Reed Management
It sounded easy.
Task: just cut and remove last years reed growth, Dogwood, bramble
and Willows that had been there for at least 25 years from the reed bed,
any old logs that had floated in and the usual litter, brambles.
Do it by hand with a bow saw and loppers.
If you have ever tried to walk on reed beds you will understand me
when I say it was heavy going. The water logged soil clings to your
boots, the tangled undergrowth tries to trip you up every step that you
take, and I curse every time a bramble nearly tips me to the floor. In
places you can sink up to your knees.
The waterlogged tree trunks lay there neglected for years,
blackened and loaded with water were just so heavy to move.
Cutting down the trees that shaded the reed beds was hard for me
to accept as I always think I am destroying habitat. I pull the rangers
leg and suggest we should be off to Brazil to help decimate that forest
there. But he reassures me that we have plenty of trees and we need to
provide good reed bed habitat. Will the Bittern ever come here I say to
myself, no matter I will settle for some warblers.
We all mucked in and after nearly four weeks we have got most of it
done now.
The willows have mostly been chipped up and will be scattered
and loads of logs to build many habitat piles.
That alone is another long job, loading and moving the timber to the
required location. This is one task I am always really happy to do as I
know that within days all sorts of creatures and fungi will be taking up
residence in the nooks and crannies provided by the heaped logs and semi
rotted timber. Natural food for all my feathered friends and any other
creature.
Habitat piles I placed only a few years ago go unnoticed now by all
people that pass through the woodland but not by the animals.
You have no idea just how much hard graft is involved. And all this
done by four of us , three volunteers, retired and "past it" and
one cheerful committed Ranger with a chain saw. He is fed up with
me asking" must we cut down this nice Hawthorn?"
We found three woodpecker holes in one standing dead oak, so he plans
to cut it off above the holes to retain the nesting sites.
So if I am not too knowledgeable on bird ID please forgive me while I
sharpen my loppers.