Another year ends

decent shape to new hedge at Moors Copse

new hedge line looking good in fading light

Another year of volunteering came to and end this week with an afternoon at Sherborne followed the next day with a morning session at Greystones. The session at Sherborne was particular satisfying with hedge laying at Moors Copse. Attending were Mike and I with Maddie and Ollie along for the ride. Ollie had to be tethered as the hedge laying was next to the road and he didn't like it too much with a little too much whining for a 'special' ranger. Ollie's behaviour aside, the creation of a hedge using the existing hawthorn, field maple and hazel was very satisfying especially since I had the use of the Silki saw and Mike volunteered to work on the road side of the hedge line. Unfortunately the light and complaints from Ollie ended the session too soon leaving completion of this stretch of hedge for the new year. 

The work at Greystones with the Wildlife trust featured some serious shrub clearance over one of the water courses to allow it to be dredged next year to ensure efficient functioning in a flood protection context. A large turnout {~30 volunteers} marked the last session of the year, possibly influenced by a BBQ at Greystones which sadly I missed to ensure Ollie got his mid day feed. 

Overall another rewarding year on the volunteer front albeit with less opportunities due to weather and the arrival of Ollie. Look forward to next year with the possibility of a companion for Ollie and hopefully some more positive signs on the Conservation of nature & our countryside. 

Not a Norwegian Blue!

In the Commons, awaiting the arrival of the Xmas tree

Site of the Norwegian spruce, deep into the Commons

Mike preparing the Spruce for felling

Tractor ready to pick up the 18' xmas tree

Expert driving by Mike to deliver xmas tree to 4x4

Its that time of the year again, not appealing to me but I certainly don't have a problem with the majority who like their Xmas celebrations. So on a frosty but sunny morning I found myself driving the 4x4 with trailer down to the Commons, closely followed by Mike in the tractor. The pictures tell the tale since I left the 4x4 on the ride nearest to the site of Norwegian spruce one of which was to provide the Xmas tree for Sherborne House. The narrow and muddy track to the spruce was only passable by tractor so I followed on foot to the felling area. Mike armed with his new chainsaw first set to on some trimming of previously felled spruce. This helped to clear the area for the chosen spruce to be felled with what we believed was to provide a good 18 foot xmas tree, as well as valuable wood for fencing materials. Unfortunately once on the ground the top of the spruce proved to be unsuitable so we had to select another candidate. The next candidate lay nearby but on trying to move it we damaged the top. The next selection proved a failure as well with yet another 'split' top but fortunately the final selection came up trumps.

A perfect xmas tree but at 18 foot really tricky to first move with the tractor through the Commons to the 4x4 and then even more of a challenge to load it on the trailer so I could drive it back to Sherborne safely. Needless to say with the usual ranger expertise the tree was safely delivered back to Sherborne estate offices,  just in time for me to make my speedy return to Cheltenham to feed Ollie plus meet my fencing contractor.

A good summary by Mark Avery of the running saga on Hen Harriers and driven grouse shoots. The issue for me is not so much the general attack on conservation/nature but the fact that the small shooting {but highly influential} community with laughable arguments supporting their activities {including illegal use of lead ammunition and the killing of protected wildlife} are allowed to continue without too much fear of being held to account by any authority be it Defra and/or  Government. How can I prevent my tax from funding anti nature activities like this.  The shooting fraternity almost make the NFU look rational and reasonable {but not completely}. So what can be done to turn this around given solid, researched and reasonable arguments continue to fail. Little with this Conservative government it seems {but will any alternative be that much better} so is it any wonder that a more extreme conservation stance needs to be taken or do we just let our natural world wither on the vine with the greedy few forever dictating what the rest of us can hope to enjoy in 'our' natural world. Autumn statement impact on Environment curtesy of RSPB here.

Bridge over the river Eye!

River Eye with healthy flow and river banks clear here

Brash piles mounting and river edge now visible 

Fence and bank cleared so clear stretch to bridge downstream 

Plenty of willow to be dragged out of river Eye

Ollie wants his ball back and a good feed!

Winter finally making its mark with a hard frost on Tuesday morning making the journey to Greystone and the Wildlife trust more interesting. The task for today was clearing the banks of the river Eye upstream from the main bridge where we had previously positioned some Dipper boxes. Rampant willow had enveloped both sides of the river and in parts obscured parts of the fence line. So with the river running high and fast the team led by Will and John was split into those with waders  attacking the willow from the river whilst the rest of us sawed away from the relative dry of the river bank. Initially with some fine sleety rain falling it felt damp and cool but soon the weather cleared,  internal warmth increased and the brash piles grew fast. By the time I left, the fence line was clear and the river banks visible, a good effort all round.

Today was the 2014 November bat count at Sherborne , {last years total 161}, sadly Morris our Dark Knight couldn't make it but we did have Ant to help out. The Bat cave had 124 lesser horseshoes, the kennels 0, the bothy 3 and the cellar 11 giving a total of 138. Lower than last year but probably accounted for by the mild autumn and early winter weather.

Fun at the Mill

Rissington Mill, on the river Dikler

Phase 1 of bank clearance, team well earned break

Bonfire working well

Mandy up the tree, John in deep water

Dikler bank cleared, bonfire roaring away

potential future work downstream!

Joined another large Wildlife trust team led by Will and John at Rissington Mill on Wednesday, not Sherborne as usual since Mike was on a course (you never stop learning in the countryside). Another good location, by the river Dikler and on land which surrounds the Rissington Mill, the mill  sadly no longer in operation.

Another mild November day for some classic river bank clearance to benefit the water vole mainly but it also improves the look of the riverside environment. This task continued the good work of last year in this location yet the new growth in the meantime still provided plenty more to do. With the Dikler water level high,  running fast and the overgrowing shrub {blackthorn & willow} uncomfortably far from the bank the risks of an 'early bath' were high. This time Mandy disappointed but did come close especially when climbing an overhanging willow to trim it back. The good news was an impressive bonfire was built to dispose of the lighter brash and debris {larger wood pieces were carefully placed in the nearby hedge line}. The bonfire provided plenty of heat for drying after any unplanned dips into the river but extra care over the flying embers was needed especially for me without hair or a hat!. Although the team of workers was large the long stretch of river bank being worked ensured sufficient space for all plus plenty to do. The first break in work provide the bonus of some tasty cakes baked by one of the volunteers. I left early again but the positive impact on the river bank was already clear to see, so another rewarding experience ticked off.

Martin Harper's latest blog illustrates the current spate of attacks on the 'conservation communities' a soft target for the mainly well to do hunting & shooting communities with too much time, too much money and little rational/factual argument. No one supporting conservation pretends everything is perfect but on too few resources, small numbers of lowly paid professionals and a healthy set of volunteers its been doing pretty well to stave of disaster in our natural world. I don't see the government or anyone else stepping forward to help conservation although I highly commend those small minority of farmers & gamekeepers who more than hold their own.

Otter 'des res'

Site of Otter holt, down on the left by upper lakes

Path to site by first lake, source of the river Eye

Lots of wood for building material, in great location

Front entrance to Holt, phase 1 of the build

Brash gathering for phase 2 of the Holt build

Richard 'fine tuning' brash layer forming Holt roof 

Interesting week considering the heavy rainfall recently and it began at Sherborne where I squeezed in a hard session on the wood processor with Mike. Two interesting things to note:

the first being the large size and awkward shape of the cord wood being processed which proved to be my toughest workout ever,

the second being a sighting of a snow bunting earlier in the week at Sherborne by Anna.

Today I met up with the Wildlife Trust at Greystones where over 14 people gathered before splitting up into 2 teams which then drove to the Rockcliffe estate. Here each team were to build 2 Otter Holts hopefully for use by the resident Otters  as 'second' temporary homes. One team went off with John and Alan whilst I joined the other team led by Richard.  Have to say the site for the Otter Holt by the Upper Lake area {source of River Eye} was impressive, made even more so by the warm sunny weather. It was difficult to believe its mid November and it wasn't long before clothing was discarded to combat the warmth. Obviously for Mandy wearing waders an unplanned dip into the cool lake water was the preferred method of combatting the excessive heat, something she is getting quite good at. The build started with us volunteers clearing some of the surrounding area to provide lighter building materials whilst Richard using the chainsaw felled a willow/alder which  sourced the  large cord wood for the Holt's foundation. The Holt situated close to one of the Lakes was built in layers with reeds providing a good 'light seal' and then lots of lighter brash 'the roof'. Unfortunately I had to leave early but the construction was well on the way to completion with the Holt hopefully looking like a natural feature of the environment. Another 'first' for me in the conservation build arena and a very  enjoyable one in yet another cracking location. I also managed to get home in time to feed a hungry puppy and take it for a great walk whilst the sun was still shining!

Special Ranger 'Ollie'

Large Oak clearance from fence line

Not quite back on full time  duty at Sherborne but did pay two visits this week to Sherborne, accompanied by Ollie. The first visit was on Tuesday and a chance to trial whether Ollie could settle in at the Sherborne estate offices whilst I helped out Mike on my usual duties. As it turned out it was a good meet and greet /socialisation opportunity with  NT staff and the two resident English springers. First of the Springers was Pepper who at ~6 months proved to be  Ollie's most interactive meeting with a dog. Pepper didn't hold back and to his credit Ollie managed to get a couple of licks and 'cuffs' in although he was mainly on the receiving end. Next on the scene was Maddie with a much more controlled interaction but with more vocal noises to keep my young pup in order. All in all a good experience for Ollie who went down well with all, so much so I let him run free in the yard.

Today at Sherborne  with threatening weather I left Ollie {in Pepper's spot in the yard} on a long lead with his cage for refuge. Mike and I headed off in 4x4 and tractor to century wood where clearance of a fallen oak was to continue with emphasis on clearing the fence line and loading on the tractor trailer the substantial oak branches. Some tricky chainsawing of the Oak branches was performed by Mike and by lunchtime the trailer was full and the fence line cleared for repair. Amazingly it was possible to temporarily repair the fence {before a proper job was possible} as most of the posts were unscathed by the fallen Oak. On  returning to the estate offices I found the 'guard dog' Ollie pretty filthy, wet and glad to see me {unfortunately much whining had taken place throughout an increasingly wet morning}. Still it meant Ollie was to get his first bath and tired out by his 'socialisation' with all, he slept on the return journey home with no noises to make me feel guilty at all.

Pause for a pup!

A neighbourly lunchtime chat

A good wash by the weir

Heavy rain early morning but fortunately it cleared for Wednesdays session at Sherborne so another good September day weather wise for what will be my last bit of volunteering for the next few weeks. The length of my break will depend on how well my English Springer pup settles in we'll have to see.

Not surprisingly wood processing was to be the task to meet the rising orders for wood now Autumn's here. This second session with the new Posch wood processor provided an opportunity for introducing some fine tuning learnt from our first experiences. After the first trailer load was delivered to dairy cottage we had created enough space to use the wood lifter for the first time. The next load went to Bill in the village with the second manual unloading featuring launching the split wood over a barbed wire fence and wall of brambles onto a narrow path. The last load of the day was at the oldest house in the village where we enjoyed a well earned cuppa and biscuit plus a tour inside by its friendly residents of an impressive property

Lunchtime was especially rewarding with the weather rapidly improving and the swan family relaxing by the deep waters by the weir. Was treated to a visit by a grey wagtail and kingfisher who made good use of the remaining bit of the tree still in the brook. Two red kites flew over probably checking out if last weeks sheep carcass was still there. May manage a visit to the Broadwater next week while Mike's on leave and before the puppy arrives. It may be the last time I see this years swan family together.

Short and sweet

Sherbornes' Mallards skittish

Almost time to leave ...

Bit of a delayed start at Sherborne as Mike had to organise the 'ancient & notable' tree survey which included transporting the 3 volunteers to the survey area near Lodge Park. Today marked the end of this impressive one year survey which covered over 1000 trees across the Sherborne estate.  The challenge for today was to use the new wood processor for the first time which meant transporting it to the nursery, setting it up and getting used to operating it. There's no doubt it requires more co-ordination of both arms and leg to synchronise the various levers for the conveyor belts, splitter, saw and 'log grip'.  Needless to say Mike soon mastered it as did I although not quite as smoothly. At this point we decided adding in the 'log lifter' was something we would leave until next time. We did however get a load delivered before lunch which wasn't bad considering everything.

Whilst I enjoyed the pleasures of the Broadwater with the Mallards, egret and almost grown-up swan family Mike had to rejoin the survey party. 

As we were running late the afternoon session produced 2 more trailer loads of wood, short of our target but it proved a good workout for the new wood processor and with some fine tuning I'm sure the production rate will rise considerably.

No surprises in this Wildlife Trust piece

Posch but no Becks!

Interesting colour scheme, but new wood processor is here!

Early start today at Sherborne and an interesting one with a formal introduction to a solidly engineered Austrian wood processor with log lifter!. Introduction was by a Scot {who is a No to breaking away} and we soon got to know how to operate the 'beast' with its extra 'nobs', its going to be a great addition to Sherborne's boys toys. We are certainly going to need it with orders for wood already mounting.

Lunchtime was different today with everyone off to a leaving do which meant I had the place to myself except for Pepper. Good news was I was able to take Pepper for a long walk through the Pleasure Grounds. Enjoyed the experience with such a young Springer but its made me think twice about taking on two springers at the same time.

Temporary fencing up by Ewe Pen Barn

The afternoon was a little intense with the erection of a temporary barbed wire fence around the next site for more dry stone wall repairs by the Cotswold wardens. This was up by the Ewe Pen paddock which usually has at least 2 large bulls but fortunately they were not there today. No doubt the 'wallers' will appreciate the fence we put up when the bulls return! Following this task we needed to carry out some brush cutting both sides of the existing wall to further assist the 'wallers'. As if is this wasn't enough there were some larger shrubs to remove which needed my expertise with the 'Silki' given their size. A long warm day but as always very satisfying.

Something to keep a careful eye on, EU birds and habitats Directive

A long and winding wall?

New kid on the block, Pepper!

Interesting start to this weeks session at Sherborne as the first task was to unload the new boat from the long trailer. This mighty vessel has been recently bought to sail the Broadwater and of course to enable more effective removal of weeds from the water. Having unloaded the boat we made our way, with long trailer, to the Lodge where 40+ straw bales were waiting to be removed from the premises, now the exhibition of Mike's photos has finished. We then transported the bales to the nearby tenant farm where they came from and neatly stacked them in one of the barns. The farm is one of the smaller ones in Sherborne's estate but it certainly sets excellent standards in balancing its use of the land for wildlife & plants with the arable and livestock farming.

Not the Osprey I hoped to spot, but one of the pair of egrets

Lunchtime was spent entertaining the new springer puppy which has Maddie's colouring and then searching the Broadwater for the Osprey Mike had spotted flying in this area earlier in the day. I wasn't so lucky but it was still good to see the pair of little egrets, our resident swan family, heron, coots and mallards.

The afternoon was spent brush cutting along the estate drystone wall by the A40 and East Belt. This was a continuation of the work from last week and we must be well over the 1000 yard mark now and there is still a fair amount to go. At least my skill levels are improving in this area although the mixture of  'old mans beard', low lying tree branches and brambles were quite challenging in the hot September temperatures!

Link to the NT blog on the Chedworth Archaeological work I joined a couple of weeks ago, this was day 12 showing much more than I was able to see at the time! If you have the inclination there are several blogs covering each stage of the 'dig', just follow 'the previous' link.

More bad news on the environment, this time on SSSI's

A long, long time ago

Earlier work reveals wall/room boundaries 

First break, most of concrete covering removed

Some finer troweling revealing 'Mike's wall' 

Quite a change from countryside work at Sherborne as Mike and I headed over to lend a hand to the archaeological dig, started on Monday, at the Chedworth Roman villa. On site was greeted by Martin and Nancy the archaeologists leading the activity and ably supported by a capable team of 'young' volunteers, that is until I arrived! A good deal of work had been carried out which had already revealed an impressive mosaic which had been re-covered with soil for protection, so I had to make do with a picture. It also had defined the 1700 year old room boundaries containing potential mosaics and the Roman walls. My first task as an 'archaeologist' was surprising since I had the opportunity to use a mattock, sledgehammer, metal bar and lump hammer, albeit with care, to remove a layer of concrete covering the  top of the room walls. It was here that I uncovered my first Tessara which was but one cube forming a part of the mosaic. Its fair to say the work was harder than I had anticipated given the removal &  loading of many buckets and wheel barrows with concrete followed by transporting the contents to a large skip.

However the real work was to follow with the painstaking clearing of soil & concrete to the level of the Roman stone walls using a trowel. This needed to be done carefully so as not to damage any Roman artifacts and was also under the close scrutiny of the public who were showing a keen interest in the 'dig'. I was pretty much occupied for the rest of the day on this work whilst others more experienced were either directed to work carefully on the top soil covering the room mosaics or on uncovering the top of the stone walls, a job Mike proved pretty effective at. All in all a worthwhile experience with an enthusiastic and friendly group of people. A good deal still needs to be done to reveal the secrets this dig contains after which it will be carefully covered up until such time a suitable cover can be constructed ala the existing  West Range cover building.

Good message on Badgers from the Wildlife Trusts but is this government listening, although there is a little more chance given the exit of Owen Patterson who clearly not only lost the plot but was never 'on plot'.

A worthy Celebration!

Sherborne's cygnets almost adult size now

Wednesday at Sherborne was spent at Lodge Park with some brush cutting, tree tidying and stone collection for the Cotswold wardens who were repairing a wall in the village. More importantly I got to get inside Lodge Park for the first time where Emily the Lodge manager was making final preparations for an exhibition showing part of Mike's impressive photographic images of the Sherborne estate where he has been working for over three decades!

Puts some of my photos of Sherborne to shame but I can't begrudge Mike's  well deserved place in this spotlight.  Even better the exhibition at Lodge Park {access available weekends through to 31August , includes bank holiday} provided an ideal setting to show off Mike's selection of photographs of the living landscape of the Sherborne Estate where he has made a serious contribution to its care over many years. He represents what I think is an all too scarce breed which quietly, modestly and diligently looks after our beleaguered countryside, which in Mike's case not only includes its 'flora and fauna', but also the community living within it. Talking of the great variety of fauna to be found in the estate one of the villagers was lucky enough to spot an Osprey {6 august } catching a trout in the Broadwater. It was no doubt on its way back to Africa and Sherborne was a handy stop on its lengthy journey.

Hard graft raking on the Cirencester flood protection bank

Today was out in Cirencester with the Wildlife Trust at the old Nursery site close to the river Churn. The main activities were raking up after the brush cutting/mowing by the Cirencester council staff, clearing the fence line at the entry to the site which runs along the Palladium Way and cleaning up the small stretch of the river Churn. Notable wildlife sightings were 3 frogs {which survived the brush cutting}, kestrels having a bit of a fight overhead, a kingfisher, trout and the unwelcome Signal crayfish. A good turnout on a pleasant day delivered a better than expected outcome for Will who led the days activities.

Worth selecting this particular Mark Avery blog on the long running Hen Harrier debacle.

Downtime for volunteer tasks but not the environment

Mirror image? as one gatekeeper about to land on another

Common blue female, Leckhampton

Common Blue, Sherborne Water Meadows

Quiet time on the NT and Wildlife Trust front at the moment but plenty still happening on environmental issues. Whilst hen harrier persecution provides a lot of attention {quite rightly} there are still many other issues bubbling under the surface e.g. Neonicotinoids is not 'going away'!, neither is Fracking, Fracking2 and a challenge from Wildlife Trust/RSPB.

Butterflies seem to be enjoying the hot summer, especially the 'blues' with more showing in my local hillsides and Sherborne than I have seen before.

'Tour de Water Meadows'

Ok no bicycle or mountains or the likely 'Tour de France' winner Nibali But it was hot and I was carrying binos and 2 cameras! No volunteer action this week as both our Dark Knight and 'head Ranger' were on the sick list.

Not much room to land

Barn owls, Sherborne water meadows 

Arty shot of Sherborne buzzard

Red Kite over the Water meadows

After a couple of trips recently to Symonds Yat to see the Peregrines, which provided some great displays but disappointing pictures, I thought a survey of the Sherborne Water  Meadows was in order. I was fully armed with 'kit' which was ok at the beginning, before the sun burnt through the early cloud, but took its toll later on. It was pretty quiet all the way down to the water meadows until I bumped into Sherborne's shepherd and his friendly sheep dog. Enjoyed an interesting conversation which included a view of how well water management is performing {possible scope here for me to get interested & knowledgeable parties together to move things forward} and also the shepherd's 'spot' of otters today {I went to see of they were still around but no luck today}. However on my way towards the 'tin barn' I spotted an adult hare and then two magnificent barn owls which I managed to get a couple of half decent photos of. I left the owls to some peace and quiet as I made my way towards the Windrush and the boundary between Sherborne and Windrush estates.

More wildlife was on show with excellent displays from Red Kites and Buzzards. Wandering alongside the Windrush lots of Peacocks on show with some Red Admirals as well. Joining the butterflies were an assortment of damselflies not all of which I could identify. Not so good was the presence of ragwort which also showed itself at the top end of Picardy. I slowly made my way along the fisherman path by the 'cooling' Windrush with not much wildlife on show.  I eventually reached the bridge at the far end of Birch copse and headed back towards Century wood  & Northfield barn car park. Was pleased to see 50+ lapwing on the main pasture alongside the sheep which were clearly in relaxed mode {lying down} given the heat. So not a bad visit which ended with a quick look around the Broadwater which was fairly quiet with a couple of herons & the swan family on show.

A meaningful agenda

Bat cave compound, bit of a jungle 

A little busy of late so a brief summary of July thus far. Started this years renovation work in the Sherborne bat winter roost aka 'the bat cave'. Morris directing on this with Mike as support engineer and me on security duty. On reaching the entry to the 'compound' ( in which is located the bat cave) with heavy bags of building clamps we were faced with a wall of vegetation. So it was a good job Mike had the brush cutter although it was a tough going to find the path through. It proved to be a hot and sticky session for me outside but good progress made in cooler conditions inside on construction.

Young oak, minus tree guard

This week was to be a continuation of construction in the bat cave but sadly Morris was sick so it was back on tree guard construction. So fully tooled up we set off with tractor and 4x4 with trailer to the previous site below Crookmoor Ash. Was glad I was following Mike in the tractor as he discovered some soft wet ground which I probably would have got stuck in. Turned out that there was an underground leak in a mains water pipe in the pasture we were working in. The old tree guards we were replacing today were pretty badly damaged but fortunately the oak trees they were meant to protect were in good condition. On the Broadwater today the swan family were all in good health ,although the adult male was absent on a visit above the weir, a pair of small egrets were on show along with the usual herons. On my return to the estate offices I also came across a large grass snake, not sure who was more surprised.

Martin Harper with an environment agenda of worth.

Who lives in a place like this?

First stage: with stakes embedded and facines in place

Completed with 'dog' access, Andy fine tuning

Monday was spent with the Wildlife Trust at Hyde Mill, Nether Swell. Was pleased to get the opportunity, so soon,  to practice the Plant id work carried out with Richard 2 weeks ago.  Initially however the challenge of river bank revetment/restoration work beckoned on the river Dikler near Hyde Mill. This was to be a similar construction approach carried out at Greystones where I helped last year in the creation of the 'facines' a key component of the bank revetment work. Lots of volunteers turned out today for this work plus the additional  task at Slaughter farm to finish off the kingfisher box. Nick, Mandy and Paul volunteered for the Slaughter farm task but more on that later! Leading the day required Will, Richard and John who gave us all a chance at 2 out of the 3 tasks on offer.  Of the volunteers, at Hyde Mill, Will led one team on the 'plant Id' in the adjacent meadow {followed by the Hyde Mill house garden/meadow} whilst I was with the team Richard led, to start the revetment work. Its interesting to know in this case that the bank erosion has been mainly caused by enthusiastic dogs who {with owners} frequently visit this part of the Dikler, as it lies on 'several' main walking routes in this picturesque area of the Cotswolds.  In order that the work is effective in restoring the river bank and erosion isn't moved further down the river a dog access was added to the construction 'blueprint'.  Had a lot of fun honing my sledgehammer skills on the stakes which would secure the facines and managed to avoid injuring anyone especially Richard!. Everyone had a role to play and with waders we all managed to cool off in the cool waters of the Dikler, which had a healthy population of small fish and perch. At lunch time John and the Slaughter farm team joined us with 'Mandy and Paul' looking pretty muddy & wet having misjudged their route in the deep waters of the Windrush where the Kingfisher box was sited.

One last check, Paul showing off his muddy morning exploits

I spent the remainder of the day with the 'plant ID' team, which included Nick, Mandy and Paul, with Will leading whilst John led the remaining volunteers in completing the revetment work.  The owner of Hyde Mill and surrounding estate, Hugh Tollemache, who also is on the Wildlife trust board, has certainly embraced  water meadows conservation {see here if u want ure own meadow}. He has recorded approaching 150 plant species which includes several types of orchid. Needless to say we identified a good deal less on the day but it was certainly a step up in diversity from any meadow I have visited recently.

Our 'host' with a Soay lamb to be reunited with the herd

Bee Orchid in Hyde Mill garden meadow

Pyramid Orchid in Coronation meadow

Scabious, popular with butterflies and moths