Coppicing is one of the oldest forms of wood management in the UK. Trees are cut down to their stumps, which are known as stools, to encourage new shoots to grow. The stools are cut in rotation and so the different areas of regrowth provide a wide range of habitats. Coppicing provides a renewable source of wood and the cycle can carry on indefinitely.
Nick preparing stakes
In Ox Close Wood, the hazel has been coppiced by Leeds Coppice Workers and the stools now need to be protected to prevent deer from eating the new shoots. This project has been led by two of our volunteers Nick and Lin. Stakes have been placed around the stools and cages made from brash placed around them. They have been assisted by Open Country, Leeds Wealth Fund volunteers and our Friday volunteer team.
Leeds Wealth Fund volunteers
Open Country using brash to make cagesMartin, Open Country volunteer, making a cage
Melanie and Mina, two of our Friday volunteer team
All ages are welcome. Please meet at the Elliker nature reserve in East Keswick at 10.30am. The entrance is between numbers 21 and 23 The Paddock. Bring gloves, a drink and a snack.
Calling all nature detectives! For children there will be a scavenger hunt and owl workshop to participate in.
For older children and adults we will be be laying a floor in one of our storage containers and making guards to protect our trees.
Our first weekend work party got off to a great start with approximately 40 adults and children attending. The children initially learnt about the Yellow Fish campaign, that only water should go down the drain, as in our village the drains lead directly into the beck. They then made harvest mice homes out of used tennis balls and placed them on stakes around East Keswick Marsh. Other members of the work party tackled the snowberry which has become an invasive species in the marsh.
Learning about the ‘Yellow Fish’ campaignStuffing the tennis balls with straw to make cosy homes for the harvest miceClearing the snowberry
We collect seeds from our reserves in the parish, plant them and grow them in our nursery. Here our volunteers are planting on the wildflower seedlings to prepare them for planting out at a future date.
You are most welcome to join us for our winter bird survey. Meet outside St Mary’s Church, Moor Lane, East Keswick on Sunday 22nd February at 10am.
Wear warm clothing!
If you have binoculars, please bring them with you. We’ll stop for a short coffee break but if you wish to continue into the afternoon, please also bring a drink and packed lunch. We will be walking around the village, through the Marsh and then along Moor Lane and down to the river. There’s no need to stay for the whole session, you can join us for as long as you like.
It’s a good year for berries so we should see plenty of Fieldfares and Redwings that have been coming over from Scandinavia.
We welcomed over 50 people to Bardsey Fields at the beginning of July to see the work that we have been doing, learn about the wildlife there and take part in craft activities. Permitted access is now available through the two gates at the corners of the top field next to the road. A path has been cut between these two gates and then all the way around the top field. We had guided walks around here and were able to explain that in time, our management will result in the top fields developing into wood pasture. This will be characterised by open-grown, often old trees in a grazed environment, creating a rich mosaic of habitats including grassland, fen and scrub. There will be open views across to the fen below. The fen is home to many uncommon plants and butterflies and recently fawns have been seen there and a kingfisher nesting.
Craft activities on the day included willow wishing wands, spiders and felting sheep. Emma demonstrated how to ‘slow the flow’ with guttering and tennis balls. This is because we have broken two pipes under the field into the beck and brought the water to the surface in the field. The water will then filter through a series of dams to slow the flow of water and help prevent flooding downstream in Bardsey and Collingham. Paul had set a moth trap and had a number of interesting species to observe, including elephant hawkmoths.
We have the Dexter cows on site and there will be 2 in Bardsey Fields all summer. The grass is thick and dense and the cows on site are having a real impact on removing this, which will allow wild flowers to bloom in the summer. When you visit, please remember to close the gate behind you so they don’t escape!
The Trustees of East Keswick Wildlife Trust have made the decision not to allow dogs on the site. This is for a number of reasons but primarily: there will be cows in the fields all year round; the resident wildlife such as deer, foxes, badgers and small mammals will be disturbed as well as ground nesting birds such as meadow pipit, willow warbler, chiffchaff, dunnock, blackbird and skylark.
This year our summer family event is at our new reserve, Bardsey Fields – opposite Bardsey Primary School. The event will run from 11- 2pm, so please bring a picnic. There will be guided walks around the reserve, crafts – including making spiders and willow wands, storytelling and more. It will be great to welcome you to hear our plans for the future of the reserve.
