All in a Day’s Work

Saturday, May 2nd 2015

After the winter work is completed, we keep a check to see what happens next.  An area near the head of the lake received attention, with trees pollarded, some were felled and Blackberry stems removed.  This work was carried out to help the Bluebells that grow there.  It has been a success as the Bluebells are now flowering.

Bluebells

Bluebells

Many flowers can now be seen on the reserve.  Non-flowering plants are also growing.  Horsetails are producing their fruiting bodies, which release spores.  The ancestors of these plants produced our coal seams.

Fruiting body of horsetail

Ferns are unfurling their fronds.

unfurling fern frond

The bird ringers were out again last night checking the larger nest boxes.  Although bitterly cold there was a beautiful sunset with accompanying sundog.

Sunset and sundog

Sun dogs (or sundogs) are mock suns or phantom suns. The scientific name is parhelia (singular parhelion), They are an atmospheric phenomenon that consists of a pair of bright spots on either side on the Sun, often co-occurring with a luminous ring known as a 22° halo. They are created by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere.  (We could not see the halo.)

A sundog

At the last stop, as two plump Tawny Owl chicks were ringed and carefully returned to their box, a Woodcock flew over, roding ( the Woodcock's display) and a Grasshopper Warbler was heard.  By then the moon had risen.

The moon


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Access to the Reserve: OPEN with limited access

Monday 18th March 2024 |

The reserve is now open, although again with limited access.

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