Winter count 2013, the Dark Knight returns

The Bat team, Mike, Morris and Simon

New young pair swans, Sherborne Brook

 Sub zero temperatures but lots of 'treats' today, and over the past few days! This covers the Snowshill Manor Wassail last Saturday, an Orchard visiting Wassail with special guests the Happenstance Border Morris musicians and dancers. The weather was kind and the enjoyment factor for this traditional celebration high. Highlights featured 'toasting' the selected apple tree ( literally toast dipped in cider was hung from the tree by all who could reach) and  dancing by all to the unique Snowshill Wassail dance!

Another 'treat' was the delivery of the Dendrochronology report on the Oaks at Lodge Park which provided more details for the October visit. In summary it verified and more accurately measured the ages of the three oaks sampled at 290, 440 and 520 years. Additionally it showed a very slow girth growth rate during the 'formative'  phase but no reason given. Mike proposed this may be a due to a combination of the limestone soil and possibly a long dry spell in the 90 years of formative growth.

 Today joined by Morris (our Dark Night) with additional support by Simon we were to carry out a bat count for the Sherborne area. So with a light covering of snow and sub zero temperatures we headed for the main winter roost at the 'Bat Cave'. At the 'cave' entrance it was amazing to feel the heat from within which was a steady, barmy 9C. The lesser horseshoes inside favour the warmer temperatures and inside were  a very healthy population of 161. No greater horseshoes but its still early days and the April count  may reveal some along with more lessers. (2012 Feb count). We paid a quick visit to the other bat roosts in the village and a further 6 lesser horseshoes were found but also 1 brown long eared bat! Quite a relief for Mike our Ranger and Morris the Bat expert since the wet 2012 with less insects may have impacted the Bat population.  It still is a worry if we have a prolonged cold spell, so until the counts later on in the year show the Bat numbers are still healthy, fingers are crossed.

Spent an enjoyable lunchtime walking around Sherborne village and Brook. Was treated to views of nuthatch, coal/great/blue tits, green and gold finches by the bird feeders. At the Sherborne brook 2 pairs  of swans, one flying heron,  lots of ducks (mallard & widgeon) , and 1 red kite. Bumped into a couple of BT engineers who were both keen on sharing with me the recent invasion of waxwings in Cheltenham which I seem to be the only one living in Cheltenham who missed out on seeing this spectacle!

The afternoon saw us return to Snowbottom Belt for the next stage of thinning. Even with Simon it proved to be hard work again but satisfying and warm in spite of the freezing mist. As with last weeks thinning the trees needed rolling, levering, cutting, and occasionally prayer to get them to ground level. Mike even let me loose with the new tree lever to force a couple of the big beeches to cut through the overhead canopy to reach the ground. In no time darkness brought an end to the day with more cord  wood piles for Mike to gather up with tractor and trailer tomorrow.