Looking down the ride in progress on the east side of Elliker Wood
Over the last three months a great effort has gone into creating new habitats in Elliker Wood. Rides have been cleared along the top, bottom and eastern sides, boundaries have been fenced, the old and decaying hedgeline along the eastern side has been laid and pedestrian and vehicular access gates have been installed.
The top ride; complete.
Laying the hedge.
The hedge, laid.
Pedestrian gate in progress.
Gate complete.
Bardsey School visited the Marsh 8 times during the summer, looking at the beauty of nature in local places and how food webs work.
Just a few of the children from Bardsey Scholl who have visited Keswick Marsh.
We expect to commence work in Elliker Wood during October. The aim is to open up the wood to increase the variety of habitats and flora.
Elliker Wood, September 2015
At the moment inside the wood is very dark with the ground flora consisting almost solely of Dogs Mercury. Starting in the south western corner of the wood, the aim is to create short east-west rides at the top and bottom of the wood linked by a north-south ride along the eastern edge of the wood. We will also remove dead and dying trees, mainly elms, and some of the bushy undergrowth will be thinned. In order to do this a felling licence has been requested and approved.
Most of the work will be funded by a grant from Green Leeds and will be carried out by volunteers and our chain saw contractor. During the winter we will be holding two “Family Work Party” days, one on a Saturday and one on a Sunday, and hope that local people will take the opportunity to visit the reserve and help with some of the work. Keep an eye on the website’s Upcoming Events and the Newsletter for dates.
Following the preparations earlier in the year, those seeds that were the earliest to germinate are now in full flower…. Corncockle, Cornflower, Corn Marigold, and Poppy are now in full bloom. It is hoped that even more species will flower next year.
Ground preparation at Elliker entrance in April 2015
Elliker entrance…. The first flowers, September 2015
On Monday 18th May we surveyed the bats in Ox Close Wood. Our bat expert, who is a consultant ecologist, brought a number of bat detectors so that we could all have a go at listening to and deciphering the calls that we heard. Four bat species were identified during the evening; Daubenton’s, Noctule and Common and Soprano Pipistrelle. The river was a particularly rewarding area where nearly all the bats were seen and heard. A couple of the bat detectors could record calls and further species may be identified when these recordings are analysed over the next few days.
A few of the Trust members who attended the bat evening…. surrounded by Daubenton’s bats!
Two more bat evenings are planned for the 17th and 24th June when different areas of the parish will be surveyed. If you would like to come; meet at the church on Moor Lane at 9.30pm. or contact 01937 574140.
As part of the 10 year recording project, we surveyed ponds in village gardens in March. All but two ponds contained frogspawn, overall, 70 clumps of frogspawn were found. Also found were an assortment of snails, nymphs and water boatmen, leeches, common newts and frogs.
Pond dipping
There is a second survey on 28th June. Check out the details in the events section above.
On 15th March, families and friends assembled pre-prepared kits for 20 tree sparrows nest boxes.
Starting young– Lucy and Poppy made and took home two boxes for their gardens
With a hole size of 28mm, the boxes are designed for use by Tree Sparrows.
The Tree Sparrow is
one of our many farmland birds that have declined in numbers by up to 95% since 1970 because of changes in farming practices. Others include Lapwing, Grey Partridge and Skylark. Modern farming methods have caused degradation of habitat and loss of foods for wintering adults and developing chicks.
To further increase the biodiversity of uncommon w
ild flowers in Ox Close wood, we have again been plug planting in the grazing pasture. The plants were grown in the Trusts own wild flower nursery from seed that was collected locally.
About half of the wood was clear felled in 1992 by its previous owners. Until then, this area of the wood consisted of non-native conifers that shaded the ground so much that very little was left of whatever seed bank might have been present. Consequently the area that is now kept open by conservation grazing has a poor range of wild flowers which we are hoping to rectify.
This time, to deter the deer from jumping over wire fences, the posts have been angled inwards and the tops of the mesh netting has been laced with string.
Species that have been planted include Betony, Rock Rose, Aquilegia, and Ladies Bedstraw.
Fenced off area with plug plants of wild flowers
On 27th February, our Friday volunteers enjoyed a sunny day to finish hedge planting along one of the Keswick Marsh boundaries. The hedge is 70 to 80% Hawthorn with the remainder made up of six or seven other hedging plant species such as Hazel, Spindle, Holly, Blackthorn and Buckthorn. Since the hedge in the Marsh, hedging in Elliker Field has been completed.
Hedge planting
Enjoying the fruits of our labour
The Trust had the first of its twice-yearly bird surveys on 22nd February. As well as surveying the birds that over-winter in the parish there is another walk round the parish during the summer to survey birds that breed locally. This survey is not yet planned…. keep an eye on “Upcoming Events”.
Trust members watching Grey-lag Geese at a local pond.
The weather was blustery, cool and initially dry. Setting off from the Church on Moor Lane at 10.00am, we were able to walk round most of the parish before it started to rain in the early afternoon so we decided to forego the pleasure of surveying Ox Close wood where, no doubt, we would have added to our list.
The total number of species seen on the day was a respectable 47 (there are many more bird species locally but we record only those we see on the day). This included up to 400 Black Headed Gulls in a stubble field near Eask Keswick Beck and 60 to 70 Meadow Pipits plus half a dozen Linnets an arable field to the side of Moor Lane.