Nice and gentle workday today. Six or so of us turned out and we raked the bank back on the eastern side of the picnic clearing. This will allow seeds that are in the soil to germinate and grow.
- Burning off the raked up brash.
There is a lot of new growth on the clearing that we raked on the last workday and I am glad to report that it is not nettles. This is great news because the ground was totally dead before we started clearing, due to the dense tree canopy.
Butterflies spotted recently on or near to the greenway are Green-Veined Whites, Orange Tips, Red Admirals, Commas, Speckled Woods, Peacocks, Small Tortoiseshells and Brimstones (thanks to Mike at Butterfly Conservation for spotting most of these).
Remember that Mike has offered to teach us how to do proper surveys. If anyone wants to learn how, let me know ASAP.
We unfortunately had one of our picnic benches vandalised. Someone dropped a large chunk of masonry from the bridge and it smashed through all but one of the table-top slats. We can get it fixed but it is a shame that whoever did this has spoilt it for everyone else in the mean-time.
On a more positive note, we have had a donation from Waitrose for £150 and a donation from Cawston Parish Council to cover the cost of our insurance. This is great news and I am really grateful to both.
Next workday is Thursday 28th April. We are going to map the whole length of the greenway and compartmentalise it into sections. We will also decide what we want to do with each section. Looking at where we have got so far, I think we have a pretty clear idea of what we are looking to create.
Meet at The Bear car park and we can start at the north end and work our way down to Potford’s Dam. 1pm to 3pm. I will bring a few copies of the map that I have.
With regards to the reedbed at the Potford’s Dam end. I got the Environmental Agency to look it over and their advice is to dig channels into the ground to get the area really wet and this will encourage the reeds to really thicken up and this will attract birds such as Warblers.
That’s about it for now. Thanks to all who turned out today and it is really good to see the greenway coming back to life after the winter months.
Paul
