A decent turnout of 5 members saw all of the advertised tasks completed, with the exception of cleaning out the west ditch, which somehow got forgotten about. Some additional tasks were completed, including raking old vegetation off the drier part of the marshy area (C6a) and pruning the big Buddleia. A small willow was coppiced and suitable cuttings used to form the framework of the short ‘fedge’ which is under construction on the corner of the bank in front of the Hide Pond.
Amongst all this activity, four of the butterfly transect team held a pre-season session to refresh their memories on the finer points of procedure and on the survey route round the reserve, and to admire the conservation work carried out over the winter.

For those members not heading off to the Derbyshire moors on the first of this year’s club meets, the alternative is to come and help out at this month’s work party at the Jim Mart reserve. The accumulated ash in the fire-pit needs to be shovelled up and away, an area of cut grass needs a second raking to lift any remaining litter, and we need to rake leaves from the length of the west ditch that wasn’t completed last month. There are other general tidying jobs to do, but there will be time to watch the frogs ‘in action’ and generally soak up the sights and sounds of spring.

To help at the work party, meet at the reserve on Saturday, 19th March at 9:30 am. We will finish around lunchtime. All members are welcome and no previous experience is necessary. Please wear appropriate work clothes, stout shoes, boots or wellies, and thorn-proof gardening gloves or equivalent.

Organised work parties take place at the Jim Mart reserve on the morning of the third Saturday in every month, except in December. For further information about the reserve visit the Jim Mart NR pages on the Ogston Bird Club website, or contact Peter Faulkner by email (jimmart@btinternet.com) or on 0784 214 8888 nearer the date.

Two members turned out for this month’s work party. The priority task in the advertised list was cleaning out of the twenty nest boxes in Liz’s Wood, so it was indeed fortunate that this had already been attended to by a couple of mid-week volunteers. The morning was therefore devoted to gathering up all of the cut vegetation, from compartments C1 and C2, and piling it up in the north-west corner of the reserve. Part of the west ditch was also raked out before the light rain convinced us that it was time for an early lunch.

This month’s work party will be finishing work on the area around the Hide Pond, removing old typha and willowherb stems from the shallows and island. There is recently cut vegetation in the grassland nearest Press Lane to be raked up and formed into a stack, and the nearby ditch to be raked out. If it has not been completed in advance of the work party, the survey and cleanout of the nest boxes in Liz’s Wood (on our neighbour’s farm) will also need to be attended to. So, there is plenty to do.

To help at the work party, meet at the reserve on Saturday, 20th February at 9:30 am. We will finish around lunchtime. All members are welcome and no previous experience is necessary. Please wear appropriate work clothes, stout shoes, boots or wellies, and thorn-proof gardening gloves or equivalent. Bring a rake or a pitch-fork if you can.

Organised work parties take place at the Jim Mart reserve on the morning of the third Saturday in every month, except in December. For further information about the reserve visit the Jim Mart NR pages on the website or contact Peter Faulkner by email (jimmart@btinternet.com).

A sunny, though cold, winter’s morning greeted four members, all keen to get started on the list of jobs. Much was achieved, but there is still plenty needing to be done over the next month.
All of the reserve’s bird boxes, bar one, had the contents recorded and were then cleaned out. Hawthorn and Blackthorn saplings were culled on the sunny bank above the Hide Pond, and a start made on clearing brambles and Sycamore regrowth in the same area. Debris from recent hedge-laying work near the reserve entrance was removed to the fire-site and added to a good bonfire.

January’s work party will be focusing on the area around the Hide Pond, and in particular removal of bramble regrowth on the sunny bank above the pond. There is also the job of removing old typha and willowherb stems from the shallows and island. For members hoping for a more ornithological-oriented task, the annual survey and cleanout of the reserve’s nest boxes awaits you. The weather is forecast to be cooler than of late so wrap up well.

To help out at the work party, meet at the reserve on Saturday, 16th January at 9:30 am. We will finish around lunchtime. All members are welcome and no previous experience is necessary. Please wear appropriate work clothes, stout shoes, boots or wellies, and thorn-proof gardening gloves or equivalent. Your favourite secateurs and a spade or fork would all be useful tools to bring, though some are available at the reserve. Recording materials for the nest box survey will be provided.

Organised work parties take place at the Jim Mart reserve on the morning of the third Saturday in every month, except in December. For further information about the reserve visit the Jim Mart NR pages on the Ogston Bird Club website https://ogstonbirdclub.co.uk/ , or contact Peter Faulkner by email (jimmart@btinternet.com).