Monthly Archives: September 2014

One Small Step for Dogs

Posted on September 29, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

On Thursday 25th Melvyn, Tony and Andrew joined me at Blackwater Meadows to help build some dog steps down into the river, which was a first for all of us!  There was a section on a narrow bit of path … Continue reading →

Posted in Access, BV path, River, Volunteers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Jazzy caterpillar at Southwood

Posted on September 29, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

On the Southwood task yesterday we spotted a dazzling caterpillar of the pale tussock moth. The tuft of red hairs on the tail and garish colours help distract predators. It’s best not to handle these caterpillars as the hairs are … Continue reading →

Posted in Southwood Woodland, Wildlife | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Student comments

Posted on September 25, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

Feedback from Chris, one of our recent students; “I wanted to thank you for your time and guidance during my recent work experience, it was interesting to see how you organise and get through the workload.  I particularly enjoyed the training … Continue reading →

Posted in Volunteers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dragons spotted at Hawley Meadows

Posted on September 22, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

The River Blackwater today was teeming with dragonflies, mostly red common darters and the larger migrant hawkers. The blue dots on a dark abdomen of the male migrant hawker make is easy to recognise. I was pleased when a tame male posed on some … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Hawley Meadow, River, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Staff shenanigans at Swan Lake

Posted on September 18, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

Today Laura and I tackled several jobs at Swan Lake Park in Yateley. Armed with her chainsaw Laura felled a birch tree that was leaning over the bridge, while I secured the top branches to the bridge to stop it … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Swan Lake Park | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Roving wildlife in Royal Oak Valley

Posted on September 18, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

On Tuesday the volunteers descended on Yateley to help the Hart Rangers; Rachel, Adam and Nick. Whilst Tony Elston set to work hay cutting the wet meadow, we cut back the paths and dug out the stream to reduce flooding … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Volunteers, Wildlife | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Racing to mend corral at Hawley Meadows

Posted on September 12, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

Last week Laura took Mike, Chris and I out to Hawley Meadows to replace two broken gates on the corral. The gates fit in the enclosure at either end of the race, which form a narrow corridor to help separate and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Hawley Meadow, Volunteers | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Firewood for sale

Posted on September 4, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

FIREWOOD FOR SALE As a by product of woodland and tree management work the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust has a quantity of firewood for sale. The wood has been cut to approx. 25 to 30 cm long. Although reasonable efforts … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, General Information | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Hunting lesser-spotted volunteers on Grove Lake

Posted on September 3, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

Yesterday the volunteer collective trundled off to Moor Green Lakes where we tackled several jobs around Grove Lake. Binoculars proved invaluable trying to hunt a lesser-spotted Geoff and Peter, who helped clear a circumnavigation of the lake for access of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Moor Green Lakes, Volunteers, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Grant’s Moor Appears!

Posted on September 2, 2014 by blackwatervalleycountryside

The area of land known as Grants Moor, which lies between the railway line and the A331 from Farnborough Gate to Farnborough North Station, is being managed to enhance its wildlife value. Part of this work was the planting of … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Volunteers, Wildlife | Tagged , , | Leave a comment