Nice and Warm!

Tuesday, December 12th 2017

Five volunteers were in today, braving an icy start. The stone delivered yesterday needs to be moved nearer the site of the proposed footpath surfacing and so the morning was spent with wheelbarrows doing just that. Luckily the icy weather made using the wheelbarrows easier as there was less chance for slips on the hard surface. This was an excellent effort from the volunteers and nobody was complaining about feeling cold at the end of the morning.

Reduced numbers after lunch would make further work with wheelbarrows difficult, and so the group continued with burning much of the Gorse that had been cut on the last Worky Day. As always, burning Gorse gives off an intense heat, especially when the leaves are on fire, so again everyone was warm despite the cold weather. One volunteer clearly enjoyed this task and called it 'therapeutic'.

Today was the final session for the regular visitors from the Dales School. Eyes lit up at the mention of a bonfire and. as they often work with the volunteers, there is little doubt that they would also love to help with this task in the future.

The final rounds of the day included making sure the fire was safe to leave. During this time, a Robin was making the most of the dying heat from the fire but also the newly exposed patches of grass and cut Gorse to search for food. Once the fire was safe, it was time to check the ponies just before dusk and to make sure that they had water. Two buzzards were circling and calling overhead, but, being hidden by being between the ponies, it was the Grey Heron landing within fifty metres which was a surprise. The ponies were used to cover retreat from the wetland and not disturb the bird, but it had to be only be a matter of time before the thickness of the ice would suggest that there must be more favourable sites elsewhere.

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Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve is now OPEN

Monday 4th November 2024 |

The security gate and it's safety features are to be working, so we're reopening to the public.

However the intercom and remote gate opening system is currently non-functional. Entry and exit to the reserve will therefore take place via key fobs which will be issued to visitors when they sign in at the Cambrai Lines front entrance. These fobs can be used to open the gate when entering and exiting the reserve. They must be returned to the front entrance pass office upon exiting the reserve.

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https://foxglovecovert.org.uk/about/frequently-asked-questions/