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Wet Lands!

Thursday, February 23rd 2017

With the coming of Storm Doris we were unable to finish the willow spiling as the beck was high and rising. We were not short of work; still having a lot to do on the willow coppice block adjacent to the Field Centre.

With the coming high wind and steady rain our chainsaw gang, Sean and Simon, were grounded, enabling us to catch up with all the pollarding and coppicing we were determined to have cut before March. The excess timber was stacked nearby and brash left for chipping at a later date.

We ended up dividing up to do the various jobs today; Tony, Mike and I went to the Wetlands where Willie was re-enforcing the pond bunds with his small digger.

We only had a small amount of bund to repair by hand, plus a dam which was unreachable by the digger, so were very glad for the bulk of the work to be done by the heavier equipment saving us weeks of manual labour.

Signs of spring are with us, I spotted these Common Frogs as I checked around the pond edges.  

Some jobs need that extra time to achieve, luckily Jackie was on hand to do some of them in the Field Centre, like defrosting the freezer!

One of the jobs which had us scratching our heads was how to get a felled tree trunk out of Risedale Beck. Willie who knows the reserve like the back of his hand is more than able to cope with things like this and tracked his digger up the beck….

....to lift the trunk out, then enabling Jonathan and I to secure it to the bank.

We had a few path repairs to be done, but the rain did not put off the enthusiasm of the volunteers as they carted gravel ….

…..and replaced the side boards, and wack-a-plated the surface to make good.

It was a mixed bag of a day which, considering the weather, was a massive success due to the commitment of the volunteers and the much needed assistance from our contractors, thank you to all.
 

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Friends of Foxglove

The Friends of Foxglove Covert is for those individuals, families and organisations who would like to support the reserve through an annual membership subscription. Friends receive a regular newsletter and invitations to attend our various activities and social events.

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Upcoming Events

Minibeast Safari 2

Wednesday 12th August 2020 | Various time slots available

Come along and find out which minibeasts are living in some of the habitats at Foxglove. Book a minibeast session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the equipment will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


Family Pond Dipping 3

Wednesday 19th August 2020 | 45 minute sessions on the hour

Come along and find out which animals are living in some of the Foxglove ponds. Book a pond dipping session for your family bubble of up to six people. There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking.  There will be a socially distanced brief to set you off and then you can use the equipment for the remainder of the session. You will be requested to use hand gel on arrival and the net handles will be cleaned between sessions. Please call the Reserve Managers on 07754 270980 to book your allocated slot. You are advised to arrive 15 minutes before your allocated time. A donation in advance (card payment by phone) of £5 per family bubble is required in order to secure your booking. 


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The Dragonflies of Strensall and Foxglove Covert
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This book has been published with the aim of enabling people visiting these, immensely important Flagship Pond Sites in North Yorkshire, to identify the dragonflies and damselflies they encounter - by reference to a simple text and photographs. Credits - Yorkshire Dragonfly Group & Freshwater Habitats Trust

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