Time To Get Back On It!!

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

After a manic last week, I decided to take a few days off from the greenway and just reflect a little on what we are doing and where we are going.

However, it never stops in my head and I am always on the lookout for new partners and funding providers.

This week we have taken a step closer to making the bird-feeder area a reality. In my head, I have this vision of a round picnic table in the centre of the birdbox clearing with four posts about five meters from the bench at 90-degree spacing and a couple of bird-feeders hanging from each post. Each post can have a different type of food hanging from it so we get maximum visitors. I would then like to invite local schools to do field trips and record the bird life that we will be attracting.

I want to get a bench from the same supplier of the other picnic benches that we have. They are decent and sturdy.

rowlinson-round-picnic-bench-p68-22195_medium This is the bench in a garden setting. I really like it!

I have a few fungi finds to share:

I have found a new website to help me to ID everything that we are seeing. It is http://www.first-nature.com and it seems pretty user-friendly.

Next one is Wednesday 18th October at 9:30 am working on the narrow bit, between the Drummond Road entrance and the picnic clearing.

See you there.

Paul

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Jaguar Land Rover Corporate Event

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

We had our corporate event with Jaguar Land Rover last week. Chris and his team of 25 JLR employees set to work rebuilding the path next to the golf club.

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We had teams of ten people spread across the week. Sustrans Ecologist, David provided a plan to rebuild the path and Sustrans Wildlife Champions and Volunteer Coordinators, Nick and Helen were on hand to give direction.

The path along the disused railway-line had become waterlogged for a 350-metre stretch next to the golf course. Parts were totally submerged and other areas were ankle-deep in mud.

The Jaguar Land Rover team were tasked with digging soak-aways on the side of the route and using the hardcore that was dug up to resurface and raise the level of the path.

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It was hard work digging the hardcore out but as the old saying goes, many hands make light work.

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The route is now dry and passable. A huge benefit for walkers and cyclists who want to get to Draycote Water or Leamington Spa using the railway path.

Chris from Jaguar Land Rover was pleased with how his team have made such a huge contribution to the path, both as a means of sustainable transport and also opening it up for local groups to enjoy the flora and fauna that is abundant in the area.

A great job from all involved.

Paul

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We have finally come to the crossroads….

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

We are at a crossroads. There are the people who love nature and want to encourage it, and there are the people who want a path and want to encourage that.

Firstly, there has to be a balance of the two. We all have to compromise a bit and give a little.

Secondly, we as a group are all rank amateurs, Mick excluded of course. We are learning as we are going along and really don’t have a clue other than when we can cut back and when we cannot. But everything grows back so we cannot surely do too much damage.

The day at Berrybanks was a good one.

Plenty going on.

And a quick look up and down…

We will keep pushing the path angle, because that is what this is all about. We want to consider the wildlife and do our best to create habitat for it. I guess it is just finding a balance.

Paul

 

 

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We found where the fairies and pixies live…

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

We came across a little grotto of delight today.

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A fantastic find!!

Marcus, Linda, Chris and myself made it today and just gently removed scrub and trees that are shading the path and stopping it from drying out.

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We just need to push the edges back a bit so that the path gets a decent amount of sunshine.

This fungus has featured previously, but nice to see how it is progressing.

We had about three or four users, being walkers or mountain-bikers pass us today. This is another reason to ease the width out a bit so that we don’t end up with a muddy and narrow strip.

HELP NEEDED: I could really do with someone to ID all the wildflowers and other things that we are seeing. I would love to pour over books and ID them myself but I simply do not have the time.

Great day today, great company, friendships being forged.

Next one is Wednesday at Berrybanks. Recovering our wild strawberry.

Paul

 

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We recovered our wild strawberry!!

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Our wild strawberry was doomed, or so I thought. But no! It has been quietly thriving, spreading and growing underneath all the thistles that suddenly came up at Berrybanks.

We need to find the rest of it and release it so there will be a few more workdays at Berrybanks in the coming months. The reason why the wild strawberry is so important is because it attracts the grizzled skipper butterfly, an endangered species.

More fungi than you could shake a stick at..

A spider that was obliging.

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And plenty of nectar giving flowers showing late into summer, and fruit, as everything starts to shut down,

And lastly, look at this beauty. An elephant hawk moth caterpillar.

Great day, smashing company, fantastic conversations, friendships being forged.

Wild strawberry released…

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Thanks for a great day. Next one is down at the A45 this Sunday at 1:30 just easing the scrub around the wet bits and channeling the water across the path. Mattocks and saws required.

Paul

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Too Much Fruit To Cut Back

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Yes, we are at that point in the year where the bird nesting season is over, but the fruit is so abundant that it would be criminal to start cutting it back, and not allowing our resident wildlife to fatten up for the long haul through autumn and winter.

Mick and myself made it today and just had a general tidy around at the bird-box clearing and up towards the Drummond Road entrance. Still plenty of flowering wildflowers.

It is quite hard to remind myself that is is still officially summer until the 22nd September!! Various bees and butterflies braving the cold, too.

A quick look up and down shows how nice we are looking.

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It won’t be long before all this is bare again.

Until next time.

Paul

 

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Let There Be Light…

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Let There Be Light was the phrase uttered by Steve when we removed a group of young trees. Indeed, there was light in abundance.

A good workday with Steve, Aaron and myself making the late start. The plan was to make gullies on the path to help drain it off, but I didn’t really fancy heavy work, so I changed it to clearing around the areas that were submerged a few months ago. Amazingly, these were pretty dry. So we decided to remove the trees that are invading the space of the mature standard trees.

You can see the difference from the first picture to the last. The reasons for cutting back the young trees is three-fold though. Firstly to let light in to dry out the path, secondly to stop them getting entwined with the branches of the mature trees and cause damage as they rub together, and lastly to encourage flora and fauna that needs the sunshine to thrive.

Some great fungi finds.

Great start to the cutting back season. If we just continue in this way along the bit next to the golf course we can get rid of all the young trees and let the mature standards really flourish. We have a bit of work to do on the Cawston bit for a few weeks before we return to this bit on Sunday 24th to carry on clearing the ash trees.

In terms of users, five groups came past in the two hours that we were down there. A family with a spaniel, three single mountain bikers and a group of mountain bikers.

Really enjoyable day today.

Paul

 

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Last of the Summer Wine…

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Last of the Summer Wine – well not quite but the last of the easy days just snipping back the brambles across the path.

Marcus, Linda, Mick and myself made it today and we cleared the encroaching bramble from the underpass to the start, which is adjacent to Henry Hinde Junior School.

From September we are into the cutting season and because we are now looking after 3.5 miles of path, rather than 1.9 miles, we have to be much more savvy with our time and efforts.

But first – look at what we found today.

Loads going on, wildflowers, fungi, butterflies, mini-beasts… It is a riot of activity.

Moving forwards, we need to cut back a third of the path where we have bramble and then set up a three-year cycle of cutting it right back to the edge and let new growth happen. Trees need to be cut back every ten years, so a ten-year cycle needs to be developed.

I will prioritise the areas that need urgent cutting back and then model everything else behind them.

Really happy with our progress this year. I am behind with the tabs on the blog and iRecord but will catch us all up when the kids go back to school.

Next one is Sunday 3rd September at the Draycote end. Pulling it a week ahead of normal because I am away the following weekend. Mattocks to just drain off that path next to the golf club.

Thanks, all who made it today.

Paul

 

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Busy Morning…

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

Oh yes, what a busy morning. Me, Reece and a kidney vetch plant started out. The plan was to snip back going north, from the underpass, but the kidney vetch needed to be planted south so we travelled southwards.

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This is the planted kidney vetch. If we can nurture it and help it to spread, we will get the endangered Small Blue butterfly. This gives us a better chance of becoming something a little bit special and interesting.

Looking up and down the greenway shows a nice clean and dry path.

And the view from the gate shows how misty it was today.

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Later on, we met up with Dan from Sustrans and things are starting to move forwards with our licence for the whole run to the NCN 41 pick up at Draycote. This is great news and I am confident that we can really push on with this.

No real wildlife opportunities but got to try out my new camera settings on a couple of bits.

Happy with the focus and depth of field.

As we were chatting with Dan, a robin could not help but keep earwigging on our conversations. Amazingly tame and curious.

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Next one is starting at the underpass and going north just snipping back brambles, next Monday 28th start at 1:30. Travel light with just snippers.

Thanks, Reece and Dan for a great morning.

Paul

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All Things Come To Those That Wait…

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Paul - Cawston Greenway

All Things Come To Those That Wait… Some guy on a bike passed me today and commented on how the path was so full of wildlife. I didn’t know if he was complaining or happy or what. But it seems to be that we have turned an overgrown and horribly littered wilderness into a lovely path and nature reserve that leads to Draycote village, Draycote wildflower meadow and Draycote Water.

I don’t really know where to start because there was so much to see. So I will try and put it into pictures.

You see what I mean when I say there is something for everyone. If you like photography, or mini-beasts, butterflies, wildflowers, fungi, chopping back the path or whatever. We probably have something to capture your interest. So come along and join in on this exciting adventure of ours…

We saw probably eight groups of walkers or cyclists during the three hours that we were down there, so the path is getting good use.

Paul

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