In the face of adversity

Cheltenham lodges, conservation changes afoot

No problems with the current weather, close to perfection for outdoor working. So arriving at Sherborne this morning energy levels were high which was just as well since a long list of tasks was presented by Mike to fill the sunny day! What Mike failed to mention was his run of unforeseen problems beginning on Monday. So not surprisingly this seemed to continue today with the tractors front tyre flat and all three batteries for the drill flat. This was rapidly followed by discovering the drill bit for enabling easier screwing was missing. Now some of this is just bad luck but some of it is down to sharing resources which depends on those sharing acting responsibly with the loaned kit!

In spite of such adversity plus a bit of 'ranger' adaptability we did complete some useful work in the morning. This involved renovation work for the Bothy bat roost and now the roost has the appropriate light {i.e. its dark with window now covered} , air flow & entry {suitable hole cut into door}  and security {bolt and lock attached to door}. In addition Mike managed to get ATS out to repair the tractor tyre but not before we had the chance to try out the new compressor. Who says men can't multiplex since Mike also had another contractor out to clear a blocked pipe feeding one of the tenant farmers water troughs. This contractor of course arrived at the same time we were handling the other tasks. Unfortunately it seems the pipe diameter was too small to fit the equipment {a bit of surprise!} so this work will have to wait until after Easter. A busy morning albeit not all on the original task list.

Still a little quiet bird wise on the Broadwater but a pair of coots were proudly showing off their 6 chicks, a moorhen put in an appearance, a healthy number of trout were visible which explains the early morning heron, in one of the pools down by the Boathouse lots of tadpoles, a Muntjac, usual tufted ducks & mallards,  pair canada geese, resident swans attending their nest and a greater spotted woodpecker in one of the large oaks.

Given the tractor was good to go we spent the afternoon up at Cheltenham Lodges where we were to help restore the front of the 'Sherborne estate entrance' to the conservation guidelines. This involved removing a number of fence posts, removing a sizeable hawthorn/shrubs and some very large stones. So some of this was down to my cutting skills and for the heavy stuff Mike with tractor {plus Maddie}.  I ended the day by loading the 4x4 trailer with cord wood from the nearby west belt whilst Mike with tractor trailer deposited the stones and shrubs. So despite a number of setbacks a constructive day although the planned work down in the water meadows will have to be squeezed in another day!

More good stuff from Martin Harper concerning raptors and gamekeepers.