The first volunteer morning took place a week later than our normal due to the New Year festivities. The 2nd Sunday in January saw an excellent turnout of both Westcombe Woodlands’ committee members and volunteers. Perhaps the rather mild and calm weather persuaded people to get their boots on!
Wildlife speaking, we are in the middle of winter, but it’s the perfect time to inspect, clean, make new bird boxes and repair the existing ones. There are several dotted around the woodland and as you can see, they are being used. The delicate nests, made with a mixture of moss, twigs and small leaves are an incredible construction.
Using our ladders we inspected the boxes and recorded any activity. Some bird boxes had eggs inside which must have failed to hatch. Once cleaned, they are now ready for warmer times.
The pond is now full again. We have recently constructed a tarpaulin which will direct rainfall towards the pond, hopefully keeping the water levels topped up. Later this year, hedge plants could be planted around it to provide new wildlife habitats.
Additional maintenance tasks will include step repairs and step construction to make the more central parts of the woodland a little more accessible. Only holly berries and ivy flowers are present at the moment, but already bluebells are emerging, a sure sign of warmer and brighter days ahead.
