Volunteering session March 9th

Here is Jonathan’s message

Hello All,

The Fairfield Saturday volunteering session on Saturday, March 9th will be
devoted to hedge planting around Pony Wood. As there is a lot to do we
will meet at 9.30am at the Storage Building rather than the usual 10.00.
If 9.30 is a bit early please head straight on to Pony Wood whenever you
can.

The contractors have almost finished their work in the wood so we can now
continue the hedge we started last year.
The Woodlands Trust are kindly supplying 1450 hedge saplings under their
moreHEDGES scheme at very advantageous terms for the FA.

If there is sufficient interest we will have a second session after lunch.
Planting will continue the following Wednesday (13th), with the Work Group
meeting at 9.30am as usual.

Hedge planting is a fairly simple process and full instruction will be
given so there’s no need to be put off by lack of experience. If you have
a favourite spade in your own personal spade collection please bring it
along to avoid the possibility of a shortage.

So please do come along, admire our new path and its glorious views and
make a contribution to the area you’ll be able to enjoy for years to come.

If you have any queries Ian is waiting to take your call on 07811 970 595
and/or sysaf123@gmail.com .

Best wishes,
Jonathan.

West Field pond – 3 years apart

81DDC10F-8565-44FC-A866-27901014B273 11153305-34A0-4233-890D-904BFB6B44C1this morning when walking the dog I took a photo of the pond (not something I usually do!). Then later I logged on to Facebook and it showed me ‘memories’ from Feb 11th. By bizarre coincidence 3 years ago I took and posted a photo of the pond!

Photos attached. The pink sky one was today, the other Feb 11 2016

Fresh Kill….and Sleeping Snipe

Walking round today on a sunny February afternoon we saw teal and redshank on West Field Scrape, the usual linnets and a sparrow hawk flying across Flora Field to Pony Wood. Then along the Orchard path a flurry of wings, scattered feathers the half eaten remains of a pigeon in the hedge and the sparrow hawk flying off across Big Meadow. Heard the Fauna Stones greenfinches and finally spotted this snipe hunkered down near a patch of rush in the middle of School Pond


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February Flush Count

Finally a cold spell of weather, although the temperature for the count itself was relatively mild. Today’s tally was the best so far this season, but we’re still not seeing the ‘usual’ numbers of snipe. There were 48 counted in total (one a jack). The split between fields was 6 in the Hay Meadow, 5 in Upper Sowerholme, 7 in School Pond and 30 in Big Meadow.

Also in Upper Sowerholme was a hen pheasant and 9 teal swimming on the pond (probably part of the group of 14 noted earlier in the morning in West Field). There was a very active brown hare, dashing around in Big Meadow and then back and forth along the skyline in the LGGS Field.

West Field Scrape

The day after our contractor excavated the leakage from the scrape in West Field it is holding water to form a spreading shallow pool. In the late afternoon sun we saw: herring gulls, crows, starlings, 6 – 7 redshank and a redwing probing the margins.


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