry Duck with its reputation for good food and beer the route leaves the history trail to head up and round the Turton & Entwistle Reservoir originally built for a group of local mill owners to regulate the supply of water to their mills but now together with the Wayoh reservoir provides half of Bolton’s drinking water and supports a number of wildfowl including mallard and tufted ducks, Canada geese, black headed and herring gulls and a sculptured heron on the water with a real heron passing overhead. The mixed woodlands include ash, beech, oak, horse chestnut, silver birch, pine and great tits plus an inquisitive robin watching for any scraps during our refreshment break.