As Sy has alluded to earlier, what a fantastic work party with huge amounts achieved. My recollection of March work parties is usually working in T-shirts as the sun beats down. Today we endured sleet, snow, hail and torrential rain before it finally started to dry up early afternoon. We also were thwarted by variousm mechanical failures, resulting in no mowers and just one strimmer running for most of the day.
However the full worklist was accomplished with included (apologises if I have missed any items off):-
- strimming of the foreshore
- clearance of the islands
- re-erection of the secondary fox fence
- securing the gate to the sewage works
- a thorough fox flush (nothing seen)
- completing to project to connect the fox fence to the hide
- fill in holes in the fencing along the boardwalk
- reviewing the fenmcing either side of the hide to ensure there is no visability of visitors to birds feeding on the Flashes
- strengthening the two stretch of fencing extending into the water
- creation of more gravelled areas for breeding waders
- filling in holes in the fox fence at the rear of the third flash
- infilling the gap between the hide and the blackthorn scrub with more cut blackthorn
- creating a screen by the ground floor entrance to limit the light flooding in
- clearing the Hen Brook of blockages
- installing the new weather station
Overall it was a stunning performance by the 22 attendees - Upstarts (John), Beyonder (Paul), Wheatearlrp (Mike), PeterE, Phil Q, Tim, Midlandsbirder (Craig), Hen Harrier (Jim), Hagar (Mark), Derek, Dennis (Waterrailus), Binus (Tracey), Woodchat (Dave), Gertatron (Gert), Whoever (Daniel), Sy V (Simon), Oriole Boy (Paul), Simon (Hairy Birder), Guy, UW82 (Des) and Paul A.
So many "thank yous" I dont know where to start but special mention needs to go to those on their first work party (Whoever, Midlandbirder, PeterE), Paul Moseley for interupting his Sunday to collect the equipment at the end of the day and Upstarts for his hidden work behind the scenes in preparing for the day and bringing all the tools together. Even those who turned up after the rain had finished played their part (didnt want to get your hair wet L'Oriel Boy
)
However the biggest "thank you" needs to go to kingfisherajh for his stirling work through his recent posts for motivating the work party, which worked a treat. It was a tremendous turn-out and an amazing schedule of work completed in the circumstances; 99 out of 100 we would have called the work party off but I didnt have a single text or call questioning whether it was cancelled. This mirrors the efforts put in week in, week out by the Moors Pool work party every Tuesday. Many thanks for giving the work party even more purpose and commitment :t:
