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WORK,
SURVEYS, VISITS AND EVENTS
2005-2006
This page
contains a selection of reports and photos from group
workdays, conservation work and surveys on Brook Meadow,
plus school visits and various other events organised by
the Brook Meadow Conservation Group for 2005 (August
onwards) and 2006.
The
photos have been compressed and reduced in size to make
them suitable for downloading, with a 100KB limit.
The events are arranged in reverse chronological order,
ie the most recent ones are at the top.
To see
the photos click the blue
underlined links below
and use your back button to get back to this
page.
. . .
Work
sessions - Thursday 7 December and Sunday 17
December
A group of 10 volunteers
turned up on a wet and windy morning for the work session
on Thursday 7 December. Despite the poor weather, the
group soon set to and cut and raked an area of about 100
m2 in the North Meadow to prepare it for sowing Yellow
Rattle seeds. This is being done to try to reduce the
vigour of the coarse grasses in this area since Yellow
Rattle is parasitic on grass roots. The seeds have to be
sown at this time of year because they need to be frosted
in order to germinate. In fact I kept the packet of seeds
in my freezer for a few days before sowing. We have only
sown about half the amount of seeds because the soil was
very wet. Other tasks included removing some overhanging
branches of a fallen Willow tree, carrying out a general
litter pick of Palmers Road copse and clearing debris in
the river.
The last work session for
this year on Sunday 17 December was not so well attended
with only five women (Frances, Pam, Jil, Barbara and
Penny) being tempted by the mulled wine and mince pies
kindly provided by Penny Aylett. It was a glorious sunny
morning and the five volunteers soon carried out the
following work: we removed the protective collars from
round the Rowans and Alder Buckthorns. This was done on
advice given by Jon Stokes of the Tree Council.
Apparently the collars can do more harm than good if left
on too long since they provide a sort of microclimate
which coddles the tree and can also harbour all sorts of
pests and diseases. The young trees were then tied to the
wooden stakes with recycled tights! The Rowans were then
given a good mulching. Several other young trees; Oaks,
Aspen and Yew were cleared of rank vegetation and also
mulched.
Workday
- Jil and Barbara mulching the Rowans -
17.12.06
Workday
- Penny and Pam hauling a sack of mulchings -
17.12.06
Tasks for the next
work sessions to include:
· Mulch round Alder
Buckthorn saplings
· Plant one Oak and
three Osier saplings
· Strim round the
signcases, bins and seat
· Litter picking,
especially in Palmers Road copse
· Finish sowing
Yellow Rattle
Next work sessions are
on: Thursday 4 and Sunday 21 January 2007. Meet at the
Lumley gate at 10am. Tools and gloves are provided.
Everybody is welcome.
Work
session - Sunday 19 November
We completed the
following mainly Tree Care tasks: Cleared and mulched the
Hawthorn hedge, removed an overhanging Willow branch and
pruned the Hawthorns; Cut round and/or strimmed the area
round the Rowans, Black Poplars and Alder Buckthorns; Cut
the occasional paths in the South Meadow; Marked the
recently planted Horse Chestnuts with sticks; Cleared up
the mess left at the Seagull Lane entrance after 'drain
clearance' work and fly tipping of garden rubbish
Workday
- Clearing the Alder Buckthorn - 19.11.06
Workday
- Dave clearing around an Ash sapling -
19.11.06
Workday
- Graham using the power scythe - 19.11.06
Workday
- Group of volunteers taking a break -
19.11.06
Workday
- Group photo in sunshine during coffee break -
19.11.06
Workday
- Pat and Jill at the end of the session -
19.11.06
Workday
- Pat clearing around the Rowan saplings -
19.11.06
Workday
- Wally strimming around the Alder Buckthorn -
19.11.06
HWT
Watch group visit - Saturday 11 November
A group of 6 children and
7 adults (including the 2 Watch group leaders Sally and
Sue) carried out conservation work in Brook Meadow. The
group comes to Brook Meadow twice a year in the spring
and autumn. The group was supervised and helped by 4
members of the BMCG committee (Frances, Pam, Pat and
Graham) and carried out the following tasks: Cut and
cleared the sedge area north of the Causeway. Cut and
cleared the area to the east of the Hawthorn hedge in the
North Meadow. Planted 3 Horse Chestnut saplings on the
eastern side of the South Meadow Litter picked the area
around the South bridge.
Work
session Thursday 2 November
An amazing 13 volunteers
turned up on a cold but sunny morning. With such a
willing and able work force, we managed to complete the
following tasks:
1. Build a willow hurdle
on the riverbank near the sluice to restrict access by
dogs to the river at this point
2. Put up chicken wire
along the Water Vole fence on the opposite side of the
river to restrict access
3. Cut and cleared the SE
corner of the South Meadow
4. Cut and cleared an
area of rank vegetation on the north eastern side of the
South Meadow in preparation for planting Horse Chestnut
saplings by the HWT Watch group on 11
November.
Photos
taken during the work session by Brian Fellows
The
work group getting their instructions -
02.11.06
Volunteers
moving Willow twigs for river bank hurdle -
02.11.06
Jennifer
on the power scythe followed by raking team -
02.11.06
"and
off to work we go" - 02.11.06
Building
the willow hurdle on the river bank -
02.11.06
Tony
doing some Willow weaving - 02.11.06
Wally
and Dave working on the willow hurdle -
02.11.06
Putting
the finishing touches to the willow hurdle -
02.11.06
Volunteer
clearing in the south meadow - 02.11.06
Frances
cutting the south east corner of the south meadow -
02.11.06
"That's
the way to Amirillo" - 02.11.06
Visit
from Northern Parade School - Friday 7 July
2006
Children, parents and
teachers fom Northern Parade School, Portsmouth, paid
their annual visit to Brook Meadow this morning. There
were a few spots of rain, but conditions were generally
fine. As usual a variety of educational and fun
activities had been organised, including a nature trail,
grass identification, pooh sticks, mini-beast hunt, and
wishing stars. One child found an exceptionally long
Timothy panicle of about 20cm. Here are a selection of
the photos taken on the day.
The
school group - 07.07.06
David
puzzling over an insect - 07.07.06
Hunting
for mini-beasts in the meadow - 07.07.06
One
insect under close examination - 07.07.06
Pat
serves drinks - 07.07.06
Checking
grasses with the examples on the table -
07.07.06
A
young lady with her collection of grasses -
07.07.06
Collecting
grasses on the meadow - 07.07.06
Young
lady with a huge sample of Timothy -
07.07.06
Children
and parents on the nature trail - 07.07.06
Children
and parents on nature trail - 07.07.06
Frances
checking the nature trail answers -
07.07.06
Wally
checking the nature trail answers -
07.07.06
Jil
helping children to create their wishing stars -
07.07.06
Putting
stars on the wishing tree - 07.07.06
Report
on work session - Thursday 25 May 2006
Today's work session was
arranged because we had to cancel the work session
arranged for last Sunday due to rain. The morning started
off with showers but the weather soon cleared up for the
six volunteers (Frances, Richard, Wally, Pat, Graham and
Pam). The main task was to cut the occasional paths in
the south and central meadow which had become very
overgrown due to the wet and windy weather. This path
clearance included removing Hemlock Water-dropwort plants
from the edges of the paths. The other task was to clear
round the Alder Buckthorns near the causeway. We also cut
the vegetation from around the signcases.
The next work session is
on Thursday 1 June, 10am when we hope to start clearing
the Seagull Lane entrance round the kissing gate in
preparation for planting hedgerow trees along the new
fence.
The edges of the main
paths will be strimmed by council workmen next Wednesday
31 May. Frances will meet Nick Hammond and his team to
ensure that certain plants like Comfrey and Butterbur are
not cut down.
Report by Frances
Jannaway.
The
new Lumley fence finished - 27.05.06
Workday
- 25.05.06
Workday
- 24.05.06
Workday
- 24.05.06
May
Day Event in Brook Meadow - 1 May 2006
It was pouring with rain
at 8am when a large group of volunteers started putting
up the marquee and gazebos. By the time everything was
nearly set up and Debbie Robinson had decorated the
entrances with 200 bunches of coloured ribbon, the rain
had cleared and the sun came out.
This year's event was
larger than previous years because it was a joint
community effort between BMCG, the Emsworth Business
Association, Emsworth Residents Association, Emsworth
Horticultural Society and Havant Rotary. The event took
place in Brook Meadow and in Palmers Road car
park.
As expected, the numbers
of people coming into Brook Meadow were certainly up on
last year, with 1,083 stickers issued (including the 71
when Tony ran out!). This does not include those people
coming in at other entrances. So I estimate the numbers
must have been well over 1,100 people. Thanks to Ann
Davies, Debi Saunders and Tony Wilkinson for manning the
entrance under the tide of incoming visitors.
The all-day activities
organised in Brook Meadow were very popular. Both the
Willow Weaving (Ganesh Kings) and May Day Crown (Jo
Tester) workshops were more or less fully booked with 108
people booking in throughout the day. The nature hunt and
trail were also very popular, with more than 70 people
doing either or both. Pam and Debi worked very hard to
keep up with the sudden waves of children and adults
wanting to do the trail and hunt and then checking their
answers when they returned. In addition, 11 new members
joined BMCG plus two renewals, bringing the total
membership to: 386. There was a lot of interest in the
Field Studies Council ID cards with Mary Colbourne
selling 21. The wishing stars were more popular than
ever. Thanks to helpers from Friends of Nore Barn Woods
for manning this activity in the morning. And to Elaine
Clarke (Arts Coordinator at HBC) and her mum for helping
out with refreshments and then wishing stars. I don't
know what we would have done without you! Thanks also to
Penny Aylett who helped with refreshments despite having
a bad back.
Meanwhile in Palmers Road
car park, other all-day activities were going on
including a Sow-a-Seed and herb stall (Emsworth
Horticultural Society), EBA marquee with the Railway Inn
serving non alcoholic beer and wine, Le Petit Pain
selling cakes and rolls and other snacks, Emsworth
Morning WI selling cakes (sold out of by 2pm), Emsworth
Food Festival, and Emsworth First Responders who raised
more than £100. In addition, Havant Rotary had a
caravan selling tea and coffee. Several of their members
also helped unloading and loading equipment onto the site
and Trevor Nightingale provided invaluable help by
lending us his van to pick up chairs and tables we had
hired from the Community Association. Thanks to Richard
Galloway for organising and helping with this.
Wickham Morris and others
including a Breton Dance group on a tour round South
Hampshire were the main attraction in the car park from
12.30 to 1.30. The Morris Dancers got lots of the
audience dancing too. This very successful event was
followed later on in the afternoon by a youth percussion
band 'Tuned N Trashed', playing on instruments made from
recycled materials. Charlie Fletcher who lives in
Emsworth did a fantastic job to get the band to give
their first public performance after only 5 weeks since
they were set up by Music Fusion.
The afternoon
entertainment started in Brook Meadow at 1.30pm with
Jonathon Huet's May Day stories which kept a large
audience spellbound. This was followed by Maypole dancing
by the 4th Emsworth Brownie pack led by Amanda Southall
which attracted an incredible number of people. As did
the Circle Dancing led by Claire Wilton of Chichester.
Both dance groups were very professionally accompanied by
Two in Accord, accordion players from Worthing. With
Maurice Thomas on flute accompanying the accordion
players for the circle dancing.
Thanks to all those who
helped to make this such a successful community event to
celebrate May Day and the return of summer!
Report by Frances
Jannaway -
PHOTOS
mayday-06-bretondancers
mayday-06-maypole
mayday-06-nature-hunt
mayday-06-naturetrail
mayday-06-sign-decorated
mayday-06-storyteller
mayday-06-tuned-trashed-band
mayday-06-village
mayday-06-wishing
tree
mayday-06-woodcarving
Appreciation
from Brendan Gibb-Gray
"On behalf of the
Emsworth Business Association [EBA] I would like
to congratulate Frances and her team for the wonderful
event on Brook Meadow and Palmers Road Car Park-lots of
time and trouble went into the planning and execution and
I think the increased numbers of residents and visitors
who attended is a testimony to the day's growing
popularity! The day started with heavy rain and the
occasional gusts of wind that did play havoc with the
tents and awnings but right on cue the sun came out and
helped to make it an memorable occasion for children of
all ages! Thank you all for your commitment to Brook
Meadow and the wider community of this special
place."
Workday
- 27 April 2006
An extra workday was
fitted in to titivate the Meadow ready for the Mayday
event. The weather was kind, Wally, Richard, Frances,
Pam, Penny, Graham, Pat and Jennifer made everywhere tidy
and welcoming. We cleared the river (again!) and were
lucky to coincide with the Environment Agency 'manuals',
so got them to clear some of the larger logs from the
river which were too big for us to handle, and roll them
far enough away from the banks so that hopefully they
won't end up back in it again. They also cleared one
fallen willow that has been obstructing the stream for
some weeks, but failed to do the other one.
The grass areas in the
north meadow were cut again, to prepare for displays, and
general litter-picking, dog-poo clearing and potential
trip holes were attended to. As we had some time left
over from all that, we also cleared around the newly
planted alder buckthorns and the rowans, since spring
growth is really in full swing now. The usual first
Thursday work session for May 4th is cancelled, as so
many people are away.
A peacock butterfly was
spotted in the south meadow early in the morning when the
sun was out; however by the time we came to do another
training session for butterfly transect volunteers at
midday, grey skies had reasserted themselves and we did
not see any. However, the route and instructions are now
clear to a further 3 committee members, who will join the
rota. If anyone else wants to join in this valuable work
of noting species, contact Wally Osborne, who is
co-ordinating our contribution to the national watch.
Report by Jennifer Rye
Work
Session - Sunday 16 April
Seven volunteers
(Pat, Graham, Pam Philips, Pam Picknett, Richard, Pauline
Warrington and Frances) turned up on a rather cloudy but
warm Sunday morning. Pat was the work session leader and
Graham did the risk assessment and tools
check.
The following tasks were
carried out:
a) cut and raked the
'community' area in preparation for the May Day
event
b) cut the path alongside
the Blackberry hedge
c) cut and removed part
of the Bramble patch just south of the
Causeway
d) cut and removed more
of the Bramble hedge on Seagull Lane patch in preparation
for planting the memorial Oak.
It was noted that HBC
have completed 2 sections of fencing along the Seagull
Lane footpath. This entrance still has to be finished off
with more path gravel (HBC) and the area round the first
section of fencing needs to be cleared of rubble and
possibly planting some hedgerow trees and
shrubs.
Jennifer drew our
attention to the fact that a couple of dams had been
built across the River Ems in Palmers Road copse, one of
which Jennifer was able to remove on her own. It was
decided to remove the second one after the Easter
holiday. Pat also noted that there was an awful lot of
litter in Palmers Road copse. This is particularly
exasperating since Pat had a big clear up in that area
only a few weeks ago.
Photo
workday - 16.04.06
Photo
workday - 16.04.06
An extra work session is
planned for Thursday 27 April to enable us to make final
preparations for the May Day event.
Report and photos by
Frances Jannaway
Workday
- Thursday April 6
A lovely sunny morning
for our workday on April 6th though the wind still had an
edge to it. As only Pam and myself were there, we managed
just to cut the area in the North meadow wanted for the
May Day jollifications, and rake up and remove the grass
cuttings. We entertained Ted to coffee on the bench as he
went past, and then tackled the clearance of the young
oak tree from its covering of brambles, and felt quite
pleased with ourselves for achieving it. The power scythe
proved its worth, and I felt increasingly confident in
using it. Fred Portwin was very helpful in starting it,
and putting it away afterwards. He reports having seen
water voles twice yesterday in the Ems, is this the first
sighting of the year?
Report by Jennifer Rye
Saturday
25 March - 'Signs of Spring' activity for Southbourne Sea
Scouts
A group of 30 Sea Scouts
aged 8-10 years old and 5 scout leaders visited Brook
Meadow on Saturday 25 March. The Signs of Spring activity
was organised by Jennifer and Frances. Jennifer gave a
brief introduction including history, conservation
practice and meadow manners. This was followed by a
guided walk round Palmers Road copse to see how many
'Signs of Spring' we could find. Maps of Brook Meadow,
twig and flower ID sheets and a list of 'signs of spring'
to find were given to each of the five groups of scouts
plus leader.
Scout
group preparing for their spring watch activity on Brook
Meadow - 25.03.06
The signs of spring the
sea scouts saw included:
· bud burst, e.g.
Elder, Weeping Willow, Goat (pussy) Willow, Sycamore,
Ash
· first flower e.g.
Lesser Celandine, Butterbur, Hazel and Alder
catkins
· insects coming out
of hibernation, such as bumblebees
· increased bird
activity such as pairing, nest building and bird
song.
The milder weather
brought out the flowers of the plum tree on the central
causeway and several scouts saw bumblebees but it was too
cold and cloudy for butterflies. Three dead frogs were
seen at the Lumley gate entrance. It looked as if they
had been run over by a car.
Report by Frances
Jannaway
'SCOOP
YOUR DOG'S POOP' POSTER COMPETITION
Ø Many people walk
their dogs in Brook Meadow, but many children also use
the meadow as an 'outdoor classroom' and a play
area.
Ø Most dog walkers
clear up after their dogs, but a few do not. This is
particularly bad when children using the meadow get
affected.
Ø The Brook Meadow
Conservation Group held a competition at local schools to
design a poster encouraging dog walkers to clean up after
their dogs. St James Primary School pupils responded
magnificently by sending in lots of entries.
Ø One of the
winning posters will be displayed in each of the three
signcases on Brook Meadow.
Ø Plea to dog
owners: Please take notice of this advice and 'Scoop Your
Dog's Poop'. And use the special 'doggy bins' provided at
all 3 entrances to Brook Meadow.
Prizewinners
of the "Scoop your dog's poop" poster competition poster
from St James Primary School - 21.03.06
Sunday
19th March 2006 - Group Workday
A fine sunny morning but
with that persistent east wind still blowing, greeted the
6 volunteers - Pam, Penny, Frances, Pat, Graham and
Wally.
We decided to rebuild
part of the 'dead hedge' down below the Palmers Road CP
bottle bank, which had been dismantled by persons
unknown. We created this barrier to prevent public access
to the west bank of the river, where there are many Water
Vole burrows. Whilst in that area, we completed a major
litter pick exercise in the copse.
Graham re-erected the
leaflet box on the south gate signcase using a new
mounting system, hopefully more vandal proof.
Another job was to mark
out the site of the planned memorial Oak tree on the
Seagull Lane patch, cutting back some of the brambles as
needed and we removed an elaborate 'stepping stone
bridge' across the river behind the Bedrock Engineering
Industrial unit.
Slecting
a site for the memorial Oak at the Seagull Lane entrance
- 19.03.06
Clearing
the river during workday - 19.03.06
Report by Wally
Osborne
Saturday
2 March - Recorders' Forum
On Saturday, March 4th,
Frances and Jennifer attended the annual Hampshire
Biodiversity Information Centre meeting at Testwood
lakes, a recorders' forum, at which local groups were
invited to share their experiences. The morning was given
to more or less professional people, with reports on
Mammal, Moths, and grasshopper, crickets and their
allies, recording, and an account of the Brent Goose
Strategy. A good buffet lunch was available, and a chance
to study the displays mounted by various conservation
groups. Frances gave a presentation describing the work
of the Brook Meadow group, which was well received. The
whole emphasis of the day was on the important part
played by amateurs and relatively unskilled enthusiasts,
in the vital work of species observation and
recording.
Report by Jennifer
Rye
Thursday
2 March 2006 - Workday
It was a very frosty but
lovely morning for the 6 volunteers (Wally, Jennifer,
Pat, Graham, Frances and Pam) who turned up for the work
session. The tasks carried out were:
1) Removed logs from riverbank in Palmers Road copse
2) Cut back overhanging branch of Willow fallen over the
river near the N bridge
3) Removed brushwood left by tree surgeons last week and
created 2 dead hedges along Seagull Lane (gaps in Bramble
hedge)
4) Cut back Bramble on Seagull Lane patch and cut most of
grassland area. Removed all arisings to dead hedges along
boundary with Seagull Lane.
Workday
- 02.03.06 (2)
. . . Workday
- 02.03.06 (3)
. . . Workday
- 02.03.06 (8)
Report and photos by
Frances
Saturday
25 February 2006 - Conservation work by local HWT Watch
Group
It was a lovely sunny,
blustery morning for the 13 members (7 children and 6
adults) of the HWT Watch group who came to do some
conservation work in Brook Meadow. With Wally, Jennifer
and Frances from BMCG, we managed to get quite a lot
done. Two work groups were formed: one group did some
litter picking in Palmers Road copse collecting two bags
of rubbish and quite a few bottles and broken glass,
removed some small logs into the undergrowth and started
to lay the wood chippings from Havant Borough Council's
tree pollarding work on the riverside path.
Wally and Jennifer put
the group's power scythe, now fitted with a completely
new cutter bar, through its paces and soon cut the
section of meadow just north of the Causeway. The second
work group then set to work and raked off the mowings
dumping them in a nearby sacrificial area. Photos can be
found on the group's website.
Watch
group laying the paths - 25.02.06
Watch
group clearing the arisings - 25.02.06
Watch
group having photo taken - 25.02.06
Thursday
2 February 2006 - Workday
It was a cold, cloudy
morning for the six volunteers (Frances, Wally, Jennifer,
Richard, Pam and Tony Wootton) who turned up at
Thursday's work session. The tasks completed were:
1) Move the brushwood cut by HBC workers the previous
week to add to the dead hedge behind the industrial
estate on other side of River Ems
2) Litter pick this area;
3) Move some of the remaining logs to a wood pile on the
eastern side of the North Meadow;
4) Remove broken wooden railing from vandalised Water
Vole fence and remove other broken rails from river;
5) Discuss location of memorial Oak tree on Seagull Lane
patch.
Volunteers
moving branches during the workday -
02.02.06
Report and photo by
Frances Jannaway
WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 25 2006 - Council work on the
meadow
All the BMCG committee
received an e-mail from Frances telling us that this
morning, under her supervision, Nick Hammond of HBC had
done some tree pruning by chain saw of 4 of the central
willows (eastern side). The bad news was that the
chestnut fencing put up by HBC plus 2 notices to restrict
access to the Lumley Stream on Monday morning had been
removed and the fencing rolled up neatly! This morning
Frances actually saw the unauthorised woodcutter cutting
down another Elm in the Lumley Stream area with his chain
saw, but was unable to get a photo because he was right
in the bushes. She did not approach him but told Nick who
will contact Steve Abraham (Environmental Ranger) and
Freda Devonshire. Nick instructed the chain saw
operatives to put up a sturdier fence this afternoon when
they will also clear up the branches they cut down. The
branches can be used to make a dead hedge at the back of
the industrial estate.
Following this e-mail I
went over to Brook Meadow this afternoon to have a look
at the work carried out by Havant Borough Council.
Branches have been cut from four of the Crack Willows in
the central line and the resulting logs and smaller
branches neatly stacked up for the conservation group to
dispose of. I think they have done a good job.
Pruning
of the Crack Willows on Brook Meadow -
25.01.06
I also looked at the new
fence erected by HBC to restrict access to the Lumley
Stream area by the unauthorised woodcutter. It is a very
sturdy fence across the gap in the hedge on the north
side of the driveway to Gooseberry Cottage. The fence is
backed up by a mass of brambles, making access at this
point very difficult indeed.
New
fence to restrict access to the Lumley Stream -
25.01.06
However, there is another
gap further up Lumley Road where unauthorised woodcutter
can easily gain access to the main Lumley Stream area and
this needs fencing as well. Fences are also needed along
the north side of the Lumley Path where the unauthorised
woodcutter has made three separate access points onto the
banks of the Lumley pool from where several Elms have
been removed.
I also noticed a new dog
fouling notice on the north bridge with the maximum fine
for not clearing up after your dog £500! Let's hope
it stays on.
New
dog fouling sign on the north bridge -
25.01.06
Observations
I did a quick count of
the Molehills which came to 250. Far less than last year
when I counted 528 on January 7th and 1,110 on February
11th.
The Hazel catkins in the
north east plantation are just starting to open. Frances
said the Rowan leaves were starting to come out but I
could not find any.
I found my first Lesser
Celandine flower of the year, not on Brook Meadow, but
along the footpath that runs alongside the A259, behind
Lillywhite's Garage.
SUNDAY
JANUARY 15 2006 - Workday
The unauthorised
woodcutter was at it again when the group arrived for
this morning's workday. He was cutting brambles around
the Lumley Stream which he described as "an eyesore".
When confronted he was dismissive of our concerns, saying
that the area did not belong to Havant Borough Council.
Clearly, we will have to leave the Council to tackle the
problem. The Council ranger has spoken to him about the
tree cutting, but with no apparent effect.
The rest of the workday
passed off peacefully. Graham and Richard got an old
armchair out of the river while Frances, Pat and Pam did
some litter picking.
Graham
hauling a dumped arm chair out of the river -
15.01.06
Graham
and Richard dismantling the arm chair to take away -
15.01.06
Observations
I wandered around looking
in vain for Lesser Celandine flowers. I had a tantalising
glimpse of the Water Rail on the Lumley Stream, but no
chance of a photo. Also did a quick count of the
molehills in the Centre Meadow (160) and the North Meadow
(200): not so many as last year.
I noted a good growth of
Velvet Shank fungus growing on the dead Elms along the
Lumley Path and Frances pointed out some Jew's Ear fungus
growing on a log in Palmer's Road Copse.
Jew's
Ear fungus on Brook Meadow - 15.01.06
Velvet
Shank fungus growing on dead Elms on the Lumley Path -
15.01.06
As promised the Council
have laid some top soil along the edge of the new pathway
from Palmer's Road Car Park to the south bridge. The
group were puzzled by what looks like a very deeply worn
dog run down the river bank opposite the new fence.
"Dog
run" down the river bank opposite the new fence on Brook
Meadow - 15.01.06
THURSDAY
JANUARY 5 2006 - Workday
The first work session of
2006 was rather cold and cloudy but this did not deter
the nine volunteers including one new member who turned
up this morning (Wally, Brian, Richard, Frances,
Jennifer, Graham, Tony Wootton, Jil Meesom and Pam
Philips).
Pruning the Ash saplings in the Central Meadow was one of
the planned tasks which was completed.
The main task was to erect barriers of branches by the
Lumley Stream to discourage the person who has been
cutting down trees (mainly dead Elms) and removing them
for firewood, as well as generally destroying the
wildlife habitat. This area close to the Lumley Stream is
a very valuable wildlife habitat and is within the nature
conservation area of Brook Meadow. Notices were put up
indicating that unauthorised cutting down of trees and
removal of wood for firewood is not permitted. A letter
will be written to HBC informing them of this offence. It
might be necessary to put up suitable fencing and notices
to protect this area properly.
Report by Frances Jannaway
Building
a barrier of dead branches on the Lumley Path -
05.01.06
Tony
and Richard by one of the dead wood barriers -
05.01.06
Frances
admires her work after pruning the Ash saplings -
05.01.06
THURSDAY
DECEMBER 22, 2005 - Tree Planting
An Aspen tree donated by
members of the Haskins family was planted on the eastern
side of Brook Meadow on Dec 22. Eleven members of the
Haskins family filled in the hole already prepared by HBC
contractors and then read a few poems in memory of their
mother who used to live in Lumley Hall. They were all
very appreciative and gave Frances an additional £30
donation.
Planting
an Aspen tree on Brook Meadow (1) -
22.12.05
Report and photo by
Frances Jannaway
Aspen (Populus tremula)
is a member of the Poplar family and is native to Great
Britain. It gets its Latin name "tremulus" from the
constant trembling of its leaves even in the slightest
breeze. This is due to its long flattened leak stalks.
Male and female catkins occur on separate trees, males
brown in March and females green, which shed white woolly
seeds in May. It will interesting to see what sex our
tree is. The wood is used for matches (or used to be when
matches were common).
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 12, 2005 - Visit from Watch Group
Report
and photographs by Frances Jannaway
The local HWT Watch group
made a regular conservation visit to Brook Meadow with 11
children and a similar number of parents/adults (plus
Sally and Sue, the Watch coordinators). BMCG provided
tools and safety equipmen, including hard hats and
waders, plus three willing volunteers in Frances,
Jennifer and David. The older children and adults cleared
some old branches to make a dead hedges on the west bank
of the river to prevent access onto the sensitive river
bank. The children all seemed to enjoy the work,
especially the sawing and taking the branches across the
river.
We had a good turn out on
Saturday for the HWT Watch group with 11 children
(ranging from about 5 to 16 years) and a similar number
of parents/adults (plus Sally and Sue, the HWT Watch
coordinators). BMCG provided all the tools and safety
equipment including hard hats and waders. There were 3
people from BMCG: Frances, Jennifer and David. Jennifer
and David provided invaluable help with sawing and making
the dead hedges.
With this number we were
able
1. to cut and remove all
the branches from the Osier at the south entrance, the
branches were used to create two dead hedges in front of
the new fence. We piled small twigs on top of the Osier
stool to protect the young shoots as is customary when
coppicing but I'm not sure this was a good idea since it
might give some people the idea of trying to set light to
it since it is rather on view at the south
entrance.
Cutting
up the old Osier tree - 12.11.05 (0)
2. the younger children
did a litter pick in Palmers Road copse
3. cut and removed a dead
Crack Willow in the north meadow and cleared other
branches cut down on previous workday. The branches were
removed to the western side of the River Ems to add to
the dead hedge at the back of the industrial
estate.
Cutting
up Willow branches in the north meadow - 12.11.05
(11)
Moving
Willow branches across the river - 12.11.05
(9)
Several children
especially the girls had a go at sawing under David's
expert and patient instruction. They all seemed to enjoy
the activity tremendously, especially the sawing and
taking the branches across the river.
SUNDAY
OCTOBER 30, 2005 - Botanical Survey
As arranged, nettle
enthusiast, Gillian Edom and I met Martin Rand and his
colleague Eric Clement of the BSBI to visit Brook Meadow,
mainly to look for the non-stinging nettle Urtica
galeopsifolia that Martin had found there on his previous
visit on July 3 this year. Despite a careful search, we
were not able to find any examples of this nettle, though
Gillian and I had a thoroughly instructive and enjoyable
2 hours in the meadow in the company of these two
enthusiastic and knowledgable botanists. We both learned
a lot. At the end of the visit Gillian showed Martin and
Eric pressed examples of Urtica galeopsifolia that she
had collected from Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire. They
were most impressed and Gillian was persuaded to bring
examples of her nettle collection to the meeting of the
Hampshire Flora Group on Saturday 19th November at
Testwood Lakes. We shall probably go together.
During the visit we
identified several grasses on the meadow, including False
Oat-grass, Cocksfoot, Tall (or Reed) Fescue (Festuca
arundinacea), Sea Couch, Creeping Bent (Agrostis
stolonifera), Yorkshire Fog, Rough Meadow-grass, Annual
Meadow-grass, Reed Canary-grass and Plicate Sweet-grass.
Gillian,
Martin and Eric examining Reed Canary-grass on Brook
Meadow - 30.10.05
We looked in vain for
Whorl Grass (Catabrosa aquatica) which Gwynne Johnson
originally found on the Centre Meadow on July 24 2002,
but has not been identified since. Both Martin and Eric
considered this to be a most unlikely habitat for this
grass. The Hants Flora describes Whorl-grass as being
local and found "In choked drains of water meadows,
swampy streams and pond margins".
Martin and Eric were
surprised to find very few signs of sedges which should
really be showing well at this time of the year. We all
had a nibble of the leaves of Pepper-saxifrage which were
quite tasty.
Martin
and Eric looking for sedges on Brook Meadow -
30.10.05
Of the trees, they
thought the newly planted Black Poplars had a slightly
odd form, probably a hybrid. The Hazels in the east side
plantation with larger than usual leaves and pale green
male catkins were identified as "Turkish Hazel". The
Staghorn Sumach was almost certainly planted.
Other observations of
plants seen along the roads included Shining Cranesbill
outside Ronnie's gate in Victoria Road, and Thale Cress
near Bridge Road car park.
Eric and Martin were also
interested in the Passion Flower plant on the wall of my
house in Bridge Road!
Martin
having a close look at a passion flower in Bridge Road,
Emsworth - 30.10.05
There was some discussion
between Martin and Eric about the distinction between
stolons and rhizomes. They concluded there was probably
no difference. Blamey, Fitter and Fitter define rhizome
as "a horizontal underground stem" and a stolon as "a
short-lived creeping stem, below or above ground".
MONDAY
OCTOBER 24 2005 - Autumn Art Workshops
This the third year
running that Brook Meadow Conservation Group organised
two art workshops for children between the ages of 6 and
11. The workshop leader, Jo Tester, was helped by
Frances, Jennifer, Elisabeth, Jil, Rosemary, Wally and
Natalie Lomas one of the mums. Both workshops were fully
booked with 23 children on the morning workshop and 26 in
the afternoon, 18 children did both workshops.
Autumn-art-7
. . . Autumn-art-9
MONDAY
AUGUST 29, 2005 - Emsworth Show
For the 5th year running
the Brook Meadow Conservation Group had a stall at the
annual Emsworth Show on the Recreation Ground Horndean
Road. We had an exceptionally good position this year at
the end of a line of stalls which meant we had three
access points for visitors. The Hampshire Wildlife Trust
stall was next to us. The weather was glorious and sunny,
though there was a gusty wind which brought down the
displays at one point and we had to tie them up with
string.
Members
of the conservation group posing for a photo in front of
the stall - 29.08.05
The
photographic displays at the Emsworth Show -
29.08.05
AUGUST
10-12, 2005 Annual cut
The annual cutting of
Brook Meadow, which this year is being carried out by
Havant Borough Council, began last week (Aug 10-12). In
accordance with our management plan, this year's cut took
place in two sessions.
The
annual cut of Brook Meadow in progress -
10.08.05
