This is a newly planted forest and meadow, created about a couple of
years ago and linking the habitat together with Pickering Meadow Nature
Reserve which is owned and run by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.
Some of the tasks for the day
The main task of the day was to check trees that had been planted last year
but had not succeeded and planting new whips instead or sometime by lowering
the whip that was already in place and giving them a stronger hold.
Rather pain free you may think? but oh no! The soil is heavy clay and
rather hard work even to plant a pencil size tree whip! But the
hardest workers were on the job and these people were: Linda,
Lucy, Shirley, Gill, Julie, Jonathan, Niamh, Richard and of course yours
truly!
And for some of the hardcore workers like Michael and Ian, where their
primary task was to dig poll holes using an auger but still hard work I
reckon but then again not as hard as digging a trenches which is what they
went on to do after lunch!
Of course it was all hard work and no play
Tea break with choccie biscuits helped to overcome the cold and miserable
weather and we were very well treated by the Trust who supplied us with a
gazebo (which it the way forward) therefore we stayed dry during rest time
and lunch time. There was a great deal of debate on whether the group
should get one of these but it was impossible to finalise whether we should
get a tent or just a mobile home... So please comment if you have strong
views on what the group should be getting in order to keep us dry during our
tea break.
In the afternoon
While some of the guys carried on planting trees, and others were digging a
trench, some of us went on to build an hibernacula for newts. Yes,
clearly this was one of the more technical work the group has had to do so
far.... it comprised a pile of rubble of divers elements (bricks, concrete,
pipes and other broken building materials) and covered with turf (ie: mud)
but we were very much into the project and very keen to make sure that our
own housing problem would not be encountered by our future residents.. Good
insulation, warmth, good emergency exit etc..
Delphine
