Gosh, I wrote quite a lot about last week. Thanks if you read it.
My second week as a Conservation Trainee (CT) with BBOWT was the standard three day week, all 9-5 and a lot more manual work this time.
Tuesday.
A slight change in the scheduling due to staff sickness, today we set about installing three 'dragons teeth' fence posts in the car park by the Control Tower on Greenham Common. Recently time has been spent improving the entrances to the common and today we set about closing off one of the green spaces. Digging down two foot to insert four foot poles into the ground sounds easy, but the second and third holes were so hard to even get going! Very solid, hard packed flint, almost impossible to dig manually. Finally we got down to the correct depth and were able to cement the posts in, then fill back in the hole with dirt, but what should have taken an hour? took nearly two and half.
I left it too late to put my gloves on and now have two monster blisters on my left palm. Wont make that mistake again!?!
As we were finishing the morning's work it started to rain. This was forecast, so we decided to do the posts in the morning and a woodland survey in the afternoon. In theory and reality this was the right choice, but it was hard to stay chirpy when I was soaked to my pants and more!
Wednesday - Volunteer Day.
Every Wednesday, a number of local and not so local people give up their time to help out on Greenham Common, or where ever the venue is that week. This was my first session with them and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most people were local but some had travelled from as far as Winchester to get involved.
Another manual day, we set about removing dead wood, clearing large logs used to separate verge and car park and level off areas where trees had recently been felled, at the Pyle Hill entrance to the common. Another area where the car park is being improved.
Under one of the large logs we found seven toads, hiding away in the mulch. These were located to a new, similar place on the common. My first wildlife handling session of my placement.
Yesterday we fitted dragons teeth, today we removed one. Another laborious task that took ages! These posts definitely weren't meant to come out in a hurry! The banter and work effort among the volunteers was good and it wasn't going to beat us! Eventually it came out, as did a large amount of large trees routes under the surface. My blisters from yesterday didn't appreciate the work and I broke through another layer of skin, despite wearing gloves this time... D'oh!
Removing an old 'dragons tooth'
Nice to have a chat with the Greenham PCSOs whilst we were working on the car park. Definitely a degree of overlap in the jobs, which is a good thing.
In the afternoon we fitted a footpath sign at the same entrance, again more tree routes to break through and remove, and then fitted some new fencing around the Fire Plane. Removing the old and broken chestnut fencing. A tiring but good day. Used muscles I didn't know I had!
New fencing around the fire plane.
Thursday.
Woodland Survey Day. We flew solo (as a group of CTs) today and carried out two woodland surveys in Bowdown Woods. Much more dense than the area we had been doing near the Greenham Business Park, Bowdown is much more overgrown, harder to navigate and takes longer to do the 10x square areas (within our set area).
Pleasingly I'm starting to get a few wild flowers right, Ground Ivy, Wood Sorrel and Germander Speedwell etc. Still a bloody long way to go! But a few more learned like Garlic Mustard and Wood Sage. I really appreciate those that know, putting up with my lack of knowledge
Whilst surveying Bowdown I was shown a massive pair of beech trees, probably the biggest I've ever seen. The photo doesn't really do it justice.
A massive Beech tree next to a small Burch (badoom boom chish)!
Common spotted orchid and wood sage.
The surveying took most of the day, surprisingly, but we did have time to fill in a large hole that had appeared on the site of the old runway. Stones removed from the fire plane pit were placed in and soil put over. And that completed the second week. A very different week to the first, but equally as enjoyable / rewarding, apart from Wednesday's monsoon, but a pair of waterproof trousers are now on the shopping list.
On Friday I joined in with my old work's Walk for Health on Greenham Common, as it was the last one and we were in Newbury anyway for a BBQ at lunchtime. It was half term so the kids came too.
Nice to see everyone and point out a few things I'd been working on, with my old colleagues.
