MARCH 2018 Tues 28th - Sat 31st Web visits hit 117000 over the period + usual estate management tasks carried out + tree checks and path condition checks + Easter Car Trial went ahead on the Saturday + Comma, Brimstone, Red Admiral all noted throughout the sunnier periods ( few and far between - Easter period very cold ) + the very light phase Buzzard is still around ( photo taken from house to right across the valley again ) + more Willow Tit surveys ( none ) + unusual not to have heard the first Chiffchaff

Weds 22nd - Mon 27th Away for awhile up t'north

Mon 20th - Tues 21st Loads of data checking for a couple of days which led me onto checking loads of other stuff + tidying up my files from the past 30 years ( I got x45 'old' tech 3in discs - probably just recycle them coz I forget whats on them ) + loads of snow to cope with again but mainly gone by Tues evening + more AR + toadspawn noticed in HH Pond + 100's of frogpoles

Sun 19th Very heavy snow overnight and most of the late afternoon + valley snowed in yet again but at least my water is still on + early flowers having a time of it but they should be OK + be interesting if PBF's are affected by this unusual weather so late in the season ( I've always surmised that the larvae enjoy a period of sunshine and early spring warmth to push on their development ) + my dog Molly had a tick on her ear today ( go figure - ticks evolving to survive cold winters ! They'll be flying next.... ) + home office all day

Sat 18th Web visits reached 116000 last evening + preparing for the mini Beast from the East due tonight ...

Fri 16th Some cutting at HH + photo of frogspawn laid on a cut tree truck with a hole through the middle ( actually filled with water and it had some spawn in it ) + c50 Redwing over reserve at lunch time + editing afew video clips for various people + more AR work + office admin

Thurs 15th Making good a section of the west bottom path + more tent stuff + boundary checks south + more time spent on AR

Tues 12th / Weds 13th Made a start on re erecting the tent ( got the roof poles sorted ) + office stuff due to the weather ( Weds especially ) + spraint survey ( one small bit at Gooseham Bridge ) + clearing fallen branches from some sections of the stream ( for easy Dipper flight path ) + one or two toads have been attempting to lay eggs in the HH Pond but have been hijacked and eaten ( Otter probably )

Mon 13th Beautiful sunny day but with a cold edge to it + checked out west side most of morning + sussed out a 'sort of' management plan for c15 + more AR stuff and a look at HH management + looked out for Dippers but no sign today + active Green Woodpecker up near the c25 clearing ( calling and x1 wood tap - hardly a drum as most 'peckers would do at this time of year ) + bottom paths still very muddy + out for awhile with a blue tooth speaker / ipod with birdsongs and lots a patience in order to 'call in' any Willow Tits in the area ( wasnt a success but I'll keep trying further into March and especially into April ) + x1 Water Rail in the wet section at HH1 ( excellent views ) + pair Buzzards food passing over HH + Daffs will be fully out in the next couple of days + met up with electricity guy re some work to be done near line at the bottom

Weekend General mooching about + a tad more clearing up the road and now all snow gone

Fri 9th Made a start on the 2017-18 Annual Report ( April til end March ) + alot of 'getting stuff together' and 'cutting and pasting' + LCD Sound System helped me along

Weds 7th / Thurs 8th More clearing of snow on the side of the road to hopefully get fuel tank down ( driver wussed out ) + tree check on the west side + shifting afew large branches / Ivy + paths condition survey + office admin. + some cutting at HH + tool maintainance + checked out Hackmarsh area / track

Tues 6th Snow drifts still causing a minor problem ( no oil tanker or post getting down ) + more back rest today + very 'light morph' Buzzard on the reserve at the moment ( may be that 'white' bird J noted some months ago ( very blurry photo over - taken from the house to the bird sitting in a tree on the other side of the valley - but it does at least illustrate the greyness / whiteness ) + sat in the tractor for awhile flattening the tops off some of the drifts so ordinary cars can get in and out of the valley + check down to MM

Mon 5th Up first thing and out digging at the drifts on our road + J and Molly came out later on to help and we had made it passable by half ten -four and half hours later ( well at least I could get the LR up and down ) + a lady in the valley had a bad turn first thing and paramedics had to park at the Green and walk down so digging us out could literally be a matter of life and death ( as mentioned yesterday ) + aching like a rat after all that digging so spent the rest of the day in the home office ( FYI couldnt have completed the job without x3 custard donuts from the co op ) + web visits topped 115000 last night

Weekend Slight thaw during Saturday which caused our water to come back on but road up to Gooseham still blocked and icy + tried on Sunday to shift a number of deep drifts with the tractor but no luck ( big thanks to whoever cleared the other roads leading to the top of ours and then left us in the valley to our own devices ( very spirited of you ) + I did manage to get out via Darracott in the LR and parked at Gooseham Green on the way back so we can at least move about for supplies + will have a bash at digging the drifts out tomorrow when the thaw may have shifted some of them abit more ( Im always aware of folk maybe having to get out of the valley due to health problems etc ) + very unusal to see a Lapwing in Goat Meadow + x6 Snipe by the stream at the 'left' crossing

Fri 2nd Heavy freezing snow came in yesterday late on and so today is 'shut down' + having to get water from my well as pipes still frozed + electricity off at 2am for awhile + whilst I was getting the water x2 Dippers at Gooseham Bridge singing away like nothing was wrong with the world + stroll round HH ( one big Ash down off path in GM ) + one or three photos ( the snow cover is good to outline management work - see HH slopes opposite ) + Redwing is the commonest bird on reserve at the moment feeding or trying to feed under the canopy where the snow didnt penetrate

Thurs 1st Still loads of Thrush spp and Blackbirds hanging around the reserve - seem to be all over the place + probably spend most of the day 'surviving' as my pipes have frozen and fuel running very low and snow due any minute ( having to get 'flushing' water from stream in two buckets )

FEBRUARY 2018 Weds 28th Still waiting for the Beast ( coming tomorrow apparently ) + beautiful sunny day but very cold with it + sorting out one or two issues around the Barn area + some office stuff + general patrols for some of the day / boundary checks / usual weekly tree risk assessments

Tues 27th Attempted to burn HH 'culm' section but too much snow ( only abit actually but it made the difference ) + tidy up barn + oil and grease and clean up cutter / collector + some photography at lunch at the hide + MM + some cutting and clearing at HH much of the afternoon ( still snowy and unburnable )

Mon 26th Waiting for the 'Beast from the East' to strike + first light early morning stroll round HH + very cold again ( checking pipes etc at office + toilet frozed ) + noted quite afew Fieldfare / Redwing / Song Thrush passing through with a goodly number of Blackbirds - all feeding on Ivy berries + c150 mixed flock flew into trees opposite office at noon chased by a Buzzard ( photo ) + literally 100's flitting about the woods late afternoon probably pushed over from the east ( experiencing very cold wintry weather as we speak ) + Raven pair noisey at the nest site + MM checking all that needs to be checked + various admin

Weekend Very cold all weekend + quiet on reserve

Fri 23rd Early morning frosty walk round HH first thing then back to base to meet and have a long chat with SF - who afterwards went out to HH for afew hours to 'finish off' the contract + I had a meeting most of the morning and then back to HH to tidy up / cut / rake + spent an hour over lunch in the hide watching LT Tits amongst other things ( noticed the yellow over the top eyelid for the first time ) + more cutting in the afternoon and back to home office to finish off some admin stuff

Thurs 22nd Another sunny and crisp day after a frost over night + tree risk / path check most of the day + x2 Red Admiral around the TB area + checking on hedge / shared with holiday cottage ( they've done some minor cutting of hedge trees some of which are on our side ) + I really need to speak to the person on a horse who thinks it is fine to trot around areas which they are not supposed to trot around ( Franks Field ) + spent time trying to shift / hide a big old tractor tyre which I noticed off the track up Darracott ( its been there for years but I've only just seen it )

Weds 21st One or two folk want to see the Otter film again so Ive put it on the Home page ( its a film taken on the spur of the moment by the way - I aint no wildlife film maker coz I havent got the time or the patience or the equipment ) + boundary checks / some cutting first thing

Tues 20th Bright and sunny most of the day + off reserve for awhile getting supplies for workshop + managed to put up the wildlife watching hide + Hazel catkins bursting out all over + x2 Snipe at edge of HH pond + clearing various small branches / trees + check down to MM and top paths + minor LR / tractor /BCS maintainance /oiling / greasing / tightening stuff + brief lichen survey ( looking for Golden Haired again mainly round the HH area ) + Otter spraint low on the ground and I havent noticed any toad spawn of late + Dippers gone very quiet

Mon 19th Checking for litter first thing after yesterday ( pretty clean ) + some cutting at top of HH + office ( misty and drizzle )

Weekend General PR stuff + keeping an eye on the bike/car trials up Darracott on the Sunday ( the reletively new Holsworthy club trials ) Fri 16th Sunny and bright today + cutting / tidying at HH and surrounding area most of the day + down at the area just beyond GM + some PR stuff and back to office late on

Thurs 15th Slightly better day weatherwise with good periods of sunshine + as with last couple of days Ive been strolling about the reserve checking stuff + bottom paths still very muddy

Weds 14th SF in for the last time finishing off the coppice work at Hard Hills ( with Neil )

Tues 13th Web visits topped 114000 last evening + very heavy rain over night

Mon 12th Portable bird / photographic hide arrived first thing but no time to have a look at it as yet + general PR work during the day + mooching about at the Marsland office / work shed / barn and chatting to various folk who happened to pass ( although still very quiet on reserve ) + home office later

Sun 11th Yesterday a tad rainy and misty + today mainly clear and bright most of the day + general bird survey and check on trees and paths + c100+ Redwing still buzzing about and that number could be more as I kept seeing small groups all day + x4 Woodcock and female Peregrine over MM + c12 Snipe at HH in the muddy cleared areas

Fri 9th Out first thing over to Hackmarsh + then on to visit an adjoining landowner + MM for a check around + back to base and a stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh checking for Dipper + Otter ( neither noted ) + x100 Redwing buzzing about the tree tops for quite awhile later + back to home office ( orchards )

Thurs 8th Office all day Weds 7th Feeling fitter today so out to HH to do some cutting on the top of the slope + sorting out various admin + checking back / top boundary + supervising guys putting in two new doors at the house

Tues 6th Snow first thing and persistant with it but thankfully not sticking + spent some time with moth ID / lichen lists / diptera + sorting dairies from the past 30 years ( can't find some of the early ones though ) + researching into possibility of planting an orchard on reserve + printing reserve scale maps sections and glueing together for a 'full on view' for the office + sussing out bluetooth speakers / ipod /'chirp' birdsong app for future bird surveys

Mon 5th Still abit flu-y today so stayed in the office most of the day + out for fuel + big fall of Redwing at lunch mainly feeding on the ground on the bluebell path beyond the car parking area + I counted c45 on the floor with many more flitting around in the tree tops ( possibly 100+ passed through which lasted about 20 minutes ) + 1st GS Woodpecker heard 'banging' this morning + x2 Nuthatch hanging around + x8 Snipe at HH wet area newly coppiced + had afew queries of late re binoculars - my advice is get a pair of Nikon 10x50 Monarch 5 or 7 ( worth every penny and very clear, sharp and robust )

Weekend Meant to go away this weekend but I picked up a flu virus from the doctors waiting room late Weds whilst waiting for my MOT and have consequently been at my weakest for some time

Fri 2nd SF and A in first thing and out at a new extension / coppice just beyond GM + bottom c47 finished and some cutting at the top ( me ) + office for awhile sussing out 'orchards for wildlife ' + every water filled rut seems to have a load of frogspawn dumped in it

Thurs 1st SF and N in first thing + out to coppice area near the fallen beech area + be good to widen the ride and glade here + cutting at top of c47 for awhile and tidy bottom clearing + full Moon looking great this early morning + Tawnys hooting away and a sort of dawn chorus going on ( especially Song Thrush population ) + loads more spawn dropped over the past few days + Otters have been eating frogs at Otter Coppice and HH ponds + some office admin stuff finished + general 'messing'

JANUARY 2018 Weds 31st Boundary checks + office

Tues 30th A mate from upt'north popped in this morning- interested in our lichens ( amongst other things ) + stroll round west reserve and down to MM + checking path safety etc + looking at likelihood of Chough turning up on the coast + rain after lunch so office later and into the evening ( The Fall Singles 1978-2016 has soundtrack )

Mon 29th You know I cant resist photos of the Moon especially when it lights up the whole valley at night + good to hear Song Thrush (s) singing their sub songs ( there is a sort of mini dawn chorus going on at the moment )

Sat 27th Rain and mist all day - surprised to hear afew gunshots just off reserve late on ( same longitude as the main pond and in that cresent shaped piece of woodland - which is not reserve ) + can they really spot the difference - in this misty weather and just as the light is fading - between a male Sparrowhawk and a Pigeon ? + hasnt been any shooting there for many years so I did keep an ear and an eye out

Fri 26th SF and James in today to finish off at HH coppice + tidy and clear the bottom of c47 extension area + meeting off reserve for the morning then back to contract stuff + took advantage later of the good light ( and sunshine ) and set up my tatty hide on the main pond for an hour taking photos ( farmyard female Mallard looking really splendid ! ) + x6 Snipe in the HH new clearings later on early evening

Thurs 25th Slightly crazy weather first thing with bright sunshine and hail on and off + been the wettest winter since Ive been here + office most of the day - with 'The Fall' playing in the background + out and about later sussing out stuff down the west side and also at HH working out agenda for the remainder of the contract work + a brief but concentrated survey for any signs of Willow Tit

Weds 24th Off reserve for awhile during the early morning then back to office stuff + heavy rain on and off + RIP MES

Tues 23rd Spent most of the day cutting with blade out at HH area - mainly cutting young tree / scrub regrowth, bramble, rushes ( does rush ever stop growing ? ) + Rant #54 - Blue Planet 2 cost around £22 million to make by the way - just imagine how much conservation work could be completed with that amount of dosh ! So ... BBC .. please dont make any more natural history programmes and just give the money to conservation ( or in the case of BP2 just use the money to help clean up the seas abit ) + stop charging me £145 licence fee so that I can give that amount to the NHS, education, wildlife etc etc blah blah + web visits topped 113000 last night + early morning spent tidying data / emails / backup + the BeesWasps list is now up dated ( Ive got rid of duplicates) + doing all this whilst listening to composer Arvo Part - 'Tabula Rasa'

Mon 22nd Cutting at HH all morning + office in the early afternoon + out checking stuff for awhile + keep seeing the occasional fly flitting around + one or two wasps ( x2 overwintering in our pantry )

Weekend Dull with heavy rain and mist + MM + paths extremly muddy at the moment + x2 Coal Tit in the garden along with x1 Firecrest which seems to be hanging round for awhile + Primroses pushing out along with Snowdrops and one or two Bluebell shoots

Fri 19th West side trees + paths first thing + all survey completed and to date all paths / tracks clear + all paths still very muddy + spent some time out at HH coppice work

Thurs 18th Met with SF first thing and with Neil we went out to HH to finish off the coppice work out there + male Merlin busy on the road up to Gooseham + Firecrest in the garden midday + more tree safety checks

Weds 17th More strong winds overnight + clearing up a fallen tree off road first thing + more wind during the day ( always amazes me to see people actaully walking in the woods on very windy days with the danger of trees / large branches falling on them ) + my favourite people today however ? - a couple who had three dogs who were totally out of control - and not making any attempt in picking their shit up - please come back another day because we love you sorts down here

Tues 16th More bluster and rain + boundary checks from top of road to Hackmarsh + quite afew Woodcock in the woods at the moment + more tree checking + MM and west side checks

Sat 13th - Mon 15th Blustery period on reserve with frequent heavy rain showers + one or three general patrols and tree checks + on going paper work

Fri 12th Off reserve collecting some stuff first thing then back and out to HH to meet the guys at the coppice site + talked about constructing afew 'hovers' for our Otters + looking at another coppice area which I think we'll open up maybe next week + more work on species list folders

Thurs 11th Met up with SF first thing + tree cleared on track up Daracott + SF and N out to HH to continue with the coppicing + I went out to Hackmarsh for a time + back to HH and office later

Weds 10th Got a Nikon Coolpix P900 for my b'day last week - got a 'birding' setting too with a 2000mm zoom ! ( see photo of Robin - hand held 2000mm on a dull afternoon ) + someone please take HF Whittingstalls nature programme off the TV - I got 5 minutes into it and had to endure some little old lady poking about in a number of Dipper nests for no real reason at all ( apart from the fact that she enjoyed doing it and that she'd been poking around for the past 40 years ) + cutting most of the day in c47 and in areas round HH + checking stuff down to MM

Tues 9th Will the horse-y person who has tried to get down the footpath on the west side of reserve and has also been round Goat Meadow please desist from doing so in the future - it is so obvious that horses are not meant to go on either area and you have been blatantly arrogant and totally selfish ( I know who you are by the way ) + checked out tree down on the Darracott track ( will shift Thursday am ) + both Dippers at Gooseham Bridge + J had a strange white bird flying low across Franks Field last evening ( swore it was a Snowy Owl - could be a falconers escape I suppose ) + noted x2 Heron today 'flirting' in the airspace above the reserve + pressure washed LR plus anything else within range including office windows and decking + photos late afternoon + loads of Frogspawn in the ponds at the moment ( although I did notice a big load 6ft up and along a branch of a tree ! ( tree frog ? )

Mon 8th Out first thing clearing that tree along the bridleway - had a mate and his dog along for H and S + in keeping with that popular International past time at the moment I thought I would have a 'No Pants Day'- but decided against the idea when I realized that I'm the only one down here and it would look wierd me walking on reserve without any keks + more work on the Diptera lists which is proving to be a right p in the a ( Rob W. has recorded at least another 12 species for reserve ) + collating all of the files in various folders relating to different species ( I think I've completed the Diptera ) ie everything ever recorded / documented is now in the same place

Sun 7th Walk down to MM in the chilly sunshine

Sat 6th Spent some time with tree assessment recording + first day in ages where Ive actually seen the sun ( although very cold with frost over night )

Fri 5th Up the road this morning clearing some larger branches + walked along bridleway and up Tredown checking for fallen trees + a couple have come down over the bridleway but it is passable and safe if you're not a horse + had to check just in case it wasn't on our land as someone else owns two sections along that stretch + probably be next week before I can find a 'partner' to help clear the track for horses to move through + after all the rain the paths are very muddy and unpleasant to walk to be honest + updating Diptera records all afternoon www.flickr.com/photos/51939563@N04/albums

Thurs 4th Still wet and windy most of the morning so still in office sorting out stuff - mainly records and data from 30 years ago + wind died down early afternoon so I checked for fallen trees on the west side - after clearing one or two large branches by hand everything was clear and safe by late afternoon + paths very wet and muddy + web visits reached 112000 today + below 'Mammals' of reserve - minus sea creatures - for those who requested : Fox Badger Otter (Mink) Stoat Weasel Red Deer Roe Deer Mole Hedgehog Common Shrew Pygmy Shrew Brown Rat Harvest Mouse House Mouse Wood Mouse Bank Vole Field Vole (Grey Squirrel) Dormouse Brown Hare Rabbit Lesser Horseshoe bat Pipistrelle Serotine Brown Long eared Natterers Daubentons Whiskered Barbastelle Noctule

Weds 3rd Long time DWT member , volunteer and former trustee Ian Ferguson has passed on at the age of 93 - his motivation and love of all things wild was inspiring

Tues 2nd I reached the big 62 today so spent a couple of minutes reflecting on that fact + stormy with heavy rain and thunder overnight

Mon 1st Im not really a 'new year celebrations' type of guy so spent most of the day having a stroll on reserve ( Woodcock ! ) and working out 2018 management / project agenda + time in office sorting out stuff + up loaded my Brazil photos PDF if any one wants to download ( HOME and Documents 2 ) or go to this link at FlickR -

www.flickr.com/photos/51939563@N04/albums

DECEMBER 2017 Sun 31st Quiet on reserve at the moment mainly due to weather I suppose

Sat 30th Always good to hear from Dr Rob Wolton re his species lists from this year - spent some time looking over the list and putting an image to each species + two species are of particular interest - Coenosia podorosa is a 'near threatened' species and apparently Marsland is a very important site in helping its continued survival in the British Isles + Siphona maculata is a new record for Devon/Cornwall ( photo stock ) + both species were recorded in the wet woodland area at Hard Hills where our management is probably helping in the conservation of both insects + spent some time IDing some species from my Brazil photos ( just done one and its called a ' Pleasing Fungus Beetle ' )

Fri 29th Thought the end of the world was nigh first thing but sun came out later although there was abit of a breeze blowing for most of the day + spent some time checking out Lichen spp on any fallen branches on reserve ( still looking for Golden haired - no luck )

Thurs 28th General stroll about + found x2 Common Wasps in my front room today + x50+ Lapwing flew over HH airspace

Fri 22nd - Weds 27th Scott and Neil in on Fri to finish off HH coppice work + scaled down my usual work over the xmas period to concentrate on family + out for breakfast at The Wier in Bude on the Weds and good to see my Otter film on a loop in their nature area + weather a little rainy and a tad windy so clearing branches off paths and our road for awhile + some Marsland Office stuff and general patrols + more faffing with this web site + Grey Squirrel survey

Thurs 21st Spent all morning ( after an early stroll on reserve ) messing about with this web site and trying to use the site 'converter' ( again ) - which would convert this 'flash' site to a more android/IOS friendly experience + decided it was all too much bother and besides it would take me months ( eg converter doesnt do video or photo conversion as yet ) + my original idea and reason for a web site was to 'store' all my stuff in the ether ... forever ( folk viewing my web site came way down the priority scale ) + so its gonna stay as 'flash' for the forseeable future but I may build a second Marsland site for tablets etc but that would be a toned down/best of version - sort of + spent time researching into 'live streaming' ( more bother Im afraid )

Weds 20th Misty and dull all day + had a stroll west end + back to office and computer stuff ( mainly attempting to 'convert' this web site so that 'tablets' and phones can see it - no luck Im afraid - but thats for the new year ) + up loading stuff to a new Flickr account which Ive just opened Tues 19th Web visits topped 111000 today + meeting with a couple of local people re possible voluntary work in the new year + rest of the day at my computer editing / up loading photos to various web sites + cutting wood out at HH for abit of a change + x1 Firecrest still hanging about in the garden area + x2 Dipper at the Bridge first thing this morning ( singing together without a care in the world ) + x2 GS Woodpecker on the woodpiles at HH + x3 Woodcock yesterday by the way - from HH to Hackmarsh (spraint checking ) + at 17.23 hrs web visits were at 111111 - which is cool + watching a Robin in the garden peck the shit out of any other Robins coming into its line of sight - stange how such a vicious little creature symbolizes peace and goodwill at xmas

Fri - Mon 18th Tree risk assessments again after the strong winds of the past few days ( mainly branches cleared but not many ) + more coppice cut and tidy up + boundary checking + usual weekend PR stuff + spraint check ( washed away ) + lots of 'research' on the puter re ID ( insects mainly ) + swept the road outside and cleared areas with leaves and fallen branches ( first thing Mon am )

Thurs 14th Management progressing very well at the moment - I'm well ahead of schedule which means I could fit more in at the start of next year + planning a '30 year report' for next year + a 'timeline' management/survey/monitor plan type of thing

Weds 13th Blustery with rain on and off all day + SF x2 in first thing continuing coppice work out at HH + checking footpath stuff for me most of day ( actual and paperwork ) + up dating web site

Tues 12th Boundary checks west side + Peregrine at MM + usual path / tree risk assessments

Mon 11th 'Supervising' tree work at the bottom of Chapel Cottage field c47 as power line cleared by contractors ( only took an hour + power off for two ) + tree check east side and along bridleway and Tredown ( clear ) + time spent packing tent up ( wind shifted it again ) + Blue Planet 2 has finished + its been a great record of what the beautiful sea has to offer ( in some places at least ) but it won't last as the beautiful sea will - one day soon - be turned into a great big toilet and that I'm afraid is an unstoppable process

Weekend Usual stuff over the weekend + strong winds and rain on and off + patrols looking for that yellow 4x4 off road vehicle ( saw it but he kept on the road ) + tree check west side Sunday afternoon after wind died down a little

Thurs 8th / Fri 9th Scott came in Thurs in continuing contract work ( with Neil ) + out cutting coppice at HH + spraint check from Gooseham Bridge up to hackmarsh ( some old but x3 new areas ) + both Dippers very busy from GB up the stream ( singing all the while ) + out at HH first thing Fri building up the fire and burning for awhile + noted x1 Firecrest in scrub at HH messin with other small birds moving through the area + colder of late with strong breeze most of Fri with some snow flurries + spent some time on admin and up dating web site + photos of management on going + tool maintainence + 'greasing' stuff

Weds 7th Off reserve first thing then back to office for the rest of the day 'taking it easy' as my bones are aching

Mon 5th / Tues 6th Generally 'messing about' and checking boundaries for the past two days + starting some reports and going over past reports / data / recording / photos + spraint checks and Dipper survey ( very busy ) + keep seeing the male Merlin up and down the road to Gooseham + some cutting

Weekend Web site visits reached 100000 over the weekend

Fri 1st Down at MM most of the morning checking fencing amongst other things + HH area checking boundary + back out at Hackmarsh for awhile + office admin stuff + male Merlin hanging around outside on the Gooseham road for awhile mid morning + Dippers on the Gooseham Bridge stream again first thing NOVEMBER 2017 Thurs 30th Dull with rain most of the morning + out later sussing out the west side + checking management progress ( I wish whoever it is who rides a horse through the big field at Mead would stop it - its really annoying ) + usual tree risk / path risk assessments + Dipper survey ( none ) and spraint survey ( none )

Weds 29th Out first thing giving some woodland management advice to a couple of groups of people + Hackmarsh sussing out future management + office + Otter spraint check ( fresh outside #1 holt site ) + checked up stream ( bits of old stuff ) + LH bat / GH bat check in shed ( x4 LH and x2 GH ) + cleaned out nature garden pond + checked for any 4x4 avtivity over the weekend ( none ) + Im going to make my Brazil photo book available as a download PDF soon ( ish )

Tues 28th Rain on and off most of the time + office all day + getting together a survey idea for snails and slugs ( for next year ) + on insect ID sites sussing out various stuff on my old 'to do' ID lists + SF in at the field adjoining TB track ( half way down Welcombe side ) + BA c15 cutting

Fri 24th SF in again and out to HH for hopefully the last of cutting out in that area + meeting with Ian C. first thing - catch up mainly + spent some time on snails and slugs reserach ( survey next year hopefully )

Thurs 23rd Met up with SF first thing then he went out to HH to continue cutting the area slopes + checking boundary out above MM and back down through reserve + spraint check up to Hackmarsh

Weds 22nd Cutting at HH for most of the day then back to office sorting out some footpath stuff + dull with drizzle and stiff wind later on in the afternoon + small flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare moving over + spent some time in the evening editing a short vid of the mothing work Adrian and myself did out in Brazil Tues 21st Admin first thing then out cutting in Otter Coppice + out again after lunch + back to office late afternoon for more admin and general messing with officey type stuff + both Dippers chirping away at Gooseham Bridge early

Mon 20th Dull with drizzle most of the day + cutting Chapel Field first thing but got too wet + later in office and out around HH checking on stuff + down loading / checking / editing old sound recordings I made months ago ( mainly bird song ) + getting togther old footage of various things hoping to make a short film out of the scraps as it were

Weekend Good to see x2 Firecrest hanging around the office and the gardens + x3 Coal Tit + did some hanging around myself trying to catch the person 'extreme' off roading from last weekend + police informed and hopefully they are on the watch out too + more office stuff and more work on my Brazil photos / film https://youtu.be/UdXOaQPtlWw

Fri 17th Out with SF first thing and back to HH + off reserve for awhile and then back to meet up with KL to have a chat + some time spent on a web ID site asking for help with a variety of stuff both from UK and Brazil + trying to answer ID questions myself for other people + Dipper singing at Gooseham Bridge first light + male Merlin very active in the area of late

Thurs 16th Dull and drizzle most of the day + out at HH for awhile and on up to Hackmarsh + some of my Brazil photos here : photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNeuOqSqllA2d5vMuvXIXbxPSzlmAtFQ wvNhU0UEskkq7I2aUsCQVVeYtaymd90hw?key=Y3NKaGdqREozRDhCUG 54TVBkOXNOdWVCYm4wNTF3

Weds 15th Drizzle and rain for most of the morning so in office doing various things + spending most evenings with film editing and loads of Brazil critter ID + copy and paste link below to watch my Regua video www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdXOaQPtlWw&t=657s OR https://youtu.be/UdXOaQPtlWw

+ anchored tent down with some bigger pegs

Tues 14th Out first thing and for all of the morning giving the final cut to the office nature and barn areas + messing in the workshop for awhile + more boundary checks and general strolling about on the east section of reserve

Mon 13th Spent some time investigating signs of a tracked vehicle which has been over to HH over the weekend ( and other areas on reserve probably ) + some idiot has rutted and damaged one or two areas out there + I noted a tracked small yellow / black vehicle coming out from Franks track on Sunday and its a squat ugly thing so if you noticed it please contact and I can inform the police + busy cutting most of the day + met up with SF first thing who cut out at HH all day + helped me put the tent back up after strong winds on Saturday apparently shifted it + chimney in office professionally cleaned out + spent time boundary checking top end + back to office

Weekend More editing and messing with sound and music + up loaded final cut of Brazil film + up dating risk assessments / trees / paths / visitors safety

Fri 10th Off reserve filming a small nature reserve on the other side of Tamar Lakes ( favour to a mate ) + back to office work + good to see male Merlin messin about up the road again + x3 Redwing and Dipper singing at Gooseham Bridge + evening spent editing Brazil footage + sorting through 100's of moth photos taken in |Brazil and trying to ID some of them (lol)

Thurs 9th Busy busy busy + met up with SF again and he continued working out at HH + I spent some time up at St Marks school managing their little nature nature ( cutting the wet bit and clearing a little pond ) + back to more cutting around GM area + the office now has a letter box so you can send me a letter if you like

Weds 8th Web visits topped 109000 last evening + cutting for half the day then some fenceline checks + took a stroll to MM to check out jellyfish spp being washed up ( for the past few weeks apparently ) + continued research on molluscs / data /records + evenings editing Brazil film footage + computer 'lost' all my files last evening but I managed to get them all back after a long struggle (mind numbing)

Tues 7th Met up with SF first thing and had a chat over coffee re contract work this winter + out to Hacknmarsh to clear a tree over the path + look at some of the winter works in that area + SF out to HH cutting /raking the slopes all day + I was off reserve for awhile and then back to office ( rain most of morning but clearer for the afternoon although still dull ) + I reckon Blue Planet 11 is making up most of the stuff they show ( Cock Eyed Squid ! + a fish that has see through jelly in its cranium so that it can look upwards ! Come on Dave pull the other one ) + just looked at the winners of the British Wildlife Photo Comp - the results to say the least are totally and utterly abysmal + the 'judges' are having a right laugh ( and 'yes' I did enter but wont again as their idea of a wildlife photograph is so far away from mine + the overall winner defies belief )

Mon 6th Cutting Goat Meadow area / Franks Field with tractor/swipe first thing and into early afternoon + office stuff / Hackmarsh lookaround + some 'mollusc research' + loads of thrush spp hanging around the berry bushes and trees including x2 Fieldfare and x4 Redwing rubbing shoulders with x1 female Blackcap and x2 Chiffchaff

Weekend Busy period checking out stuff / meeting folk and showing others the management at Hard Hills + sorting out contract work which hopefully will start next week

Fri 3rd Alot of strolling around today getting used to the UK again as my head is well and truely still in Brazil + usual mixed flocks of small birds nice to see

Thurs 2nd Ive been up loading/editing Brazil film and photos in the evenings since my return but all the stuff will take time to process and sort + loads of sound recordings to plough through + folk have been asking to see stuff ( maybe next week ) + there were so many highlights but one has to be 1750m up in the Serra Dos Orgaos at a moth light with over 3000 individual moths flitting around causing a blizzrd of insect chaos ( all in a very heavy thunder / lightening storm ) + saw and filmed and photographed a 'bucket list' bird of mine ( Common Potoo ) + secured the tent first thing and then wandered up the stream to Hackmarsh looking for spraint ( none )

Weds 1st More checking about first thing + ctach up on e mails and admin. + x2 female Blcakcap in garden and x3 Fieldfare

OCTOBER 2017 Tues 10th - 31st Ive been away for the last two weeks 'volunteering' at REGUA on the east coast rainforest area of Brazil - mainly moth and butterfly surveys and monitoring with Dr Adrian Spalding plus filming and a photography assignment + wonderful and amazing to say the least + checking out reserve on my return plus 100 hundred other things + big thanks to Kate and Scott for all the excellent work they did whilst I was away + spent some time re positioning the tent which had been turned over in the storms of the past two weeks

Weekend / Mon 9th Generally pulling stuff together over the last few days + lots of admin. + general stroll round reserve

Fri 6th Meeting with Scott F. (our contractor) most of the morning + rest of day spent tidying up around the office and barn areas + tidying up my computer data too + more mollusc stuff

Thurs 5th Merlin up the road first thing + messin down at the office ( shell collection sorted + sorted out some books re molluscs + up dated data species lists ) + out round GM area for awhile + spraint survey - as I had a fresh one at Gooseham Bridge yesterday - but didnt find any more up to Hackmarsh + found a dead squashed Weasel on the road at the bottom ( really unlucky to get hit by a car as they are usually ultra speedy )

Weds 4th Met up with Kate L first thing to discuss future management as she is 'taking over' for afew days soon ( whilst walking round KL picked up a soggy 'dead' Buff Tip moth caterpillar from out of the stream - which after some time and abit of care and attention came back to life ! ( she took it home and gonna 'raise' it as her own ) + decided to extend our list of Molluscs for reserve ( I need a new ID project to keep my brain ticking over ( its dying ) and as we have all the books ( out dated ) and a collection of donated specimens I thought it a reletively easy task ( famous last words ) + checked and we have x12 species on the list and most of those or just a 'family' ID so lots to find and hopefully lots to add ( spent the rest of the day with my face down on the ground looking for 'molluscs' + added x5 in Brown Lipped and White Lipped Snail , Garden Slug, Black Slug and Garden Snail + I remember being very excited 'molluscing' in Brittany years ago and finding the 'Quimper Snail' - a European rare species - so Im hoping for that feeling again ( FYI - its not top of the list amongst the wide range of feelings Im hoping for )

Tues 3rd Out for 'supplies' first thing then back to base camp + out on a survey during this very warm spell of weather + 100's of hoverflies flitting around - Tenax in the main + x1 Common Blue, x1 Painted Lady, x6 Red Admiral, x2 Brimstone and x1 Large White still on the wing + x17 pairs Common Red Darter paired up and laying eggs in HH Pond - all being hassled by x7 Southern Hawkers + had to help out two guys chasing an escaped cow down the road from up at the top ( 'carry on herding' is all I can say ) + Dipper singing at bridge early on + some research re himalayan balsam control + exactly where is ash dieback and is it getting any worse ?

Mon 2nd Hummingbird Hawkmoths x2 in the garden today + Red Admiral and Speckled Wood + pulling together management plans for the coming winter months / meetings organized with contractors + MM checkout

Sun 1st Spent some time wondering where the hell the year has gone + more drizzle and mist for most of the day

SEPTEMBER 2017 Sat 30th Web visits reached 107000 over the period + pretty much rain/mist/drizzle order of the day + weekend in general + some general messin around and puter data work / admin

Fri 29th My back a tad better today but still on light duties + mainly admin stuff and H and S + tractor and LR checks

Thurs 28th Much brighter day today + stroll to MM to check out new sign post installment + more cutting in GM area + had a quick check on any Hornet species flitting around to see if the 'Asian' species Vespa velutina had infiltrated the reserve ( all those noted x5 were 'normal' ones ) + spent sometime over lunch 'fixing' the house guttering and 'cricked' my back whilst doing so ( consequently taking it easy for the remainder of the day )

Weds 27th Rain all day so pottered in the office both at the bottom and in house + some basic equipment maintainance + admin stuff

Tues 26th Cutting first thing then back to meet Luca and Alice who got on with cutting / clearing the bottom of c47 + off reserve a little while then back to Otter Coppice area cutting with powersaw blade some of the thicker bramble regrowth + office catch up + x7 Brimstone at HH + x1 Small Copper, x4 Red Admiral, x3 Speckled Wood, x1 Peacock + x6 Southern Hawkers , x3 Common Red Darters

Sat 23rd / Sun 24th / Mon 25th More cutting / checking paths and boundaries / PR work over the weekend + cleaning office / general patrols / MM check out

Thurs 21st / Fri 22nd Cutting beyond GM / Otter Coppice + general patrols and risk assessments + lots of Red Admirals flying + x1 Speckled Wood + office when raining

Weds 20th Cutting nature garden area first thing + some of Franks Field and GM + rain stopped play at lunch + office rest of the time

Fri 15th - Tues 19th Loads of cutting / management carried out over the period ( + started the Gooseham Bridge glade trail ) + usual weekend PR stuff + all paths checked / trees assessed / path condition monitored ( photos taken ) + hopefully paths won't need another cut this year + pair Grey Wagtails messin at Gooseham Bridge + Chiffchaff singing this afternoon ( Tues ) + Red Admiral the only butterfly flittin about - on the Tuesday which was very sunny and warm + Otter spraint check and spent time looking for Brown Hairstreak ( no luck )

Thurs 14th Met up with Matt B today to discuss various stuff + MVF for a wheelbarrow later ( let the wheelbarrow work begin ) + generally wading through about 6 of the 1001 things to be done on a nature reserve

Weds 13th Admin stuff first thing + more office work during the morning + out later checking for Otter spraint ( fresh at Gooseham Bridge ) + been a dead headless seal at MM for afew days + 1 or 2 dead Guillemot + Red Admirals still on their Ash tree - underside of wings really show how useful the camo is up against the bark ( photo )

Tues 12th Abit better today + office for most of it + PDF's editing and up loads + future work programmes sorted and typed up + my diary/blog is now up loaded to Home/Docs2 so everything Ive done for the past 5-6 years can be read in daily detail ( lucky you + remember they were/are meant to be a reference for future managers of Marsland and beyond ) + stroll round GM / HH at lunch + the Red Admiral 'get together' is occuring again with x17 flitting around the same Ash trees as last year + being harressed by x4 Hornets + Common Blue and GV White still flying but most stuff is almost at an end

Mon 11th Web visits reached 106000 over the weekend + stroll on the west side during the morning but took a tad ill later ( yellow fever jab catching up again methinks )

Weekend Checking past weeks work - all paths now cut + Ragwort pulled at MM and looking clear + selected areas cut and raked on west side + windy with rain and occasional sunny period ( not much ) + still afew House Martins/Swallows flitting around and feeding over the valley + had a chat with PS re Hackmarsh grazing etc

Fri 8th Met up with electricity guy first thing to discuss future works on the line to the house / office ( probs winter cutting under the line ) + SF in again + rain/drizzle on and off all day with breeze + some office stuff later ( including a document somewhere along the lines of 'Managing Marsland for Dummies ' ) + general walkabout during the rainy afternoon + sunny later for awhile

Thurs 7th Cutting first thing then met up with SF who is here for a couple of days helping out + met up with Adam and Alice who continued cutting/raking on the east side + cutting back bridleway and Tredown + cut in c47 for awhile and around office + cleaned up LR - felt a tad feverish today as I had a Yellow Fever jab yesterday and its caught up with me ( a little bit anyway )

Weds 6th Off reserve first thing then back to cutting / office + house painting completed + sunny and fresh

Tues 5th 'Mothing' last evening but nothing new or spectacular ( as far as my limited knowledge goes ) + more house painting supervision during the day + out and about taking photos for future ID ( example over - which I think is hoverfly S. clunipes and I'll let you know as soon as )

Mon 4th Office all morning + supervising house painters ( first time in 29 years I haven't done it ) + weather a tad drizzly and misty most of the day + x2 Roe in the field next to the house first light ( m and f ) + some photos during lunch + down at the office messin about for awhile

Fri 1st Beginning to feel like end of summer / cold with frosty breath first thing this morning - soon be Xmas + sunny and warm later + reading stuff about lack of insects in the UK this year ( they're all here at Marsland mate - the glades/rides and fields are heaving ) + surveys all afternoon after cutting during the morning

AUGUST 2017 Thurs 31st Cool evening last night so moth species not so numerous in the main trap although we did find a new species for reserve in Palpita vitrealis - a southern Europe migrant species ( photo ) + the canopy trap worked well with x11 species ( including Small Wainscot ) and x1 Hornet which had us both screaming like little girls / boys ( mainly AS ) + AS stayed well into the afternoon ( photos ) + sussing out future canopy trapping / logistics / methods + office stuff

Weds 30th Loads of cutting today mainly out at HH3 and beyond + some raking + AS popped in later + evening + mothing and setting up the canopy trap ( photo )

Tues 29th Drizzle and mist first thing but very humid + sorted out some stuff in Marsland office first thing then met up with Luca and Alice who ventured out to HH3 to carry out more bracken cutting / raking for most of the day + I was out to MVF for various things ( didnt get any ) + back to sort out the canopy moth trap and after some serious kerfuffle managed to to get it up into the top bits of an ash tree just before HH3 ( the bow/arrow thing didnt work but the 'heaving a small mallet over a top branch plus string/rope attached to it' did ) + AS up tomorrow so hope to do some canopy moth trapping ( oh joy ) + wasted 10 minutes of my life over lunch listening to someone blaming Trump for the flooding in Texas + Its 35 years today that I started work at RSPB Leighton Moss and kicked off my career in wildlife conservation ( cause for celebration methinks )

Mon 28th Another sunny day + spent time editing some film footage ( deer browsing Hazel - FYI - serious damage to coppice re growth has never been a problem on reserve + I did some work with Southhampton Uni in the 90's on deer browsing + found no statistically relevant evidence for damage here at Marsland ) + reckon some browsing by deer can only be a good thing on nature reserves ( as opposed to economic forestry ) as I reckon whats growing in and around the coppice area of far more 'wildlife' value than actual coppice trees ( 'there are far too many trees in UK woodlands ' - discuss ) + out and about looking at reserve wildlife most of the day + photos + editing web site + butterflies noted in house garden over 15 minutes - SWF, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Purple Hairstreak, Small Copper, Speckled Wood , Holly Blue, Comma, Peacock, Large White, GV White and Brimstone + dragonfly checking later ( no sign of Black Darter but did note x1 Aeshna juncea ) + so many G'hoppers and Crickets and so little time + x1 SPBF at HH + sussing out winter management at HH

Sun 27th Spent most of the sunny day cutting with tractor / swipe mainly in GM , Franks Field and HH3 + paths on that side + noted Hornets (x2 ) hunting over Hemp Agrimony flowers at HH + one Hornet caught a small bee species , ripped its wings and legs off and scoffed the head and body + usual suspect butterflies all over the place ( x2 very old Meadow Brown, x3 worn out Gatekeepers and still x3 SPBF with one of those brand new ) along with many dragonflies and the air buzzing with all kinds of insects

Fri 25th MVF first thing to pick up new battery ( fired first time on putting in the tractor ) + messing about in the barn area / maintainence of tractor / swipe + some Marsland office stuff ( cleaning mainly ) + abit more cutting + took some bods out to HH to check out our management work + x2 Wheatear at Marsland Mouth later on + checked out Hackmarsh + loads of Small Tortoiseshell coming out over the past few sunny days

Thurs 24th Cutting most of the day out at HH and beyond + office stuff later + x150+ House Martins feeding over the valley later in evening

Weds 23rd Web visits hit 105000 last evening + out at the tent for awhile during the evening yesterday + had a lazy day today with a bit of a break although did manage some 'Brazil Regua project' outlines ( mainly ID of moths from previous trips by various folk - not very successful as books on the subject are very few and far between + 'storyboard for film footage' - I've decided to just wing it ) + noted x2 spikes of Bastard Balm on the c25 - c15 path ( usually seen in the clearing at c25 ) + tree / path risk assessment on west side

Tues 22nd Messin at the bottom first thing with BCS Tracmaster - greasing, oiling etc + reckon the tractor battery is dead so will have to get a new one + nice film footage of Roe deer in c47 + couldnt locate the Black Darter + noting more Purple Hairstreak of late + SPBF still flying + x4 Meadow Brown hanging on + kerfuffle with an ambulance from 4pm til 10pm stuck on the bend ( rescue truck broke down and second truck got stuck - carry on ... )

Mon 21st Misty with drizzle first thing and for half of the day + sunny for a time later + out and about with camera + survey + very good to record Black Darter again after many years off the list ( noted male at HH Pond surrounding area - will go back in next few days to see if I can photograph it ) + nice to see Blue Shieldbug young un ( Zicrona caerulea ) :

'The name of the Blue Bug is very well chosen. For usually it is greenish blue metallic. Like so many other animals with metallic colouring, the colour may vary. In this case it may be greenish, copperlike, blue or lilac. This depends on the reflection of the light. But usually the Blue Bug doesn't show a lot of variation in colouring. The larvae are very different. They are black with patches of red on the abdomen. Adult Blue Bugs are capable of flying, but rarely do so. Reaching a length of 5 to 8mm, this is our smallest Shield Bug. Often it isn't even noticed, because of the size and the reclusive conduct. The first Blue Bug larvae are usually seen in late spring. Like the adults they suck on insect larvae, as well as on plants. In our garden they hunt for the larvae of Altica oleracea mainly. That is a small, blueish Leaf Beetle that lives on our Primroses in great numbers. The Blue Bug will not visit all gardens, though, for it loves heaths, moors and the edges of forests and is only found nearby such areas.'

+ ant species eruptingin back garden / 1000's flying adults

Fri / Sat / Sun 20th A mixture of PR , cutting, office stuff and genral 'patrols' + dull with mist and drizzle most of the time + 'batting' near the tent with BBQ Fri night

Thurs 17th Office stuff first thing + organizing contract work for the coming autumn / winter months + out mid morning cutting bottom left hand side of TB Coppice + clearing a couple of small trees off of the track up to Little Marsland + tractor failed to start again ( battery on charge ) + cutting areas round GM and HH in the afternoon + back to office

Weds 16th Tractor wouldnt start first thing so had to to go to MVF for jump starter cables + battery charger + did start from LR battery on my return ( its under the front seat you fool ! ) + cutting in Franks Field + GM and HH areas + c150 House Martins feeding over reserve at lunch + x1 Green Sandpiper disturbed off HH Pool in ther afternoon + spraint check ( old stuff mainly ) + more cutting later before the rain set in + butterflies noted today included : x12 Peacock, x7 Red Admiral, loads of SWF, x8 SPBF, all the usual Whites, x6 Meadow Brown hanging on, many Gatekeeper, Common Blues, Small Coppers, x7 Comma, x3 Holly Blue, x1 Brimstone, x3 Speckled Wood, x1 Painted Lady

Tues 15th Cutting nature garden and barn area first thing + met up with Luca and Alice who started cutting the old c47 vegetatble garden section ( mainly as a PR exercise to Franks House owners by letting light down on the front side of the building + more to do ) + keeping this area clear will extend c47 quite alot + cut bottom half of c47

Mon 14th Cutting HH3 area most of the morning + new area started beyond HH3 + cutting c47 in the afternoon ( mainly re growth bracken/bramble and loads of convolvulus + rain later + office stuff Weekend Headline in the Guardian Sunday :

Lions, elephants and hippos have vanished from Kilombero valley ( Tanzania ) after UK- and US-funded projects helped turn a once- thriving habitat into farmland, teak, and sugar plantations

Basically sums up UK governments attitude - so what hope has UK wildlife in the long run ? ( Discuss )

Cool evenings and cold morning but sunny most of the period + CBC ish type of surveys with loads of fledged young flitting around

Fri 11th More data collection / comparisons to past data + rain and drizzle all day with an autumnal feeling + Robins singing their winter song + more research on Brazilian moths / distributions / ID + web site edit and up date + film footage editing and photo editing for possible future projects + visitor PR ( talking to and attempting to explain the ins and outs of CBC's and birdsong one guy said ' oh...chirping, tweeting and all that shit' ( more or less sums it up I suppose )

Thurs 10th Meetings all day and part of the evening + organizing future project work + research habitat creation projects + butterflies / dragonflies / insects heaving and enjoying the sunny spells + looking up habitat creation projects on line

Weds 9th Checking and more checking today - paths, trees, habitat conditions + reporting and office admin

Tues 8th Spent some time last evening / this morning looking at some research work done by John Bradbeer afew year ago - concerning the history of most of the north side of the reserve + looking at the individual parcels of land owned by various folk and old names for each parcel + Travel Bridge as I know it was once called Trapple Bridge + a map showing use of land can be seen at HOME / 19th Century Marsland ( I'll put more findings down on paper and up load to this part of the web site when time allows ) + noting a goodly number of Blackcaps on reserve at the moment and many feeding on blackberries + Luca and Alice popped in and continued cutting in GM and trimming bridleway/Tredown paths plus tree checks + I spent more time on future projects + printing

Mon 7th Early walk on the west side + back to Marsland Office to do abit of reserach + out to HH to work out future management programme (s) + good to catch up with KL who was in the office working most of the day + more research late afternoon - re beaver ecology + time spent measuring distances on reserve ( boundary to check - 12 miles ) paths and tracks to cut and check , fence lines etc

Sat 5th / Sun 6th Usual weekend duties + checked out MM + small group shown round ( impressed with butterflies/dragonflies )

Fri 4th Checking out areas of reserve land all day ( in office and out in the field ) + checked afew dragonflies in the net ( damsels to be more precise - all usual suspects ) + Heron setting up residence on HH Pond

Thurs 3rd Web visits reached 104,000 over night + breezy today with occasional downpours + planned my whole day round electricity going off all day as pre warned by EC but its still on at time of writing this ( 14.10 ) + more office based stuff all day ( included reading a great many past Annual Reports which although interesting in themselves seemed to have been compiled by someone other than myself - listening to the recent Fall album made things better however ) + mothing and batting out at the tent in the evening

Weds 2nd Various office based stuff all day

Tues 1st Early morning stroll on the east side first thing + west side coz it was so sunny + SW Fritillary flitting about early + back to base for breakfast and meeting up with Luca and Alice ( the new intern chaps ) who spent most of their time at Marsland Mouth cutting the path and pulling ragwort + finished off laying the new bark on the nature garden path + I cut out at HH + tractor / swipe + topped bracken in Franks Field + some office stuff + butterlfy survey - noted SWF, Brimstone, Small Skipper, Common Blue, Small Copper, Holly Blue, SPBF, Comma, Red Admiral, Peacock, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Speckled Wood, Marbled White ( x2 ) Large, GV and Small White

JULY 2017 Mon 31st Cutting east paths / selected areas from 6am onwards into the late morning + clearing afew small branches / trees + tree risk assessments and path condition assessments + pulling ragwort + cutting selectes areas on west side + scarifing Ivy in selected areas + cutting re growth bracken and bramble + survey later on mid afternoon + good to see 2nd brood Hazel Weevils out + MM check out

Fri 28th Meetings with various folk during the day ( discussing contract work, volunteer possibilities , projects etc )

Thurs 27th MVF first thing to pick up the other 6 packs of tree bark chippings for the nature garden path re lay + more office stuff - as the top of my left thumb is sore after being chopped whilst chopping carrots last evening and I need to rest it for afew days apparently + MM looking for a stray cow which has got out from adjoining land onto reserve + Hummingbird Hawkmoth in garden again + Holly Blues + reviewing old ish film footage and editing + risk assessments to HQ + other report admin. stuff

Weds 26th Rain most of the morning + office stuff and planning + tidy and back up files

Tues 25th Early morning cutting + back to base to finish off cutting nature garden and also cut sedum roof + met up with Luca and Alice who are DWT new interns for the next four months + we had a look round HH then onto cutting in GM and beyond ( mainly bracken but I cut the usual low growing bramble and also scarified loads of Ivy ) + noted x2 Emperor females still laying on HH3 Pool + male Sparrowhawk hunting above HH2 + SPBF numbers going up but not in the crazy numbers of the last 5 years + Marbled White numbers are way down this year

Mon 24th Sunny all day with periods of cloud + re laying the nature garden path with bark ( half so far ) + cutting + general species survey + SPBF's coming out + DG Fritillary in the nature garden resting on the sedum roof + nice views of x3 Emperor females laying on HH3 Pond + one or two splendid Sawflies noted - Abia sericea females - an uncommon species associated with Devils bit Scabious ( photo opposite ) + fields and paths heaving with crickets and grasshoppers + spraint check ( old stuff beyond HH towards Hackmarsh )

Fri / Sat / Sun 23rd Usual mixture of management ( cutting mainly with new cutter ) + PR stuff + x4 folk taken round HH to check out for SPBF ( x4 ) + noted loads of other butterflies too + weather a mixture of showers and sunshine

Thurs 20th Out at MVF first thing buying a new brushcutter + back to basecamp just in time for Bridgemans who came to service and health check the tractor + cut round office and nature garden ( running in the new cutter ) + cleared a small tree from west path + cut areas in c47 + boundary check west top side + working on future moth projects

Weds 19th Dr Adrian Spalding came up to stay overnight last night + spent most of the day with AS discussing evrything and nothing + collected LR which had passed MOT + butterflies excellent and 1st 2nd brood SPBF noted at Hard Hills

Tues 18th LR in for a service/MOT first thing then back to do some cutting with tractor/swipe over on the west side + met up with DB from HQ and we carried out some vibration tests on machinery + maintained equipment + DB checked out some stuff in the Marsland Office + noted a Purple Hairstreak outside the office mid morning and maybe the 1st 2nd brood SPBF ( only noted in the distance from moving tractor ) + also noted Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Holly Blue, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Marbled White, SW Fritillary, Large and GV White and Large Skipper

Mon 17th Web visits reached 103000 over the weekend + boundary checks at Beatland Woods and along the bridleway + Hackmarsh

Sun 16th Spent some time ( most of the day ) with all the old large maps of reserve + found many mistakes on them re boundary lines so had to prove or disprove ( all disproved in the end including the mysterious c104) + no one around anymore to seek advice from so it took awhile + up loading butterfly piccies to the Guardian newspaper

Sat 15th Dull with drizzle and Cornish mist + office + up loading stuff to web site + spent some time out at HH3 last night bat detecting but all those electronic bleeps got on my nerves so I switched the detector off and watched the bats hunting insects

Fri 14th Cutting Otter Coppice early + surrounding areas and the path ( cutter playing up and I think its time for a new one as Ive been using it for the last 12 years ) + x3 Marbled White + x7 Small Copper and Holly Blues noted + time spent trying to 'fix' cutter but to no avail + booked tractor in for a service next week + LR MOT / service next week too

Thurs 13th Cutting early doors (6am) around HH3 - mainly Bracken and Bramble re growth but also areas of Goosegrass and low spreading Honeysuckle + spent time with boundary stuff, land areas and future winter management options

Weds 12th Rain cleared away over night and the sun was out first thing + Scott F. came in early and helped out with some 'tree down on path' clearance + he went onto cut areas in c15 and other sections down on the west side + no road works yesterday due to persistant rain but they started up again today + checking sycamore whilst out this morning and I did find some individual trees with a sort of 'die back' at a low level near the base but OK further up the tree ( maybe due to the late frost we had in spring which is showing itself now ? ) + I'll keep an eye on it + checked if anyone else noticing it elsewhere + Ringlet numbers going down slowly and no sign of Marbled Whites this season until in the afternoon when I noted x1 in the new clearings at HH3 + Silver Washed Fritillary flitting around in good numbers and loving nectaring on the thistles Ive left in the fields and glades + Holly Blue x3, Comma, Red Admiral and both Skippers + noted a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden at lunchtime + nice views of female Fox at HH3 ( photo ) + Emerald Damselfly out on the HH Pond ( noted x2 Palmate Newts ) + took my first ever piccy of Blue tailed Damsel + x1 Dipper at Gooseham Bridge

Tues 11th Rain most of the day so office work - mainly delving into past reports / records and trying to make it all seem relevant in the present + the latest environmental (and probably very expensive) 'new study' - conclusion ( from the Guardian )

'The world is experiencing a “biological annihilation” of its animal species because of humans' effect on the Earth....' D'uh

+ wet walk after lunch and it never fails to amaze me how Ringlets just keep flying in the heavy rain

Mon 10th Cormac started on the re surfacing the road up to Gooseham ( starting at the bottom and working their way up - lots of rattling and shaking in the house by the way ) + I was cutting first thing down the bridleway and up Tredown valley + checking areas for reported sycamore die back - couldnt find any - FYI sycamore dieing back aint such a bad thing + off out to MVF later on to get in one or two supplies including new 2017 c'saw helmet and bark for the nature garden path ( just managed to get out up the road but came back down Darracott ) + office catch up and web site updates

Fri 7th /Sat 8th /Sun 9th Dragonfly survey revealed the usual suspects but good to see so many Blue Tails on the HH Pond + checked sections of the stream for Dipper nest ( adult male singing just below the Barn on Fri ) + Tom Parsons and his wife paid a visit Sat and had a look round + Tom and Jo have completed their internship year ( TP noted our 1st Gatekeeper for the season ) + some moth data editing + listing moths we dont get but probably should + usual PR stuff ( very quiet weekend - probably something to do with the road works )

Thurs 6th Scott F was in yesterday and pulled 90% of the Ragwort at MM + spraint check most of the morning - only old stuff noted + Dipper adult seen again at Gooseham Bridge area + CBC later but none of my selected species noted although I did hear a Skylark just off reserve up at the back near Gooseham + spent some time folding reserve leaflets and reached some kinda zen enlightenment + finished off the coppice/deer browse stuff - definite preference for Willow but no problems noted as all coppice getting away very well + cleared a tree from start of path at Gooseham

Weds 5th Out bright and early cutting the path east side + selected areas along the way + sunny and hot (all day) + BT on the west side - species noted - Ringlet ( loads ), x34 Meadow Brown, x4 Large Skipper, x2 Red Admiral, x3 Comma, x2 DG Fritillary, x6 SW Fritillary, x1 Peacock and many GV Whites ( many taking in minerals in muddy patches ) + 1st (teneral) Common Red Darters noted + many Stangalia beetles and one or two Tiger beetles + sorting out work pensions for when I stop working ( a little while yet but these things have to be faced - Ive been working here at Marsland for 30 years and 6 with RSPB before that - so along time then )

Tues 4th Out first thing in a cool 6am cutting bracken/bramble round GM and HH areas + bottom half of c47 + tractor/swipe after lunch in GM / HH and Franks Field - took up most of the day + all the hard graft paying off over the past 3-4 years (cutting certain areas during spring / summer months ) as all the old bare field areas are now heaving with flowers / insects + office later ( when the sun came out ) + Ringlets literally all over the place + Dippers gone quiet

Mon 3rd Work started on the road outside with road side vegetation 'cut back' ( I checked the work out + had a chat with the guys + I had checked all up the road for nesting birds - had a Robin and a Blackbird a month or so ago but nothing last week as far as I could see ) + JCB cleaning road surface ( they already did this afew weeks ago by the way ) + after the 'clean up' the tarmac will be laid next Monday onwards + weather back to dull and cloudy after a pretty sunny and hot weekend + office catch up most of the morning and afternoon

Weekend 1st and 2nd Web visits reached 102000 over the period + Sun came back this weekend - for the most part anyway + x1 DG Fritillary out at HH + Large Skipper coming out, loads of Ringlet,many Meadow Brown, x3 Red Admiral and x3 SW Fritillary + general PR stuff for the weekend ( took 2 chaps out to HH who wanted to see 'the butterflies' ) + spent much time over the period on checking deer browsing on all our winter coppice ( long story short - there is abit of browsing and mainly on one or two larger regrowth Willow - everything else is seemingly getting away and especially the Alder - see photos ) + Dragonflies looking good all over and noted x6 Blue Tailed Damsels on the HH pond ( Ischnura elegans ) + noted male Peregrine down at MM later whilst checking Ragwort growth + worth noting that our road will be pretty much blocked for a period whilst guys are re surfacing

JUNE 2017 Fri 30th Office stuff all day ( checking through old data and files mainly + clean up and sort out + back up ) + drizzle all day with fresh breeze

Thurs 29th More cutting first thing in the drizzle + boundary checks and tree risk assessments on going + editing / reviewing / checking reserve moth list and up loading ( Home then Documents 2 ) + more rain and drizzle on and off all day + Cormac are resurfacing the road outside next week - at last my persistance has paid off

Weds 28th Cutting bracken re growth and bramble stumps in HH3 early + rain on anf off ( mainly on ) all day + office for awhile + showed Ann and Rebecca round HH area at lunch for an hour or two ( both gals on a 60th binge attempting to visit every DWT reserve this year ( amongst other things ) + off reserve then back to more office y stuff

Tues 27th Cutting early then met up with Matt from HQ til just after lunch + cutting west side with tractor/swipe + office catch up and checking the recent batch of reserve leaflets + Ringlets still in large numbers + SWF's starting to come out in numbers + started cutting round office / barn areas

Sat 24th Usual weekend stuff / off reserve Sunday and Monday

Fri 23rd Set up the moth trap last night and had excellent results with loads of individuals and species enjoying the humid conditions + Scorched Wing has to be the best name - see photo opposite ( J took the trap box to St Marks school to show the kids in Forest School ) + out cutting on the GM side of reserve - again taking advantage of the cooler early hours + cut around the office

Thurs 22nd Out bright and early in the relative cool of the morning cutting on the west side / selected areas / topping bracken/bramble + paths + less sun today and alot less humid + FYI nothing worse than strimming dog shit ( hang on ...there is...strimming human shit and having to clear up the toilet paper too ( why cant people use a bit of dignity and shit out of sight of the public paths and clear up afterwards ?! ) + more boundary checks / bird census / general wildlife survey + dragonfly survey yesterday ( east ) - x2 Emperor, x3 Golden Ringed, x1 Southern Hawker, x6 4 Spot Chasers, x7 BB Chasers + usual assorted damsels

Weds 21st YouTube having problems with the soundtrack on the' May film' + they say there is a copyright issue with Vivaldi ( lol ) + another humid day + maintaining a chainsaws then clearing a couple of trees off of Darracott / along Bridleway ( thanks to KL for helping ) + RA on a number of trees along the Bridleway + can it be too hot for wildlife ? - seems so as it was very quiet during the afternoon + BT on GM side of reserve + bird census but didnt note any of the target species

Mon 19th / Tues 20th Off reserve for a couple of days arriving back Tues mid afternoon + very hot so spent time finishing editing and up loading the May 'highlights' film to You Tube + Ringlet butterflies out in big numbers + loads of Red Admirals + noted Emperor dragonfly on HH Pond + noting afew very large Hornets buzzing about in this very hot and humid weather

Fri /Sat/Sun Very hot and humid for the whole weekend + cutting areas with tractor /swipe + MM + general PR stuff

Weds /Thurs 14th/15th Check around MM with Ian C who came up for awhile + fresh SPBF flying in the nature garden + loads of young birds milling around at the moment ( c12 LTTits for example + Merlin on the road up to Gooseham + boundary checks, some cutting, meeting out at Tamar Lakes over lunch ( prelim research for my book ) + lots of species data checking + looking into transfer data to Recorder 6 + some time spent on filming stuff + research into Galls on going

Tues 13th Out first thing 7am cutting both sides of our road up to Gooseham Green + met up with Tom and Jo cutting bracken / topping bracken and bramble in selected areas in GM and HH + other areas + Franks Field middle section + monitor and survey + photography for a couple of hours with T and J + Ringlet out + MB + Small Copper + x3 SPBF and x2 MF + Brimstone, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small Tortoiseshell and 1st SW Fritillary + BB Chaser, 4 Spot Chaser, Southern Hawker, Golden Ringed + usual suspect damsels + 4-5 Hazel Weevils + spent some time later advising some local chaps in Shop re Honey bees swarming near / in their guttering + check on Ragwort at MM

Mon 12th Some office time + more general monitoring of wildlife

Weekend Usual weekend stuff + out and about all over the reserve + BBQ out at HH late Sunday evening for a few friends

Fri 9th Noted that GSW young un up a tree first thing just beyond GM + a recently fledged Nuthatch landed on our garden table later + flew up on the roof + family of LTTits passed through with a family of Coal Tits in tow Thurs 8th I'm often asked about binoculars and which are the best - I still have a pair of Zeiss Dialyt 10x42 from the mid 70's and they are still brillient but I now use a pair of Nikon Monarch 7 10x42 ( Model 5 is cheaper and just as excellent ) + the M7 are much brighter than my ZD's and nearly 4 times cheaper than the top range of Swarovski - £400 compared to anything over £1500 ( I challange you to tell the difference in clarity ) + dull and very wet for long periods so stayed in office + out later when the sun came out + working on the book idea + land area surveys on reserve + discussing new ideas for the future of Marsland with various folk

Weds 7th Still a tad breezy but sunny morning + editing video for awhile ( Deer footage up loaded ) + locals still allowing their dogs to shit all over the paths ( I know who you are ) - please bag it up and take it away with you ( dont fling it in the trees ! ) + out and about for the rest of today + whilst out looking for a fallen tree ( heard it but couldnt locate it ) I noticed a recently fledged but unable to fly Greater Spotted Woodpecker in the larger of the ponds in Otter Coppice - I eventually pulled it out after much kerfuffle and after drying it off I let it go - photo ( its mam came down to feed it later ) + x7 SPBF and x6 MF ( GM and HH areas ) + hopefully a 'motorbike deterrent gate' is being put in at the start of the bridleway + office again later on sussing out ideas for a proposed book on birdwatching sites in the south west ( resurrected from some while ago as my e mail had gone into spam box at the other end apparently )

Tues 6th Out bright and early cutting on the east side - usual stuff like Bracken Bramble and Goosegrass + back to cut nature garden and area + cut c47 field ( mainly Bramble, Goosegrass and Bindweed ) + met up with Tom and Jo who together cut all the paths and checked for fallen trees after last nights windy spell ( breezy today too ) + I checked the road first thing and shifted afew large branches + office later and major e mail catch up + checked out MM paths + stung by a bee when I got back to base camp ( it was lurking in my slipper ) and it hurt like a bastard for minutes until I poured vinegar on it - the bee had stung through my sock and survived by the way + SPBF and MF still flying ( in low numbers ) + visitor risk assessments up date and tree risk assessment up dates carried out

Mon 5th Rain and strong breeze all day + office stuff mainly ( recently had a run on e mails wanting me to ID stuff which takes time ) + got a letter from James Cadbury today and all is well with himself and his missis Joy + spent time messing with fund raising ideas

Sun 4th Drizzle and rain first thing and all morning + sunny and warm later + cutting paths for most of time with s cutter + tractor/swipe + SPBF's still flying in numbers + x7 MFs, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral + 1st Southern Hawker and x12 BBC's on the HH pond + nice views of a very young Roe deer in Chapel Cottage Field this morning ( filmed too ) + time spent in office later catching up from last week

MAY 2017 Fri to Fri ( June 2nd ) Areas in c47 cut + bracken areas in many sections of reserve + Meadow Brown out and about + finished footage of reserve in May ( I'll up load next week if time allows ) + spent time upt north visiting Leighton Moss which was the first nature reserve I ever worked on ( Marsh Harrier, Garganey, Avocet, Black tailed Godwit ) + meetings with old mates ( Gaitbarrows NNR 40th Anniversary + Duke Of Burgundy butterfly and many Ladies Slipper Orchids - recent 'introduction' project ) + checking out management work on Arnside Knott + West Mill sheep returned to the fold a la Bo Peep

Thurs 25th Really massive Hornet in our bedroom last night - Asian or just a huge Queen ? + + out and about with survey and monitor on a very hotday - still loads of SPBF/MF about + x2 Painted Lady and Beautiful Demoiseslle coming out in numbers + x13 BB Chasers on the HH Pond + continued my bird survey and came up trumps with not one but two male Redstart singing in the woods above GM ( gone by the time I got back with recording gear )

Weds 24th Web visits reached the magic 100,000 last evening + out very early again in the cool dawn cutting on the west side ( mainly paths and topping stuff - message to dog owners...... if you have to walk your dog please pick up any mess it deposits as its no fun getting splattered by it when I'm cutting....at the very least kick it off the path ! ) + BT at HH in the afternoon when the sun came out ( still plenty of SPBF and MF + x3 Brimstone, x1 Red Admiral, x4 Common Blue, x5 Small Copper,x2 Speckled Wood, x1 OT and x3 Peacock + sound recording for the May footage + plenty of dragonfly mating going on at HH Pond - mainly Large Red but BB Chasers at it all over the place + office much later ( contacted James Cadbury amongst other things ) + spent some time up loading more footage and editing for the May video ( whilst watching Man Utd win the Europa League Cup )

Tues 23 May Dull with Cornish mist all day + cutting from 7am til 3pm / topping regrowth Bramble, Honeysuckle, Goosegrass mostly ( in the newly cut areas from over winter + some sections of HH#1 and HH#3 ) + cutting round office front + topping Bracken in Franks Field with tractor /swipe + office late afternoon + bat watching in the evening for awhile ( x2 GHB in the shed at the moment )

Weekend General reserve duties over the weekend + checking road boundaries + some visitor / office PR stuff + office later / printing / reports

Fri 19th More potholes filled today by the council guys + some printing down at office first thing + more filming and BT ( lots of mating going on re SPBF and MF ) + on the look out for an 'exotic' bird of prey Jane noted last evening ( sounded like a RT / Harris Hawk - escapee from a falconer probably ) + sad that the ponies have been taken off MM by their owners + lots of Micropterix moths in the Buttercup flowers on reserve + out looking for some missing Hebridian sheep escaped from West Mill ( no luck - there are 12 if anyone sees them and they are brown )

Thurs 18th Out first thing over on the west side ( 7am ) - big numbers of SPBF's and many 'roosting' in numbers in the chill ( especially at the clearings c25 ) + big numbers down the concrete track to West Mill too + SM Orchids going to be splendid in that bottom meadow at WM this year + x1 Holly Blue in GM later along with all the usual stuff ( many SPBF's here and at HH + many MF's still ) + some time spent topping bracken in some areas + more filming / photos + impromptu group taken to HH to see stuff + our track outside ( potholed ) is getting the tarmac treatment at last ( they didnt tell anyone-chaos results ) + its pretty basic cheap tarmac but at least it will last til at least til the end of this summer + office stuff later Weds 17th More rain and drizzle and feeling a tad chill + in office most of the day sorting out various things / editing / making plans / + had a break at lunch time and noted Dipper at nest site again ( 2nd brood maybe ) + editing and up loading some photos to various sources + going over past 30 years worth of CBC surveys + general impression I get is that stuff aint singing as much as it used to ( only x1 Willow Warbler with no Pied Flycatcher to date and no Spotted Flycatcher )

Tues 16th Viewing film from the past few days last evening and this morning + very pleased with the footage - but still more to do + humid with drizzle most of the day + met up with Tom and Jo who set off cutting west paths + more film editing + arranging future visits by various folk

Mon 15th Dull with drizzle most of the day but very warm and humid with it + cutting GM and HH first thing then back to top the Bracken, Ivy, Bramble in Chapel Field c47 + more cutting / topping later in Otter Coppice and surrounding area + x1 Dipper noted again at Gooseham Bridge

Sun 14th Day split between reserve and bird survey - from Sandymouth to Bude ( mainly for Cirl Bunting - none heard or seen + the one noted on reserve seems to have gone or has gone very quiet ) + SPBF and MF all over the place again + Stinkhorn fungus popping up over the past few days + Dippers feeding young noted again + Grey Wagtails feeding young somewhere along the stream

Sat 13th Great wildlife experiences today + spent most of the time out at HH and Goat Meadow areas filming and taking photos ( over ) + Hazel Weevil central on the Hazels at Otter Coppice ( had total x17 in the area with x11 on one bush and x7 in a mating frenzy ) + loads of SPBF's everywhere and a record count at HH of x61 Marsh Fritillary + x12 PBF + x2 Speckled Wood, x2 Common Blue, x4 Small Copper, x3 Peacock, loads GVW and LW + x4 Small White, x1 Painted Lady, x6 Brimstone and x1 Green Hairstreak + x1 Sparrowhawk + adult Dippers feeding x2 young at Gooseham Bridge + counted x8 'spikes' of Bog Beacon at HH3 + Cardinal Beetles frequent Fri 12th Spent abit of time monitoring bats last evening + still have loads of Pips in the house + x2 Greater HB in the shed ( probably keeping Lessers out ) + general office stuff for awhile + walk down to the west side checking the usual stuff + back to office

Thurs 11th Out first thing on the tractor / swipe topping and cutting paths + back to looking at film footage from yesterday - looks promising ( won't edit into a proper video til end May ) + some cutting later but weather turned very humid with slight drizzle on and off + back to office and measuring land

Weds 10th Stroll down the west end first thing + sunny and warm all day + filming ( hopefully got some good footage of Hazel Weevil and Marsh Fritillary amongst other things ) + 1st Marsh Fritillary out at HH ( x4 ) + SPBF's coming out in good numbers at HH and elsewhere + loads PBF's still flying at HH + Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Small White, GVW, Large White, Peacock, Brimstone + 1st BB Chaser dragonfly ( female laying eggs on the HH Pond ) + stroll with KL round HH taking photos at lunch + some office stuff ( web edit / uploads )

Tues 9th Out first thing for a stroll round HH ( CBC ) + a tad dull and cloudy + sorted out afew things in the nature garden + met up with Tom and Jo who went out to make good a section of Darracott to make it tractor passable + trimmed a section of Sycamore round the barn and went on to top bracken on the west side clearings / c15 + more bracken topping on east side + some filming + calculating areas on certain sections of reserve + comparing conservation status + chatting to some uni students who want (ed) to get into doing what I do ( maybe I was a tad negetive about my practical management role as a 'warden' mainly because there seems to be very little oppurtunties available these days - unless you want to do 'people' stuff or do advice -ie lots of 'talking' (and looking at computer screens) and not enough 'doing' + checked ponies and walked around the west side - all Bo Peep like - looking for some lost sheep ( didnt find any ) + more filming and photos later ( SPBF studies over ) + editing web site later ( listening to Sufjan Stephens - Carrie and Lowell ) + Dipper young all fledged and adults feeding at least x2 on the stream Mon 8th Very warm and sunny all day + x34 PBF's at HH and x35 SPBF + took some time off in the afternoon + c200+ Swallows feeding over reserve this evening ( from about 20.30 til dark )

Sat 6th / Sun 7th Web visits reached 99000 last evening + David Bowden up loaded some great piccies taken on his visit last week ( over ) + usual PR stuff over the weekend

Fri 5th Cutting nature garden and surrounding area first thing + seems to be afew Garden Warblers dropping in at the moment + PBF / SPBF check later at HH when the sun came out + pleasantly surprised to note x23 PBFs flying mainly mid slope ( x2 females laying ) + x3 SPBF

Thurs 4th Cutting remainder of c47 first thing + some of Franks Field then out on a survey for those birds I mentioned some while ago ( none seen or heard I'm afraid ) + did some filming at lunch out at HH but not much about as it was back to cold and cloudy until mid afternoon + spraint check ( recent stuff at Gooseham Bridge ) + more time spent on the Lichen document ( remember that from some time ago ? ) + in the office library doing abit of 'research' + impromptu small group taken to bluebell areas towards HH + to see PBF (x1)

Weds 3rd Sunny and warm during the morning but dull and cloudy the rest of the day + meeting with R and R at Linton Hills and a good chat about various stuff + Linton Hills grounds looking splendid + bridleway walk beautiful + met up with Kate L. later and another good chat re various stuff + office rest of the time + trawling through some grant application stuff in the evening ( PJ Harvey and Joy Division got me thhrough it )

Tues 2nd Sunny and bright first thing + spent a little time organizing a crash course on bird song, monitoring and survey methods and CBC technique for Tom and Jo ( this will take place during the afternoon when they've finished cutting the bridleway and Tredown paths ) + out on HH most of morning + out on west side most of afternoon + checked ponies with T and J + butterfly survey and basic CBC method - x36 PBF HH ( no SPBF's out here at the moment / checked plus photos ) , x8 c25, x11 BA, x2 TBC,and x4 TBM ( total x61 ) + x1 SPBF out in TBC + x3 Holly Blue, x7 Peacock, x7 Speckled Wood, x3 Brimstone, x5 Small Copper, x6 GVW, x2 Large White, x9 Orange Tip + x9 Speckled Yellow moth at HH and x8 Tiger Beetles noted

Mon 1st More rain first thing + office stuff including emails and web site up date /edit + Dr Rob Wolton was on reserve recently and intends to send a list of species he noted - I can't wait for his ID of a 'trickle midge' he recorded ( apparently these tiny beasts feed on diatoms ) + he had a 'first' for Devon / Cornwall with a parasitic fly, Siphona maculata + he also took a nice little piccy of a Bog Beacon fungi ( looks like a jellybean on a stick ) + sussing out a new video which will highlight this months wildlife on reserve + managed a stroll mid afternoon + photos + general chat with anyone I met ( x6 ) + strange to note 99% of fern / bracken caught in the frost last week has died + more Common Twayblade noted in c47 with fresh Dormouse chewed nuts at the bottom field hedge

APRIL 2017 Sun 30th Rain / drizzle all day + wet walk to MM + checked ponies + Swallow let loose first thing and it flew away no problem + looking through various photos folk have sent in over the past few weeks + ID attempts from said photos

Sat 29th Spotted Flycatcher in the garden this morning ( just one ) + spent time with pressure washer set up down at the office ( only had on for afew seconds as someone left the tap on in the office and well levels dropped somewhat ) + found Swallow which had recently hit the window + 'nursed' it + wings OK and legs OK + just knocked out abit + kept it in box over night + too dull for PBF's or any other butterfly for that matter

Fri 28th Dull, cloudy but warm most of the day + AS cancelled proposed visit + catch up office stuff most of the time with some cutting for a spell ( mainly the usual re growth bramble and bracken ) + checked out Hackmarsh / walk up stream ( no spraint ) + over past few days all paths checked for damaged trees Thurs 27th Cutting c47 first thing for most of the am and into the pm + frost on the ground and v cold + all field plus new coppice cut ( mainly topping 3-4 inches above the ground and concentrating on bramble re growth, ferns and bracken) + found x15 spikes of Lesser Twayblade Orchid by the side of our fence + Early Purple Orchids x3 in the top right section ( not recorded in this field before ) + more work done on moth project ( AS coming up tomorrow )

Weds 26th Paperwork first thing + full sun but cool then out mid morning looking for PBF's - none in c25 (!), x5 in c15, x5 in TBC, x2 in TBM, x2 elsewhere and c30 at Hard Hills ( Total - x44 ) - so numbers pretty low this year ( this may rise later in week when the cold wind stops ) + x1 Wall at MM, x2 Holly Blue + heard the Cirl Bunting in c15 then it moved to the top of the concrete road + x3 singing Whitethroat in c15 + checked paths/trees/ponies + time spent with impromptu 'group' meetings / PR with visitors / chats on reserve + found a Lesser Horseshoe on the ground near the office first thing + warmed it up and off it went - presume it gonna go in the office roost ( photo of face ) + 1st Beautiful Demoiseselle damselfly + Bluebells spectacular by the way

Tues 25th Out cutting beyond GM and into HH first thing ( all over winter cut coppice areas ) - mainly re growth bramble, honeysuckle and fern species including bracken + topping with tractor in GM, HH and Franks Field + met up with Tom and Charlie ( work experience ) who continued cutting at HH and raking up dead bramble + checked ponies + checked out Hackmarsh and visited MVF ( hose pipe connecter world ) + pretty sunny but with a cold/cool breeze + PBF's out at HH but laying low plus afew in c15

Mon 24th Survey for those birds again first thing but nothing to report I'm afraid ( up the valley to Hackmarsh and down the top side crossing inbetween the briddleway and the other side ) + more cloudy, dull and cool weather ( didnt bother checking PBF's as after 30 years of survey I get a sneeky feeling when they aint comin out ) + noted more Early Purple Orchids in places I havent seen them before ( ever ) + a bird survey most of the afternoon up in the woods along the road and over towards the big pond ( negetive ) + checked trees/paths and boundary lines + its 4.30pm at time of writing and Ive just taken advantage of a 35 min sunny period ( not full sun but still OK ) + counted x21 PBF's on the slopes + x2 females laying ( 13 eggs noted being laid mainly on or around viola in the open ) + hopefully numbers should rise but I still feel (in my water) thats its gonna be a 'poor' season ( for Marsland comparatively speaking ) + very good to watch male Dipper taking food to its nest to feed the young and female ( 10 mins )

Sun 23rd Dull most of the day but I did mange a check at HH later on when the sun peeked out for 10 minutes but I only had x3 PBF + 150+ hirundines flying around the valley in the evening

Sat 22nd PBF survey all day at Hard Hills from 10.30 til 3pm ( sunny and warm ) + none seen first thing but after 3 zig zags of the slopes ( and yes I am totally knackered ) I noted x6 at the end of the day + hatch obviously going on + weather due to change soon + also at HH ; x2 Holly Blue, x4 Orange Tip, x5 Peacock, x2 Speckled Wood and x2 Brimstone + Dippers still feeding young + ponies ok

Fri 21st CBC first light + Cuckoo seems to have moved on ; x1 Willow Warbler in Travel Bridge Meadow; Blackcaps seem to be all over the place; Whitethroat in c15 ; Grasshopper Warbler in Franks Field + too chilly for any butterflies so early + checked paths / ponies / trees + no PBFs at all today ( weather changed mid morning ) + more bird surveys all day in different areas ( nothing special to report ) + arranging future meetings + one or two agencies interested in one or two of my photos - thats OK but who cares ? + getting together proposed future projects in the evening ( and for those moaning re me not being on on Twitter and/or Facebook - FYI; Im listening to the new Jesus and Mary Chain + Wilco latest + some selections from mid 80's The Fall and the greatest novel in the world ever is 'The Third Policeman' by FoB followed closely by 'The Outsider' by AC - more personal stuff as and when just to keep GR happy )

Thurs 20th Big change in the weather today with mist and drizzle passing through + all day on 'future projects and reports' ideas + having abit of time off

Weds 19th Another sunny warm ish day + AS left mid morning ( much talk about future moth projects and Brazil trip ) + trying to get the latest on our missing pony ( £500 reward apparently ) + office email catch up + surveying out at HH on and off most of the day / evening ( no PBF's noted but the whole area is looking really good with many Viola and Bugle just waiting ) + good to see a number of Early Purple Orchids in places where they have not been seen before + nice to hear a Cuckoo on the reserve from about 3pm onwards for 20 mins and then again for most of the evening + OT numbers going up ( photo of newly hatched male )

Tues 18th Beautiful sunny day all day + cleaning office first thing then met up with Kevin Cox ( visited afew times last year and has a great natural area on Dartmoor + SPBF etc ) and Alan Martin ( met AM at Regua in Brazil last year and is great friends with KC ) and had a great walk round reserve discussing various things including management and world travel ( both these guys have been everywhere ) + Adrian (Spalding) joined us after lunch ( stayed over + discussing amongst other things our proposed trip to Brazil this year ) + 1st PBF of the year at c15 + x2 Long Meadow + Comma, Holly Blue, GV White, Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, Small Copper, Peacock, loads Orange Tips and Brimstone + 1st Large Red Damselfly

Holiday weekend / Mon 17th Usual bank holiday weekend duties including general PR with visitors ( very quiet ) + checked out the Easter Trials down the road and up Darracot ( came and went without too much hassle ) + PBF surveys ( none recorded to date ) + weather generally warm to cool to cloudy and cold + x1 survey for those birds I listed the other day ( none seen or heard but x1 Garden Warbler noted in Goat Meadow area ) + male Merlin hunting again over Hard Hills airspace on Sunday afternoon

Fri 14th Some maintainence first thing + office stuff + generally strolling around + PR stuff most of the day

Thurs 13th Cloudy and cool today + good to see Early Purple Orchids out in GM ( x5 spikes today ) + checking out HM again + shifting some old fence line wire etc

Weds 12th Out first thing on my new 'rarely seen / heard bird species project' specifically looking out for species which have been recorded on reserve since my arrival way back in 88 but are not generally seen or heard from year to year - Cirl Bunting, Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Warbler,Willow Tit, Turtle Dove ( some hope ) and Cuckoo + going to areas on reserve not usually surveyed ( plus surrounding areas of reserve ) + throughout the survey I will probably see/hear PF, SF, Cuckoo + checked ponies / tree risk assessment / health and safety assessment / path condition assessment + web site up dates

Tues 11th Web visits reached 98000 today + met up with a couple of contractors for most of the morning ( scrub control issues ) + spent the rest of the day at Hard Hills just strolling around and watching wildlife come and go ( its very important to do this now and again ) + noted Speckled Wood, Comma, Brimstone, Peacock, Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Small Tortoiseshell + survey for PBF and larave ( neit ) x8 Buzzards in HH airspace all at the same time ( one with a Slow Worm in its beak ) + female Sparrowhawk hassling them all + watched a male Merlin for ages hunting at the top of the canopy opposite HH and then over HH itself ( I still strongly believe a pair is breeding nearby or maybe on reserve ) + found a small patch of Wood Anemone at HH + Marsh Violets are totally heaving in the alder flush area ( seriously spreading due to the opening up of the coppice ( good for SPBF larave to feed on by the way )

Mon 10th Meeting with IC from HQ / Meeth very first thing ( 7.45 ) then out til after lunch cutting around nature garden and surrounding areas + Chapel Field area + selected areas round GM and HH + some of the path sections + alot cooler than over the weekend + office catch up and then out again over to HH to survey various stuff + up dating / adding data to web site ( including afew photos for 'Another Life ' @ HOME ) + listening to Joy Division 'Best of' album whilst in the office recently ( this inclusion - and all the others - is for the benefit of a person I met recently on reserve - my musical tastes should benefit everyone by the way )

Weekend Very warm and sunny all Saturday but cool and hazy all Sunday + 1st Orange Tip out at HH on Saturday + PBF survey + many Peacock out at the moment

Fri 7th Another sunny warm day although the mornings are very cold + lots of Peacock around at the moment ( feeding on Blackthorn flowers mainly - photo ) + some species of fungi coming out too ( photo of Velvet Shank ( ? ) + PBF larvae survey ( nothing but good numbers of viola plants and ants + male Dipper very busy at nest site coming and going + Willow Tit survey right down the valley (using iPod WT bird call/song but nothing - last one I heard here was way back in the mid 90's ) + pair of Grey Wagtails at HH3 ( makes two pairs at least as one pair is nesting in the office area ) + spraint check ( old bits and old pieces here and there ) + 1st Holly Blue at HH + loads of Bee Flies hovering about + this hot weather at this time of year is very good for PBF larvae + a couple of ladies ( you know who you are ) walking their dogs today really got on nerves as both dogs were way ahead and barking and rushing all over the place - one day these two will regret their lack of control when the dogs bite someone

Thurs 6th Out to MVF first thing to get in some supplies + checked Hackmarsh boundary lines + took time out to take one or two photos + checked Dippers + recorded some Song Thrush song right outside the office ( listen @ HOME bottom right ) + spent too much time on trying to transfer my Adit data over to Recorder 6 ( failing ) + sunny and warm most of the day + checked for PBF larvae feeding on viola ( nothing ) + checked over / maintained the BCS

Weds 5th Generally messing about most of the day seeing to all those odd jobs that never seem to get done

Tues 4th Dull with mist and rain first thing + out onto Darracott to fix bits of the track + out to HH to check on tent + met up with Jo and Tom mid morning + out to BA c15 to do some scrub / grass cutting with cutters plus BCS + sun came at at lunchtime and things became very warm + x2 Speckled Wood + checked ponies Mon 3rd Paperwork catch up for most of morning + e mailing various folk re meetings this month - amongst other things ( 'Jeremy' the pony still missing by the way ) + nice to see a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the nature garden

Weekend 1st and 2nd Usual weekend 'duties' + quiet on the visitor front + weather seems to be settling down to cold nights and bright sunny days + finished off editing Annual Report ( up loaded - HOME / DOC 2 - AR2016/17 ) + includes management / bird report / butterfly report / dragonfly report / other species etc

MARCH 2017

Fri 31st Pair of Grey Wagtails building a nest somewhere near the office at the moment + messin about the bottom for awhile then met up with Matt B. from HQ to have a chat / look at c119 / budgets etc + rain set in later + off reserve for awhile + paperwork ( finished AR listening to Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne ) + Peacock (butterfly) on bird table + GS Woodpecker feeding on fat balls

Thurs 30th Blackcaps dropping in + more hirundine passage + AR almost completed

Weds 29th Out first thing down to the Mouth to look for pony + fix certain section of fence line + found pony tracks through a disused gate at West Mill ( it used to be dis used but seemingly been 're opened ' recently + I think now that J . has gone through this gate onto West Mill land and either been led away or wandered off up the concrete road + why didnt the others follow ( which they surely would have done ? ) + went out down TB area to look for signs of a lone pony ( 'droppings' - but didnt find any ) + AR nearly finished in the evening + loads of House Martins and Swallows over MM this early am ( c50+ mixed flock ) + having words with bikers the past few days and the bridleway rat run seems to have dried up + great help from DCC path guys and their official signage + Grey Squirrel survey later on in the evening and located x3 so they're effectively moving back into the immediate area Tues 28th Out first thing to MM + Travel Bridge wood area to look for pony but no luck Im afraid + back to base camp to meet and greet DWT staff for a stroll around the reserve for the rest of the day + rain on and off but a great time was had by all + time spent looking for pony later on

Weekend / Mon 27th Jeremy the pony arrived Saturday and loved being with the other three but bad news on Sunday as he has gone AWOL - spent most of Monday into the evening looking for him at MM and surrounding areas but no luck + gates locked and he apparently wouldnt have the left the other three to wander on his own ( theyre OK by the way ) + hoping he is behind some bush somewhere and will re appear soon + if anyone walks MM please keep an eye open + very warm and sunny at the Mouth + female Sparrowhawk and Yellowhammer + Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock all flitting about + also reached 97000 web visits over the period

Fri 24th Early morning birdsong stroll first thing then back to meet up with Tom and Jo who set off around the west paths trimming and cutting + meeting for me up at Hackmarsh + checked out afew sections of boundary fences etc + another office tidy up + a check for PBF larvae on HH slopes ( sunny ish later in the afternoon )

Thurs 23rd Back to dull weather and occasional rain + colder + in the home office some of the day backing up files / web up dates / tidying up hard drives etc + met MP from Devon Council re putting in a 'No Motorbikes' sigh either end of the bridleway as someone has been using it as a rat run of late + cleaned up the office / windows / toilet / floors + spraint check ( none found + all washed away in recent heavy rain I assume )

Weds 22nd Sun came out for most of the day + took a stroll to check stuff ( trees / paths ) + ponies ( new one coming on Saturday - 'Jeremy' ) + x1 Comma, x1 Small Tortoiseshell and x1 Brimstone + noted Daffodils spreading in some areas especially Goat Meadow

Tues 21st Cutting over at Goat meadow / Hard Hills for most of the morning and early afternoon + very heavy rain and hail later + retreated to office Mon 20th Rain and more rain til mid afternoon when it stopped for awhile + stream up to its gunnels + paperwork + internet research when the internet was on ( BT supposed to be fixing the problem today ( lol ) + up date Marsland safety literature / tree risk assessments / path maintainance assessments / visitor safety material

Weekend Bird survey ( bit misty but afew Swallows moving through + an unusual Buzzard with missing middle tail feathers making it look like a squat Red Kite ) + took some guys out to HH to talk about our management out there ( Sun ) + checked ponies + more time spent on the 'moths in the canopy idea'

Fri 17th Out at HH most of the morning + office all afternoon ( more AR stuff ) + took truck back to Meeth yesterday + picked up LR ( had 'borrowed' back the truck for some loading work that only the truck could do ) + dull and cold all day

Thurs 16th Cutting most of the morning in various areas which needed a queek or two +/raking + bird survey ( very quiet on the migrant front - probably due in no small way to the fact that nothing is getting through the Med / Cyprus corridor due to being slaughtered in their tens of millions : below is a piece from the Guardian last year - and its all still happening as we speak :

'The Egyptians line their beaches with fine two-metre high nets that can stretch for miles across the Nile delta and will catch any bird coming close; the Maltese will cover whole trees in nylon; the Cypriots smear branches in glue to stop birds flying; the Italians will kill nearly anything that flies and the French like to set metal traps for small birds.

According to the first study of its kind, which has attempted to put a realistic number on how many birds are killed illegally each year, possibly 25 million chaffinches, thrushes, robins, quails and many other species are being shot, trapped or poisoned as they migrate to and from mainland Europe.'

Weds 15th 1st Chiffchaff song of the year first thing whilst out on an early morning stroll + lots more individuals dropping in during the day + paperwork til mid morning then paid a visit to c119 with KL + more strolling after lunch ( helps me formulate plans for the future - amongst other things ) + cooler and misty most of the day + raking at a couple of areas ( just getting the residue 'choppings' cleared ) + messing about at the tent site and monitoring Dipper activity at nest area + more time spent on the moth trap idea ( basically untying loads of knots in a rope about a mile long )

Tues 14th Web clicks reached 96000 over night + cutting nature garden area first thing + met up with Adam and Jo who went into Goat meadow to cut scrub in the left hand corner + more cutting later + constructed a platform for the moth trap work coming up in Spring onwards ( which will be hoisted up a very large Oak tree ) + e mailing various folk and AR continued + past AR's compiled + strange to see a Cormorant on the stream deep pool just beyond the Bridge ( moved on later after snapping at afew trout ) + pony check

Mon 13th Checking boundaries / ponies / trees /paths + visit to Hackmarsh + chat with Kate L. re various stuff + paperwork

Weekend Very quiet on reserve this weekend + enjoyed watching Fulmars setting up nest sites along the coast from Sandymouth to Bude + Skylarks a plenty and a hatful of Rock Pipits + spent some time in the tent late Saturday and it was fab

Fri 10th Spent some time early morning greasing and oiling stuff + met up with Tom and Jo + went out to HH3 to put the tent up ( photos ) + cutting / raking in the otter holt #2 site + sunny and warm all day with x2 Comma, x1 Small Tortoiseshell + had x2 Canada Geese fly over and x2 Mallard on Otter Coppice large pool ( probably try to nest ) + noted male and female Dipper at old nest site + same pair earlier at the first nest site at Gooseham Bridge + x 7 Buzzards over HH + x1 Sparrowhawk

Thurs 9th Down in the Marsland office first thing + sorting out boundary maps and calculating size of certain areas on reserve + abit of research on various other reserves and realized the changes in visiting places between 30 years ago and now ( one place I worked on for 18 months was a wildlife/birding paradise in the aerly 80's - now its on 'tripadviser' with people whinging on about how 'cold the coffee was' in the new cafe or the ' paths were too rough for my pram ' or ' we didnt see anything' ( thats a family with a dog and 6 kids ) + I remember visiting the place last year and watching a superbe Marsh Harrier gliding over the water hunting whilst 6 or 7 people watched the same bird in black and white from a remote camera / TV at the back of the hide ( near the kids 'play area' ) + spraint check revealed a dollop of 'anal jelly' on the path to Hard Hills and adjacent to what looked like an actual otter trail ( aj is a mucus lining of the gut in order to protect delicate bits from fish bones and other stuff and smells like very strong spraint ) + noted afew old patches of 'mashed potato' fungus on one or two trees - the substance starts off looking like mashed spuds but then turns dark and hard ( photo )

Weds 8th Drizzle and mist first thing with x50+ Redwing dropping into trees outside our house ( for a breather and a rest by the look of em ) + heavy rain on and off most of the rest of the day + had a meeting with Kate L. re various + checked out paths on far side of reserve opposite bridleway + spraint check ( none ) + more paperwork catch up in the evening watching the Barca v PSG match ( turned it off with 10 mins to go as my eyes were closing and Barca could never do the impossible and score 3 goals in 10 mins - story of my life )

Tues 7th IT computer clean up / secondary back up first thing ( backup onto a hard drive which is kept out of house + onto Amazon Cloud ) + more AR editing / photo + more data collection ( mainly due to it being 30 years on reserve next year and I want to produce something to mark the fact ) + stroll round GM at dinner and I saw the back end of an adult Otter on the small pond in Otter Coppice ( on reaching the area I noticed a large amount of very fresh spraint which still steamimg + two dollops on the larger of the ponds - adult female probably looking for frogs to scoff ) + I hung around awhile listening out for cubs but no luck ( pretty exciting nevertheless - put the old 2013 film back on HOME page )

Mon 6th Rain most of the day + spent time completing all the small odd jobs which accumulate over the months ( including putting in a new post gate at c15 + fixed the gate itself + MVF buying bits and pieces + path fixing etc ) + AR birds report

Weekend Checked out the ponies + trees/paths + showed a couple round HH to look at our PBF management + more AR ( whilst raising a glass to MES on his 60th )

Fri 3rd Coninued with AR most of the day

Thurs 2nd Day came up bright sunny - but cool ( and remained so for most of the day ) + met up with DM who had come to tidy up and clear some wood + time spent on various projects coming up in the not too distant future + general patrol after yesterdays blustery moments + working out moth project for the spring/summer ( basically how to get a moth trap / battery up into the canopy of a very large oak tree - and down again .... easily )

Weds 1st Moth trapping last night but way too cold and nothing turned up + general walk round reserve most of the day with AS discussing future projects ( canopy moths etc ) + tree check / path check / pony check + nice to see Toadspawn in HH 1 pool + x2 Dipper at last years nest site both dropping out of nest + discussing a visit to Brazil / Regua in October to film / photograph butterflies / wildlife and extend the moth list ( centered on wasp mimics and glass wing butterfly mimic moths + silk wings ) + likely that I'll be writing a book soon for a German publisher based on the 111 best bird watching sites in GB ( watch this space ) + whats not to like tout le monde

] FEBRUARY 2017

Tues 28th Marsland office first thing + met up with Tom and Jo who went to this end of Long Meadow / pond to cut and rake + clear up to Middle Marsh Field + web visits hit 95000 over the last few days + up dating moth data + checking moth traps / costs of generators for possible series of moth days at Marsland ( Dr A Spalding coming in over next few days to check out possibilities ) + still keen on moth trapping in the canopy

Weekend Checking stuff mainly including ponies

Fri 24th Out bright and early on a beautiful day checking for fallen trees ( just one very small one which I cleared + loads of small branches - reckon we missed the main 'storm' yesterday ) + checked on path condition + checked ponies ( all in fine fettle + another one on its way - called Jeremy - Wolfie cant make it ) + Daffs coming out along with Snowdrops and frogspawn hatching into tadpoles ( lots of bird sub song and Buzzards displaying ) + David M. came in with his missis to get some wood from near our house + helped clear up the small fallen tree + Dipper check up to Hackmarsh ( one at Gooseham Bridge ) + pair of Grey Wagtails messing about the office buildings + Otter spraint survey ( one maybe two individuals busy around the Goat Meadow section of the stream ) + some time spent looking for Golden hair Lichen at HH (-ve ) + noted more Rabbit action at BA + along the paths up that way + that idiot + horse has been down one of the west paths again and messed up sections of it ( please dont let me catch you ) + more work on the 2016/17 AR

Thurs 23rd Day started on a very windy note but at least all the mist has been blown away + funny how the electricity supply was on and off all weekend ( no wind ) and yet stays on during Storm Doreen or what ever theyre calling it this time ( Doris apparently ) + more time spent on AR ( birds and lichens ) + Heron frequently seen over reserve airspace

Tuesday 21 / Weds 22 Both days spent with BT guy who couldnt find the fault for love ner money + long story short - he found it late Weds after turning up at 8.30am + Marsland office OK for awhile then I think it had problems too + gave me time to start my annual report + catch up on data in put + been misty every day all day in the valley since Sunday

Mon 20th Problems with home phone / internet yesterday and today / checked office and its OK + calling BT 'help' line is a very stressy thing to have to do + office most of the day ( internet fine but phones still off - go figure ) + drizzle / mist again

Weekend Very dull and misty most of the time + checking out Holsworthy Motor Club mini trial on Sunday pm up Darracott + general PR and patrols

Fri 17th Tom and Jo in today - working up at the school cutting and raking in the little nature reserve there + back after lunch working and finishing off in Otter Coppice + GH Bat flying late afternoon over the office area

Thurs 16th Sunny spring like day most of the time + afew people knocking about but still quiet + Siskins still hanging around ( in Otter Coppice today )

Weds 15th Web visits reached 94000 last evening / checked ponies + beach clean pm at Marsland Mouth

Tues 14th Surprised to see some of my PBF / MF film on BBC 'Spotlight' this morning ( Cornwall Butterfly Conservation claiming it ! ) + beginnings of a dawn chorus first light + paperwork most of the day + nice to see (and hear) a dozen Siskin moving through late afternoon and feeding atop the Alder

Mon 13th Out along the bridleway first thing to make the path good after a tree went over and pulled out the roots , path and all + some Marsland Office stuff / machine maintainance + sprinat check up the stream to Hackmarsh ( loads outside the artificial holt in Otter Coppice - cant be too certain if its being used + some cutting in Otter Coppice and GM ( topping brambles ) + damming up various runnels to hold back water to make small pools over HH way Weekend Usual weekend stuff + flurries of snow but nothing serious + afew bikers using Darracott more than usual during some of Sunday ( probably 'testing' the route before the Holsworthy Motor Club trial next Sunday ( yawn + why can't they go to somewhere near Holsworthy ? ) + the tent finally arrived ( Saturday morning at 7 o clock )

Fri 10th Off reserve for awhile early then back to base camp + met with Scott who had finished Travel Bridge area and we cleared a tree from over Darracott track + checked other trees ( TB track + Hackmarsh ) + sunny but cold and spring is sprunging all over the place + Scott Fairbairn and the lads are totally excellent by the way and I would recommend them to anyone wanting 'land' or 'tree' work carried out ( so refreshing after dealing with idiots from BT and the local councils )

Thurs 9th The report on Bees and Wasps from some while ago is now on the web site ( Docs2 / PDF Bees ) + cutting Otter Coppice area + rake + boundary check top side + general wander up side valley towards Hackmarsh and back on the other side

Weds 8th Down the valley first thing checking on path + check ponies + sorting out work for last few days of contract work + spent some time collecting up a bucket load of frogspawn all of which had been 'laid' on the ground ( and on one occasion on a tree stump ) + putting it all in the ponds + editing and sorting out the reserve Bees and Wasps list ( up loaded to Docs2 ) + editing the Bees/Wasps survey from 2012 ( finally ! ) + another Dipper survey ( nowt )

Tues 7th Off down to MM first thing checking for fallen trees after recent winds ( none down but branches needed clearing ) + path condition ( one section noted on the un official footpath down the valley to the Mouth ) + check ponies + met up with Scott who continued cutting in TB Coppice + a big thanks to whoever found my camera case and put it on the post at the double gates next to the Travel bridge track + off reserve / advice for awhile later in the morning + back to Marsland Office to sort out some PBF management stuff for a couple of guys who popped in for a chat + tidy office / dust and hoover + Redwing popping in but no Dippers seen or heard on my way back up the valley + visitor safety risk assessments up dated

Mon 6th Rain most of the day so in and out of the office + met up with Tom and Jo who cleared an area of young re growth in Otter Coppice + off reserve for awhile + Hackmarsh check and met up with landowner re advice + some pottering about in the nature garden + fixing panels back on the barn ( nails beginning to rust through ) + sussing out 'structure' on the ground at new coppice beyond GM ( possibly a run off area from the leat ( photo )

Fri/Sat/Sun More cutting and raking down LM / Otter Coppice / check at Hackmarsh + check ponies / tree safety / path conditions + usual office and visitor time over the weekend + up to x4 wild Mallard hanging around the ponds + liason with pony people re possible introduction of two more of the hoofy beasts at Marsland Mouth + Otter spraint checks up the valley + kept a keen ear out for the sounds of any young uns + book of the week is 'The Oxford Book of British Bird Names' by W.B. Lockwood ( it does what it says on the tin ) + the 1544 local name for the Nuthatch was Nut Job

Thurs 2nd Blustery old day today but most of the wind going over the top + out first thing looking for my camera case ( no luck ) + checking usual stuff + photos of stream clearance + paperwork catch up + some cutting in Otter Coppice and raking + pond management + loads of frogspawn going down all over the place - ponds, ruts, slow moving runnlets and even on wet ground

Weds 1st Out early down to Marsland Mouth to check ponies ( took longer than I had planned as I couldnt see them at first and had to walk around the area looking for them + found all three up the main path lying down behind a large bush ) + x12 Meadow Pipits , x2 Buzzard, x1 Kestrel, x2 Linnet but no sign of Dippers on the stream + met up with Scott in TB Meadow later on + spent time looking for my camera case ( not found ! ) + photos of management taken JANUARY 2017

Tues 31st Met up with Scott first thing then he went out to LM / Travel Bridge Meadow and beyond cutting and raking + met with Tom and Phil back at base camp ( Phil working with Somerset Wildlife Trust ) who both went out onto the stream from Gooseham Bridge upwards cutting back over hanging trees/branches mainly to make the route clear for Dipper + I gave the nature garden / surrounding areas a really good close cut + out to Hackmarsh + checking fly tip site ( all clear ) + met up with adjacent landowner later to advise on wildlifey stuff + office ( rain and drizzle most of the day especially in the afternoon but warmer )

Mon 30th Dull drizzle / rain most of the day on and off + spent time looking through old documents on computer and hard copies from years ago / up dating web site / e mails / organzing forthcoming visits

Weekend Very quiet on reserve as per usual at this time of year + dull drizzle + evenings starless and bible black

Fri 27th Met up with Scott first thing then out to Hobbs Choice to shift the fly tip up onto the road for collection by the Council + checked out Hackmarsh area and then back to base + Scott back out to LM to carry on cutting + out cutting myself in Otter Coppice and surrounding area + had an hour over dinner in the hide ( lots of Blue Tit shots but only one half decent one - very dull light ) + home office for the rest of the afternoon

Thurs 26th Winter bird survey for most of the day + usual stuff hanging around + bird table survey included ( Coal Tits, x2 Treecreeper and x2 GS Woodpeckers but no Nuthatch - haven't seen or heard one for awhile now ) + didnt see or hear Dipper either + x30 Redwing hanging around + x3 Goldcrest + x3 Woodcock in the wooded section up to Hackmarsh + x2 Stonechat now seemingly resident in c25 Broad Arbor + x4 Buzzard, x2 Sparrowhawk, x2 Grey Wagtail, x5 Bullfinch + liason with Cornwall Council to try to get some fly tip removed from Hobbs Choice end of reserve ( they wont collect if not tipped on Council property so I have to shift it up to the road - which is council property ) Weds 25th Off reserve / advice for awhile + boundary checks + raking HH and LM for awhile + more damming and Otter spraint check + checking stream for over hangs / Dipper route + more old document research

Tues 24th Met up with Scott first thing and he went out to c25 to finish off cutting / raking then down to end of Long Meadow to continue cutting / raking there ( Gooseham Bridge end ) + met up with Tom and Jo who also went down LM to cut and rake + I was out at Hackmarsh for a spell then checking out some 'road' boundaries to look for over hanging trees etc + home office carrying out some printing / getting together of past information / data + out down to MM tgo check ponies and meet up with a chap wanting a little wood to carve stuff

Mon 23rd Met up with Scott first thing + very cold + Scott got on with cutting c25 clearings + I made good a section of path leading up to c25 + web visits reached 93000 over the weekend + maintained trailer and BCS and loaded up for hopefully a full days cutting tomorrow + checked ponies and other sections of path + tree assessment down to Marsland Mouth + c20 Redwing feeding on the ground in Franks Field early morning + checked up stream for Otter spraint (quite abit especially near Gooseham Bridge - will have to keep an ear open just in case any young uns hanging around )

Weekend Usual weekend duties

Fri 20th Checking round some boundary lines most of the morning + looking over past management plans ( I may want to write a 30 year reserve review soon and need as much past data as possible ) + messing with BCS

Thurs 19th Sunny day today but chilly with frost very early + out blocking up afew runnels at HH to create more permanent small water bodies - noticed last summer a selected number of dragonfly species using them ( damsels and Golden ringed especially ) - until they all dried up + abit more raking at HH + checking out management proposals down Long Meadow and around the two ponds down that way + noticed more frogspawn in the areas around the new coppiced area at HH3

Weds 18th Out first thing down to MM to check ponies / paths / trees + spraqint check + quite a load at Gooseham Bridge and fresh from last night + plan to keep an eye out for any young uns hanging about + HH raking abit

Mon 16th Met up with Scott first thing + change of plan proposed yesterday so took him over to HH to continue / finish off cutting / raking various areas over there

Weekend Checked ponies whilst strolling down to Marsland Mouth + usual stuff + checked out BCS and tractor for proposed work tomorrow down Long Meadow

Fri 13th Met up with local chap re some minor extraction of wood + Scott and Andy in and finishing off the coppice in c47 + I had an 'easy' day off reserve for awhile and then back to more office work + no rain today but windy and cold

Thurs 12th Met up with Scott and out to Hard Hills to continue more cutting on the left hand area + cold rain all day + had a meeting with Matt from HQ during the later part of the morning ( discussing various things from budgets to ash dieback ) + office stuff and catch up + out to Scott later as the stream rose and chances of getting across lessened ( we finished late afternoon and managed to cross )

Weds 11th Boundary check first thing + Grey Squirrel survey + Hackmarsh later meeting up with local chap re abit of wood extraction + looking at 'gorse field' + Otter spraint check back down the stream ( none although any laid down has probably been washed away by rising water last week ) + back to HO to finish off bits and pieces of paperwork + attempt at filming stuff but posponed

Tues 10th Met up with Scott and Russell first thing and they went onto cutting the coppice at the top of c47 + met up with Tom and Jo and they helped out + Tom finished cutting the actual meadow itself ( plus raked that half ) + I went over to Otter Coppice to cut the left hand side + gave the two ponds a clean ( just raking the surface for most of the rest of the day + loads of frogspawn in the water over the last few days ) + some office catch up into the evening

Mon 9th Miserable and wet day so confined to home office for most of it

Weekend Checked ponies at Marsland Mouth x2 + winter bird survey on the Saturday + recorded all the usual stuff with x4 Woodcock , x4 Coal Tit, x3 Goldcrest, x1 Peregrine, x3 GS Woodpecker drummimg , x1 Dipper at HH3 , x2 Treecreeper, x2 Stonechat ( pair in c15 ) and a lone Chiffchaff + a photo session at the nature garden feeding station but way too dull + prelim organization of a proposed Regua Brazil trip hopefully at the end of this year ( photography, mothing, birding and filming )

Fri 6th Cutting c47 Chapel Field most of morning and early afternoon + still more to do ( Bramble more vigourous than I first thought + scarifing loads of Ivy growth ) + rain on and off + late afternoon check on Dipper ( singing or not in various areas on stream - not ) + office later

Thurs 5th Out first thing to meet Scott and the guys up at c15 where they continued with cutting and raking the slopes + I went onto check ponies at Marsland and paths/trees along the way + back to some cutting in Otter Coppice + office

Weds 4th Dr Rob W sent his 2016 list through last evening + checking / imaging from internet / collating all day + Rob on one day in September 2016 found 36 new species of Diptera for Marsland ( x1 new to Devon - photo below - and x1 nationally threatened species ) including x3 new records of hoverfly ) + he recorded over 300 Syritta pipiens ( hoverfly ) + I know folk dont seem to get too excited by 'flies' but to me this type of expert recording is extremely important as conservation / wildlife really isnt just about all the cuddly and colourful stuff + weak as a kitten today with that virus

Tues 3rd Playing catch up with various folk who have returned to work today + cold and hard frost over night + checking through web site + editing and reorganizing some stuff

Sun / Mon 2nd Usual holiday period duties over the new year weekend + ponies checked + becoming cold and sunny over the next few days apparently + organizing contract work for the coming month + general walkabout over most of the footpaths + paperwork catch up + lichen ID document

DECEMBER 2016

Weds / Thurs / Fri General holiday period stuff over the last few days including some office stuff, check ponies x2, general PR stuff + usually fairly 'busy' over the xmas and new year / walked the stream from Gooseham to MM picking up litter ( plastic liners mainly although to be fair it is pretty clean ) + winter bird survey on most walks + walking most of the paths checking trees / path condition + clicks topped 92000 over the period

Tues 27th Frost over night but fine all day and calm + sorting some rubbish out at the bottom + stroll round Hard Hills with family

Xmas weekend / Monday 26th Very quiet as expected over the holiday period + checked ponies + weather breezy and sunny / cold later + annoying electricity cuts x2 on xmas day evening ( the emergency lighting in the office works by the way )

Fri 23rd Dull with drizzle and rain / wind later + office most of the day + stroll over to HH to check out new years work programme

Thurs 22nd Out first light checking stuff + ponies + nice to hear Song Thrush warbling away all over the valley + Dipper chirping down Long Meadow + x2 GSWoodpecker at Hard Hilll area + photos of management at c25 taken + Hard Hills + over to Gillians for a xmas chat and drink

Weds 21st Dull with rain later in the morning and into the afternoon + editing some old film + editing some old photos ( on going project ) + tree risk assessment report + some work done on species lists for 2016 + lichen ID document ( the neverending story )

Tues 20th Scott and co in first thing up at c15 BA cutting / raking areas + tree risk assessments most of the day

Mon 19th Messed about at the bottom for awhile first thing + more 'work' on the hide and feeding station as more birds starting to come in to feed + spent 45 minutes in the hide sussing out distances + took afew shots although nothing new to add to the bird photos list + it was pretty dull so had to set ISO to 1600 + up to x6 Tawny Owls calling last night ( early this morning actually ) + making a right racket + general stroll round reserve checking stuff

Weekend Weather still quite calm + moved bird feeding station from HH to in the nature garden + checked ponies + usual weekend duties + spent some time with my camera in the hide set up in the nature garden ( all very quiet and perhaps all too new at the moment )

Fri 16th Met up with Scott and had a look at more work for next week and into the new year ( c25, c15 and Long Meadow areas + checked ponies and cliff fence line at Marsland Mouth + track / trees at Little Marsland and Travel Bridge ) + Scott and the guys out to HH to finish off cutting and raking the slopes + set up feeding station at HH later on + lichen updates and organizing files for annual report + looking at Tredown paths ( motor bikes could be using the path as I met up with adjoining landowner yesterday and he mentioned it )

Thurs 15th Scott out at Hard Hills again and moving onto widening the far ride + me off reserve awhile then back to reporting / office stuff rest of the day

Weds 14th Web visits reached 91000 last evening + met SF first thing then he out to HH cutting and raking + I checked out the west side paths/trees ( did the rest later ) + checked ponies + Kestrel hunting over c15 fields + planned management tasks on the west side + priority status of each + beautifully bright Moon last night lit up the whole woodland

Tues 13th Uploaded 2016 butterfly report / observations ( Home page and then Doc 2 or from links on first page ) + dull drizzle again most of morning + testing that all the web site 'old' links are still available ( surprised to find all of them are ) + for all those people wanting to look at my Brazil / REGUA photos I have now added a link in LINKS + a link to REGUA web site + edited Dragonflies 2016 Report and up loaded ( Home/Docs 2 ) + recieved the bird species list from Brazil a couple of days ago ( total 330 - every bird I saw was very special but Ive included three of my favourite birds below ( photos not mine ) + whilst researching various stuff I found this article what I wrote (sic) for 'British Birds' way back in the day (1988)

'Kingfisher eating reed stem - On the morning of 29th September 1987, at Fowlmere Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, I noticed a juvenile Kingfisher Alcedo atthis fishing about 10-15 m away in front of the main hide. Its first attempt resulted in an old reed stem Phragmites being lifted from the water, brought back to the perch and being battered on the wood; the Kingfisher finally let the stem fall. About three minutes later, it brought back a small fish, which it battered and swallowed. One minute later, it dived and took out another reed stem 3-4 cm long; it battered this on the perch and proceeded to swallow the whole stem. A little while after this'meal', the Kingfisher flew off out of view. '

Also found this in a West Midlands butterfly conservation magazine 2013

'We have been trying a new method of bracken management for Pearl- bordered Fritillaries at both Ewyas Harold and Coppett Hill. This method was perfected at Marsland Reserve in Devon by Gary Pilkington who has had great success in increasing numbers of this species. The method involves cutting and raking bracken into rows on a three-year cycle. We will monitor the results this year ... '

I'm not to sure where they got the 'method' from as that is a tiny fraction of what needs to be done but good to see folk taking notice of what is done here

Mon 12th Very wet first thing and most of the morning + office stuff + out beyond HH on a spraint check ( still none ) + looking for that mysterious bird and its winter song + Dippers very active at Gooseham Bridge

Weekend Usual weekend 'doings' although Saturday very wet all day + spent most of Sunday morning trying to record a bird song in the canopy in the woods at HH2 ( its the same sub ish song which I picked up on in April and I thought that was a strange Songthrush / Mistle Thrush warble ( but that was spring and this is winter ? ) + got a recording of sorts but couldnt ID it + many Woodcock in the woodland at the moment + Peregrine flying over HH mid day

Fri 9th Scott in again first thing finishing off the new coppice work just beyond GM ( photos ) + pretty dull but warm + trip round to areas on reserve which are adjacent to any roads to check for overhanging trees etc + boundary checks

Thurs 8th First rain for some while over night and misty and drizzle all day + met up with Scott first thing ( in the dark ) and truddled out to the site and had a look at further ride / glade widening work for tomoz and some of next week + finished off the butterfly report properly / tidy home office and clean up files etc + more reporting stuff started and some internet research + wet walk to MM and checked ponies

Weds 7th Scott in today tidying at HH3 area + I was out generally messing about in the morning + home office most of the afternoon carrying on with various things including 2016 butterfly report ( started and finished - will up load later ) + more ash die back 'research' Tues 6th Scott and Russell in today continuing coppice work at HH3 area + Tom and Jo also in at same place cutting smaller stuff nearer the pond + I was off reserve checking out some contract equipment working at a place just beyond Holsworthy + back to continue cutting just beyond GM in glade areas + office later checking through some stuff regarding ash die back + started to set up a feeding station at the HH pond + set up my small hide ( birds get fed but also gives me a chance to take photos to add to the reserve bird photograph library )

Mon 5th Weather a tad warmer of late and the office pipes have thawed and so toilet working again - yea + out and about on a winter bird walk + all the usual suspects + MM check ponies and Cirl Bunting check but none seen ( or heard ) + Hackmarsh check around + lichen survey ( looking for Golden Haired mainly but none found ) + Otter spraint check ( none found + most spaint washed down stream over the last 'flood' some weeks ago and any Otters in area usually re spraint asap ) + Dormouse nest survey ( x2 in GM section )

Weekend Slightly warmer over the period + pretty quiet on reserve + pony check

Fri 2nd Messin in the Marsland Office first thing + toilet 'ice blocked' so had to figure that one out + thaw later so pipes may un block + Scott F and Andy in to continue coppice work at HH3 + meeting with the Hartland section of NT for most of the morning and early afternoon + chat and a walk round HH then the guys went down to Marsland Mouth and I carried on with other stuff

Thurs 1st Still frosty over night and most of the day but very bright and clear with loads of sunshine + home office all morning doing various stuff and nonsense + cutting/raking in the afternoon over at HH

NOVEMBER 2016 Weds 30th Very cold and frosty over the past few days + out raking + later meeting up with DWT guys at the office + sorting out computer modems + fixing anti slip strips to decking + more raking later and Dormouse nest survey along usual route + stayed out til dark round the fire at HH3 + watching stars and satallites ( must have seen 10-12 different ones + apparently over 2000 in space ) + twilight great for spotting Woodcock flying overhead ( x6 ) + despite the cold I noted at least 2 bats still flying

Tues 29th Out cutting first thing then back to base to meet up with T,J, Torin and Cat ( vols from from Woodah ) + more coppice work at HH3 and cutting near and around the pond

Mon 28th Out first thing discussing some possible winter work at MM , Hackmarsh and c15 with contractor + Dipper singing at Gooseham Bridge + Chiffchaff in garden at noon + e mail catch up + tree check and path conditions + check for Cirl Bunting + check Service Tree condition in the area in which they grow ( no seeds as far as I could tell - they dont produce seed very well )

Sat 19th - weekend of the 26th Off reserve up north + Tom and Jo up for a while clearing fallen trees after storm Angus / web clicks reached 90000 on the 25th

Fri 18th Cutting in the morning and meeting Tom and Adam + cutting out at HH3 and just before + widening glades mainly + back to some office stuff + off reserve for awhile and back to office stuff

Thurs 17th Feels like there are alot more Redwing/Fieldfare/Blackbirds around the reserve at the moment / berries being stripped and lots of movement overhead + cutting for awhile first thing + heavyrain on and off most of the day + sweeping road outside up the hill - rescued x3 cars in doing so including a call nurse ( Cornwall Highways please note - who am I kidding ! they havent listened to anyone in the last 20 years ! )

Weds 16th That big full moon looking great early this am ( photo opposite - you can see the USA flag if you look carefully ) + out clearing a tree off bottom path first thing ( linked up with a dog walker friend ) + general checking around + some raking at HH and abit of cutting til my big toe starting playing up ( stubbed it yesterday ) + more film editing / lichen up dates / started planning annual report and collating data

Tues 15th Early morning walk to check ponies in the dense mist + tree/path check + x1 Peregrine at the Mouth , x2 Green Woodpeckers, x50+ Redwing in c15 BA Field + a very possible male winter plumage Cirl Bunting on the Marsland side down by the bridge ( I'll keep checking the area to get a better, longer , closer , clearer look ) + dreary day most of the time with mist and drizzle + editing film + general never ending paperwork stuff + big web site review + back up

Mon 14th Watching Planet Earth 2 last night made me re realize just what a stunningly beautiful wild world we live in ( go see it while its still there - the world I mean ) - the Snow Leopard at the beginning roaring - almost wailing- from deep down in its anguished soul was memorable ) + afew gall species about at the moment but I didnt find any new ones during a survey + more Redwing and Fieldfare popping in and out all day+ more lichen ID document updates + x3 Lesser and x1 Greater HS bats in the shed + had a bash at some filming with an 'autumn / winter at Marsland' film in mind + back tracking some oid footage which could be of use ( lots as it happens )

Weekend Bird survey in the morning (Sat) - good numbers of Redwing passing through and scoffing berries + seems to be an influx of Blackbirds + good to see afew Coal Tit and x1 Goldcrest and x6 Bullfinch in the garden area + both Dippers singing at Gooseham Bridge + x3 Grey Wagtails messing about on the stream + I got through many hours of just 'messing about' at the bottom on Sunday

Fri 11th Unusal numbers of birds sitting on the wires today + Redwing popping in over the last few days + x3 Fieldfare + SF in again cutting at HH in the middle area + in Marsland office first thing and then out to check on all the old 'traditional' farmers dumping areas on edge of reserve boundary + Grey Squirrel survey

Thurs 10th Scott F started contract work proper today + cutting at Hard Hills + various folk in office all day on a river survey/monitoring training course + EA and Cornwall Wildlife Trust + Riverfly Partnership ( www.riverflies.org ) + theory in library + sampling on the stream in the afternoon and back to office for ID of samples + Hackmarsh visit looking at some illegal dumping at Hobbs Choice + contacted Cornwall Council

Weds 9th Meeting various folk most of the day / contractors / CWT / plumber / guys from tomorrows meeting

Mon 7th Web visits reached 89000 over the weekend + early meeting with Ian C at Marsland + catch up + organizing future work / vists / projects + check ponies at MM

Weekend Colder recently with some rain and quiet on reserve + time spent on research on internet / mainly birding sites and managing tropical rain forests + up dating Lichens on reserve id booklet ( on going and will take more time before its ready to up load )

Fri 4th Meeting with AS most of the day + look round reserve + reviewing reserve moth species and moth lists

Thurs 3rd Out early finishing off the fire from Tuesday + off reserve + checked ponies + office stuff most of the afternoon ( up date web site, check web site , contract work procedures + catchy uppy with various issues ) + met up with Dr Adrian Spalding late afternoon to talk surveys / moths future projects

Weds 2nd General walkabout over west side then east side checking usual stuff + otter spraint check ( old one at Gooseham Bridge + x2 Dipper singing at Bridge )

Tues 1st Machinery maintained first thing + met with SF re contract work planning over winter + Tom and Jo in and continuing coppice work from last week + burning + woodland Thai curry made for them both ( and me ) + cutting areas with Tracmaster ( the 'beast' )

OCTOBER 2016 Mon 31st Quiet weekend on the whole + checked ponies + out early with camera to try to capture autumn on reserve + plenty of fungi around + Red Admiral, Speckled Wood and Small Copper still flying + x2 Southern Hawker + Dipper at Gooseham Bridge singing + checked ponies again whilst at MM ( felt more like early spring ) + checked trees / path conditions and all the usual safety stuff + more photography during the afternoon + otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( none )

Thurs 27th Out bright and early tractor cutting GM + HH1 and 2 + 3 + Franks Field + other inbetweeny bits + topping only + not cutting down to the ground + ID research rest of the day + finalizing contract work

Weds 26th Paperwork during the morning ( contracts, reports, planning, contacts, web up date, species list up dates and checking ) + check ponies at MM + boundary check

Tues 25th Working in Marsland Office first thing then met up with Tom and Jo who spent most of the day beyond GM widening glades + meeting up with contractor at Hackmarsh re furture works + management planning most of the areas chosen for winter works + off reserve meeting up with SW Water chap at Tamar Lakes re management + more contract planning later + general office stuff + Southern Hawker x1 still buzzing about + millions of midge species + TWhile rang evening re contract work arrangements Mon 24th Dull and cold mainly with occasional drizzle + National Trust local representatives met up in the office space for most of the day ( JS et al ) + I took 'em round HH area at lunch + on and off reserve later + office stuff + EA paid a visit mid morning to 'test' water in stream ( not related to last weeks incident ) + Dipper singing at the bridge early morning

Weekend / 22nd / 23rd Clicks reached 83000 overnight + general patrols + time spent in Marsland Office + PR stuff + general clean in office + prepare for tomorrow NT meeting

Fri 21st Off reserve for awhile visiting adjacent landowners re advice etc + general stroll around reserve taking it easy as last weeks adventures have caught up with me all of a sudden ( I need a holiday )

Thurs 20th Spent some time last night up loading Brazil photos + filming on reserve for awhile during the day + management planning and checking out areas for work this winter

Weds 19th More walking round selected areas / checking ponies / path assessments / tree risk - the usual daily H/S routines + had a chat with KL later re work last week + off reserve for awhile + organizing a couple of meeting days with CTNC and NT + just read up about the Mars project and all that nonsense ( just imagine what 6 billion dollars plus could do here on Earth + all that brain power / person power and resources ) + I can tell you for nothing that there is no life in our Solar System

Tues 18th Walked all the paths first light + checked ponies then back to meet Tom and Jo who cleared afew trees off of paths + Kate L. carried out lots of work whilst looking after Marsland when I was away ( checking stuff and cutting at Hard Hills mainly ) + reported a 'pollution' incident in our stream as a murky looking water appeared mid day + EA on it straight away and will report back ( photos taken and sent to them - its someone up the Hackmarsh side doing something in / to the stream ) + T and J started on catalogueing our library so we know where to find what book and exactly what books we have + more catch up and e mails

Mon 17th Big time catch up all day

Tues 4th - Sun 16th Been away for two weeks birding / wildlife ing / photographing assignment in Brazil ( south east section - the Mata Atlantica - various folk have asked me to see some photos etc so I'll be uploading soon to a link + been an eye opener to say the least and an absolute blast at REGUA nature reserve + hoping going out again next year to carry out some filming for REGUA ( look it up on the internet )

Mon 3rd Bright and sunny for most of the day but with a chill behind it + tying up loose ends in the office

Weekend 1st/2nd Mixture of rain, mist and drizzle on Saturday with warm sunshine most of Sunday + check ponies and general patrols + noted afew mature Rowen trees dotted about reserve + messing about at the bottom but very quiet of late

SEPTEMBER 2016 Fri 30th Another day of walking paths / checking trees / path conditions / up dating and editing web site + sorting out IT issues + arranging with KL to spend some time on reserve during the next two weeks

Thur 29th Mooching about at the bottom first thing then off reserve getting stuff and then back to Marsland with more checking and surveying + office later + noted individuals of Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Peacock, Small Copper and Large White + female Merlin hassling a small flock of Starlings above the road out of Gooseham + web visits reached 87000 today

Weds 28th Morning spent in the Marsland office sorting out various things + more wall cleaning + off reserve advice for awhile + check ponies at MM and general risk assessments in that area + dull and drizzle + more 'ash dieback' ( AD ) survey and research after alarming news reports on local and national TV + I couldn't see or notice any problems in my study area apart from bits of 'natural' dieback and probable signs of old age + apparentlly it seems inevitable that AD will get every tree in the UK and that it will cost millions to 'clean up'

FYI - on my 'puter 'ash dieback' is filed in the same folder as 'bird flu' and 'oak die back'

Tues 27th 'Deep cleaning' the office first thing ( well sort of - turned out to be more of a shallow clean ) + some office y stuff + meet with JS from area National Trust re a future meeting here at Marsland for some of their staff + had a great chat about various stuff til early afternoon + emails later to various people including dealing with a reply from my local MP re the state of the road from Gooseham Mill to Gooseham + I dont hold out much hope of a quick fix but at least they replied and are contacting Cornwall highways + looks like 'Wolfie' is coming at the end of October

Mon 26th Out first thing for a wet walk down to Marsland Mouth checking usual stuff - trees / paths / ponies ( rain heavy most of the day ) + knocking back any creeping bramble over paths ( hardly any ) + maybe having another pony down at the mouth ( ' Wolfie' ) + more species listing / getting years records in one place / ash dieback updates / reports

Weekend Usual weekend duties + cooler and with a breeze + still loads of insects flitting about when the sun shines but butterfly numbers dropping quickly with only Small Tortoiseshell evident especially feeding on Hemp Agrimony at Hard Hills

Fri 23rd More off site advice / management first thing + back to office sorting out future projects with various folk + sunny but cool + impromptu visit by a couple of folk on holidays + took them round Hard Hills area as they were interested in dragonflies ( they loved it despite only x2 species noted ) + more time spent on ID leaflets and up dating some species lists

Thurs 22nd Cleaning the 'box' room walls in the office first thing - as they are starting to show abit of mould ( thats the room over on the right hand side away from heat and air movement ) + survey round GM area during the reletive warmth mid day - x10 Small Tortoiseshell, x3 Speckled Wood, x1 Small Copper, x3 Red Admiral + x2 Painted Lady + Common Red Darter most obvious dragonfly with only afew Southern Hawker still on the wing - beginning to feel and look like autumn + more cutting

Weds 21st Tidy up down at the office + checking out the end room ( must do something about volunteer accomodation ) + loads of wasps still shredding wood from various places presumably to keep on constructing their nests ( bit late I would have thought ) + more cutting + advice off reserve

Tues 20th Tom and Jo out helping out on other reserves doing some fencing so didn't see them today + out cutting again + a general check around the west side and back to base to check over tools / machinery + research various things on the net during a wet spell

Mon 19th Rain and drizzle on and off most of the day + cutting round office, nature garden and the barn area first thing - after a spell in the home office catching up with stuff ( e mails mainly ) + cutting posponed due to me being very wet + back to office

Weekend Spent most of the period on reserve with Dr Mark Toogood - an old mate from RSPB days

Fri 16th Cutting west part of reserve first thing and most of the morning ( loads of creeping Bramble, Ivy, Goosegrass - that type of thing ) + messing at the bottom for awhile + office

Thurs 15th Walked the east paths first thing + some idiot on a horse has tried to get down the 'postmans' path from c15 and in places damaged the surface + knocking back overhanging bramble + counting Small Tortoiseshell ( x17 ) + checking ponies ( had to approach them much closer today as one looked completely deceased (from a distance anyway - including x3 Magpies on its flanks ! ) + it was fine and just messing me around for a pony laugh + cleared their path to the stream water + good to see Kestrel, Buzzard and Peregrine in same air space + passing Green Woodpecker an added bonus + 1000's of Silver Y moths feeding on reserve + Otter spraint check up stream ( none ) + Galls survey ( nothing new )

Weds 14th Off reserve all morning + back for an insect survey all afternoon + there is a feeling of 'end of the summer' here at the moment despite today being very hot and humid + good to see x19 Small Tortoiseshell in and around Hard Hills ( feeding mainly on Hemp Agrimony + x6 in our garden + can't understand why elsewhere they seem to be in decline ) + dragonflies heaving as per last week + loads of Rowan berries about at the moment

Tues 13th Organizing some wet weather work first thing for Jo and Tom + found out that Jo and Tom had other priorities today + off reserve for awhile getting afew things for reserve at MVF then back to house office + heavy rain most of the morning and on and off for rest of day

Mon 12th Usual catch up with office stuff most of the morning + cutting most of the afternoon when I thought it was cooling down + it became very warm and sticky + lots of Harvestmen about ( adults mature round about now hence the name )

Weekend Sunday was a warm and sunny day + I love these late summer periods when all types of wildlife ( especially insects ) are everywhere feeding on the late flowering plantlife - seemingly making the most of their last days

Fri 9th Moth trapping not very successful with only a handful of species noted ( the rain didn't help so we had the light / trap in the house porch ) + trimming back GM and HH paths ( bramble growing at a pace ) + there must be millions of slugs on reserve at the moment + web site clicks reached 86000 last evening + out along bridleway knocking back bramble + pony check Thurs 8th Spent most of the morning with afew guys wanting to see management at Hard Hills + demo BCS + spent all afternoon taking ID photos ( photos just meant for possible ID at a later stage ) + some rather good shots of a female Broad Bodied Chaser with 'pruinescence' marking ( very late individual for reserve - usually gone by August + saw all three Hawkers - Southern, Migrant and Commom + some nice shots of a couple of the more prominant hovers + loads of Ergot fungi about at the moment + new Small Coppers coming out + had x13 Small Tortoiseshell at Hard Hills ( scarce my elbow ) + x8 Red Admirals 'roosting' together in a Hazel tree ( it was only 3pm but they were certainly wanting 'company' - maybe a pre breeding 'lec' of sorts ) + moth trapping in the evening with afew locals

Weds 7th Sunnier day today and very humid + out B and E cutting with tractor / swipe on the GM side of reserve + topping rather than cutting low + BT on 1-12 with loads of Small White out all of a sudden + x2 Silver washed Fritillary + x2 very worn out SPBF + x9 Speckled Wood, and also Common Blue, Small Copper, Large White, GV White, x8 Small Tortoiseshell, x2 Red Admiral,x3 Brimstone x4 Comma, x4 Peacock, x3 Meadow Brown still hanging on ( spent abit of time looking for Marsh Fritillary 'webs' but no luck ) + many dragonflies flitting about ( x17 paired Common Red Darters laying on the HH pond alone ) + Hornets making themselves known + Robins singing their late summer / early autumn song all over the place + coppice 'damage' check in various areas - no serious damage noted but browsing here and there ( photo showing browsing below with the top left to grow on ) + Knapweed, Hemp Agrimony and especially Db Scabious alive with insects at the moment

Tues 6th More time spent on the Diptera records and especially the hoverflies + up to date list completed ( 84 species ) + all the diary up to and including August 2016 deleted from this section ( will up load saved diary going back to April 2011 in Documents ) + trawling my data base for any records which I've forgotton about over time ( took awhile but sorted through but these will need a cross reference check - cant wait to do that ! ) + spent loadsa time on the Lichen list up date + will convert to pdf and up load when my brain function returns to earth + decided to up load photos from the web of all the lichens, moulds, mosses etc on the reserve list ( as I do with most other stuff ) + it'll take awhile but there will be plenty of rainy days to come I'm sure

Mon 5th Dull, rain and drizzle all day but very humid + catch up office work + general patrols walking in the mist + general research into wildlife matters ( from the ecology of some species of bat + gorse eradication techniques to methods of lighting up dark paths/woods at night ) + major review started of the Diptera records for reserve + Lichens looked at

Weekend Rain and wind most of Saturday and clearer on Sunday + usual weekend duties + PR with visitors ( not many whilst I was around at the bottom )

Fri 2nd Office bits and pieces before Adam, Tom and Jo arrived + Jo and myself out to HH3 to cut bracken, bramble and creeping honeysuckle + Adam and Tom went along bridleway to cut up a couple of large trees blocking the path + shored up the muddy area to make path more passable + both joined us at HH + I went on tractor/swipe cutting Franks Field ( 2 areas) + LH / GH bat survey in the evening + CBC film footage sent off

Thurs 1st Spent time trying to film Painted Lady for the CBC film but no luck + various e mails sent to and fro + looks like Greater HS bats do have a negative an affect on Lesser HS bats in the same roost so could explain why our roost almost vanished afew years ago ( x2 Greaters still in shed and maybe the reason Lessers are still staying away ) + finally finished filing footage for the CBC film

AUGUST 2016 Weds 31st Guys came in to service our treatment plant first thing + found a white feather at HH pond looking very much like a Little Egrets' ( I have seen one or two flying over reserve in the past few years ) + off reserve with woodland mangement advice + back to home office editing and filing PBF and MF footage for a film for Cornwall Butterfly Conservation ( most of the rest of the day ) + east tree check ( two down along bridleway )

Tues 30th Out bright and early in the sunshine walking the west paths / checking trees / checking ponies whilst at Marsland Mouth + Dipper right at the mouth of the stream + some office maintainace (attempts at) + stroll round GM and HH + photos + Db Scabious is alive with insects feeding on nectar + web site up dates/ editing / uploads

Mon 29th Looking through the hoverfly list sent through last night ( 26 species with 3 new ones for reserve + Platycheirus rosarum, Eupeodes lunigar and Sphaerophoria scripta ) + reading up on the latest news regarding Small Tortoishell butterflies apparently becoming 'scarce' - again (they're all here at Marsland mate) + looking forward to reading 'Sixth Extinction- An Unnatural History' by Elizabeth Kolbert ( a good read in a 'bad' way I fear )

Weekend Mixture of sun ( Saturday) and drizzle (Sunday ) + Dr Mark Welch (plus family) paid a visit on the sunnier day mainly to have a look at our hoverflies + Mark works at the Natural History Museum in London and had heard about how good Marsland is for insects in general + looking forward to recieving his species list

Fri 26th Out cutting early in the cool of the morning + general survey later + BT - butterflies in HH2 looking the best with x6 Painted Lady, x6 Red Admiral, x7 Common Blue, x1 Holly Blue, x4 Meadow Brown, x10 SWF, x7 SPBF, x3 Small Copper, x1 Comma, x3 Brimstone, x2 GVWhite, x2 Large White, x2 Speckled Wood, x6 Small Tortoiseshell + 3/4 moon looking good mid afternoon + loads of insects nectaring on Hemp Agrimony, Knapweed and Devils bit Scabious

Thurs 25th A load of office based stuff today - by way of a change more than anything else / researching old reserve documents / tree risk assessmnet up dates / film editing and communication with various folk / / ID of some species in photos taken over the year + management planning / contract up dates

Weds 24th Checking reserve east paths / trees + pony check + HBalsom check + Dipper on stream at Marsland Mouth + checking all other paths throughout the day + spent time on various documents relating to the proposed Badger cull + reading papers on Lesser Horseshoe bat behaviour and their relationship with Greaters ( Ive just recently heard that Lessers wont tolerate being in the same hanging space as Greaters ) + spent some time plant ID + been a very good year for Purple Loosestrife by the way

Tues 23rd Out bright and early cutting up Tredown and then back to office to cut nature garden and surroundings + met up with Tom and Jo who went out to cut east paths and start cutting the rest of c25 clearings + I cut some more down at MM + check ponies + off reserve for awhile then back to office + general wildlife survey + photos + BT - good numbers of both Small Copper and Common Blue + x3 Holly Blue + x12 SW Fritillary, x5 SPBF, x8 Red Admiral, x4 Small Tortoiseshell, x3 Meadow Brown, x 3 Comma, x4 Brimstone, x9 Peacock, loads of GV and Large Whites + dragonflies heaving + more edits of old PBF film footage + some footage of both MF and Red Admiral

Mon 22nd Our first thing preparing the BCS for a demo to a couple who want one of their own to aid management of a nature reserve they have ( PBF's too ) + usual rain / drizzle on and off most of the day + spent a good part of the day with a couple from the edge of dartmoor who wanted to see the BCS in action + had a stroll to HH to chat about management etc

Weekend Usual weekend stuff + MM pony check + a tad windy most of the period + out to Bradworthy Wicketts garage to get new tyres put on LR ( very windy out the valley by the way ) + took a couple of dragonfly enthusiasts to HH new pool to check out stuff in the brief period of hazy sunshine ( very impressed )

Fri 19th Off reserve for the rainy am + check ponies + general messing about doing 101 things at once during the sunnier pm + spent time searching through old film footage for various clips for a Cornwall BT promotional film

Thurs 18th Web clicks reached 85000 overnight + started and finished writing an article for the DWT magazine relating to legacies and funding at Marsland down the years + Small Tortoiseshell emerging along with Brimstone + Meadow Brown hanging on + booked in LR for tyre change

Weds 17th Meeting with Matt B. from HQ most of the morning chatting about future projects / budgets + office stuff + looking on the net for AT tyres for LR

Tues 16th Out cutting at Hard Hills early + back to base camp to cut office area, barn area and office roof + met up with Scott F. re contract work at MM and clearing that tree on the bridleway + Tom and Jo ( new DWT internship guys ) came over from Meeth to help out for the day + had a look round first then onto cutting the small glades beyond the Gooseham Bridge + me cutting with tractor + onto a meeting at Hackmarsh and then some office stuff + BT 1-10 butterflies excellent today with good numbers of SPBF, SW Fritillary, x3 Comma, x4 Sm Copper, x8 Common Blues, x3 Speckled Wood, Red Admirals, x2 Painted Lady, x3 Holly Blue, Purple Hairstreak, Meadow Brown, lots Gatekeeper, GV White, Large White and many Peacock + dragonflies heaving + close up views of a Hornet hunting in the undergrowth + there are many Wasps out at the moment 'collecting' chewed wood from the office panels and our garden furniture ( presumably to repair / build their nest(s) ) + good views of a trembling wing fly Palloptera quinquemaculata

Mon 15th Cutting bridleway + Tredown first thing ( actually not too bad ) + trying to organize tree clearance ( my back is a tad tweaky ) + MM to check work + office stuff + not enough hours in the day at the moment + BT check around Goat Meadow/Hard Hills - x4 Red Admiral, x16 SPBF ( some looking very new ), x9 SW Fritillary, x3 Small Copper, x3 Common Blue, x10 Gatekeeper, x2 Painted Lady, x3 Speckled Wood, various 'whites', x2 Holly Blue ( in garden ), x2 Purple Hairstreak, x2 Comma, x1 Meadow Brown + loads Red Darters on the Hard Hills small pond + x2 Emperor, x7 Southern Hawker, various 'blue' damsels, x2 Emerald Damselfly + lovely evening walk to watch the sun set at Marsland Mouth with afew local people + check ponies again

Weekend Usual weekend stuff + tree down on bridleway + good numbers of butterflies flying at the moment - Small Coppers and Common Blues looking good at Marsland Mouth + Painted Lady and many Red Admirals

Fri 12th Off reserve most of the day giving advice to local farmer (s) re Dormouse management / GS control and coppice basics + back to office catch up and pony check

Thurs 11th General 'messing' about today - in the office , around the barn, in the workshop and on parts of reserve + always a good thing to do this now and again + more work at Marsalnd Mouth pulling Ragwort and cutting stuff

Weds 10th Misty drizzle on and off + checked contractor work at MM + ponies + home office stuff + off reserve for awhile + very excited at the prospect of a birding / wildlife / photography trip to Brazil later in the year ( been saving up since I was 6 years old for a 'special trip' when I turned 60, although - truth be known - most ( all ) of that dosh was spent eons ago )

Tues 9th Spent most of the day with contractor business + up to Hackmarsh with contractor to have a look at the gorse in the field next to the hay meadow ( hay cut and made by the way ) + contractor at MM cutting paths/pulling ragwort and maybe some H. Balsom + checking ponies

Mon 8th Good news recieved first thing this morning - I've passed my wildlife photography module + been a very enjoyable assignment and well worth the effort put in over the past 6 months + off reserve most of the day at Meeth DWT reserve photographing dragonflies - amongst other things + tad dull and didnt take any but good afternoon nonetheless + had a great view of Kingfisher + had time to look round Goat Meadow later on + Lestes sponsa damsels out ( photo )

Weekend Routine weekend stuff + checking ponies + organizing contract work + more time spent on my wildlife module ( hadn't filled in a rather long assignment form )

Thurs 4th Out first thing cutting / checking trees / paths on the west side of reserve + back to base and onto cutting round the GM / Otter Coppice / HH areas + office stuff catch up + messin with the LR

Weds 3rd Went over to Meeth DWT Reserve early doors to pick up the Land Rover and drop off the truck + had a walk round the reserve with Ian C. and what a brillient place it is too + loads of potential to get even better + excellent area for dragonflies + drove back to Marsland in the LR Defender with a great big smile on my face

Tues 2nd Checked and maintained BCS cutter + checked roller height and tightened bolts and greased points + tidying up a collasped section of the nature garden retaining wall ( all this rain I suppose ) + tidy work shop space + some work in Marsland Office then up to house office for awhile during the mist and drizzle + review of Health and Safety on reserve + off reserve for awhile ( car wash ) then back to tidy up and clean out the truck as the new (ish) Land Rover Defender is ready to be picked up tomorrow and the Toyota is off to Meeth DWT Reserve to spend its last days in semi retirement - its been a real work horse for the past 16 years and didnt let me down once + completed my wildlife photography diploma module and sent off 30 piccies to my tutor in South Africa - will let you know how I get on

Mon 1st Dull, with drizzle and rain on and off most of the day + office stuff + editing / uploading stuff for wildlife photography module + 'brainstorming' possible future ideas ( with myself ) + a walk in the wet ( very refreshing and didnt see a soul )

JULY 2016 Weekend Sunny and warm all weekend ( ish ) so took advantage and carried out quite abit of cutting ( scrubcutter + tractor and swipe ) + looks like a wet week ahead + 84000 clicks reached over the period + Purple Hairstreaks x3 basking in the sun on the Ash outside my office window + reasonable / 'normal' amount of SPBF's flying at the moment ( x25 at Hard Hills 1 ) + many Silver Washed Fritillary ( photo of mating pair opposite ) + checked ponies + x6 Blue Tailed Damselflies on HH1 Pond + a very scary horse fly landed on my hand on Sunday ( Tabanus sudecus ) + its quite a large biter and sucker and most probably would have drained me of all my blood if I hadnt have noticed it

Fri 29th Dull / sunny most of the morning + sorting out / editing photos for my wildlife diploma module + some time spent on BCS advice / emails + its that time again to see loads of young / fledged birds sitting in trees

Thurs 28th Cut both sides of the road up to Gooseham first thing ( in the cool rain ) + cutting bracken beyond GM + rides and glades + cutting bramble in various areas + 'Pump Rescue' in to service our water and sewage pumps + office catch up stuff

Weds 27th Off reserve meeting local farmer (s) most of the morning + rain on and off + pony checks + office sussing out management planning (mainly for Hackmarsh areas ) + various officey type things carried out

Mon 25th Cutting most of the day til about 3pm when rain stopped play ( cutting paths, nature garden, office area , barn area + topping bracken and bramble in various places ) + sun out later and thankfully cooler than last week

Weekend Quiet period + checked ponies + visited local (ish) nature reserves + everyone I saw seemed to be ignoring any wildlife - which hadn't been disturbed ( mountain bikes, people running, 'wild'swimming and hunting for geo cach treasure - we need to watch out or else our wildlife 'havens' are going to become adult adventure playgrounds - if they are not that already )

Fri 22nd Early visit to HH looking for SPBF pupae to photograph but no luck + adults coming out and looking great - but not in the numbers of the last 6 years(yet) + loads of action on the HH pond with BB Chasers ( female laying eggs - photo opposite ), Azure and Common Blues, Emperor, Common Red Darters, Blue tailed Damsels, Large Red Damsels , Beautiful Demoiseselle , Golden Ringed and a female Southern Hawker laying + a family of GS Woodpeckers + Hackmarsh later to check out stuff + met up with three walkers who visited after visiting afew weeks ago and couldnt keep away

Thurs 21st In Marsland office early - printing / internet ( although it was 'down' for ages + my home office internet is playing up again ) + managed to do some research at last re management of large areas of gorse + grants available + contractors + interesting to see big numbers of GV White taking in minerals from drying mud patches (yesterday I had 4 groups - x10, x12, x7 and x15 all within the Gooseham Bridge area - photo ) + more office based work

Weds 20th Bad day to choose to do some research on the internet as BT site gone down and I could only access one or two areas + kept going off completely at regular intervals + gave up and sorted through some old paper files + net back on later but I was out checking ponies + Hackmarsh trying to suss out future management + trying to find out if any dosh is being handed out for gorse removal

Tues 19th Preparing for todays meeting early on + folk started to arrive for an 11am kick off ( Butterfly Conservation and Natural England )

'Countryside Stewardship Workshop: Tailoring agreements for the Small Pearl-bordered and Pearl-bordered Fritillaries in the south west'

Despite the heat the day went very well indeed + had a look at our management over at Hard Hills + discussion in the office throughout the day + 4pm finish + we noted maybe half a dozen SPBF's which was an extra treat for the folk attending + bat check early evening

Mon 18th Messing about in the office at the bottom first thing ( preparing slides, printing, tidy up ,etc ) + going over stuff for tomorrow + very hot and humid today ( unbearable at mid day actually ) + did manage a BT survey with 2nd brood SPBF's emerging mainly in HH3 ( none at 10am but x12 by 11.30 ) + Gatekeeper coming out too + good numbers of GV and Large White + home office rest of afternoon in the reletive cool + 1st Emperor dragonfly on HH Pond + Common Red Darter in numbers

Weekend Usual PR stuff and pony checks + some powerpoint stuff ( misty , drizzle and cool until Sunday afternoon when humidity set in but sun came out )

Fri 15th Off reserve advice and meeting / more cutting and prep for next weeks meeting

Thurs 14th More very early morning cutting / bracken topping / bramble cutting + tractor / swipe at Hard Hills and Franks Field + putting up blackout and printing more stuff + took a visitor round HH to check out dragonflies as he hadnt seen many on the coast section of reserve walking up the valley + saw loads on the round walk and chap went away very pleased ( reminded me to check out both ponds down Long Meadow and maybe plan some winter work on them ) + pony /ragwort check at MM + arranging contract 'puller'

Weds 13th More early cutting round Goat Meadow/ Hard Hills + pony check + out getting material to black out our office middle window + general survey rest of the afternoon

Tues 12th Out bright and early cutting along bridleway and Tredown valley ( air heavy with scent - I love the smell of honeysuckle in the morning ) + tree/path check + met up mid morning with a couple of guys wanting to see the PBF/SPBF HH site + butterfly survey later + an hour taking photos re my wildlife photography course unit extention ( results opposite - probs use the last one Marbled White ) + clicks on site reached 83000 today + printing out stuff for a meeting here next Tuesday ( concerning PBF/SPBF and their management ) + a full reserve risk assessment review

Mon 11th Out as usual cutting first thing - topping bracken in HH1 + HH3 area + cutting stuff in new coppice next to GM + rescuing an old powerpoint presentation + attempting to project it through a tablet without 'office ' + eventually used J's laptop and all went well + pony check + Ragwort check + went out to look for more Golden haired lichen at HH but no luck I'm afraid + Keeled Skimmer at HH pond area

Sun 10th Messing about in the tool shed first thing + putting out bridges + met up with 15 members of the Bude CWT group at 11am and had a 3 hour look round the Goat Meadow/Hard Hills areas + weather abit dull but I think everyone had a good time + editing photos I've been taking over the last two days

Thurs 7th Took a break from cutting today + casual survey of butterflies on east side - usual suspects flitting about and good to see quite afew Small Skippers especially in Goat Meadow + noted a Hazel Weevil yesterday starting to construct its rolled up leaf nest ( about 12.30pm ) and today ( 9am ) it had finished so taking much less than 24 hours ( probs took maybe 2-3 hours ) - I could have watched the whole process I suppose but then that would have been insane ( also noted x4 other HW 'nests' on the same tree ) + generally wandering around checking stuff over on the west side most of the afternoon until the rain came in

Weds 6th Cutting first thing then messing with the Trackmaster cutter + making ramps to go up onto the trailer + TM fits perfectly onto the back + making new bridges for the stream crossings + had a stroll round HH with Kate at lunch + pony check + off reserve for awhile then more officey type stuff later

Tues 5th Cutting around Goat Meadow area first thing + cutting with Trackmaster later ( great piece of kit + spent time getting used to the 'workings' and seeing what it can and can't do - can do pretty much everything although its pretty stubborn going through mud ) + general survey in the afternoon with 1st SW Fritillary x3 , 1st Marbled White x2, 1st Common Red Darters x7 , 1st Golden Ringed, x3 Southern Hawkers, x9 BB Chaser, usual 'blues' and afew Large Reds and many Ringlets and quite afew Meadow Brown ( good to see good numbers of both in Franks Field and HH 3 ), x6 Small Skippers + flower tops full of Stangalia maculata longhorn beetles + x2 spikes of 'old' Broomrape noted at Broad Arbor

Mon 4th Out early as per usual this time of year ( 6am today ) - cutting west paths with hedgecutter and knocking back bramble + higher stuff re horses passing ( down Travel Bridge track from top to bridge ) + tree damage check after afew days of breeze ( some minor branches down ) + home office sorting out IT stuff / e mail / film edits / web updates etc + more web searches for new truck

Weekend Frequent records of fledged young birds at the moment + flocks of x20- 50 House Martins feeding over valley over the past few days + Cirl Bunting survey down the coast to Sandymouth and towards Bude ( none noted but many Sky larks singing ) + pony check + some visitor PR stuff later on + gripe of the day - stupid people with 'out of control dogs ' off leads on cliff tops worrying sheep

Fri 1st Out early with tractor/swipe up to c15 to cut path and top bracken + keep open my 'experimental' areas + male Merlin flitting around the lanes down to Gooseham Mill

JUNE 2016 Thurs 30th Out cutting early ( odd - yet strangely up lifting - to see x2 Ringlets flying in a damp and misty Goat Meadow at 6.30 in the morning ) + Marsland office for awhile + trying to suss out water pressure / tank + x1 GH bat in the shed but no Lessers + more web updates and editing ( ANOTHER LIFE / HOME ) + off site advice in the afternoon and back to base late afternoon

Weds 29th Rain all day + wet walk early + office stuff later

Tues 28th Checking ponies first thing and walk around Marsland Mouth + back in time to avoid a good soaking + web up dates / re design / addition of new material ( but up loads very slow and I left the computer almost - but not quite - suicidal ) + sorted out later in the evening + re organized already updated material

Mon 27th Out in the early morning cool cutting bracken in various areas especially Otter Coppice and surroundings + all the glades and rides on that side + tractor/swipe topping field bracken / cutting east paths + cut some of Franks Field + survey later with many Ringlet out + Large Skippers flitting about + x2 SPBF in HH1 + at least x3 Dark Green Fritillary + trundled along the top fenceline later to check out stuff and back to home office

Weekend Usual weekend duties + checked ponies

Fri 24th Off reserve for awhile during the early morning ( advice ) then back to admin catch up and other office stuff

Thurs 23rd Cutting most of the morning at the clearings in c25 + topping bracken and opening up the glades + SPBF still flying + Meadow Brown and Ringlet coming out in numbers + x3 Dark Green Fritillary ( first last Saturday ) + some time spent with various visitors + sorting out photos for web site and possible magazine article + patches of Bog Pimpernel cropping up on the Goat Meadow side of reserve ( photo )

Weds 22nd Web clicks reached 82000 last night + I wish the horses / riders going up Tredown Valley would stop doing so as you are wearing the path out in certain sections which could lead to someone + horse falling off it + the path isn't part of the bridleway + out most of the morning up at Hackmarsh ( walking up stream )

Tues 21st Out bright and early cutting back the bridleway and Tredown Valley ( wasn't too bad actually + checking paths and trees whilst I was at it ) + met up with English Nature woodland assessor whose job it is to well assess the woodland + some office stuff + tool and machine cleaning / maintainance + more cutting including the twice monthly nature garden Mon 20th Still looking for a reserve vehicle + rain all day + in office + looking for and re editing footage of culm grassland material for a BBC film later in the year ( I really must catalogue this stuff to make searching that much easier ) + having a gander at the possible causes of significant bird population predation during any one year / breeding season ( following on from a discussion over the weekend ) + the Daily Telegraph newspaper ( so it must be true ) suggests that there are 'far too many badgers' and that they are killing many of our songbirds ( the guy who suggests this is an advocate of the badger kill by the way and by culling badgers we will / may save our bird populations - he totally ignores grey squirrels and cats - which an old UK scientific study estimated took about 8 million birds annually ( the most recent figures from the Mammal Society - estimates that 'the UK's cats catch up to 275 million prey items a year, of which 55 million are birds. This is the number of prey items that were known to have been caught; we don't know how many more the cats caught, but didn't bring home, or how many escaped but subsequently died ') + a recent USA study estimated that cats alone take out 1 billion ( thats 1 billion ) of their songbirds annually ) + typical of the RSPB to sit on the fence on this one saying that the birds taken by cats would have probably died anyway ( there are thousands of RSPB members with cats and we dont want to lose their cash do we ) + no one mentions the real reasons - the continuing destruction of wild bird / wild life habitats in the UK and all over the world - which I think probably has something to do with rapidly declining bird / mammal / plant / insect populations and rapidly increasing human populations

Weekend Some members of Barnstaple DWT group popped in on Saturday at 11am to have a look round - a tad dull and muggy but we saw SPBF, Large Skipper, Meadow Brown and a hand full of dragons and damsels + lots of other stuff despite it being the 'quiet time' on reserve for most things + met up with some guys from BC later to check out details for future meetings/projects + more internet searches for new vehicle for reserve + pony check in the evening

Fri 17th Checking over tractor first thing + putting a couple of plank bridges out over stream at Goat Meadow + back to meet up with Harry B. CEO of DWT - had a good chat about various things + walk round HH and down the valley + confirmed two pairs of Dipper ( one adult feeding a young un at Marsland Mouth at same place I had male and female singing over winter ) + noted Hard Hills Dipper later in day + back to house office + dull and cloudy all day so no butterflies noted

Thurs 16th Out bright and early cutting stuff in areas around Hard Hills + in Marsland office doing various bits and pieces + home office for awhile + searching /editing / hours of culm site film footage for a BBC project on Dunsdon NNR

Weds 15th Cutting on west side early + round Hard Hills and 'topped' office roof + tidy up in office + tractor 'on site' servicing by Heards mid morning + tidy up outside ( on the road and at the bottom ) as very heavy rain caused flooding last night + measuring up middle room window for blackout curtains + internet searching ( for curtains and a 'new' 4x4 vehicle for reserve ) + on going tree risk assessments + 'ash dieback' survey +Cirl Bunting survey during walk down concrete road this morning

Tues 14th Rainy on and off most of the day - meeting with Ian from HQ first thing + office stuff ( mainly internet searches following on from our meeting earlier ) + tree risk stuff

Mon 13th Cutting in Chapel Field + around office and barn + cut both sides of the road up to Gooseham and along the lane opposite Franks House + sussing out stuff on BCS cutter + rain later and into office + database research ( gave up after realizing life is too short )

Weekend Misty, dull and full of murk (some sun on Saturday but mainly rain and drizzle) + pony check + seen the biggest Oak leaf ever ( photo )

Fri 10th Office all day - sorting out various things - not least of all the data base kerfuffle + first rain for ages + very heavy late afternoon

Thurs 9th Afew Meadow Brown out this morning - noted on my Cirl Bunting survey ( MB's mainly in c15 Broad Arbor ) + Kestrel hovering over field + x2 Whitethroat singing and a Skylark singing at the top of Hard Hills + heaving with Garden Chafers + 1st Clegs out - biting horseflies - one of which expertly found the gap between my turned up shirt collar and the back of my neck + sorting out my database rest of the day ( dont ask but let it be known that the 'hosts' have done a runner ) + got no further with database - good news is all my records are still contained therein ( over 18,000 of em ) + noted male Orange Tip still flying

Weds 8th Up bright and early ( 6.30 - to avoid the heat + I love this time of day with Roe deer barking and Tawnys ootin ) and out cutting in the new coppice at Goat Meadow + widening a number of glades + bracken and bramble cut back in certain areas + tractor/swipe later cutting paths and topping bracken in GM and HH3 + took a couple of butterfly experts round HH mid afternoon ( they loved it ) + Ringlet out + Small Skipper and we had x1 Green Hairstreak at Hard Hills 1 ( shed loads of SPBF's and x7 MF's ) + x3 Small Tortoiseshell and x4 Painted Lady + arranged to have the tractor serviced + nice to hear Garden Warbler singing in the garden + x2 at Hard Hills + I suspect Dipper on 2nd brood + office catch up

Tues 7th Sunny and bright after yesterday - being a tad dull with heavy rain + cutting some of the morning + Large Skippers increasing in number as are Southern Hawkers ( close up photos ) + BT survey / dragons + some officy catch up

Mon 6th Off reserve for a while as a meeting with HQ was posponed + pony check and some time spent on my species data base

Weekend Web visits reached 81000 over the period + very warm and muggy + pony checks + visitor stuff ( quiet ) + a number of Red Admirals showing + MF's and SPBFs still flying + x8 male BB Chasers on HH Pond + x3 Southern Hawkers in the area + male Merlin noted flying down low along the road outside the house

Fri 3rd Sunny all day and very warm + spent time on my photography module + photos + survey of insects ( photos + ID later )

Thurs 2nd Out early cutting and extending rides and glades beyond Goat Meadow + cutting re growth in new coppice areas + survey for 'other' things on reserve ( anything 'new' - photos only of a couple of insects I IDed some while ago ) + noted a SPBF female laying eggs in the area I cut this morning ( glade approaching HH3 ) + also noted there were no violet plants there - in fact the whole glade is devoid of any other plant but 'cut' bracken - go figure that one out ( also had x3 female BB Chasers in thee same glade ) + noted afew 'brofeldia' 'fungal ' masses on a number ofdead trees ( it aint actually a fungus but a mix up of gooey stuff often called 'mashed potato' fungus - no really )

Weds 1st Cutting first thing then back to Marsland office to do some printing and then meeting Patrick S to sign the new grazing agreement at Hackmarsh + cutting nature garden and surrounding area + cutting bluebell path to Goat Meadow

MAY 2016 Tues 31st Another sunny day + out early again cutting glades and rides around GM + tractor/swipe later topping bracken in GM / paths / Franks Field + spent abit of time photographing stuff + survey / monitor + nice shot of a Hazel Weevil cutting a hole in a leaf ( feeding ? ) + x11 BB Chaser on the HH new pond + x3 Southern Hawkers + seems even more SPBF's on the wing ( wonder if their larvae eat out violets which may affect PBF numbers ?) + MF's still flying + showed a couple round HH later on + pony check at Marsland Mouth in the evening

Mon 30th Bright and sunny most of the day + out cutting early in the glades just beyond Goat Meadow + cutting bracken / goosegrass / bramble re growth + x2 Southern Hawkers flitting about + female Roe + cutting areas in Chapel Field until the sun drove me crazy + took afew folk over to HH to see the butterflies + generally quiet

Sun 29th Sunny and warm + out most of the day taking photos / chatting to visitors / general holiday period stuff + 50+ SPBF's in Goat Meadow (which is a record) + mass Froglet exodus from Otter Coppice Ponds and more Beautiful Demoiselle on the streams + Common and Azure Blue damselflies growing in numbers + new Brimstone noted

Sat 28th Very warm and misty most of the day ( read Cloud Rain Forest ) + got a new bit of kit today - a long lens for my camera + testing all day + moth expert Barry Henwood around checking out micros + butterflies at Hard Hills spectacular ( not to mention dragons ) + showed a family some SPBF's in Goat Meadow - amongst other things ( kids amazed )

Fri 27th Rain on and off + office most of the day ( reports, e mails, admin, web site up dates , photo module, ad infinitum ) + sun came out later + loads SPBF's in Goat Meadow at the moment + noted Dipper fledged again + loads of LT Tit families ( or is it the same family flitting round the place at super speed ? ) + 4-spot Chasers notable ( resulting from the new ponds which they do tend to colonize and enjoy until vegatation takes over ) + continuing the Cirl Bunting survey but none so far

Thurs 26th Out early again cutting bridleway /Tredown paths / tree check + nice to see afew Early Purple Orchids scattered along the paths + loads Sanicle + the walk along both paths is a total treat + up dating risk assessments / safety docs etc + did abit of my photography module ( all photos on this web site are archived by the way / under Recent News ) + both Four- Spot and Broad Bodied Chaser on the HH pond + there is a Jay near the house making a similar sound to that of our squeaking gate ( mimicing ? ) + lots of Cardinal Beetle around at the moment ( Pyrochroa serraticornis )

Weds 25th Out cutting west paths / topping bracken in the cool of a 6am morning + finished by 10am and onto tractor and swipe ( after a maintainence check ) and into c15 to cut long path and selected areas / pathy check / tree check + bracken topping and some thistle topping + had my own Kestrel hunting in the cut areas + had a chat with Andrew Lawson from West Mill who was out in his wonderful bottom field ( full of Southern Marsh Orchids ) Tues 24th Been away afew days then back to reserve and today was glorious sunshine + SPBF's literally everywhere + MF's x19 in HH area + x3 Common Blue and x3 Small Copper + Large White, OT, Speckled Wood and Peacock + Hazel Weevils out ( photo of x2 males trying to mate with female ) + pony check + early morning bird song walk + recording but nothing new + took my brand new grand daughter round reserve yesterday ( photos included for all those folk wanting to see my gorgeous little tadpole )

Fri 20th Highlight of the day was a very close view of a female Cuckoo in the trees outside the house office window + in the tree for ages probably looking out for a potential nest to lay eggs in ( behaviour I'd just read about some days ago in that Davies book 'Cuckoo' ) + attempted to film it but she vanished whilst I was getting the camera ( I really should have known ) + nice that a very old friend from my RSPB days contacted me after seeing my name on the BBC 2 Wild West programme last week + bit dull most of the day but sun did appear noon time and SPBF's were recorded in all sections of BT 1-12 ( many at HH1/2/3 + noted /photo of one with deformed wings but still managed to fly and mate ) + MF's displaying and mating in HH2 ( x9 noted ) + 1st BB Chaser in GM

Thurs 19th Spent most of the day with local book publisher discussing a possible project re my time at Marsland / my life in conservation - wont be now though ( maybe when I retire ) + had afew ideas about holding a PBF management seminar sometime in November ( whilst contract work going on ) + chatting with Cornwall BC re success with their management with PBF's on various sites - following on from a meeting here some years ago

Weds 18th Clicks powered past 80,000 last night + stair rods all morning but cloudy sun later and into the evening

Tues 17th Rain and mist first thing and into the morning but bryter later and warm but not full sun by any means + just finished reading 'Cuckoo' by Nick Davies ( my recommended book of the week )

Mon 16th Out at 6am today to start cutting selected areas / bracken ( scrubcutter ) + paths round BT 1-12 and some of c14 Chapel Field and Franks Field + generally topping bracken and grassy areas ( tractor and swipe ) + office catch up and general meandering + late BT survey at HH ( loads of Speckled Yellow moths out ) and SPBF's increasing in number ( I've been taking shots of various individuals in order to compare and contrast markings and size )

Sun 15th Glorious again today + out to Hard Hills first thing + loads of MF and SPBF later ( lots of display action + mating ) + Bluebell areas quite special + x2 Holly Blue and x1 Painted Lady + Dippers feeding at least x1 fledged young un + pony check

Sat 14th Marsland was tagged onto the end of BBC Two 'Wild West' last night and looked great ( re edited sections from last years film ) + drone shots of most of the valley and Marsland Mouth + a couple of folk wanted to see Hard Hills later on + pony check + BT transect + some general PR down at the office

Fri 13th Glorious day today with wall to wall sunshine + loads of SPBF's out and 1st Marsh Fritillary ( x6 at HH + mating and laying eggs ) + Small Copper, Orange Tip, Large White, Peacock + pony check ( ponies had a MOT on Wednesday by the way - health check + clipped hooves etc ) + counted loads of Adders Tongue Fern at HH3 + evening stroll down the valley + booking my 60th birthday treat this year - a birding expedition to the east coast Brazilian rainforest in October ( I've been saving up my pennies since I was 10 )

Thurs 12th More mist and drizzle in the morning but warm and hazy sun later + SPBF's coming out + met up with my old mate and national moth expert Adrian Spalding ( and Richard ) to have a chat and a look round ( x19 SPBF's later in the evening + x12 PBF's mainly at the top of the slopes )

Weds 11th Dull, misty with rain all day

Tues 10th General checks + ponies + stroll round GM/HH but very little butterfly action due to weather + office stuff

Mon 9th Early morning stroll/CBC + dull and drizzle later but warm with it / office stuff + I think Marsland may be on Nick Bakers Wild West this Friday at 7pm on BBC 2 + web clicks hit 79000 over the weekend

Weekend Weather beginning to break a little although remaining very warm / humid + PBF's still flitting about at HH but no count ( Sun afternoon )

Fri 6th A tad cooler today with cloud so didnt bother checking PBF's ( although Andrew L. from West Mill paid a visit and had 27 at HH which was very good + cutting paths first time round Franks Field, GM and beyond + catch up on office related work + noted first Large White butterflies and x2 Beautiful Demoiselle

Thurs 5th Evening bat check yesterday - x2 Greater Horseshoe bats back in the shed + x4 Lessers ( still hangin in various locations rather than from roof space ) + out most of the day surveying PBF's - c25 / x18, c15 slopes/x13 , TBCoppice/x9, TB Meadow/x8 ( mating and laying noted on bare 'browner' sections as Bluebells seem to have taken over most of this site ! ), other / x2 and Hard Hills 49 ( really tough counting that area by the way ) + thats a total of ( nearest as damit ) x100 + Hard Hills PBF's were mainly up on the right hand side as you look up at the slopes + lower down on the same side ( 49 was an average of three counts zig zagging up and down ) + I may do another count tomoz as I sensed hatching going on in all areas + also noted x4 Brimstone, x5 OT, x1 GVW, x6 Peacock and x9 Speckled Wood

Weds 4th Early CBC to see if I could record any birdsong but nothing new apart from a strange Mistle thrush singing afew notes but nothing else ( SOUNDS #3 ) + survey HH to check on PBF's but a tad early + back later morning and met Paul ( contractor who worked Hard Hills over winter + nice for him to see one or two PBF's warming up ) + out again over lunch with Kate L. and saw quite afew more PBF's + female mating and laying + hatch going on + 1st Large Red damsel of the season + Dippers busy at nest site + located Buzzard nest at HH + Garden Warbler singing at HH + out again later for a count with total x33 PBF's ( average out of x2 counts ) + spent abit of time on my wildlife photography module later

Tues 3rd Cutting Chapel Field first thing then nature garden and surrounding areas + sun out later and so onto Hard Hills to check on PBF's - at least 12-15 flitting about mid morning + noted many nectaring on Dandelion ( photo ) + x3 Orange Tip , Brimstone, Peacock, Speckled Wood + Cirl Bunting survey later on + checked other PBF sites + noted quite afew Whitethroat singing at MM + x2 Skylark on opposite sides of the valley + checked ponies ( x4 PBF at c25, x8 on c15 slopes, x4 in Travel Bridge Coppice and x5 in TB Meadow - end of week probably best time to count as emergence has started properly ) + checked out the latest Plantlife leaflet walk at Marsland looking at lichens ( checked the facts + did the walk ) + loads of Otter spraint at usual points along stream + evening walk in the setting sun ( why not )

Sun 1st / Mon 2nd Really bad weather until late Monday afternoon when the sun shone in clear blue skies + checked ponies + late Monday evening PBF survey at Hard Hills ( x7 )

APRIL 2016 Sat 30th Sunny but cool again during the morning PBF survey with nothing up to noon + back after lunch and recorded x6 during a two hour period lasting from 2 til 4 + the weather was noticably warmer all afternoon when the cold breeze died down + first time in many years that they have come out at the 'usual' time ie end of April + the slopes area seems to get bigger as the years progress ( both in terms of size and the time it takes to walk and survey the site ) + good numbers of Tiger Beetles and Bee Flies + pair of S'hawks flitting about above Hard Hills

Fri 29th On going cold wind and occasional sleet/snow showers and still no PBF's - survey mid afternoon in cold and breezy sunshine + catch up office stuff

Thurs 28th Still no PBF's last evening but did note x2 Canada Geese on the new small pond ( shooed them away ) + out most of the morning PBFing about but nothing up to noon ( funnily enough PBF's came out very late - or normal time ? - when we had similar weather patterns in the late 80's and early 90's - the latest was 6 May 95 )

Weds 27th Very heavy hail / sleet / snow first thing this morning + very cold + wondering if the PBF's will ever come out ( apparently its going to be a bit sunnier later ) + hail and cold winds for most of the morning and into early afternoon ( I did manage one visit but by the time I got there it was hailing again ) + those Mallard eggs have all been predated by the way + no PBF's in the evening - when the sun came out for a little while but very cold breeze still blowing + all in all a pretty shitty day

Tues 26th Meeting in Exeter at HQ all day - passed through heavy snow on the way down

Mon 25th Out first thing on a Cirl Bunting survey down to Marsland Mouth ( zilch) - also checking out other stuff - Whitethroat x2 in c15 BA + checked all sites for PBF ( far too cold and misty for awhile ) + checked ponies + Bluebells looking good at the moment + out to HH later but feeling very cold and miserable with no sign of PBF ( or any butterflies for that matter ) + season seems very late ( last year at this time PBF's were nearly over ) + havent seen Orange Tip yet which is unusual

Sun 24th Spent most of the day at Hard Hills again - still sunny but very cold wind + managed to fit in a Cirl Bunting survey further down the coast

Sat 23rd Spent most of the day looking for PBF's on reserve and especially at Hard Hills - but no signs as yet ( sunny all day but very cold breeze blowing ) + great news in that I managed to locate this years Dipper nest site ( both adults noted + one with faecal sac ) + very close encounter with x2 Roe deer ( male chasing female and nearly knocking me over ) + pony check + continued my Cirl Bunting survey Fri 22nd Rain all day ( Cuckoo calling for ages first thing across the valley ) + office ( up date web site + re edit for more space + prepare Cirl Bunting survey stuff - amongst many other things )

Thurs 21st Web visits reached 78000 last evening + very cool today with no sign of PBF's in any of the usual areas + organizing / logistics for various July meetings + searching the net for pro drones re future projects + some time spent looking for PBF pupae ( none )

Weds 20th Sunny and warm but with a very cool breeze + office stuff first thing then a meeting with KL re various things + out to HH a number of times to check for PBF's ( none ) but x7 Willow Warbler singing in the area + e mail to me regarding x1 PBF flying on a Dartmoor site + loads Primrose and x12 Peacock on BT 1-11 + x2 GV White + nesting hybrid Mallard on HH pond ( sitting on eggs ! ) + more office stuff later + evening CBC ( usual stuff ) + Cirl Bunting survey

Tues 19th Out checking Hackmarsh first thing then back to a meeting with MB from HQ + walk and talk til after dinner - good to see an Adder on the concrete road + noted a Cuckoo at the Mouth + pony check + out to PBF sites later to check for first flights in the glorious sunshine ( none seen but viola has erupted and the sites are really excellent and the best Ive ever seen them especially Hard Hills + noted Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Brimstone, Speckled Wood + Sparrowhawk over HH1 + x2 Early Purple Orchid in Goat Meadow + sorting out grazing licence and various other admin stuff

Mon 18th Heard a Cuckoo first thing this morning

Weekend Usual patrols and wanderings over the weekend + check ponies + just a reminder that picking wild flowers from someone elses land/property is illegal ( not to mention very annoying ) and permission must always be sought from the landowner + Im thinking mainly of Primrose and Wild Garlic at this time of year ( I had to have a word with some folk on another reserve over the weekend )

Fri 15th CBC first thing - noted more Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs + x1 Willow Warbler at HH2 + noted male / female Sparrowhawk together hassling x5 Buzzards + some time looking over a Cirl Bunting survey taking place over the spring/summer ( Im doing afew 'tetrads' round here ) + looking at logistics regarding the proposed seminar here in July re SPBF management + more annual report editing + off reserve advice

Thurs 14th Office and general patrols today + pony check and more fence line checks + afew photos + found a nice Staphylinus caesareus in the garden ( a 'rove' beetle similar to Devils Coach-horse ) + loads of worm size Slow Worms coming out of hibernation - photos + very heavy rain later

Weds 13th Checked MM fence line right side first thing + litter pick around Little Marsland + back to base and a viola/PBF larvae check at HH 1 + more scanning of AR's and other stuff

Tues 12th Got into archiving / digitilizing annual reports for most of the day / evening ( a task you just can't stop ) + fence repair at MM ( Skylark singing + many Willow Warblers in ) + 1st Speckled Wood

Mon 11th Out first thing carrying out preliminary CBC - nice to hear quite afew Blackcap and a Goldfinch singing outside the house + Grey Wagtail regular around office + Comma, Brimstone and Peacock flying later in the sunshine + general check around most of the rest of the day

Weekend Usual weekend stuff + checked ponies + very cold Sunday and wind with it too + passage of Swallows and House Martins evening Saturday across the valley + male and female Sparrowhawk + male Merlin

Fri 8th Off reserve most of the morning + back to office stuff Thurs 7th More stuff in the office ( re edit of AR for a kick off ) then out to HH to survey for viola + it is coming out but weak and sporadic even in my 'tester' areas ( I cut certain small areas every other year and onwards every 4, 5 years to test viola abundance ) + more e mail chat later with various folk + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( none seen ) + pony check and checked fence at the bottom ( needs replacing but I think the ponies are fine as they tend to keep well away from the 'edge' end of the reserve ) + spent time untangling a LH bat in the shed ( fallen behind some ivy roots growing on the wall )

Weds 6th Checking paths/trees first thing - along the paths up to c15 and down the track and along the bottom path down to the Mouth + checked ponies and back to cutting in c47+ check on LH bats in the shed ( x5 ) + x2 Swallow and x4 House Martin and x1 Blackcap singing in c47 + Annual Report + editing daily blog stuff to file + up loaded AR to web site ( HOME/DOCUMENTS 2 ) + recieved an e mail from Butterfly Conservation re a possible Small Pearl seminar for land managers to be held here at Marsland during the summer

Tues 5th Off reserve + advice to local landowner re meadows + bat stuff in the evening ( monitoring LH around the shed area )

Mon 4th Sunny but cool most of the day + off reserve for awhile then back to general checkaround and catchy up with e mails and other stuff + continuing my 'study' of common shore crab carapace shape and colouration ( based around habitat + hope to apply findings to Marsland Mouth survey this summer - photos )

Sun 3rd Had a break on the Isles of Scilly last week - after recovering from the boat trip over ( 60mph wind and we barely survived ) it was good to see Sandwich Tern, GN Divers, Surf Scoter, Swallows, House Martins, Ring Ouzel and SE Owl + over 300 Grey Seal on Nounour Island + woke to a chorus of Chiffchaffs early Sunday morning back at glorious Marsland + really looking forward to the spring and summer here on reserve + noticed web visits reached 77000 whilst I was away ( 1000+ in just under 2 weeks ) MARCH 2016 Thurs 24th Home office most of the day day ( rained for first time in ages ) - sound edits / photo edits / looking over 'old' film footage to see if I could salvage / edit a new video ( no ) / more species ID / photography module skim read / AR / start bird report + dragonflies + other bitty stuff

Weds 23rd Off reserve again for awhile then back to Marsland Mouth / office (electricity was supposed to be off all afternoon but they apparently fixed whatever was wrong with the supply without having to turn off the mains - but no one told us ) + meeting at Hackmarsh later + checked top boundary whilst getting there + more time spent on Annual Report + checking on recent reports on Ash dieback / Ash beetle + will set up a monitoring programme over the summer months

Tues 22nd Off reserve for awhile + back to edit / sort some wildlife photos for a portfolio + e mailing various people re various matters ( eg advising one young chap on how to get into this wildlife / conservation oo ah -he was only 14 but he did have the main attributes necessary ( in my opinion ) - the heart,the motivation, the unfettered interest in and knowledge of all aspects of animal life and where it lives ( unfortunately, a degree- of any description- is usually needed above most other things thus allowing too many people to slip through the net ) + some time spent on 'retrospective' ID of species from photos taken over last season + got a new species for reserve - Pantilius tunicatus ( a Mirid bug - photo )

Mon 21st Sunny and clear first thing + clouded over later + nearly finished cutting areas with scrubcutter and may get onto tractor/swipe and /or BCS soon ish ( depends on weather staying dry )

Weekend Checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + more Chiffchaffs dropping in + very quiet visitor wise + cold and sunny with overnight frosts Fri 18th Sunny but cool all day + 1st Chiffchaff singing in Franks Field + x6 Buzzards in the airspace above the reserve at noon + finished off cutting and abit of raking in the culmy area below HH3 ( photo ) + survey /planning for managing this area next winter ( extensions down to the stream and up the valley ) + full BT sections survey - x1 Comma, x2 Peacock, x1 Brimstone and x1 Small Tortoiseshell + more survey time and definite lack of viola showing at the moment

Thurs 17th Another sunny , warm day + x1 Small Tortoiseshell and x2 Comma + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( recent stuff at Hard Hills holt site ) + general early spring walk round various areas + spent a bit of time on the office 'leaking' drain ( applying waterproof material - slightly concerned that I had to wash the brush with water ) + survey for Common Violets at Hard Hills ( found very little growing at the moment but did note loads of Bugle )

Weds 16th A tad drizzly during the morning but sunny and warm later + x4 LH bats in the roost shed

Tues 15th Web clicks reached 76000 over night + in Marsland office first thing looking for stuff + tidy up + more practice / looking through manuals / BCS ( plus practicalities of moving the beast long distances ) + cutting / burning bracken around HH areas + cleaning office windows and I had another try at fixing the leaking drain above the main door ( on going ) + checked ponies + x2 Comma noted

Mon 14th Looking through my new advanced wildlife photography module during the morning - this is an extention to my diploma from 2013 and should take up to 6 months to complete ( thats a gradual time scale and although not part of my official work load I can fit it in as and when ) + sunny but cool all day + out checking 'non public' paths rest of the day

Weekend 12th/13th Checking ponies + general PR stuff + noticing more dog mess on reserve as more (local) people bring their dogs on reserve to s**t all over the place ( please keep your dog under control + on a lead + take the mess home with you - I'm well aware that that plea will fall on deaf ears but it needs to be said ) + sunny and warm all weekend + x3 Peacock butterflies

Thurs 10th Out first thing ( 7am ) today to walk down the valley / CBC + check ponies / trees / paths + nice to see Spring arriving with lots of Bluebell showing along with Primrose and Daffodil

It was 23 years ago this week that I helped to set up Cornwall Butterfly Conservation and also became its first chairman ( photo of official opening with Adrian Spalding, Jeremy Thomas, Lee Slaughter and a very younger looking me @ HOME + opposite )

Weds 9th Extract from Puffins blog + go to www.people4ponies.blogspot.co.uk for photos and a couple of videos ......

'Today was Puffin's big day...Vanessa and Philip were able to borrow Lisa's trailer again (thank you very much again everyone!) to take Puffin to the beautiful nature reserve which our ponies graze for the Devon Wildlife Trust. It's such an amazing site and it's such a privilege being able to enable our ponies live on one of the most perfect sites you could imagine - a wonderful habitat with all the right plants for them to self select and living as nature intended. It's fully fenced so that it's safe (no cliff edges), there's lots of room for them and they get checked every day by Gary and Jane and the local walkers. They get to "BE PONIES"...again just as nature intended. It's such a special place! So we'll be back to see the ponies in the late Spring for their annual round- up. Thank you so much to everyone for making the day such a great success. It's a beautiful sight to see the ponies here and so happy. Margaret looked after the yard so everything was organised there too.

Margaret and Norman who fostered Puffin for 10 years were able to visit him twice whilst he was with us at the main yard - they came to see him yesterday which was really lovely...they hope to visit Puffin on the reserve soon!

Vanessa led Puffin down onto the reserve to where we had located the ponies...and then once the ponies had seen each other, it was time for the release...' Tues 8th Meeting with IC from HQ (early) + some office stuff beforehand then onto more cutting at HH2 ( mostly bramble I didnt get yesterday ) + sides of the path BT 1-10 + Puffin the new pony arrived mid afternoon and settled in very quickly

Mon 7th Cutting nature garden first thing + surrounding area + out burning / cutting the 'culm' area just beyond HH1 and below HH2 ( just managed to finish as it got dark ) + office stuff later ( e mails / admin. / budget etc ) + lots of Buzzard activity + first record of Peacock butterfly at HH2 and lots of early spring bird song

Sat/Sun 5th and 6th Usual weekend stuff + checked ponies ( Puffin coming on Tuesday )

Thurs 3rd Strolling about today / checking paths / trees / acquiring inspiration for future works/projects + office stuff later on when rain came in

Weds 2nd Very windy overnight so a full check for tree damage during the day ( when wind had died down ) + mainly branches to shift + some moved on Gooseham road + a section of the bridleway made good + one or two naughty horse people going up Tredown Valley public footpath

Tues 1st Rainy start to the day + editing / uploading a short video of the BBC at Marsland yesterday (HOME) + Puffin the pony has mislaid his 'passport' so there will be a delay in coming to reserve ( could be next week now ) + made a start on the 2015/16 Annual Report + up dated risk assessments for reserve + time spent on IT , back up and loads more office stuff

FEBRUARY 2016 Fri 26th - Mon 29th Clicks on web site reached 75000 over the weekend + attempted to change the machine head on the BCS ( unfortunately needs two people ) as flail is great for 'proper' scrub but abit unsympathetic to 'slighter' vegetation + maintained stuff and some cutting beyond Goat Meadow + sound recording late winter bird song ( nothing new or exciting I'm afraid ) + BBC out all Monday 29th filming extra bits for the Marsland film from last year ( 'drone' shots mainly - hopefully after the film has been shown I'll have access to all the drone shots + more Nick talk to camera ) and should be out sometime in April on national BBC + I attempted to film them filming the reserve ( I'll up load soon ish ) + hoovered office + organizing arrival of new pony 'Puffin' on Thursday ( Puffin is one of Mistys offspring but is feeling a little bit sad at the moment because his best mate Beth - a donkey - died afew weeks ago )

Weds /Thurs 24th / 25th Weather colder of late and with very little rain but reserve still sodden / pony check / BCS cutting

Tues 23rd Truck in for MOT + big Beech tree on Franks hedge trimmed back today - holiday people supervised ( far too big for a hedge tree + danger to people and buildings + loads of light let down on office - the whole tree needs to go really )

Sat/Sun 20th/21st Holsworthy Motor Club 'trials' on the Sunday ( thankfully I was out )

Fri 19th Messing about with AS most of the day ( walking, discussing management, future projects etc ) + no good for moths last night

Thurs 18th Office again most of morning + checked ponies +BBC Producer Simon and his missus dropped in about 1.45 to have a look round prior to doing some footage next week for the Marsland film - from last year ( being shown again apparently with extra bits - on BBC 2 too ) + my good mate Dr A Spalding popped in for the evening + moth trapping

Weds 17th More rain today + ID / check list of 'flies' below + images ( all new to reserve lists ) + will probably upload at a later date ( bet you cant wait - I personally believe it is very important to treat (for example) Fungus Gnats on the same level as Dormice and PBF's ... their conservation is equally relevant ( and I'm including wasps, ticks and horse flies here by the way folks ) + eventually managed to upload slide show to PHOTOS - SELECTED DIPTERA

Tues 16th Very cold overnight with frost and ice especially on the stream ( filmed and @ HOME page for 2 days only ) + editing and filing photos and video to make them easier to access + checked stuff

Mon 15th Pony check first thing + office + off reserve ( now I'm 60 I decided it was about time I had a general medical check up at the doctors - he said he had to 'dust off' my records ) + news we maybe getting a new pony for Marsland Mouth - he's a foal of Mistys' - who died over the summer last year

Sun 14th Clicks reached 74000 last evening ( thats 1000 clicks viewing this web site over 1 week ) + e mailing with Dr Rob Wolton re some records ( 'flies' ) he made last year including 'a fungus gnat Mycetophila strigatoides, a nationally scarce species with only 11 known UK records' ( photo opposite ) + a RDB3 species - Rhingia rostrata ( hoverfly) + the following list ( almost certainly all new species for reserve + I'll check as and when )

Bibio marci Bolitophila saundersii Argyra argentina Campsicnemus curvipes Syntormon pallipes Lipoptena cervi Meiosimyza rorida Dicranomyia modesta Dicranophragma adjunctum Rhipidia maculata Rhypholophus varius Lonchoptera tristis Brevicornu griseicolle Mycetophila ichneumonea Mycetophila marginata Pseudobrachypeza helvetica Dicranota pavida Tricyphona immaculata Ptychoptera albimana Ptychoptera lacustris Phytosciara flavipes

Fri 12th More of those moths out last night so must be a big hatch taking place ( they're Winter Moths by the way - and all males - as female is flightless and hangs about on nearby trees ) + out first thing but back soon ( flu y ) + office all day ( sorting out - amongst other things - the reserve moth lists ) + e mails to old mate from RSPB days ( sad news re demise of breeding Little Terns on the dunes there ( decline since the early 90's apparently ) - I spent a whole summer in the early 80's 24/7 protecting and enhancing their population ( very successful too although I could have done without the dead body, being attacked by 2 dobermans, being confronted by a naked man on numerous occasions, kicked by a horse- the list goes on ... ) ..... it cost me my sanity at times ( and seemingly an absolute total waste of time )

Thurs 11th Various office stuff first thing + more tree checks ( finished ) + cold , sunny and calm most of the day with the inevitable occasional shower + getting together winter works / budgets / preliminary reporting + I think our management work this year has easily exceeded last years efforts ( big thanks to contractors, volunteer work, Charlie and Dave ) + it aint over yet

Weds 10th Out checking for fallen trees most of the day ( none apart from one at the start of GM - not dangerous ) + condition of tractor crossing tracks across stream ( after Saturdays heavy flooding ) + Adam and Andrew from Woodah out looking for Alder seeds / cones for a Kew Gardens project + x3 Moth species out on our windows in the evening

Tues 9th Out first thing checking for fallen trees west side ( large/small branches mainly ) + checked ponies + path condition + Charlie and Dave up for the day ( checking bridleway area + clearing one or two large branches ) then they joined me at HH 1 /2 cutting ( + the area containing Adders Tongue fern ) + ant hills seem to be spreading ( would the number of predator ant species affect numbers of other insects - PBF's for example ? ) + finally got round to fixing the 'sticking' main door at the office + x10 Siskin feeding in the Alder trees next to Goat Meadow

Mon 8th Very windy overnight and most of the day but our power stayed on which is always a good sign + the inevitable heavy rain on and off all day + very high waves at MM ( checking ponies ) + mainly office stuff most of the day + gauping out of the window watching the weather + 3.05 - up date - electricity has gone off and come back on 12 times in the last 5 minutes ( good job my puter is plugged into a back up battery )

Sun 7th Web visits reached 73000 last evening + more rain and hail followed by a very welcome period of sunshine ! + sweeping up and tidying around the office and at Gooseham Bridge

Sat 6th Blimey - what a morning + spent most of it stopping flood water from off the road getting into the house and the office ( un blocking drains and diverting water from various places ) + kept a close eye on the rain most of the afternoon + never seen the road outside the house turn into a river before ( or water build up so much at the back of the office - the pressure on the drains blew the metal top off )

Fri 5th Early morning stroll listening out for birdsong - quite alot as it happens for this time of year + Dippers at Gooseham Bridge + failed attempt to record + x9 LH bats in the shed ( two or three have moved about abit

Thurs 4th Misty damp and cool today - time spent on future works and projects + x10 Siskin around GM area mid morning + Dipper chirping away

Weds 3rd Out taking photos of recent managed areas first thing ( for web and later reports ) + tree / path / pony checks and sussing out some management details along Long Meadow + many Primroses out + Frog spawn everywhere at the moment ( even in places with no water ! ) + Paul in for last days cutting at Hard Hills + checked LH bats late on ( still all in same positions ) Tues 2nd Last few days of contract work + met up with Paul and James who both carried on work at HH and helped clear fallen trees up Tredown + meeting up with a contractor who maybe able to help with the spreading galeobdolon plant on reserve ( garden variety of Yellow Archangel ) + planted / spread seeds of insect loving flowers in the nature garden + did a risk assessment of trees on adjacent land which could have an impact on safety on reserve ( mainly around houses at GM , and Hobbs and Little Marsland eg tall beech at Franks House- on the bank - is abit worrying ) + reviewing general 'risk' on reserve + sort / edit photos later + more risk stuff + tried / failed to record Dipper singing at Gooseham Bridge ( I have a feeling they may be looking at a site adjacent to holiday let - which would be a disaster )

Mon 1st Met up with local chap David M. first thing to discuss some wood extraction (very small scale) + noted a great deal of frog spawn in the ponds / ruts around the GM area + very mild , wet and windy + checked ponies and fenceline at MM + some office stuff

JANUARY 2016 Weds 27th - Sun 31st Noted x8 Lesser Horseshoe Bats in the shed - over wintering ( not in the hibernaculum though ) + checked ponies x2 ( fine but sheltering from this wet , windy weather most of the time ) + James finshed cutting/raking in Travel Bridge track clearing + set up meetings next week with contractors

Tues 26th Office first thing sortin out stuff then out to meet Scott F and James at Travel Bridge Track clearing + checked on trees / paths etc - very wet all day + Charlie and Dave up for the day cutting in c25 + met up with Kate L. finishing off her video ( re edits ) + checking on tree clearence work at Hobbs Choice ( local chap + helpers clearing a large fallen tree + firewood - tree threatening to block the tributary in that area )

Mon 25th Spent most of the morning strolling around the reserve looking for possible victim (s) of Saturdays 'hunt' fiasco ( thankfully none found ) + Dipper at last seasons nest site + female S'hawk over HH + new photos of coppice work taken + nice to see x3 Otter hovers on the new coppice site ( I had left instructions last week )

Sat 23rd 2.30 - just got back in after trying to meet up with someone / anyone from a hunt which has been in the valley for the past 2 hours - dogs all over the place ( two being very threatening to me and my dog Molly in my own garden ! + people who 'organize' this type of thing are totally useless at it - to say the least - an absolute disgrace with no respect for people , their pets or their property or any wildlife which may (and probably does) get in the way + police informed

Fri 22nd Early, misty walk to check ponies / trees / paths - couldn't see the ponies from my usual place at the top of the concrete road so walked all the way round the paths at Marsland Mouth and eventually came upon them both at the gate at Little Marsland ! ( both in very good condition by the way ) + checked on adjoining property works ( boundary / wastage issues etc ) + paths very wet and soggy and I advise folk to stay away for awhile until they dry up + noted a very fit and healthy male Badger in Broad Arbor truddling along its usual trackway- albeit a tad late in the day - for a Badger ( should that be too early ? ) + flock of mixed Finches at MM x50 , x2 Buzzard , x2 Stonechat, x3 Meadow Pipit + spent some time raking in new coppice + fire still going + abit of cutting in same area

Thurs 21st Carried out a 'sort of' CBC ( common bird census ) first thing round GM/HH areas - singing birds included x1 Mistle Thrush clacking away + Song Thrush, Robin, Chaffinch and x2 Dippers at last years nest site + x4 Coal Tits in garden + coppice work finished just beyond GM ( spent abit of time raking stuff + burning ) + collecting Alder seeds for Kew Gardens project + one or two Primroses out + Bluebell leaves starting to grow + Daffs making an appearance ( leaves only )

Weds 20th Cold and frosty first thing ( at last ) + in office at bottom printing out some stuff + frosty stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh and back + had a chat with contractors who will probably finish the new coppice area today + had a chat with Kate L. ( in the office ) who was finishing off her video on DWT's work on the culm grassland in our area + clicks reached 72000 today + sorting out more records and data input + put together afew ideas re writing a 'book' on my time in this 'er business I'm in

Tues 19th Contract guys in again working on coppice just beyond GM ( had to take out some grub for one of the chaps as my sprocker dog Molly finished off his chicken baps whilst we were discussing management tactics ) + spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( one very fresh at artificial holt site in Otter Coppice ) + x2 Dipper at HH3 stream section + pony check + tool maintainance and general messing about for awhile in the tool shed + office stuff ( printing some stuff and data checks etc )

Mon 18th Met up with Scott F. plus his lads first thing and out to a new area of coppice just beyond Goat Meadow + I was off reserve for awhile getting supplies in for the office + checking out the geology of the reserve for a new section on the web site and maybe something on the new marine conservation zones just recently announced ( in particular the Hartland Point to Tintagel zone )

'The Hartland Point to Tintagel recommended MCZ has a higher than average species and habitat diversity. It is potentially important for cetaceans and sharks, especially porbeagle sharks. Characterised by steep, rocky cliffs, sea caves and stretches of sandy surf beaches, this coast is exposed to high levels of wave energy. The area extends from the shore line to depths of approximately 50 metres. Near to the shore, gently sloping bedrock is dominated by a number of notable algae and kelp forest species. Lower shore habitats have exceptionally fine colonies of the reef-building honeycomb worms, which some consider to be the finest in Britain. Mussel beds are extensive in the northern half of the bay. In deeper waters, vertical and upward facing underwater rock is dominated by bryozoans, sea squirts and sponges. The pink sea fan has also been recorded here.'

Sat 16th - Sun 17th Checked on ponies over the weekend + general stroll ( no one about ) + wet and cold again + Peregrine at the Mouth

Fri 15th Had a meeting with Ian C. from HQ most of the morning + home office afterwards and then had abit of time off Thurs 14th Had a quiet day today + playing catch up with e mails and answering afew queries ( moths and butterfly similarities , reporting ) + photo edit + trawling old reports re HH management and specifically the abundance of viola at this time of year ( seems to be a tad on the low side the last few seasons - would SPBF numbers - and the resulting caterpillars - over the last few summers have an affect - by eating out their food source ? )

Weds 13th Scott F. and Paul in first thing then out to HH cutting and raking + planning more of the winter video after having been off reserve ( advice) most of the morning + out later to look at contract work

Tues 12th Blustery and showery + Scott F. in first thing + out to Hard Hills to continue cutting / raking + Dave and Charlie in ( cutting c47 field at the top and helping raking at HH ) + I met up with adjoining landowners up at at Blueberry Hill and had a good time showing them round the HH section on reserve ( Sue and Mike James ) + catch uppy with various e mails + out to clear tree which fell over the road to Gooseham and back to office + chat and show around two local guys wanting to know about woodland management

Mon 11th Very heavy showers first light ( on and off all day - localized ) + Scott F. in again on the slopes at Hard Hills + I checked paths/trees on west side + ponies fine + good to see 100+ Lapwing over reserve at noon + Dipper at Gooseham Bridge first thing and x1 singing at Travel Bridge Coppice area late morning + off reserve for awhile + Grey Squirrel survey later + office stuff

Sat 9th - Sun 10th Still very wet over the weekend - heavy hail and tremendous thunder/lightening storm to go with it on Sunday

Fri 8th Down in the Marsland office first thing doing bits and pieces + printing stuff and checking out old video footage / edit ( planning a 'winter' video ) + unusual to have a Starling in the garden late on + checking some boundary lines + x5 Oystercatchers at Marsland Mouth ( ponies OK ) + cooler and hardly any rain today but still very wet underfoot

Thurs 7th Checking and assessing large tree at Gooseham Bridge + cutting beyond Goat Meadow for some time + general patrols + checking out data / species

Weds 6th Web clicks reached 71000 last evening + met Scott F. at first light (!) and wandered out to HH to look at the proposed cutting on the slopes + then carried out a Dipper survey listening out for singing ( may have had a twitter down Long Meadow ) + on my return had a chat with Kate L. who has been finishing off her video in the office + checked on contract work ( alot done and very impressed ) + officey type stuff later on + some time spent diverting water from off of paths

Tues 5th Checking east side footpaths / trees + checking out contract work starting tomorrow + tidying up files on computer + hard copies / cabinet + springs springing up where they've never sprung up before

Mon 4th Rain on and off most of the day + out bright and early checking for fallen trees on west side footpaths ( none ) + some time spent diverting water flows from off of very wet bottom path ( many springs have sprung ) + checking contract work + close checked ponies ( both in fine fettle ) + checked Hackmarsh and adjacent fence lines + mild and wet weather bringing out fungi

Fri 1st - Sun 3rd Checking ponies + paths as per usual + 'people quiet' over the new year period + more rain and 'flooding' at the bottom for a while + had a brillient 60th birthday 'get-to-gether' with close family on the 2nd

DECEMBER 2015 Thurs 31st Had a session reading up on the Tracmaster + checked ponies ( didnt see them but suspect they be up in the quarry area due to rain and wind ) + checked path for fallen trees up to BA + when will this rain ever stop Weds 30th Very heavy rain over night and early morning + out unblocking grates and drain at top of road but track flooded at bottom for awhile + stopped water going into Franks old garage + unblocked drain opposite barn gates ( didnt see a soul either so no one aware of my Herculian efforts to save the valley from flooding and destruction )

Tues 29th Checked ponies at MM + helped a Hedgehog across the road (named it 'Lemmy') + good to see the sun at last

Sun 27th Had a good look round via paths first thing + usual check on paths/trees etc + very quiet in the valley ( people and wildlife )

Tues 22nd - Sat 26th Usual xmas reserve duties - checking trees after windy period / checking ponies at MM / chatting to visitors ( although very quiet over the period ) + still wet and sodden underfoot

Sat 19th - Mon 21st Usual weekend routines including patrols / checking ponies + Mark still around til noon + still mild but very wet underfoot

Fri 18th Met up with an old friend for most of the day - Dr Mark Toogood + chatted about the reserve and future projects amongst other things

Thurs 17th Otter spraint check up the stream to Hackmarsh ( none found but did put up x5 Woodcock from off of adjacent woodland ) + more rain = office stuff

Weds 16th Web visits reached 70,000 over night + checking out contract work / ponies and then more time spent on various photo editing / up loading + rain on and off most of the very warm day ( Daffodils in garden coming up )

Sat 12th - Tues 15th Web site hosts been hacked lately but up and running again by Weds 16th - weather been mainly drizzle, mist, driving rain and wind and its certainly been the wettest period since I started here ( the reserve is totally sodden ) + Terry and the lads started coppice work in Travel Bridge Coppice + Charlie and Dave up Tues continuing work at HH3 and in c47 field + checking ponies / paths / trees + spending time editing photos and up loading reserve stuff to 'the Cloud' + saving and back up on external hard drives + general patrols with some boundary checks + general PR work over the weekend + showed a couple of old mates round on Sunday

Fri 11th Out first thing in to Bude to collect various undelivered parcels + checked out Maer Lake + Hackmarsh check + ponies and then back to base ( female Merlin by the windmills going up to the A39 ) + Grey Squirrel survey later ( x1 up the road ) + boundary check up from the house + plant gall survey ( not many although I did find afew 'Cherry galls' ) + more office stuff during the frequent rain showers + checked out internet videos of how to start / operate the Tracmaster ( knobs and leversville )

Thurs 10th Ian C up first thing with my Xmas pressy - a new BCS cutter ( basically a walk behind hand guided 'tractor' which will come in very handy for cutting scrub and vegetation especially on the slopes + 'flail' attachment and a spare blade cutter for 'lighter' tasks ) + more data edit and up loading + reporting

Weds 9th Spent most of the day in the office + photos taken of management over the past few weeks ( dry weather today which makes a big change as everything is as wet as Ive ever seen it ) + x10 Goldfinch feeding over at Franks Field

Tues 8th Sunshine first thing but with ‘end of the world’ skies creeping in + Dave and Charlie up for the day + clearing tree over path + carrying on from last week in glades/rides up towards Hard Hills + afew Goldfinch hanging around the garden lately + Cornwall Highways paid a visit today – cleaning the road up to the village in readiness for pothole filling ( only 5 years too late ) + editing and up loading a selection of my nature photos for a magazine ( Colletts Walking Holidays ) + Steve T saw a House Martin over the reserve this morning + e mail to DCC re paths on Devon side + possibility of installing an anti motor bike ‘gate’ on the bridleway + ask for help re one or two trees up Tredown valley

Thurs 3rd – Mon 7th Andy finishing off at c25 area and should be done by end of day on Monday – checked trees along bottom ( two to clear ) + checked ponies ( all OK ) + up dating web site ( mainly to close it - still keep it on internet but not update any longer and delete next August ) + checked trees along bridleway and Tredown and checked out all contract / vol work over the past few weeks + completed and passed my 6th e module ( COSHH )

Weds 2nd Dave and Charlie up today and they spent all day finishing off coppice around Otter Coppice area and beyond + more office stuff for me ( mainly up dating species lists + still having problems with Adit - the reserve data base )

Tues 1st Light duties today as my back feels abit twitchy - office stuff / data updates / species lists / reporting / etc

NOVEMBER 2015

Mon 30th Out checking work at c25 - 15 first thing + checked all footpaths after a weekend of wind and rain + checked ponies + out cutting at Otter Coppice + general area + rain later and in office

Weekend Checked ponies + stroll round Hackmarsh area + checked track trees

Fri 27th Web clicks reached 69000 over night + meeting first thing with local chap re clearing some fallen trees

Thurs 26th Out up to c25 first thing then back to meet Charlie and Dave who continued coppice work / scrubcutting just beyond Goat Meadow and next to Otter Coppice + meeting at Hobbs Choice re fallen tree (s) + Woolley visiting adjacent landowners + check out Hackmarsh + some printing later in Marsland office and some monitoring reports finished off at the house office

Weds 25th Cutting at Hard Hills + checked out contract work + project planning + Hackmarsh management planning + tidied up at HH3 after shelter was wrecked in the strong winds over night

Tues 24th Met up with contractor to discuss work at c25 and Broad Arbor + they started today + tree risk assessment along bottom paths and on to Marsland Mouth ( also pony check ) + female Sparrowhawk hassling a Buzzard

Mon 23rd Meeting at Woodah most of the day

Weekend Checked ponies + woodland 'events' discussed + out at HH shelter with x5 interested folk

Fri 20th Windy and cold today + cutting over at Hard Hills for awhile + more looking around for contract coppice + office ( film editing / storing files and planning future projects - 'virtual walks' on reserve for example )

Thurs 19th Meeting with Ian C. from HQ most of the morning + Charlie and Dave up for the day working over at Hard Hills again + office fire equipment checked + survey round the back of HH and up Tredown Valley looking for new areas to coppice over winter ( x1 looking good at the top of the slopes adjoining the main site )

Weds 18th Out early checking all paths after windy day yesterday (some minor clearing) + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + more off reserve advice til later + office during rain Tues 17th Rain and strong winds most of the day + off reserve for awhile ( advice )+ 5th e module H and S ( 'noise awareness' ) + meeting with T While re contract work this winter

Monday16th Cutting most of the day in Otter Coppice and surrounding area + clearing the stream in that area ( Dippers do enjoy a cleared flight run ) + started clearing around the ponds + office later

Weekend Checking ponies + some visitor time but very quiet of late

Fri 13th Charlie and Dave came up today and started coppice work opposite Otter Coppice + I met up with Scott F re contract work at Hard Hills which will start mid January next year + nice to note x12 Siskin feeding on Alder seeds around Goat Meadow + great views of a Woodcock in our garden + interesting to note x4 Redwing feeding on Holly berries next to a male Blackcap and x 2 Chiffchaff + out at Hackmarsh meeting local chap most of the afternoon + office later sorting out reports / contract stuff

Thurs 12th Some cutting + checking paths / trees after windy period + off reserve for awhile and check ponies + Marsland Mouth + office during rain

Weds 11th Checking state of fencing at Hackmarsh ( adequate but could do with a new line almost everywhere ) + spraint check down the stream from Hackmarsh to Gooseham Bridge ( none ) + helping a local chap with species ID from photos taken over the season ( not here ) + office time ( maps and boundary lines mainly + attempting to sort out my species data base )

Tues 10th Out and about during the morning mainly looking for Alder seeds for a Kew gardens project ( not many to be honest ) + trailer tyre taken into Bude to be fixed ( checked out the canal whilst waiting but didnt see howt - sometimes spot Kingfisher or the odd wader near the lock gates ) + Hard Hills all afternoon ( shelter, raking, checking for lichens - no sign of Golden haired , management planning amongst other things ) + x2 Woodcock

Mon 9th Some office stuff first thing + cutting/raking at Hard Hills + rest of day putting up 'A' frame shelter near the pond ( groups , bat nights etc ) + some general maintainence

7th/8th Usual weekend stuff + MM to check ponies + check trees down bottom path to Marsland Mouth

Fri 6th Web clicks hit 68000 last night + rain all day + stroll up past Hard Hills and into Hackmarsh area + office

Thurs 5th Rain on and off most of the day + contract stuff + research some Land Registry details + check on recent works + office + checking old film footage for clips etc for various folk

Weds 4th PR most of the day at local landowners helping out with a woodland management plan + office later + getting up dates on ' sudden oak death ' - symptoms, treatments, outbreaks etc + winter contract project management

Tues 3rd Checking for 'hidden' tree stumps in Franks Field first thing ( prior to cutting scrub ) + greasing tractor + Dave and Charlie up for the day continuing cutting and coppicing around the new pond at HH + rain most of the afternoon + finished cutting Franks Field + boundary check + cleaning very muddy road after some large vehicle had been down - and back up + office

OCTOBER 2015 Sat 31st General PR work + pony checks

Fri 30th 1st Redwings of the season in the garden feeding on Holly berries + good mixture of tits, x2 Goldcrest, x2 Blackcap, x1 Chiffchaff and numerous Blackbirds taking advantage of the apple crop ( probably influx from continent joining our residents ) + time spent on web site updates

Weds 28th /Thurs 29th Slightly under the weather for awhile so concentrated on office stuff ( reporting / management planning / building on new ideas etc ) + started and completed 4th H/S module on line ( Manual Handling ) + recording / photos of recent management + review of machinery H and S + checking ponies ( both good )

Tues 27th Dave and Adam came up for the day and I set them working at the HH pond area ( coppicing and cutting scrub ) + I was off reserve for awhile meeting neighbours + meeting with two chaps from local butterfly group re PBF's + pony check later at Marsland Mouth

Mon 26th Out early messing about at Hard Hills + clearing up after Sat/Sun 'stuck car' incident at Gooseham Bridge + editing web site / updates/ up loads ( Plants and 2015 Butterfly Report - Home / Documents 2 - as downloadable PDF's) + office catch up

Sat/Sun 24th/25th Usual PR stuff over the weekend + helping with stuck cars on the road or the one axle deep in the mud at Gooseham Bridge ( why do people rely so much on sat nav rather than common sense ? ) + noted a Kestrel hanging round for the past few days - doesnt appear to be a falconers 'escape' ( no 'jessies' for example) but it behaves in a very 'tolerant' way and seems to seek people out for company ( not as food )

Fri 23rd More 'reporting' documents + finished off the Butterfly Report for the season + general patrols + tool maintainance + general 'messing about' in the barn area + survey looking for Gall species ( few and far between )

Thurs 22nd BT work with cable still going on + completed another H and S module on line ( RIDDOR - reporting accidents ) + meeting up with some local chaps who wanted a look round reserve + more cutting and raking

Weds 21st Rain and drizzle most of the day so played catch up in the office + planning winter management

Sat 17th - Tues 20th Off reserve / web clicks reached 67000

Fri 16th Busy walking the reserve today + tree check on all public paths

Thurs 15th Sewage treatment plant emptied first thing ( chaps tractor broke down at the bottom ) + permissions given to contractors at our West Mill boundary ( cutting Sycamore from around the Oak tree there ) + more cutting with tractor taking advantage of all this sunny and dry weather + general patrols + officy stuff

Weds 14th Sunny all day but still with a chill in the air + attempt to do some filming with my camera but nothing happening so packed in early + continued boundary walks + pony check + checking net for some new kit ( BCS Commander cutter - designed mainly for slopes )

Tues 13th Cutting first thing and maintaining tractor + x2 gals from Woodah came up with Charlie and did some great work cutting / coppicing around and near the new pond in Hard Hills + I did more cutting in c47 and cut with tractor in Goat Meadow ( had a male Sparrowhawk for company chasing down anything moving out of the field - didnt actually see it catch anything but it was very tolerant of the tractor and me ) + afew Southern Hawkers still mooching about + apparently BT are planning to give us superfast broadband down in the valley ( due - in the main - to all my complaints )

Mon 12th Office all day Weekend 10th/11th Checked ponies + Marsland Mouth

Fri 9th Office first thing + then met up with Harry B ( DWT CEO ) and had a really interesting walk and talk for most of the day ( nice to hear Dipper singing at Travel Bridge Coppice ) + male Blackcap and Chiifchaff in garden + still afew Swallow and House Martins flitting about over the valley + more office stuff til late

Weds 7th / Thurs 8th More cutting and some raking + office stuff + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( very quiet ) + checking ponies + met up with possible winter contractors

Mon 5th / Tues 6th Lots of cutting with tractor and swipe + scrubcutter - mainly at GM, Hard Hills 3, Travel Bridge Meadow and Broad Arbor + checking out tree species seed/mast production for a Kew Gardens collection project ( all very low apart from Ash ) + pony checks + budget up dates + web site up dates

Fri 2nd Raking some sections of yesterdays cut + survey of possible Brown Hairstreak in Goat Meadow ( up to x5 'orangey' individuals noted left hand side of GM x75 metres flitting out from the numerous Ash trees there ( noted one last week ) - all possible females but very difficult to pin down with binoculars ) + spent total 3 hours looking up into the canopy + late in evening when sun going down + v stiff neck ) + nice to see mixed flock of small birds passing through + Golden Ringed, Southern Hawker + Common Reds ( x2 insisting on landing on my head ) + x2 Dipper ( one singing at Gooseham Bridge ) + some time spent taking insect photos for the files

Thurs 1st Cutting all day with tractor/swipe and scrubcutter + office

SEPTEMBER 2015 Weds 30th Checking out Hackmarsh most of the morning ( hay been made and taken off the hay field ) + office stuff most of the afternoon Tues 29th Out cutting with tractor/swipe first thing than back to meet Adam and Dave from HQ and Scott who all worked down Long Meadow all day ( on the paths and clearing edge trees + access to Middle Marsh ) + I tractored rest of day in Franks and Goat Meadow + tidying up with scrubcutter ( very light coloured Buzzard with me in Franks swooping down on anything disturbed by my cutting )

Butterflies flying included Red Admiral, Comma, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood

Mon 28th Spent a couple of hours early morning watching the Moon go russet + cutting first thing then met up with Scott ( contractor ) who spent most of the day levelling / making good the bottom path + I cut the west paths + check ponies + tractor cutting in Franks and Goat Meadow + cutting with scrubcutter later ( tidying up sections ) + office stuff c50 House Martins at Marsland Mouth this early am + x2 Sparrowhawk ( m and f ) being hassled by Crows

Fri 25th Beautiful sunny day today but still a chill in the air + checked out Hackmarsh + ponies at MM + organizing future events + wasted too much time on IT

Thurs 24th Web clicks hit 66000 overnight + Grey Squirrel survey ( saw one and heard one ) + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( x2 old ) + pony check + web site up dates / editing / up loads + finished Butterfly Report 2015 ( will up load later )

Weds 23rd Out along boundaries most of the day + then back in office attempting to work out how many species we have recorded on reserve ( turns out its about 1753 ) + realized that I've already done a 'plantlife' leaflet ( I started what I thought was the first one some weeks ago ) + must have put it at the back of what mind I have left Tues 22nd Out first thing cutting at Hard Hills and then back to base to cut the office area + nature garden + Charlie and Dave carried on with the clearance behind the barn + cleared a tree off bottom path + out to MM to check stuff + ponies + meeting at Wooley/Hackmarsh + office

Mon 21st Completed the 2nd module in H/S first thing ( Lone Working ) + started 2015 Butterfly Report ( on going on and off all day ) + waited to meet Cornwall Highways guy checking our road + BT transect ( quite afew Speckled Wood but nothing else ) + pony check (noted a Black Adder moving down the path )

Sun 20th General reserve stuff most of the day + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth

Sat 19th The 'nightmare from hell ' Oakway contractors came in to finish off work during the morning + highways were filling in pot holes in the area yesterday but turned away from our road coz of BT contractors ( oh the irony ) + contacted Cornwall Highways and asked them nicely to give us a new road

Fri 18th Office all day + keeping a check on BT contractors digging up the road ( closed all day and into the evening ) + asked them to 'fix' the bank + fill in the pot holes ( don't ask you dont get given - these contractors by the way caused £800 worth of damage to our car some weeks ago - legal stuff on going ) + Speckled Wood / Red Admiral / Meadow Brown still flying

Sat 12th / Thurs 17th Off reserve

Thurs 10th / Fri 11th General patrols/checks etc

Weds 9th Loads of Red Admirals around at the moment ( c25 nectaring on Hemp Agrimony in Franks Field )+ Painted Lady + hundreds of Common Red Darters freshly hatched over the last few days + Swallow 3rd brood ( x5 ) in the barn have all died in the nest ( parents probably felt the urge to get back to winter quarters and they've starved )

Checking more boundary lines + Marsland Mouth + ponies

Tues 8th Off reserve first thing than back to cutting at Hard Hills + meet with Charley and Dave who did some great work at the glade beyond the bridge and in the nature garden ( clearing the space behind the barn ) + I cut paths and selected areas in HH3 later + tractor got stuck in a boggy section just off the path ( sides of path 'gave way' ) + Dave Cholwill is coming on Thursday to pull it out ( narrow track and difficult to get to unless in a digger ) + pony check

Mon 7th Sunny start to the week but chilly in the evenings of late + off reserve for awhile + boundary checks on south side / top + checking for cattle which may have got in ( none seen but hoof prints all over ) + good numbers of Common Lizard sunning themselves at HH 1 + otter artificial holt check ( still there + old spraint outside the otter coppice one )

Fri 4th/Sat 5th/Sun 6th Web site visits reached 65000 over the weekend + lots of office stuff + good to take a family group round HH on Friday ( Tamar Branch of CTNC member Rosemary Taylor + family + not many butterflies but did see many Dor beetles and quite afew young frogs at HH 3 ) + pony check and walk to Marsland Mouth + visitor PR stuff + sun out for awhile on Sunday ( butterflies still flying included Common and Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell, ( lots of ) Painted Lady, late Meadow Brown, Red Admiral, Comma, SWF (old and worn) , Speckled Wood , Large White and Peacock

Thurs 3rd Early morning stroll round Hard Hills + good to see c100 House Martins feeding over the valley + usual flocks of mixed small birds passing through garden area + cutting at Hard Hills and area ( mainly bracken / bramble ) + off reserve for awhile

Weds 2nd Out first thing getting fuel then back to base for a meeting re ISO / Environment Policy + meeting with locals / PR at Hackmarsh + office and then a check along bridleway / Tredown / Linton / Woolley paths

Tues 1st Office catch up + web site checks + spent time checking past species lists / other documents + backing up data + organizing data + stroll round HH for a break + some local PR bat stuff

AUGUST 2015 Bank Holiday weekend / Monday Not too busy this year + general stuff + patrols and chatting to any visitors + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + impromptu group of visitors x5 shown round on the Monday ( Hard Hills etc )

Fri 28th Mainly sunny today but that early autumnal feeling is slowly creeping in + interesting watching young Chiffchaff trying ( successfully ) to take insects off of a decaying apple in our garden ( until it unfortunately disturbed a Hornet which literally chased it away over c47 field ) + catch up with web site up dates and some printing + boundary check top side

Thurs 27th Checked ponies first thing + general check at Marsland Mouth + general area + some fenceline tidying / removal + messing about with washed out crossings / bridges after all this heavy rain of late + more work on plant leaflet

Weds 26th Office stuff first thing ( H and S 'Fire Safety' module 1 of 6 on the internet ) + sun out for the first time in many days after a rainy first light + many butterfly species still around ( BT 1-12 ) including x20 SWF , x3 Red Admiral, x2 Comma, x3 Small Copper, x2 Common Blue, x3 Brimstone, x3 Small Tortoiseshell, x4 Gatekeeper, x4 Meadow Brown, x2 Holly Blue, x4 SPBF + many dragonflies including lots of Southern Hawker, x4 Migrant Hawker, loads Common Red and GRinged + many insects nectaring after days of rain ( especially hoverfly species on Angelica ) + checked ponies

Tues 25th General patrols checking out areas not usually checked + bird survey + checked Otter spraint ( none from Gooseham Bridge up to Hackmarsh ) + office stuff + pony check

Mon 24th Out first thing to c119 meeting up with Rupert H. from Welcombe Barton / Gaia + discussed possible future events etc + back to WB to have a look round + office stuff later ( editing photos/film mainly )

Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd Usual weekend stuff with walks to Marsland Mouth / check ponies + rain most of the period + male Merlin up the road + x2 families of Spotted Flycatcher round the office ( x7 individuals ) + x3 Coal Tits

Fri 21st Off reserve for a while ( PR with local folk ) then back to general patrols and wanderings / talking to visitors ( lack of sun brings one or two folk down here ) + Grey Squirrel survey on BT paths ( numbers building again after a quiet period over the last few years + x2 in our garden decimating the hazel nut crop )

Thurs 20th Office first thing then meeting with Matt and Ian til early afternoon + butterfly survey round GM and HH ( fairly quiet mainly due to weather but SPBF still flying and x4 Migrant Hawker dragonfly ) + checked ponies + HH pond full up

Weds 19th Rainy walk first thing - down the bridleway + Tredown knocking back bramble ( which seems to have hit ' lets take over the world ' mode ) + all felt rather sub tropical - what with all the rain and the humidity ( but not the howler monkeys )

Tues 18th More cutting first thing + most of the day - paths this time + sides of road up to Gooseham Green + web site clicks hit 64000 last night

Holly Blues coming out in numbers + Painted Lady, SWF, SPBF, Meadow Brown, Gatekeeper, Common Blue, Red Admiral, Peacock, Comma, GV White, Large White Mon 17th Cutting with tractor/swipe all day - Franks Field + Goat Meadow area + Hard Hills + Broad Arbor ( radiator hose sprung a leak so had to go buy clips to fix ) + cutting with scrubcutter rest of the time + cutting nature garden and office area + check ponies + HH pond filled up already

Weds/Thurs/Fri 12th-14th Checking out digger work ( first class), office work, meeting chaps from DWT HQ re environmental assessemnts in September, more cutting and butterfly surveys + risk assessment stuff + pulling rogue Ragwort at Marsland Mouth and c15

Tues 11th Cutting first thing at the glade just by Gooseham Bridge then met with Dave Cholwill - our digger driver - who dug out the stream crossings, levelled off the Hard Hills path and dug a small pond at Hard Hills + he then went to Travel Bridge to do the x3 stream crossings there and into Middle Marsh ( which means I can now cut the field there after some years being left alone because I couldnt get to it in the tractor ) + off reserve for awhile then more cutting at Hard Hills + later in office printing out health and safety stuff

Mon 10th Very heavy rain for most of the morning + in the office then out to Marsland Mouth to check ponies and back to butterfly check BT1-12 when the sun came out later - still loads of SWF, x4 Holly Blue, x7 SPBF, x2 Marbled White, the odd Meadow Brown and Ringlet, Speckled Wood, Large White, Small White, Comma, Red Admiral, Peacock, Purple Hairstreak and Small Skipper

Dragons flying in the afternoon included an immature male Migrant Hawker ( suggesting they have bred - which is nice ) + loads of Common Red, Golden Ringed + Southern Hawker + Beautiful Demoiselle

Weekend 8th / 9th Very busy with one thing and another Fri 7th Very sad news today I'm afraid - Misty , one of our ponies at Marsland Mouth passed away + she was at least 10-12 years old when she joined us ( as a 'rescue pony' from Exmoor ) and had been grazing the coastal land with her two mates for 10 years so she'd had a great life in a great place + myself, Jane and Faye ( her owner) and other folk from the pony rescue charity were there + the local fire fighting guys ( we first thought Misty had gone over the cliff ) + a chap from the RSPCA was there too along with the local vet - who had to put Misty down after a thorough examination ( cause of death attributed to old age / natural causes ) + I must say that I've been greatly impressed by the professionalism and empathy shown by all those people involved in todays sad events

Thurs 6th Raking first thing - stuff off the paths I cut yesterday + Ragwort pulling and cutting paths went well yesterday + more h and s documentaiion + BT survey Goat Meadow ( SWF, Small Copper, Gatekeeper, Holly Blue, Marbled White, Large White, Small White, SPBF, Comma, Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Ringlet and Small Skipper - all singles mainly ) + x7 GR Dragonfly, loads Common Red and x5 Beautiful Demoiselle + meeting up for the rest of the afternoon with the new intern guys at DWT ( Dave and Charlie ) who will be helping out for a day per week in the not too distant future + photo editing

Weds 5th Out first thing to meet contractor helping to pull Ragwort and cut stuff at Marsland Mouth + check ponies + back to base camp to cut sections of paths that have fallen bracken over them ( heavy rain ) + office + boundary checks / cut short due to really heavy downpours from mid afternoon onwards + up date Hackmarsh management stuff

Tues 4th Rain on and off all day + up date web site + up date visitor safety documents with maps + printing stuff in Marsland office + plant leaflet + detailing future projects

Mon 3rd Cutting c47 first thing then some office stuff and onto pulling HB up the side valley to Gooseham / boggy area near Travel Bridge and stream down to Marsland Mouth ( all the warm, humid and fly infested day ) + noted large areas of that variegated plant up the valley bottom + up loaded a VISITING section to web site mainly informing folk on health and safety issues on reserve + pony check

Weekend 1st/2nd Patrols on and off + checked ponies + brief survey of Himalayan balsam which is showing again down the small stream from Gooseham ( where it started off from ) and in a boggy area near Travel Bridge + Listen up people of Gooseham and all the other areas adjoining the reserve side streams - Please dont put your cuttings from your gardens next to the stream as they wash onto reserve and I spend far too of time and effort clearing it all up

JULY 2015 Fri 31st Very chilly last night and first thing this morning

Thurs 30th The wind has died down and its sunny and reletively warm again + officey stuff first thing both in house and down at the bottom + meeting with Rupert H from Gaia/Yarner Trust discussing future projects and possible events

Weds 29th Web clicks reached 63000 today + busy with risk assessment stuff most of the day + survey butterflies ( very quiet ) + met up with Peter and Sally Cadbury later on in the afternoon and into the evening ( Peter is Christophers son ) + had a really nice chat and a walk round Hard Hills ( good to see SPBF's flitting around ) and then we went over to see CC's memorial at Marsland Mouth + Purple Hairstreaks coming out to play

Tues 28th Maintaining / greasing / washing stuff most of the morning + cutting back overhanging bramble up the road to Gooseham + sun came out for abit but I stayed in office as BBC want some edited Marsh Fritillary film footage for a new project they're doing + answering loads of e mails which have suddenly decided to drop in

Mon 27th Cutting back path on BT route 12-24 and down path to West Mill ( with hand held hedge cutter rather than with scrubcutter - gets higher and thereforecleared tracks for horses / riders + cut path down to MM and checked ponies + checked and monitored Ragwort growth + very fresh wind today

Weekend 25th / 26th Mixture of sunshine ( Saturday ) and heavy rain ( all Sunday ) + I spent time working on the road ( filling bags with sawdust and blocking off the flow - worked really well with very little water falling into the void )

Fri 24th Spent abit of time trying to divert the water flowing down the road during heavy rain ( at the point where the banking has collasped ) + 75% successful + more attempts at getting the authorities to 'do something' ( my overall impression over the past few days is that the police, highways department, contract managers are all sitting in an office somewhere looking at a screen and ticking off boxes and making excuses which all help to cover up their obvious and glaring mediocrity )

Thurs 23rd Attempted some remedial work on the road outside the house which has 'given way' for about 10 foot ( Oakways contractors eh ? - yet another glorious cock up by them ) + fire regulations check on office by DWT HQ + waiting for Cornwall Highways to get back to me re road ( hell will freeze over etc ) + organizing budget and contract work re paths / stream crossings ( making it safer for tractor ) + out and about on reserve in the warm but dull afternoon + SPBF 2nd brood emerging well + Hazel Weevil survey + took more photos of mainly insects which remain un identified - I keep them all in a file which I delve into now and again but often send to other folk to ID for me

Weds 22nd Out attempting to GPS management etc but no luck ( phone not complient ) + checking ponies at Marsland Mouth + office stuff

Tues 21st Maintained and checked tractor first thing + cutting with tractor and swipe most of the day in the fine weather ( rain and drizzle later ) + cutting paths / topping bracken and 'landscaping' edges of fields ( Franks, GM, beyond GM, HH1 , 2, 3 ) + attempting to catalogue all my Marsland ( and culm ) video footage Mon 20th More drizzle and mist most of the day + tidy office abit + checked Swallows in barn ( still there ! ) + met up with Emma R from HQ for some of the morning ( discussed the 'future' + budgets etc ) + spent rest of day dealing with / researching points brought up in discussion this am

Weekend 18th/19th Very quiet again mainly due to drizzle most of the time although weather brightened up mid Sunday + Marsland Mouth + checked ponies

Fri 17th More filling in forms/phoning re damage to cars ( result : lost all faith in the justice system + the police ) + inbetween times managed to cut barn area + nature garden + office area and office roof

Thurs 16th Discovered BT contractors have damaged both the cars in our parking place ( 3 big dents caused last week and after they had done it they did a runner ) + spent most of the day on the phone with contractors both from BT and Oakway ( denied it of course ) + BT legal team + police + reporting a subsidence on the road just below the house where the contractors were wroking last month + to say Oakway Ltd are a complete nightmare is an understatement + the truth will out and I'll have my day + inbetween times I cut c47 and did alot of deep breathing

Weds 15th Weather seems to be clearing + out along paths to reserve west cutting back vigourous bramble creeping over the top + quick look at MM for Ragwort ( hardly any showing at the moment ) + checked ponies + then over to Hard Hills + nice to see definite 2nd brood SPBF coming out ( as opposed to the past years when 1st and 2nd broods overlapped throughout the season )

Very warm and sunny later + High Brown Fritillary v Dark Green survey most of the afternoon ( DG won 5 -0 ) + didnt see any more SPBF's which was surprising + found a new gall on Hemlock Water Dropwort

Tues 14th Rain / heavy drizzle all day + broke up the morning with a stroll half way to Hackmarsh up the stream ( mistake ) + always amazes me how Ringlet and the other 'browns' fly about even in wet weather + office + tummy bug

Mon 13th Out cutting bridleway + Tredown path first thing in the mist and gloom ( plus path check and tree risk assessment ) + out later to the dump with some rubbish ( truck now registered ) + noted web count went up to 62000 and beyond during the weekend

Noted x3 nearly fledged young Swallows in barn nest ( may be 4 ) + x3 fledged Grey Wags still flitting about the office and the woods are alive with young Buzzards calling

Weekend 11th/12th Usual checks on ponies + top path at MM + weather not great

Fri 10th Started new ' Plantlife of Marsland ' leaflet first thing ( continued on and off throughout the day ) + off reserve for awhile + bike ride to MM corner to check ponies + walked it down track and up to Mead + biked it back to Darracott ( walked that bit too ) + noted many more SWF flying + x1 DG Fritillary and more Marbled White at MM + loads 'browns' + noted fledged Grey Wagtails at MM and at Gooseham Mill ( x2 young each ) + heard Kingfisher ( must be hanging round from last weeks sighting )

Thurs 9th Out first thing checking paths/trees/boundary up beyond Linton Hills + back to find Mark from HQ fitting in our new printer in the office + out on butterfly transect later - Goat Meadow heaving with 'browns' with very many Marbled Whites + both Skippers, x2 DG Fritillary, SWF ( spent time watching a female lay 23 eggs on the mossy shady side of an Ash tree in the glade before Hard Hills ) + Brimstone, Red Admiral, 1st Gatekeepers, GV White , Large White + good views of a Grass Snake

Dragons good too with all usual suspects ( 1st Common Darters ) + x1 Common Hawker

Had great views of x2 adult Buzzard feeding x3 recently out of the nest young uns( one adult literally dropping a dead rabbit on the ground from 30 feet up to let the young fight over it - noisy and very vocal they were too too Weds 8th Had a dawn walk round GM and Hard Hills ( Ringlets flying ! ) + back to meet contractor ( Scott Fairbairn ) re some possible work on the bottom path later in the year ( all part of a visitor risk assessment / safety on reserve review ) + took Kate through some video editing software + cutting round GM and Hard Hills area ( mainly bracken and bramble ) + cut bluebell path opposite our house and into Goat Meadow + out all afternoon checking top boundary line and back down from Hackmarsh ( + Otter spraint check - none found - all gone quiet for Otter at the moment )

Officey stuff later on

Tues 7th More cutting first thing + trimmed track down to Rosemarsland + took afew folk over to Hard Hills and through Goat Meadow to check butterflies - loads of Ringlets and Meadow Brown and at least x15 Marbled White in Goat Meadow alone + x2 Dark Green Fritillary mating on the wing + SWF

Checked ponies later at MM + areas for Ragwort growth

Mon 6th More showers on and off during the day + cutting during the morning dry periods + office catch up most of the rest of the day + web site up dates and editing video + transfering to data sticks for various people

Sun 5th Very heavy rain first thing and into the morning + flooding at the bottom (which I managed to relieve eventually ) + proposed group visit rang and cancelled + weather got better later with lots of warm sunshine ( very large female Peregrine hassling Woodpigeons over the valley in the afternoon )

Sat 4th Group visit x5 most of the day + round HH area ( SWF looking good + various dragonflies much in evidence ) + I've started a Hazel Weevil appreciation club coz folk are well impressed on seeing them all dark red on green leaves

Fri 3rd Off reserve on adjacent landowners woodland re advice + onto another landowners land re Dormice records/management advice

Thurs 2nd Tractor/swipe first thing then back to base c10am ( where I met more contractors from BT coming down our road with two over large trucks + massive poles + they struggled for ages to get down then struggled for ages to get back - all without actually doing anything as they'd come down ' to have a look' + I was astounded at the lack of care taken + the amount of hedge they took with them + the total absence of any common sense whatsoever + spent some time contemplating on the sad condition of the human race )

Cooler this afternoon following the rain + out cutting for rest of the day + messing about in the nature garden + general lookabout to see what was around GM area etc ( Kingfisher flew past my head in HH3 ! ) + Swallows nesting in barn again + SWF looking good and many more Ringlets + a sheepish looking long horned beetle making its way up a thistle plant ( photo ) + Golden Ringed Dragonflies fizzing about

Weds 1st Out at 6am cutting west paths - very cool at first but warmed up as the morning progressed + noted quite afew Marbled White in c15 Broad Arbor + Meadow Brown and Ringlets + checked ponies ( all good ) + dawn chorus subdued but still going ( Chiffchaffs especially and also Whitethroat at MM ) + cut areas in c47 then spent the rest of the rainy day editing /searching for film and photos for Kate L re Marsh Fritillary

JUNE 2015 Tues 30th Out first thing cutting the road vegetation up to Gooseham Green then onto cutting in tractor / swipe ( took the Darracott route out of the valley ) + cutting path in c15 + a section of the field ( usually good for the 'brown' butterflies ( lots of Ringlet + Meadow Brown and the first Marbled White noted + cutting along Long Meadow and Travel Bridge Meadow ( topping bracken ) + cutting in Travel Bridge Coppice ( again mainly bracken + some bramble and scrub ) + back to cool office because it was too hot outside

Mon 29th Off reserve for most of the morning ( time off in lieu ) + back to office work all afternoon

Fri 26th - Sun 28th Dull and cool for the most part + got truck back from garage ( petrol tank 'protection' cut off after coming loose ) + general check around / chat with walkers / visitors + some office work and biking round checking stuff + took a couple of butterfly enthusiasts to Hard Hills late Sunday and saw a very old SPBF but it made their day + organizing future contract works

Thurs 25th Up first thing ( 6.30am ) to carry out a Willow Warbler survey round usual areas ( got back to base at 11am and I hadn't heard any at all + backs up similar survey I did a month ago ) + I did come across a browsing Badger at Hard Hills ( very healthy and looked about a year old - photo + filmed it on my camera too ) + surveryed Hazel Weevils ( x2 mating + photos ) + x4 young Buzzards calling in the woods + family of GS Woodpeckers up valley to Hackmarsh

Usual butterflies flitting about but no sign of either MF or SPBF ( carried out a later BT and had x1 SPBF + x2 Brimstone, many skippers , x3 DG Fritillary, x5 Red Admiral, x3 Painted Lady, x7 Common Blue, lots Ringlets and Meadow Browns, Speckled Wood, SW Fritillary x3 )

Did a brief damselfly survey on the Otter Coppice ponds - usual suspects + one I thought maybe different ( photo ) - probably 'blue' form female puella but could be ( in my dreams ) a female pulchellum damsel ( Ive sent photo to BDS for ID help )

Weds 24th Sunny most of the day + off reserve awhile during the morning then back to tractor work around Franks / Goat Meadow and beyond + office later ( catch up + web site updates and up loads + edit + film edits )

Managed a 'sort of' tree survey during the evening relating to ash die back and maybe oak die back - some trees especially canopy oak are looking a tad 'tired' + I'll keep an eye on certain trees/areas over the valley on the Devon side

Tues 23rd Bright, warm and sunny all day + out cutting in tractor round Goat Meadow and surrounding areas ( topping bracken mainly + maintainance )

More Meadow Browns out + Ringlet and SW Fritillary on the wing + x2 fresh SPBF's ( 2nd brood already ? ) + x1 Marsh Fritillary

Big kerfuffle in the tree outside our house this morning - loads of small birds mobbing a recently fledged Sparrowhawk ( I managed to film it with the old Canon - I may / may not upload )

Mon 22nd Dull and misty again first thing and most of the morning + checking old records of certain species on reserve for a report someone is doing

Weekend 20th/21st Very quiet on reserve with dull misty drizzle most of the time although we did have sunnier periods on and off + checked state of cliffs at Marsland (H and S )

Fri 19th Checked ponies first thing + off reserve for most of the rest of the day ( advice )

Thurs 18th Much better day today + sunny and warm + cutting some more of c47 Chapel Cottage Field in the morning

Noted butterflies include - 1st SW Fritillary, x9 SPBF, x4 MF, Large Skippers, Small Coppers, 1st Ringlet, Meadow Browns, Red Admiral + Heath Spotted Orchids at Hard Hills are showing well and in good numbers too

Nice to see so many young fledged birds on reserve ( noted a x5 Wren family ) + good to see x7 Swift over reserve ( I counted x400+ over a town in the Picos recently ! ) + met Matt from HQ who came up to sign off the grazing licences + worked in the nature garden for the rest of the day ( weeding and seeding )

Weds 17th Out first thing checking stuff at c15 + ponies at MM + some office work + met up with Kate who'll be doing her office work here on Weds mornings - really great to see her 'back' where she belongs ! - although she's still part time with Cookworthy Culm )

Out for awhile up at Hackmarsh then back to house office for rest of day ( which has been dull. drizzly and cold ) + checking out Marsh Fritillary records

Tues 16th Out cutting first thing then back to base for a 9am meeting with new grazier of Hackmarsh + signed licence + back to cutting ( Chapel Field 3/4 cut - mainly bramble creeping + thistles and bracken + field looking excellent and developing nicely + ant nests spreading + Willow Warbler survey for a time but none seen/heard + down in the office rest of the day up dating new equipment / playing around with video editing etc + ideas for new videos

Mon 15th Very hot and sunny today + off reserve all morning / meeting at Braunton Burrows + abit of botanizing + butterfly survey in afternoon back at Marsland ( better weather than over the weekend ) + SPBF's almost all gone but Marsh Fritillary still hanging on with maybe half a dozen fresh individuals today + Small Copper, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Common Blue, Meadow Brown, Speckled Wood, Large and Small Skipper

Sat/Sun 13th/14th Busy weekend checking MM + ponies + visitor PR + a couple of butterfly surveys and general being about down in the office

Fri 12th Web site reached 61000 clicks yesterday + one legged Blackbird following me last evening in the nature garden as I monitored a Swallow nest in the barn

Very hot and humid most of the day - 1st DG Fritillary + a massive hatch of Turnip Sawfly + rain later on in afternoon + meeting up with a local landowner most of the day chatting about the reserve + management + advice Thurs 11th Patrolled certain ares on edge of reserve on my bike first thing ( very tiring but am determined to keep it up - ironically I wanted to chat to a guy I saw the other day riding on the footpath in c15 ) + some office stuff ( leaflets mainly ) + sussing out summer survey/monitoring programmes + editing a load of photos

Weds 10th Out early doors cutting path up to C15 and then back along the bottom from West Mill and back to Gooseham Mill + checked ponies ( West Mill Meadow looking very good with loads of Southern Marsh Orchids ) + cut Nature Garden and office + barn area

Walk round west side all afternoon + survey/monitor stuff + chat to afew visitors + loads of Whitethroat singing + Common Blue in c15 looking good + x4 Meadow Brown along track to c15 from clearings in c25 ( noted afew Rabbits too )

Organizing a bird song lecture later - top songs ever ? - Musician Wren , Kokako and Black Throated Diver ( + Superb Lyrebird has to be heard to be believed )

Tues 9th Early meeting with Ian C. here at Marsland + stroll round Goat Meadow area + chat about stuff + good dragonfly numbers today - x4 Emperor, x6 BB Chaser, 100's Beautiful Demoiselle, x1 Golden Ringed and usual assortment of damselflies

Dipper heard on the stream next to Goat Meadow + 1st Large Skippers + Southern Marsh orchids making an appearence ( 1st ever in HH2 ) + Heath Spotted orchids

Tree health checks most of the afternoon - some Oak looking iffy + late leafing + Ash always looking like its dying back ! All I can do is monitor and check for any which may be dangerous on the paths

Mon 8th Out in the cool cutting bracken + carried on most of the morning ( scrubcutter - more sympathetic ) + glades created a couple of years ago are looking great at the moment so I really need to keep on top of the bracken + office stuff + cutting later along bridleway and up Tredown

Whitethroat singing at Hard Hills + bat survey latet evening

Sun 7th Very hot and sunny + insects buzzing all over the place at the moment especially hoverflies + managed to take a photo of an Emperor dragonfly today ( a first ) + loads of Beautiful Demoiselle and a spider not recorded before - the Green Cucumber Orb Spider + young birds flitting about especially Song Thrush ( see photos )

Fri 5th Rain most of the morning so stuck with office stuff ( grazing licence, maps, reporting ) + cleaned up some of the worse sections of road + checked ponies and MM risk assessment check along paths + Mark came up from HQ with new office equipment

Thurs 4th Out checking and clearing fallen tree at Travel Bridge first thing + back to cutting with tractor and swipe during the morning ( mainly topping bracken in GM, Franks Field and around HH areas ) + had a particulary successful couple of hours photographing stuff + managed to make bracken look attractive and very lucky with a couple of beetles who happened to to be taking off just as I pressed the shutter ( noted x26 Marsh Fritillaries in Hard Hills with very abundant SPBF's + Common Blue, Small Copper, Brimstone, Peacock, Large White ) + our road is a right mess now with damage and mud ( spent time phoning highways , contractors and BT to get it cleaned up asap as its impossible to get out at the moment )

Weds 3rd Out cutting first thing + butterfly survey later - good to see SPBF's still in abundance + Small Copper,Common Blue,Brimstone and x5 Marsh Fritillary all on the wing + 'supervising' the ditch digging in the valley re BT + cleaning and cutting back the bottom edge of road

Tues 2nd Out early cutting til rain set in then back to paper work + sun came out later on + some folk want to see my piccies of the Picos - selected group here : copy and paste https://plus.google.com/photos/102863571266711841463/albums/61557 43255215540161?banner=pwa

Mon 1st Catch up all day

MAY 2015 Sat 23rd - Sun 31st Wildlife/walking trip in the Picos de Europa ( paradise)

Fri 22nd Busy in office all day

Thurs 21st I was supposed to have a meeting with BT guy + his contractor re the proposed work down the road and up Darracott re laying fast broadband cable - everything I wanted to chat about is now irrelevant as the work has already been started so pointless talking anymore ( we had no letters, no explanations, no communication or details - totally useless talking to these people as they'll do exactly what they want to do with no care for the community at all ) + to top it all the fast broadband wont be for any of the people in the valley !

Tractoring + cutting paths and topping bracken all day

Weds 20th Ponies had their MOT yesterday and all three are very well + had their nails clipped and teeth checked + out early cutting + cutting with tractor/swipe ( mainly bracken - especially in Franks Field ) + meeting with Matt, Stuart and Tom from HQ re new risk assessments + had a walk down to Marsland Mouth and round Hard Hills

Tues 19th Web clicks hit 60,000 + today and yesterday very windy and cold - especially at Hard Hills and at Marsland Mouth this morning ( checking ponies and hoping to meet the 'owners' who were coming to MOT all three beasts ) + more MF / SPBF monitoring at Hard Hills ( x8 ) + interesting to note male Orange Tips seeking out the tips of bracken fronds - 'camo' probably but I did note x4 doing it in the stiff breeze ( photos ) + more office stuff during the spells of rain and later in the afternoon

Mon 18th Rain most of the morning so office catch up ( deeds and boundary work mainly which took me into a more sunny afternoon ) + some time spent on survey of MF's at Hard Hills ( x5 ) + unusual sight and small of Stink Horn at HH3 + arranging meeting with various folk for the coming week + web site up dates and testing

Sat/Sun 16th/17th Usual weekend stuff with walks and visitor work / keeping an eye on bikers ( none ! ) and general survey/monitor wildlife ( SPBF's excellent numbers all over BT )

Fri 15th Set up moth trap last night but a tad cool and only had x9 species + out cutting with tractor first thing ( fixed yesterday ) then back to base to meet local Bude Plant Group ( x10 ) I think they all enjoyed the stroll round Goat Meadow and Hard Hills + saw 1st Marsh Fritillary + loads SPBF

Thurs 14th One of the special things about this reserve ( for me ) is that I can go to certain places within the woodland where no one has ever been before ( or at least hasn't been in recent times )

Weds 13th There were c150 hirundines over the reserve last evening + out bright and early cutting the west paths in the cool of the morning + checking trees and path safety

Sunny and very warm later + 1st Cuckoo calling ( actually x2 calling against eachother - recorded and up loaded to SOUNDS 3 + 1st Beautiful Demoiseselle and SPBF's all over the place - but feeling like they are in 'normal' numbers ( as opposed to 'abnormal' in recent years ) + loads of Speckled Yellow moths ( day time flyers ) + reserve looking stunning at this time of year Tues 12th Out cutting first thing + Goat Meadow area + paths + nature garden and surrounding areas + cutting later ( mainly Bracken in coppice areas and meadows + Bramble around GM and Butterfly Transects 1-11 )

Butterflies flitting about include : SPBF ( numbers building ), Small Copper, Brimstone and Orange Tip + 1st BB Chaser of the season in HH3

Mon 11th Off reserve for a while then back to office for catch up + various phone calls re BT work and tractor up date

Fri 8th Well, Phil didnt turn up (as expected ) but the contract guys moved off for awhile whilst I waited for the BT chap to turn up and discuss the work in hand ( which they should have done months ago )

Thurs 7th Sunnier day today + SPBF's milling around at Hard Hills + male and female Merlin at Hard Hills too

Spent some time with 'un announced' BT contract workers wanting to dig up the road ( would have been nice if BT had let us know ) + I told them not to dig anywhere until I'd seen their boss ( a guy called 'Phil' who apparently is coming tomorrow at 9am )

Weds 6th Dull wet and windy most of the day + up dating beetle / insect lists ( decided to go out for a break later and was determined to find a new beetle species + I didnt manage it until I got home and noticed Molly sniffing at a creature on the window sill which turned out to be a fairly common longhorn beetle but a new species for reserve - Leiopus nebulosus ) + probably came out of the wood pile - photo + lots of printing and reading grazing licences + up dating + up dating and testing web site

Tues 5th Out first thing cutting HH + c47 field + back for a meeting with MB re Hackmarsh management/grazing + back to cutting and office work later + Tom and Amelia out on the bridleway cutting back overhanging branches etc Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon 1st-4th General patrols and 'visitor work' over the bank holiday weekend + pretty quiet with weather alternating between rain/drizzle and warm sunshine + valley woodland greening up gradually

Dippers still busy at the nest site + x6 PBF's still flying at Hard Hills + x2 Greater Horseshoe bats in shed but only x3 Lessers

APRIL 2015 Thurs 30th Tractor still off line + nature garden cut and tidied + some flower seed spread + PBF's still flying at Hard Hills ( looked new ish too but didnt count ) + first SPBF at bottom of slopes

Tues / Weds 28th /29th General patrols round reserve + had a check in and around the more least accessible areas ( fences / dumping etc ) + weather ranging from heavy rain to bright sunshine but always with a very cold breeze ( butterflies few and far between ) + Tom and Amelia popped in on Tuesday and cut bracken areas in c15 on the slopes and tidied up a couple of fallen trees at HH3

Mon 27th Sunny again but with a very cold wind/breeze - didnt see any butterflies of any species flying today ( felt like a winters day at Hard Hills ) + tractor sprung an oil leak last week and is off road til Bridgemans ( Kilkhampton ) can get a new part

Web site clicks reached 59000 today at 1pm

Fri 24th Weather broke today with rain / drizzle most of the time + into the weekend with Sunday afternoon being more sunny but with a very cold breeze

Thurs 23rd Cutting with tractor/swipe all morning on west side ( cutting paths and topping bracken mainly in TB Coppice,Long Meadow and selected areas in c15 ) + checking PBFs - x8 in c25, x6 in c15, x10 in TBC and x8 in TB Meadow (x32) so things are picking up although weather is supposed to turn colder with rain tomorrow + x45 at Hard Hills ( far left especially good + total of x77 which is fine by any standard ) + x8 Holly Blues and numerous Orange Tips ( although Ladies Smock foodplant is few and far between this season )

Filled box with leaflets at Marsland Mouth + checked ponies

First Large Red damsels been out a couple of days

Weds 22nd Cutting early round HH area then back for a meeting with Patrick Stubbs from Hackmarsh re grazing / management of the area

PBF monitoring at Hard Hills at 11am for 1 hour + I was pleasantly surprised by an increase in numbers - hatching females helped - with an average count of x36 + x2 pairs mating and x1 female laying - so Im alot happier with the situation and numbers will probably increase over the next few days

Tues 21st Off reserve for awhile then back to work in the house office

Mon 20th Up early cutting with tractor + topping bracken / longish grass at HH3 and Goat Meadow + Franks Field + paths + had walk round HH later with Jane and Kate + loverly Poppy

Full PBF survey on west side of reserve in the early afternoon - numbers low here too - x5 in c25 clearings, x3 on c15 slopes, x1 Travel Bridge Meadow , x3 TB Coppice + I had x18 at Hard Hills this morning

Also carried out a tree/path check + looked in on the ponies who were having a great time on the slopes with fresh grass and full sunshine

Sat/Sun 18th-19th PBF monitoring all weekend mainly at Hard Hills - pretty low numbers at the moment considering the ideal weather and ideal habitat and to be honest I'm abit surprised and dissappointed - although it is a tad early to draw any conclusions ( average of three counts on both days revealed x21 and x16 )

Bugle has just about flowered so PBFs have been nectaring on Dandelion and Celendine for awhile

Fri 17th Out bright and early attempting to record afew bird songs but only captured one really interesting one ( a 'mixed up' Great Tit song/call later joined by a Blackbird singing - the contrast in 'tone' is obvious and yet they're carrying out the exact same behaviour to attract a female ( Ive uploaded to SOUNDS 3 under 'Great Tit/Blackbird duet '

Up in the Hackmarsh area for the rest of the day + meeting adjoining landowners etc

Thurs 16th Full survey of PBF during the morning ( late ) - spent 1/2 hour at each area totaling 4 hours ( x2 at Hard Hills and none elsewhere indicating the 'hatch' hasnt started yet ) Also, many Brimstone on the wing ( x12 ) , x3 Speckled Wood x1 Holly Blue , x1 Large White, x2 GV White, x2 Comma, x12 Peacock, x4 OT and x1 Red Admiral

Weds 15th 1st PBF today at 1.05pm - not at Hard Hills but in Otter Coppice of all places ( when hatched they usually stick to the same area so probably hasnt wandered in from HH ) + it was nectaring on Celandine as Bugle aint come out properly as yet + checked later on and there were x2 in the same area ( very hot and full sun all day )

Dippers still at their nest site + Sparrowhawk at the top of HH slopes + heard a couple of Green Woodpeckers and GS peckers seem to be all over the place drumming and calling

Spent a bit of time trying to meet/greet x3 guys on motorbikes who had used the bridleway as a rat run - I thought they may be doing the usual circle route but they didnt

Tues 14th Spent afew hours last evening at Hard Hills checking out for PBF's ( larvae, pupae, adults) - none seen but good to see a number of bat species milling around + I may have located a Buzzard nest site + carried out an evening chorus ( lots Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps )

Spent time looking for PBF's throughout the day + saw male Fox in Goat Meadow + general insect surveys + printing stuff for Hackmarsh review + office catch up

Many species of insect flitting around in this sunny weather - hoverflies in good numbers + solitary mining bees looking good on bare earth banks at Hard Hills ( photos )

Mon 13th Spectacular evening sky some evenings back ( photo ) + out to Hard Hills first thing spending some time there during the morning ( back to full sunshine after a period of cloud ) + looking at ants again ( worked out a 'sort of' ant walking/foraging transect to record what they were carrying etc - but they were just 'foraging' as far as I could tell + Ive never seen them with any 'prey' species including PBF larvae ) + trying to find a PBF larvae or two or maybe even a pupae - no luck + last seasons first record of PBF was on the 14th so Im assuming most / all are at the end of pupation by now or at the least in pupation + noted first fledgling of the year ( x2 Song Thrush on the Bluebell Path )

Out late morning too but still no PBF although I did record the first Holly Blue x2, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma and x2 Orange Tip ( m and f ) + x5 Brimstone and x9 Peacock ( unusual to see one nectaring from Willow catkins - photo )

Also - working on future management plan for Hackmarsh + possible events with Yarner/Gaia Trust

Sat 11th / Sun 12th Ken Boundy rang last night re a possible sighting of a Pine Martin - I went out first thing Saturday morning to look at a footprint ( unfortunately couldnt find it ) + checked out Hackmarsh area

Checked PBF areas over the weekend but no early records as yet - there are rather a large number of various ant species milling about on the slopes at Hard Hills + I checked out their movements / intentions for a while to see what they were up to ( apparently nothing - as far as I could make out - Im sure they would take PBF larvae if they found one or are the caterpillars too big at this stage ? ) + female Sparrowhawk giving a pair of Buzzards a hard time over HH + weather still warm but with a coldish breeze + rain overnight on Saturday + cloud cover for the past few days

Fri 10th Many bats out from the house roof space last evening ( pips) + GH bat back in shed after afew nights awol ( no Lessers as yet )

Walked down to Marsland Mouth via Broad Arbor first thing to check trees/paths/ponies/butterflies/possible Cirl Bunting ( ponies good / 1st Speckled Wood on Travel Bridge track + x2 Comma + x8 Peacock + x3 Brimstone but no CB )

Wood-sorrel showing well at the moment ( photo ) + reserve looking exceptional

' Wood sorrel has adapted to grow in forest shade. Its rootstock is fragile and its leaves are very thin, only a few cells thick. It is sensitive to drying out so it protects itself by folding its leaflets downwards against each other, reducing the amount of surface area that is subject to evaporation. The plant pulls its leaves tightly together at night and also during periods of fierce sunshine, heavy rain and when it is touched. The leaves stay green throughout the winter.Wood sorrel rushes to bloom early in the spring while other vegetation is still growing and there is plenty light around, and it is easy for nectar-hunting plants to find the plant’s large flowers. Later in the summer the plant refrains from producing large open flowers in favour of cleistogamous flowers that do not open and resemble buds. These summer flowers are self-pollinating but the seeds usually develop well.The sourly tart taste of wood sorrel’s leaves is produced by the oxalic acid they contain, which protects the plant from e.g. insect grubs and snails. '

Thurs 9th Out on my bike checking Hackmarsh and ponies + more time at Hard Hills re PBFs (more viola has popped up over the last few days ) More Chiffchaffs have dropped in + x1 Garden Warbler singing at Hard Hills

Visitor related PR stuff on and off all day + Hackmarsh management 'ideas for the future' worked on

Palmate Newts in 'small pond' area near HH3 ( at least x3 )

Weds 8th Up bright and early this morning doing a CBC on the Goat Meadow side - located a GS Woodpeckers hole ( x4 banging away in the woods ) + Chiffchaffs abundant + x2 Blackcap + found the Dippers nest site ( male skulking around as per usual when female on eggs )

Spent time taking temps at Hard Hills re PBF study - on going ( air temp 13c + ground temp 14c at 8.30am and AT 16c at 9am + @ 11am the AT was 22c and ground/brown was 28c + temp on brown/shade was 18c + at 3.00pm the ground temp was 40c - see photo ) + fresh Otter spraint at Gooseham Bridge ( 'runny' ) + cutting up a tree over the road - at the top - after a BT lorry backed into it and then ran off

Also x4 male Brimstone and x6 Peacock + a very early Large White at Hard Hills

+ up loading video / editing web site + visitor related time

Tues 7th Another warm day with plenty of sunshine + viola starting to show all over and even at Hard Hills + x4 Peacock + Blackcap singing at last + x1 Greater Horseshoe bat back in shed + x3 Lessers

Fri 3rd - Mon 6th Busy holiday period + x2 groups taken round and various visitors meet/greet + trials on Saturday came and went (tidy up later + checked throughout the day ) + sunny and very warm weather + Chiffchaffs started up singing again + Peacock + Brimstone out flying after hibernation + checked on ponies twice

Thurs 2nd Off reserve for awhile then back to paper work + tying up loose ends Weds 1st CBC yesterday - all quiet on the western front with little or no migrant birdsong ( the odd Chiffchaff but no Blackcap or Willow Warbler + no records of Swallows/Martins/Swifts ) + weather not in their favour really and we need this wind to die down a little + ponies OK ( starting to use my new bike to check around selected reserve areas ( not on footpaths of course ) + tractor maintainance and safety checks + tree check

Uploaded both my Annual Report + diary for the past year to HOME / DOCUMENTS 2

MARCH 2015 Fri 27th - Tues 31st Web clicks reached 58000 last evening + cool and breezy for much of the time + generally coming to the end of winter management and reporting continues + x2 Lesser HB's in the shed last evening ( I think maybe 5-10 individuals have been using the space over winter to hibernate - on and off - which may or may not be an indication of disruption at their 'usual' hibernating site )

Thurs 26th General patrols + pony check + preliminary CBC (Chiffchaffs have gone quiet ) + no bats in the shed at the moment

Weds 25th Spotted a young Otter cub at noon hanging around the first artificial holt in Otter Coppice + but only for a few moments + didnt see again on returning ( having rushed back to base to get the camera ) + great to know they're breeding on a yearly basis )

Saw the Dippers at Gooseham Bridge but I dont reckon they're nesting there - probably further up near Hard Hills 3 again ( that odd sheep still hanging around ) + PBF larvae check ( nothing )

Tues 24th Busy off reserve all day today + Tom and Amelia came and finished off cutting and raking in c25 and c15 Thurs 19th - Mon 23rd Internet down for the last 5 days + 1st Chiffchaff singing on the 19th ( x9 recorded around the Hard Hills area ) + cant see the Dippers anywhere at the moment + Annual Report finished ( only the last few days of March to add ) + out recording the eclipse bird song on the Friday ( will post as and when edited ) + ponies checked

Brimstone on the 22nd + viola seem to be scarce this early season ( monitor / survey at Hard Hills )

Weds 18th Sunny bright and warm today but had to finish off the Annual Report and various other paper work

Tues 17th Down at DWT Woodah most of the day ( H and S meeting )

Mon 16th Walk down to Marsland Mouth first thing + ponies OK + checked coast path ( had an e mail from a guy who said path was in a terrible state mainly because of the ponies - actually the path is fine so not really too sure why people waste their time ( and mine ) writing un neccessary e mails ) + bird check on Gull Rock ( usual suspects beginning to take up nest sites ) + tree check up to c15, along the bottom and down the track to Travel Bridge + Annual Report + Gaia/Yarner Trust stuff ( Rupert moving into the Barton soon so he'll be my neighbour )

Sun 15th Marsland Mouth checking ponies but couldnt see them - I'll pop down first thing tomorrow

Thurs 12th A couple of old mates from RSPB days popped in for most of the day + walked round and showed them Marsland + Buzzards displaying + Dippers gone quiet

Weds 11th Rain and misty most of the day + stream still abit milky + Rabbits seemingly making a come back on reserve ( lots of dropping spots especially Hard Hills over the past few months ) + photo of Bramble leaf miner ( Stigmella aurella moth ) + Annual Report + weekly walk round less visited areas on reserve

Tues 10th Cutting at Hard Hills 3 first thing then met Tom and Amelia and set them a task for the day ( cutting down Long Meadow ) + cleaned office windows then I went up to c15 to cut areas left over from winters contract work ( areas around ant hills mainly ) + back to cutting Hard Hills 3 + noticed the stream was milky again ( this time up the Hackmarsh tributary ) + back to phone EA again + not as concentrated as last week but people still shouldnt be cleaning out stuff and letting all the crap go into nearby water courses

Lovely warm Spring sunshine all day + x3 Lessers in shed

Mon 9th More work on the Annual Report + rain most of the day

Fri 6th - Sun 8th Spring seems to be properly on its way now with more and more bird song starting up and getting louder + weather feeling warmer ( although still wet and windy ) + Daffs nearly out and Bluebells sprouting + Annual Report coming along nicely + ponies checked a couple of times over the period

One or two Woodcock still in the woods + Peregrine at Marsland Mouth

Thurs 5th Stream had all but cleared at 5.15 last evening + EA turned up and hopefully went off to find where the pollution was coming from + stream clear first light this morning so (hopefully) no repeat of dumping occured overnight + had a check up and down the stream but didnt find anything dead/dying

Checked north boundary + that sheep ( now known as Shaun ) which we put in a top field recently apparently jumped the fence and wandered off down the valley + more checks on stream on and off during the day

Weds 4th Up through stream to Hackmarsh first thing checking for spraint ( quite abit ) and Dippers (none) + spent abit of time in the hide trying to photograph birds ( not too successful ) + picked truck up from Bradworthy after its MOT

Spotted some 'milky' pollution ( slurry ) in stream at Gooseham Bridge c2,15pm so called the Environment Agency -I then spent time searching up the streams and I reckon it was coming down from the Upcott area or maybe behind Woolley + regular checks to see if water got better/worse (still milky but no worse at 4.15pm)

Tues 3rd Out first thing to pick up motion camera ( apart from a close up of my face and legs there was nothing recorded ) + Dipper hanging around first nest site near the bridge + Tom and Amelia up for the day and cutting/raking c25 Clearings + I met and had a cup of tea with adjoining landowner for a while + chat + checked ponies + meeting with a couple of new ish contractors in the area re fencing + summer help then back to start Annual Report for 2014/15 ( amongst other office y stuff )

Mon 2nd Checked the Lesser Horseshoe bats last evening to see if they were flying/feeding but all x6 stayed put with folded wings (photo ) + lots of Herald Moths in the 'bat cave' structure ( plus x2 Peacock butterflies ) + spent some time setting up the Prostalk camera as I may use it tonight re Otter movement on the stream ( set up later in Otter Coppice ) + out all afternoon up the valley to Hackmarsh in the wet sections looking for stuff + Otter spraint survey + re discovered Golden Hair Lichen on the same tree as last time but further up the branch - must be something special about the branch ( photo ) + photos of Hazel flowering + more research on the old mill + leat ( it must have had a sluice at the meeting of leat and stream + the ground work is very noticeable from above ) + Dormouse nest survey + web site updates

Sun 1st Sunny day with sleet/hail/rain showers throughout / ponies OK at Marsland Mouth + office work/printing/ mapping + Queen Bees buzzing about in the warm occasional sunshine

FEBRUARY 2015 Sat 28th Web site clicks reached 57000 this weekend + x4 Redwing popped in + Blackcap x2 male + x2 Roe deer at the back of the house early + walk down the valley + all quiet

Fri 27th Out first thing sorting out some stream bridges + meeting with Matt B from HQ rest of the day til mid afternoon ( budgets, management etc ) + x6 Lesser Horseshoe bats ' resting up ' in the bat shed ( they werent there yesterday as far as I'm aware ) + probably just sussing out the shed again after last season or maybe they are hibernating individuals that I havent picked up on my surveys over winter ( anyoo they're early ) + male Peregrine at Marsland Mouth again + ponies looking fine + first Daffodils coming into flower

Thurs 26th Office most of the morning due to rain + fine later so continued the reserve bird box check which I started some months ago now + Dormouse and possible bat boxes ( most - if not all - are in a bit of a state at the moment ) + PBF larval check on Hard Hills in the full sun ( none seen ) + male Peregrine over HH late afternoon + Grey Wagtails active near the bridge at Gooseham + moving some Frog spawn from tractor ruts to Otter Pools + checking the 2nd Otter artificial holt ( seems OK but looks empty ) + bat 'watch' for some of the evening ( Lessers heard )

Weds 25th Chap came to round up those sheep first thing ( what a kerfuffle ) + all gone by 11am ( or so I thought - had a call later to say that one was still at the top of the road so me and Debbie from the stables got it into one of her fields ) + outlining a simple budget for managing habitat for PBF's ( out to various folk who have requested such a thing ) + tweeking Marsland budget for this year

Tues 24th Truck in first thing for its MOT + x4 sheep back on the scene ( hopefully the owner in tomorrow to round them up - good luck with that ) + Marsland Mouth checking ponies + Hackmarsh checking fence lines and tree check + office work ( working on this years proposed events -eg 'Evening Events ' with badger watching, bats, moths and star gazing + I'm lending out my telescope for awhile and will keep it in the Marsland Office Mon 23rd Another check up Darracott first thing ( over bankings ) + picked up bits of litter + met up with local chap and we had a look at afew downed trees + arranged a day to cut and pick up wood + cut/raked nature garden for rest of the day + cut overhanging trees + raked pond and put some compost on the three beds + seeded with butterfly feeding plants + made three bird boxes for the local schools nature garden + office later

Bouts of strong wind + snow / hail / rain / sleet showers on and off all day

Sun 22nd Kept a check on the local motor club event which came past our house and up Darrcott + very glad when they'd all gone as it was dirty and noisey + checked up the route after their departure + very wet day + some time spent (sucessfully) unblocking the drains outside the barn which had been clogged with mud ( water rising most of the day )

Sat 21st General patrols + walk round west end footpaths ( tree check ) + x4 sheep back together but looking miserable

Fri 20th Removing a fenceline in the woods re those sheep getting caught up in it + trudged over to Hackmarsh to try to push them out ( failed ) + MM to check ponies + checked part of the fence line there

Thurs 19th Power off for some of the morning ( no reasons ) - cleaned out filing cabinet + tidied files left + off reserve for some time + back to office stuff ( rain most of the day )

Also had another bash at getting those sheep together + only x3 today ( I think the other one may be dead as it had a limp and looked a tad miserable + phoned the owner but no reply so left a message but according to other folk who have phoned he never replies - I'll get in the RSPCA soon if nothing happens )

Weds 18th Spent time checking out boundary lines most of the morning + e mailing maps etc to various people + photos of the old mill taken + the leat + possible article on the reserves' economical history ( before the area became a nature reserve ) - photos opposite ( apologies for them being so boring )

Grey Wagtail possibly going to set up home in Dippers nest from last year

Tues 17th Printing stuff first thing + out putting some signs up + checked for PBF larvae at Hard Hills ( none) + checked for 'viola' ( very few) + cleaned up a couple of burn sites + tried to herd those escaped sheep again ( failed ) + spent some time watching for Dipper activity ( both m and f seem to hanging around Gooseham Bridge more than at last years nest site ) + singing

Otter spraint check later + cleared bramble from around the two artificial holt sites

Sun 15th Ponies good at Marsland Mouth + checked out a group of 4x4s ( one travelling up the road without lights + they made a right mess at the bridge ( litter ) + every one of their registration plates covered up ( and yet they will always get away with it - I havent seen a police car in my area for at least 8 years and cant remember the last time I saw a policeman/woman on duty )

Sat 14th It was a pleasure to show Nick Cooke round Hard Hills today + Nick is an ex Director of BTCV and now runs his own consultancy up in Scotland ( CLEAR Services Ltd ) and is interested in what we do here at Marsland re butterfly conservation ( and especially 'fritillaries' / PBF )

Fri 13th Trying to record Song Thrush singing in the rain first thing + Robin ( too much rain and not enough song ) + Snowdrops looking good all over the reserve + computer issues sorted during the morning

Took x3 guys round the reserve re the management for PBF's ( in the afternoon ) + felt they were slightly overwhelmed with the amount of work done over the last few months ( and this was before they saw the actual work on the ground ) Thurs 12th Attempted to record Dipper singing first thing down at the Gooseham Bridge ( no luck ) + tried again last thing ( no luck ) but did see c50 Redwing going to roost in Ivy near Goat Meadow + prepared some PBF data re a visit this Saturday + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( frequent ) + shelter now cleared + a long detailed search for Golden Hair lichen - our little piece at Hard Hills has gone ( birds ? wind? )

Weds 11th Out first thing looking for sheep - apparently there are 12 on the loose belonging to some guy who grazes adjoining land ( located x4 later at noon but they legged it tout sweet when they saw me ) + Tom and Amelia came and went out cutting the far east end of Long Meadow + I took the tractor / cutter down to TB Coppice and along Long Meadow cutting most of the day + nice to see c150 Lapwing feeding in the fields adjoing the reserve ( fields recently had muck sprayed on them )

Tues 10th Dense fog most of the morning + busy with reading literature most of the morning ( DEFRA cross compliance - my favourite ) + mapping stuff + catch up office stuff + started reporting winter management

Photos of management in the afternoon ( opposite ) + check ponies

Mon 9th Out bright and early to take down and tidy up the shelter in HH3 + fire + took most of the day + raking some areas cut late last year + x 5 Robins displaying , loads of Blue Tits displaying, Dippers at last years nest site + both Song and Mistle Thrush singing their hearts out first light + felt like the first day of Spring today ( noted queen Wasp collecting dry wood for her nest this year ) + x3 Woodcock + x1 Rabbit at Hard Hills 2

Spent some time trying to herd x4 sheep from off of Goat Meadow - probably escaped from top fields + very low flying 'copter over mid afternoon putting up 100's of Woodpigeon

Sun 8th Sunny day + spent some time wandering about looking at wildlife Fri 6th Out and about all over the reserve today just 'checking stuff' / met up with contractors re Marsland Mouth and all completed works checked out / met with some guys interested in taking wood out from Franks Field ( trees fallen down from boundary ) + had some time off mid afternoon to re charge

Thurs 5th Out bright and early, over to Ruperts and then on to Home Farm Reserve ( near Bideford ) to have a look round / give advice ( R doesnt really need any ) + reserve is Gaia Trust and is run as a farm working closely with wildlife + being near the estuary has a great list of birds ( nice to see Redshank, Greenshank, BT Godwit, Grey Plover, Merlin, Little Egret,Heron,Stonechat,Lapwing and Oycs amongst many others + an Otter pool with resident Otter (s) ( didnt see any but spraint everywhere together with 'runs' and feeding points ) + will go back during the summer ( help with Dragonfly lists amongst other things )

Weds 4th Trees checked up Darracott + bridleway and Tredown + more time spent on planning possible events etc this coming year + bird box review ( how many on reserve and whether they're intact and of any use ) + up date web site and testing links etc

Tues 3rd Very cold last night with a heavy frost first thing + out to just beyond Holsworthy first thing to advise on pond management + possible Dormouse population ( negative on that one ) + more time spent checking budget ( and ponies )

Mon 2nd Very cold last night with hail showers freezing on contact with the ground + strange to hear a muted dawn chorus first light ( both Mistle and Song Thrush singing loudly however with the odd drumming of x2 GS Woodpeckers and one or two Tawny Owls hooting away at the back of the house)

Tom and Amelia up for the day + out cutting meadow at Travel Bridge PBF site + coppice cutting and burn up ( photo )

Sun 1st Quite afew Rock Pipits down at Marsland Mouth ( x6 ) feeding on and around the disturbed ground + woke up in the middle of the night with a Small Tortoiseshell on my pillow ( must have been hibernating in the bedroom and decided to stretch its muscles - if they have any to stretch that is )

JANUARY 2015 Sat 31st Cold and quiet on reserve / wind has died down but wintry showers throughout the day

Fri 30th Spectacular explosion + sparks outside the house this morning at 2.15 as a small tree fell over onto the electric lines ( very windy ) - all power off til guys got here at 9.00 ( power back on at noon ) + had to cancel my plans for the day + Tom and John from HQ popped in late morning to look over the office with Steve + I was sorting out budget details and filling in forms rest of the day + tree check up the track to Gooseham + Hard Hills path + some of Darracott

Thurs 29th Web site reached 56000 last night + out to Marsland Mouth then onto raking Franks Field / c25 + weather turned bad ( wind, sleet and some snow ) + office ( setting up photo 'lab' amongst many other tasks - didnt really work out but will I will endeavour and overcome )

Weds 28th Studying / editing / splicing reserve maps / checking boundaries / defining water courses ( most of the day ) + liason with contractors ( should finish either today or tomorrow ) + pony checks

Tues 27th Cutting c47 Chapel Field first thing + Amelia and Tom joined me later on and all the area was finshed off + raked + I checked out the contract work in c15 + the open area down the track and at Marsland Mouth ( photos ) + tree checks down Travel Bridge and up to Little Marsland

Mon 26th Meeting with HQ at Woodah most of the day + back to office ( nice to see Kate L and baby Poppy at our house when I got back ) Fri 23rd Out very early in the chill and cold to check ponies - really beautiful sunrise and the ponies were already up and grazing and looking good ( subdued chorus but 'peckers drumming away again x3 ) + loads and loads of Frog spawn in the two Otter Coppice pools + first Bluebell shoots

'Scientific' papers are now being published on the findings made by the 175 million pound probe which landed on that comet I mentioned some time ago - apparently the comet has a crack in it and is made up of 'ash' ( lol )

Thurs 22nd Cutting at c15 in the morning + some raking + office and ( attempted ) ID of various species ( all pending from last year )

Good to hear the first mumerings of the dawn chorus this morning ( including Song Thrush, Robin, Wren, Chaffinch and GS Woodpecker drumming )

Weds 21st Off reserve most of the morning ( materials and supplies ) + Hackmarsh + 'tidy up' cutting at Hard Hills + some raking + check up the path opposite Tredown and the bridleway + up to boundary for checks + office and stuff carrying on from yesterdays meeting

Tues 20th Gave the truck a good clean / maintain first thing then a full day meeting with Rupert Hawley re possible liason with Yarner / Gaia re courses this year - Rupert is an old friend of mine ( after spending some time on reserve some years ago working first as a voluntary then as a paid contract for awhile ) + very positive meeting with lots of ideas/discussion about the way forward

Mon 19th Cutting out at Hard Hills first thing and all morning and again early afternoon + workshop maintaining stuff + Marsland office for awhile then back to house office to sort out bees and wasp records

Violets not showing as well as I would have expected but there are sporadic clumps under the bracken on the slopes + I think Ive finished the HH cutting for this year Sat / Sun 17th/18th Fairly quiet weekend with few people about + x12 Buzzards counted round the Goat Meadow / Hard Hills area + x2 Fulmar at Marsland Mouth (Gull Rock) + x1 Rock Pipit + Frog spawn in ruts in BT 4/5

Fri 16th Out first thing with a dog walking local mate to check trees along bridleway / BT 12-24 ( cleared some small trees over the path + one or three in danger of falling over the path ) + checked ponies + Dipper on stream opposite Large Pond

Otter spraint survey up to Hackmarsh later ( overnight fresh droppings in x6 areas - including at Gooseham Bridge and Gooseham stream crossing over into Goat Meadow )

Thurs 15th Off reserve + advice in the morning + bad weather again + office in afternoon + preparing stuff for a meeting (s) next week + trying to up date the reserve diptera list+ hoped to meet contractor but I think the bad weather has grounded them

Weds 14th Office work most of the day due to very bad weather ( maps, data checking, species lists, management plan updates ( thinking about) , web updates , photos editing + tree check ( breezy later - BT 12-24 and up to Gooseham )

Tues 13th Cutting one or two areas in Frank Field first thing + Tom and Amelia came for the day and we cut over at Hard Hills + met I up with contractors later and walked the fence line at c15 + discussed possible work at Marsland Mouth ( sleet and rain on and off most of the day ) + back to more hoverfly related work ( sussing out rarity etc )

Mon 12th Very wet and windy all day - completed the latest edition of the Hoverflies of Marsland ( up loaded to web site - HOME / DOCUMENTS ) + list now stands at 80 ( plus Rob mentioned that we ( he) should find another 13 or so this season + more time spent on up dating reserve information on other external web sites

Sat/Sun 10th /11th A tree came down over the road up to Gooseham + shifted it first thing Saturday + walk to Marsland Mouth + checked ponies + more editing / checking hoverflies

Fri 9th More hoverfly research work last night as Rob sent through his full records list - takes the total to the mid 70's ( hopefully going to do this kind of detail + booklet / leaflet with all the other 'fly' species ) + more work done with hovers first thing + Rob sent through his full lists of everything recorded last year - below is Robs observatiuon on one of the many flies recorded

' Perhaps the best was Coenosia pudorosa. The entry in the draft status review of calypterates reads:'

COENOSIA PUDOROSA LOWER RISK (Near Threatened) Order DIPTERA Family MUSCIDAE

Coenosia pudorosa Collin, 1953

Identification Keyed by d’Assis-Fonseca (1968).

Distribution Records mainly from Devon: Shute (1937), Ottery St Mary (1937), Lustleigh Cleeve (1962) and Dendles Wood NNR (1978); also Holford, Somerset (1953); Clogwyn Melyn, Caernarvonshire (1968); Kilcheran on Lismore Island, Argyll (1978).

Habitat River valleys with broadleaved woodland.

Ecology Biology unknown, although larvae of other Coenosia are known to be predators of Diptera larvae (Skidmore 1985a). Adults in May and June.

Status There are only four post-1960 records, but the species is probably overlooked and under-recorded. Elsewhere known from central Europe, Scandinavia, North West Russia and Belorus (Gregor et al. 2002). Threats The clearance of valley woodland for intensive forestry or agriculture; the drainage or pollution of marshy areas.

Management and conservation Maintain sites in a natural state, retaining the natural hydrology in marshy areas.

Published sources d’Assis-Fonseca (1968); Gregor et al. (2002); Skidmore (1985a).

Thurs 8th E mailing various folk / groups first thing + arranging meetings + went out to meet contractor ( photographed the work already completed - upload next week when all done ) + tree checks + started and finished off the new edition of the 'Hoverflies of Marsland Nature Reserve' ( will upload after checking )

Weds 7th Met up with contractor first thing re work at Broad Arbor and Marsland Mouth + walked the MM fenceline for awhile + checked ponies ( all good ) + arranging meetings next week with various folk ( including people who are down to 'take over ' the old Yarner Trust duties at Welcombe Barton ) + some time spent shifting a tree branch blockage on the stream (resulting back flow causing damage to stream crossing bankside ) + some printing time and scanning stuff

Tues 6th Cutting out on Hard Hills most of the day + c47 later on + sorting out 2014 Diptera / hoverfly records - mainly from Dr Rob Wolton ( x9 new hoverflies already today from the list including x4 'scarce ' and/or very interesting )

Mon 5th Boundary checks first thing ( took a tad longer than expected as I dropped my keys along the way - found them later though ) + later editing some photos for one or two people/mags + more boundary checks

Thurs 1st-4th General patrols round reserve / checking ponies / chatting to (very few) visitors and the odd office catchup stuff ( mainly trying to 'stitch' togther photos of maps / scans of reserve - with limited success ) + weather has been mild but with heavy rain on occasions

DECEMBER 2014 Weds 31st Walk to Marsland Mouth to check on ponies ( all fine ) + thinking about the highlights of the year just gone : ( amongst many ) - habitat management probably the best its ever been / Dippers breeding for the second season / PBF's holding their own and SPBF's having yet another record year / best butterfly season ever / Greater Horseshoe bats in the shed ( x2 ) / best dragonfly season ever / Cirl Bunting singing in Broad Arbor

Tues 30th A tad milder last night with a rise in temperature during the day + spent the morning in the Marsland Office mainly chatting to any walkers passing by ( not that many actually ) + a stroll in the afternoon + its that time of year when I can relax abit and enjoy what the reserve has to offer this time of the year

Mon 29th Very cold with frost overnight + beautiful clear day today + Dippers singing again at the bridge + checked ponies ( didnt see them but a walker told me they were up at the 'qaurry' ) + x25 Golden Plover over Marsland mid afternoon + spent abit of time in the Marsland Office doing some reading up in the library and printing stuff

Very sad to hear the news of the death of Joyce Digham from the DWT Barnstaple Group - Joyce was exceptionally hard working and quite brillient at organizing events and outings and will always be fondly remembered.

Sat 27th Checked trees down bottom path all the way to Marsland Mouth ( all good ) + checked on ponies ( all fine ) + web site hit 55000 mark

Fri 26th Tad windy later on but no snow as per Midlands etc + very quiet Xmas period so far on reserve

Weds 24th Really good to hear Dippers singing at Gooseham Bridge yet again - bodes well for breeding next year ( and I reckon there are two pairs on the whole length of stream on reserve - one pair in the Gooseham Bridge / Hard Hills area and one pair at Marsland Mouth )

Tues 23rd Off reserve most of the morning + amazed to find x9 Lesser Horseshoes in the shed later in the day ( thats nearly more hibernating than breeding ) + x1 Greater + guys in to service sewage treatment plant

Mon 22nd Reading stuff today - mainly documents regarding soil erosion and cross compliance and habitat directives ( there are down sides to this job ) + ponies fine

Sun 21st Spent most of the day birdwatching on reserve : species include x7 Buzzards, x1 Dipper, x5 Coal Tits, x1 Treecreeper, x1 GS Woodpecker, x2 Woodcock, x1 Snipe and x1 Firecrest, x3 Bullfinch

Had a chat with afew walkers / visitors too + topic of conversation turned to 'damage' to nature reserves and wildlife sites ( all over the news at the moment ) + I reckon such areas need to be 'bought' outright because those leased (or otherwise) will always be under threat from political economics created by increasing populations ( amongst many things ) and are only protected for a relatively short ecological period - when in reality a site should be protected ( basically ) forever

Sat 20th Checking ponies + stroll on the Marsland Mouth 'beach' looking for washed up pirate treasure ( none found )

Fri 19th Spent the day wandering round the reserve appreciating stuff

Thurs 18th Out first thing meeting contractors just off site + Marsland Mouth (very misty) + checked ponies and top fence line ( which is looking fine but will need some remedial work soon ) + checking a couple of 'non public' footpaths at the back of Hard Hills and one parallel to bridleway

Weds 17th Office 'catch up' during a rainy spell in the morning then onto checking afew bird boxes ( some replaced ) + Dormouse nest survey on the usual route ( only one located + a 'ground' nest search but none found ) + put up x4 Woodcock ( Steve mentioned that he had one on the office roof vegetation yesterday )

Tues 16th Off reserve most of the day ( advice / chat to landowner just outside Bideford ) + back to office stuff / printing / editing and archiving

Mon 15th Added a 'Dragonflies of Marsland' photo page to this web site ( takes awhile but its good to have all ( most ) species together in order in one place ( other species to follow as and when ) + 'late fungus' survey ( not much to see at the moment but did photo a rather large specimen in Franks Field ) + areas cut over at HH later

Sun 14th Very quiet today and whilst on reserve didnt see or hear anyone + wildlife pretty quiet too + printing and editing + archiving old material + ponies fine + found the Dipper nest from this year just below HH3 ( really neat domed nest perched on a flat stone sticking out of the banking )

This below is from the RSPB web site and is well worth a read :

Dippers are monogamous, and the pair-bond usually lasts only for the duration of the breeding season. However, pairs can remain together from year to year, possibly as a result of attachment to a territory.

Nest sites are traditional, and are used by successive generations of birds. One site is said to have been used continuously for 123 years. The nest may be built in any suitable site within the territory, but it is traditionally located in a natural crevice in a stream-side cave or waterfall, although the birds readily take to cracks in man-made alternatives such as bridges, walls, weirs and culverts. The same nest is usually re-lined and used for the second brood, but only rarely is a nest from a previous year re-used.

The nest is a domed structure of moss, grass stems and leaves, with a wide entrance usually pointing down towards water. There is an inner cup of stems, rootlets, leaves and hair. It is built by both sexes over a 28 day period, with the female completing the lining to the inner cup.

A clutch of 4-5 white eggs are laid at daily intervals. Clutches are normally started between March and May. Dippers breeding at good quality sites may start as early a February, but those at high altitudes and/or near acidic streams start later, lay smaller clutches and rear smaller broods than birds on better quality sites. Pairs also rarely attempt a second brood on these poor quality sites.

The eggs are incubated by the female for about 16 days, beginning with the last egg, meaning that the brood hatches synchronously. The young are brooded by the female until they are 12-13 days old, but both parents feed the young.

The young fledge at 20-24 days but are fed for a further week, becoming fully independent 11-18 days after leaving the nest. During this time the nest site may be used by the family to roost in.

A second clutch will be started about 10 days after the fledging of the first one. The age of first breeding is one year, though males sometimes take longer.

Sat 13th Out visiting a local landowner most of the day re advice on woodland + web site up dates

Fri 12th Out early to check trees along bottom path / and BT 1-24 ( minimal clearing ) + all tracks and roads + back to finish Birds Report ( up to present date ) and finished Dragonflies Report 2014 ( up loaded to HOME/Documents ) + finished remaining paths / tracks at Tredown and Bridleway/Gooseham Road and Hackmarsh + a couple of the lesser known paths ( found some 'lovey dovey' carvings on a tree just above Goat Meadow ( It was done by that couple from yesterday and believe me , after talking to them both for awhile they didnt strike me as a pair who were going to last '4ever' + I covered it all up with a bird box ) + checked ponies and all fine

Thurs 11th Pretty windy last night with bouts of very heavy rain + very windy most of the day ( didnt stop one or two couples walking through the woods with trees swaying and branches flying in all directions + one couple just kept following anything that looked like a path - I suggested they bought a map and maybe an hard hat or two ) I cant stop people walking the woods in weather such as it was like today but their stupidity will never cease to amaze me

Office all day + start made on Birds and Dragonfly reports

Weds 10th Out for supplies first thing and then to to the dump in Kilkhampton + back to office and reporting to various people ( butterfly report is very popular ) + scanning more old documents for archive ( eg C. Cadburys obituary in the Times from 1996 - photo opposite + can be found 'larger' in ARCHIVE )

Unusual to see a Pied Wagtail in Goat Meadow later on and x5 Snipe flying over reserve - very fast and low

Tues 9th Contractor meeting first thing then back to base to meet Amelia and Tom + both cutting/raking all day at Hard Hills + after being off reserve for awhile ( advice ) I took tractor out to cut part of HH1 and most of HH2 + some bits of HH3 and some of Goat Meadow and Franks Field + office later ( reports again ) + film stuff and photo editing

Mon 8th Up with the lark this morning strolling round the reserve at first light + beautiful sky later at the top of the valley + x3 Woodcock and x1 Snipe ( HH3 ) + small flock of mixed finches including at least x2 Siskin ( feeding in the Alder canopy at Otter Coppice )

Started / finished my 2014 Butterfly Report ( HOME + DOCUMENTS 2 ) + emails /species records/Adit Weekend 6/7th Generally quiet on reserve / starting off cold and frosty + Otter spraint survey down the valley ( small amounts at the Mouth )

Fri 5th Boundary checks most of the day + catch up in the office + tractor wiring fixed and all systems are go

Thurs 4th Tractor started first time this morning - then I went off reserve for awhile and when I returned and tried to start it up again there was nothing ( I think the starter motor is dead ) + phoned Bridgemans in Kilkhampton to see if they could come out to fix it + stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh to check for Otter spraint ( x4 points + loads at Gooseham Bridge )

Just imagine what conservation groups throughout Britain could do with £175 million - it certainly wouldn't include building another bridge across the River Thames full of trees and flowers ( we already have loads of that stuff in more natural surroundings - and it all could do with a big handout too )

Weds 3rd Sunny but very cold overnight with the first frosts in the valley bottom - good to see x2 Red Admiral and x2 Peacock flitting about in the sunny areas + x4 Lessers in bat shed but no Greaters today + more editing / printing ( various folk want hard copies of various reports ) + scanning old photos ( on going - forever ) + pony check and stroll round Marsland Mouth

Tues 2nd Worked on tractor most of the day ( started first time on charged battery but had to go to MVF for oil etc ) + some printing + started tool lists up date + more work on tractor topping up all oil levels, tyre pressures, oil filters, air filters + Amelia and Tom came up and finished off the burning of brash in the coppice area above the house + I finished off the day by testing tractor + cutter in Franks Field ( all good )

Mon 1st I did mean to cut stuff in the tractor all day but battery dead - started cutting with scrubcutter instead + met contractor from 'Countryside Conservation' to discuss and look at areas which need cutting this year + checked ponies yesterday and today + tool / tractor maintainance and some H and S stuff + web site clicks hit 54000 over the weekend

NOVEMBER 2014 Sat 29th 'Disturbed ' x6 Woodcock whilst on a stroll round Hard Hills + x8 Buzzards circling together + Sparrowhawk

Fri 28th I'm pleased that the government are looking into the issue of invasive Grey Squirrels - personnally it isnt an animal welfare issue or one of passing the deadly virus infection to native Reds or the massive amount of tree damage they can cause . Its more that they kill and eat a wide variety of bird species' eggs and chicks ( Ive witnessed this so many times ) and they also eat Dormice young ( again Ive witnessed GS eating Dormice young whilst they were still alive - straight from a nest + they can ruin Hazel nut crops by just taking the odd one or two and damaging most of the rest and depriving Dormice of their staple pre wintering diet )

Sat 22nd - Thurs 27th Visiting family up north + good to see estuary birdlife in Morecambe Bay / Leighton Moss / Dee Estuary

Fri 21st Office catch up most of the day + pony check

Thurs 20th Abit more burning of brash today + cutting down at Travel Bridge + clearing a tree from near the bridge + cutting just beyond Broad Arbor towards the clearings in c25

Mon 17th -Weds 19th Loads of cutting over these 3 days (mainly Franks Field, left hand side of HH1 and beyond Goat Meadow + good to have Amelia and Tom on Tuesday to burn up some brash cuttings from last winters coppice adjacent to the house + checked ponies x2

Alan Millman (our electrician) popped in to install a 'timed' night light outside the office Bird survey included : x2 Grey Wagtail, Dipper, male and female Blackcap, Chiffchaff, x3 Goldfinch, x3 Goldcrest, Treecreeper, Nuthatch, x2 GS Woodpecker, male Merlin , x9 Buzzards (in the air at once), Stonechat, x2 Rock Pipit, Heron, x4 Coal Tit.

Surprising how many bats are still out feeding in the late evening and Lessers still in the shed although the Greaters seem to have gone ( Ive noted there absence before and they'll probably return )

Sat/Sun 15th and 16th Usual weekend agenda - quiet period apart from some drunk trying to get his car up Darracott on Saturday evening, getting stuck and abandoning it ( came back next day to tow it out ) + tree check after a couple of days moderate wind

Fri 14th Checked ponies first thing + checking out Marsland Mouth management over the next few years ( more cutting planned + maybe more ponies ? )

More management planning rest of day + boundary check

Thurs 13th It's cost 1.4 billion Euros to land a space probe on a passing comet 300 million miles away - I can tell you for much less what it will reveal - dust and rock

Still x2 Greater Horseshoe bats in the shed + x7 Lessers ( ! ) - all seemingly ready to hibernate

Got caught up in sorting out some very old files / maps / agreements + off reserve for awhile ( advice again ) + checking out reciprocating cutters ( big wheels, cutters on front and pushed by hand but very powerful and great to use on slopes )

Weds 12th Brillient light in the valley first thing + bright sun and heavy rain (equals rainbow) ( photo ) Boundary checks most of the day + checking ponies + office stuff when it rained

Tues 11th Cutting in Franks Field first thing - finishing off and exposing stumps + checking ponies and meeting contractors again at Marsland Mouth

Rain later + office doing budgets and some ideas for research on reserve ( moths and dormice mainly ) + checking some Hazel coppice at the top of Hard Hills + filming ideas / discussions with various folk + ideas for stuff to carry out in the office space next year ( Yarner Trust )

Mon 10th Out first thing on a tree assessment ( BT 11-24 ) + ( reporting ) + meet contractors + photos of management + finishing off the cutting in Franks Field for the rest of the day with the tractor + check ponies ( all good ) + 100's of By The Wind Sailors being washed up along the coast including Marsland

'The By-the-Wind Sailor, Velella velella, looks like a tiny jellyfish up to 10 cm across, but is in fact a very distant relative. This brilliant blue colonial animal probably comes from the Azores or Western Atlantic and is blown across the ocean driven by a small sail, supported by a paper-like float. The sail has a twist, which may be to the right or the left. It is thought that the two types end up on different beaches. Most in North Cornwall seem to twist to the left. They can be found at any time of year but are most common in the autumn, often occurring after the first south- westerly gales of the winter.They are not true jellyfish but colonies of tiny animals called hydroids. '

Fri 7th Rain and breezy most of the day with the odd sunny period + out looking for fungi again for awhile + one or two photos + office ( uploading BBC Spotlight film of Marsland amongst other things - see HOME ) + editing a full years diary notes

Thurs 6th Cutting with tractor/swipe first thing over in Franks Field + meeting with Matt and Ian from HQ until early afternoon ( budgets,tree safety etc) + into home office to carry on with various stuff Nice to see x2 Dipper at HH3 + at Gooseham Bridge ( where male and female were singing ) + x2 Chiffchaff and x1 Willow Warbler still at Hard Hills + male Blackcap in garden feeding on Hawthorn berries + x4 Goldfinch in garden first light this morning

Weds 5th Spent some time editing/up loading PDF of my new photography book ( available free to download from HOME page ) + its crammed full of wildlife photos from the past few years here at Marsland + more of my BLURB books can be found on the LINKS page ( click LINKS on menu strip )

Seems like when the summers gone everyone packs in watching wildlife all of a sudden - well most of it anyway - and there is so much to see and enjoy (especially in woodlands) at this time of year + I went out on reserve with a few folk who wanted to see our rare lichens ( photo opposite) and some fungus species and we weren't disappointed at the wide variety ranging from Black Bulgar ( looking every bit like a couple of discarded buttons) to one that looks like a human ear hanging off a tree + my favorite specimen ( un id ed for the time being ) which looked like a group of 'tawny' fried eggs clinging to a rotton branch + also noted many leaf gall species

Forgot to mention finding x4 Dormouse nests in and around our cutting areas yesterday ( all empty )

Tues 4th Web clicks reached 53000 last night + Amelia and Tom from DWT 'intern' programme popped in for the day and did a great job of cutting and raking an area at HH ( hopefully they're going to help out every other Tuesday from now on ) + I cut HH3 ( and some of Franks Field first thing + met up with contractor )

Sun 2nd Pony check and Marsland Mouth later on + swept the road from top to bottom most of the morning ( a family going home from the holiday cottage got stuck in wet leaves so I helped them out )

Sat 1st Still pretty warm for the time of year + many insects still flitting around especially a certain 'lethargic' type of fly ( Ive always called it the 'Dirty Fly' ) and there are literally 1000's of them ( seems only a lone Robin is taking advantage of the abundance of this late season food source )

Peregrine at Marsland and a possible Hen Harrier male ( fleeting glinpse disappearing over the horizon ) + x2 Dipper

OCTOBER 2014 Thurs 30th, Fri 31st Andy finished at c15 and moved to Travel Bridge Coppice area + more tractor work beyond Goat Meadow for me + tidying up with scrubcutter + pony check + c15 fencing line sussed out + trying to piece together unused footage for a new video ( didnt work )

Nice to see a hunting Stoat in the garden + many species of Fungi coming out in this warm and wet weather

Weds 29th Meeting with Andy first thing - hes now moved over to the c25 Clearings/c15

Off reserve most of the morning + cutting/raking for the rest of the day + office-y stuff later

Tues 28th Cutting in Otter Coppice and surrounding areas widening glades and rides and outlining bramble patches + tractoring Franks Field + Andy up at the Clearings again

Unusual to see male Blackcap eating Hawthorn berries next to x6 Redwing ( first of the winter ) + also had Chiffchaff, Goldfinch,Bullfinch,Grey Wagtail,Treecreeper,GS Woodpecker amongst other stuff + x1 Southern Hawker and x1 Red Admiral

Ponies checked + office stuff + working out what conservation bodies could do with £97 million ( the amount the met office is spending in order to help make better weather forcasts by buying a new super computer - what is the matter with these people ? )

Mon27th Cutting all day with scrubcutter/tractor around Goat Meadow and beyond Goat Meadow area + Andy in at c25 Clearing and surrounding areas

Ponies checked + Marsland Mouth stroll

Fri 24th Dull with drizzle all day but staying warm and humid + assessing old film footage and re editing + outline of future film projects + photo editing and sending off to various magazines ( very little hope of publishing but one must be insistant ) + wasted half a day ( it seemed ) looking for my driving licence

Southern Hawkers still flitting about with x3 around Goat Meadow and x2 up the track to Gooseham

Thurs 23rd Checking and up dating web site first thing + Andy at Hard Hills all day again doing a great job

Boundary checks rest of day + usual tree/path checks etc + Marsland office printing and getting maps / photos together for various documents

Weds22nd Andy working at Hard Hills all day again + I was out most of day checking all paths/trees + out on the road checking roadside trees + all unmettled tracks through valley + checking ponies + Hackmarsh + clearing small trees/branches from paths + checking one or two trees with local tree surgeon + office stuff later ( electricity off from 9am til around 2pm - we were told about this ages ago )

GH bats still in the shed + noted x2 Southern Hawker dragonflies still flying + x2 Dipper at Marsland Mouth + Merlin flying around the office first thing

Tues 21st Andy in again at Hard Hills + a tad breezy most of the day with occasional strong gusts ( more office based work )

Mon 20th Andy started contract work first thing and should be around (on and off) for 10-12 days ( Hard Hills slopes ) Tree advice to local landowner for some of the day + clearing a tree off the bottom path + more tree stuff in office + more boundary work and mapping + male Merlin on the track up to Gooseham

Sun 19th General walk round reserve checking stuff / ponies at Marsland Mouth

Fri 17th Checked last night and x2 Greater Horseshoe bats in shed again ( maybe overwinter ? )

More scanning etc during the day + back to cutting glades and rides

Thurs 16th More scanning and digitilizing maps + stitching + combining to create a large boundary map of Marsland + checking boundaries + organizing contract work for the next few months

Small Tortoishell x2 and x2 Red Admiral seen on a late BT walk round Goat Meadow area

Weds 15th Rain again but warm with it + brightened up later in afternoon + spent most of the day digitalizing the Marsland 'deeds' documents and maps ( basically scanning from my printer and then image editing )

Its that time of year when large flocks of small birds start flitting around - and the flocks seem to be even larger this year ( including x3 male Blackcap ) + x30 or so Swallows and House Martins feeding over the valley most of the day + an influx of Blackbirds seems to happened overnight ( x11 in the garden at noon) + Dipper at Marsland Mouth along with x1 Kestrel and x1 Peregrine and x2 Grey Wagtails + Corvid roost over the valley pretty large last evening ( x100+ mainly Crow )

Tues 14th Off reserve in the morning ( advice ) + back to carry out a re check of trees along the bridleway and Tredown ( plus re check boundary in that area) + new more powerful pump put into the sewage treatment system

Mon 13th Finished tree risk assessment first thing - in the pouring rain which (believe it or not) is always a worthwhile experience / great atmosphere in the valley especially down at Marsland Mouth ( ponies looking fine if a little wet ) + recording findings back at base + web site up dates and more reporting

Sat 11th / Sun 12th Time spent editing photos / re sizing and sending off to various folk + tree risk assessment monitoring and form filling

Fri 10th Boundary check in the morning + paths and trees + house office for a while printing off some hard copy reports + digging two bucket loads of clay for J's forest school at St Marks this afternoon ( kids making a 'wattle and daub ' shelter )

One or two butterflies still flitting about in the mid (ish) October warm sunshine - x2 Small Copper and x4 Red Admiral

Many Common Cranefly about at the moment ( photo) + Green Shield Bugs ( took a photo of one on a green leaf and it all looks really well greeny + camouflaged - does the colour of the wing edge / leg ends match the chewed section of the leaf ? ) + Hornets have left their nests + x5 in Goat Meadow

Also x2 Southern Hawkers hawking over the Otter Coppice small pond + many Red Darters mating and laying eggs + spent some time watching one pair lay and then they both used the back of my hand for a rest up place ( photo of female + hairs on the back of my hand + you can just make out the males 'out of focus' wing in the background

Thurs 9th Marsland Mouth in the morning checking out fence line + ponies + clearing fence line in c47 + off reserve after noon advising local adjoining landowner re woodland management

GH bat survey later in evening but nothing found but 'pips' still coming out to feed from our house roof space

Weds 8th Rain on and off all day so stayed in house office most of the time + out during dry / sunny spells surveying any butterflies / dragons ( x1 Red Darter ) + time spent on abit of plant photography for the portfolio

The Marsland BBC is a nice little piece + really good to see 3 mins of my footage in the overall 10 min film ( mainly 'frits and otters )

Tues 7th Meeting at HQ all day

Mon 6th Out and about delivering some wood first thing + cutting a section of c47 Chapel Field + office catch up and some printing + hard copy leaflets have arrived over the weekend ( including the new Birds one - and after a right kerfuffle converting to PDF is available to download on this web site along with the Plants - HOME page ) + MM checking ponies

Web site clicks hit 52000 over the weekend + I believe Marsland is on TV tonight - BBC Inside / Out 7.30

Fri 3rd Dragonflies still on the wing include Southern Hawkers x3 and Red Darter x20 ( many pairs mating and laying eggs )

IT related work in the morning + check ponies and Marsland Mouth most of the afternoon ( boudary check / fence line check / Woodvetch survey further along + look for Scarce Blackneck Moth 'signs' - none found )

Thurs 2nd Writing reports most of the morning for various people + wildlife groups + survey at noon for a couple of hours- x2 Red Admiral, x1 Speckled Wood, x1 Small Copper ( photo ), x1 Small Tortoiseshell + noted Common Wasp taking wood from HH3 shelter table ( to build small nest to hibernate in as this one was a Queen - photo - notice the pale'trail' left by wood taken ) + Ichneumon wasp in same area ( photo - Rhyssa spp - note very long ovipositor used to lay eggs ) + Scorpion Fly ( photo )

Weds 1st Boundary checks up to Hackmarsh + check trees + Otter spraint check on stream coming back + more tidy up around barn area + office reporting stuff + web site up dates SEPTEMBER 2014 Tues 30th Off reserve for awhile early on + office + back to fixing roof leak with rubber mastic + tidy up my office + get rid of rubbish etc / recycle

Mon 29th Down at Marsland Mouth for most of the day + checking ponies + checking Woodvetch ( Scarce Blackneck Moth foodplant) + monitoring new landslides where WV could colonize + tidy beach ( quite clean actually ) + Im sure I saw a Fish Eagle out at sea flying towards Gull Rock ! + x7 Rock Pipit and x2 Dippers at the Mouth along with x2 Grey Wagtails

Office catch up later ...

Sun 28th Generally messing about in the Marsland Office + attempting to fix the water problem in the roof drainage + editing a new wildlife photography self published book ( due out soon ) + check ponies + shed loads of small birds flitting about the valley at the moment + checked levels of water in the treatment plant re switching it all on ( when the level rises)

.... x2 GH bats still in the shed ( there was a third one - difficult to observe - but looked slightly larger than a Lesser but smaller than a Greater - a young GH maybe ? )

Fri 26th Home and Marsland office all day waiting for new pump (2pm) + general maintainance of office ( cleaning signs, oiling stuff and trying to fix a water dripping problem amongst other things ) + truck and tractor checks + new sewage treatment pump installed in the afternoon / early evening

Thurs 25th More cutting in Goat Meadow and HH3 for most of the day + off reserve for awhile collecting Willow whips from Tamar Lakes for St Marks Forest School project

Weds 24th Steve T working hard in Broad Arbor during the morning cutting and collecting with the large Kubota - carrying on from yesterday Large numbers of small birds flitting about at the moment - usual suspects + afew Coal Tits + large numbers ( x15 ) Red Admirals feeding on Ivy flowers in the garden

I went cutting out at HH for most of the day

Tues 23rd Clearing hung up tree at Hackmarsh first thing + noticed someone has pinched all the wood from the last clearance ( its blatant theft and so Im looking into it )

Mon 22nd Fixing computer issues first thing for a number of hours + cutting + health and safety review of personal equipment + out acquiring new helmet, chainsaw trousers and boots + gloves

Marsland Mouth checking ponies later on + more work organizing sewage works

Fri 19th Very busy with cutting / tree risk assessments / computer issues / new sewage treatment stuff

Thurs 18th Meeting with sewage pump guys first thing + organized a new system pump + service + empty

Butterfly Transect round BT 1-12 later - x2 Small Copper, x12 Red Admiral, x3 Comma, x2 Small Tortoiseshell, x2 Large White, x3 GV White, x6 Speckled Wood and x1 Painted Lady ( I'm 99% certain I've seen a Brown Hairstreak - again - a couple of years ago I thought I had one outside the house - Well, this is in the same area and I had a fleeting glimpse of a medium size butterfly showing brown and orange moving from the large Blackthorn outside the house office and into a large Ash a few metres away ... I can't really think what else it could be at this time of the year )

Fields heaving with insects and especially hoverflies at the moment ( photo of large Sericomyia - head on - feeding on DB Scabious ) + Steve T in Broad Arbor all afternoon cutting and collecting with the large DWT Kubota tractor Check round Hackmarsh - hay made in usual field + next door too + checked fallen tree at bottom of track ( 99% cleared last week ( thanks to Martin at East Woolley ) with just a section left - will have to be totally cleared next week although its pretty safe meantime ) + looking at and partly digesting most of the new tree risk assessment documents

Weds 17th Office catch up most of the morning then a meet up with Ricky and Martin out at Woolley + back to the office

Tues 16th Off reserve for most of the morning ( advice to local -ish- woodland owner ) then back to base to carry on cutting ( HH3 inbetween coppice all afternoon )

Had a chat with afew walkers/naturalists later and conversation turned to the main threats to wildlife and wildlife habitats - I launched into my usual soap box speech detailing population increase / human ambition has being the main problem .... and everyone - bar none - agreed ( every major threat stems directly from people and as population will always be on the increase so any related problems will always be on the increase and (over time) become unsolveable - ( and this all started from the premise that nature reserves should be just for nature and not opened up as adult 'play grounds'- which many now are - off road bikes, 4x4, wild swimming, geo caching etc etc )

Mon 15th Out most of the day cutting ( starting at Gooseham Bridge and working my way round Goat Meadow and Hard Hills ) + organizing pump men for Thursday + sorting out chemical h and s + looking over new tree assessment literature

Checked ponies later + found a cache of Dormouse nuts in the hazel coppice next to the top gate

House Martins trickling over reserve in low numbers + x2 Coal Tits in garden + groups of Goldfinch passing through

Sun 14th Led a birders group round Tamar Lakes today - really special to see Osprey fishing + catching fairly large fish and flying into a nearby field to scoff it

Fri 12th Had to deal with faulty sewage treatment plant pump first thing as it was tripping out the office power supply + meeting with Ian ( Chadwick ) from DWT then onto meeting with a couple of local chaps re advice on their piece of woodland + arranging pump fixing + ( met Kate ( ex Marsland ) up in Gooseham with ne3w beautiful baby Poppy + Fletcher has started school

Thurs 11th Some photo editing / hoverfly ID first thing then a meeting with Matt (Boydell) from DWT late morning then showing a local couple round reserve til late in the afternoon ( x6 SPBF's - seems like they'll go on forever )

Greater Horseshoe bat still in the shed

Weds 10th Continued and completed the plantlife leaflet + meeting with hoverfly chaps ( buzzing ) + photos taken re ID + then off up to the school to help J with some health and safety stuff in the little nature reserve

Tues 9th Mixed flocks of small birds moving through reserve including Blackcap ( x3 males), Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers, Treecreeper and all the usual suspects

Truck oil levels/tyres/etc + cleaning first thing then onto clearing a couple of trees from paths + overhanging branches

Organizing some e mailed photos + out for an hour taking shots of some of the last butterflies / dragons of the season + x18 Red Admirals and x12 Small Tortoisehell + x1 very ragged SWF and x6 SPBF ( x1 brand new - photo + x1 laying eggs on the cut path) + x4 Common Blue, x2 Small Copper and x4 Comma Dragons and damsels on the wane with a handful of Red Darter still around + Southern Hawker ( x4 )

Started the Plantlife of Marsland leaflet

Mon 8th Out first light cutting all paths /nature garden /office space in the cool of the morning although weather has been fine and warm during the day

Finished Bird leaflet + will up load to web site later + checked ponies

Sat 6th Started on two more leaflets for the reserve - Birds and Plants + photography and wildlife 'get together' in the afternoon with afew mates

Fri 5th Clicks on this web site hit the 50,000 mark last night

Took a group of local folk round a sunny reserve today after a period cutting in the early mist and cool /moth trap last night / loads of Honey Bees hanging round the nature garden / Rabbits seem to be on the increase at hard Hills as I keep disturbing 2 or 3 on a daily basis ( including the black one which I think is living under the table in the shelter )

Thurs 4th Humid but sunny day today - lots of butterflies still flitting around including Red Admirals, Peacock, SWF, Brimstone, Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell. Comma, GV White and SPBF (x3 ), loads Common Blues + emails / reports re butterfly management / moth management /moth surveys and monitoring

Marsland Mouth later checking paths and ponies + x2 GH bat still in the shed along with x2 Lessers + bat watch in the evening

Weds 3rd General stroll first thing to check all is OK with the reserve + a little cutting + office/email catch up + MM to check ponies + more office time editing photos and some old film footage + species records data base checks AUGUST 2014

Fri 29th - 2nd Sept Sort of 'busmans' holiday over Guildford way visiting various nature reserves ( including Sheepleas,Box Hill and the North and South Downs ) + spent some quality time visiting Matisse exhibition at the Tate, HMS Victory + Mary Rose

Thurs 28th Meetings/advice all day

Weds 27th Rain am and sun pm - so office am and out and about pm - checked for tree damage at Hackmarsh + tree assessment generally and general stroll around organizing possible/probable winter works + checked for Otter spraint ( none) + Marsland Mouth pony check + setting up afew meetings + chat with afew enthusiasts later re PBF management + stroll round Hard Hills + edit some film footage

House Martins feeding regular over the reserve of late - up to x70 last night and this morning ( mixed in with a handful of Swallows ) + 20 or so years ago I made a note of x175 in the valley along with a handful of Sand Martins + only had a few Swifts over the valley this year

Tues 26th Cutting first thing and checking for trees/path conditon + sun out most of the day so carried out a butterfly/dragonfly survey - butterflies seen include : many Red Admiral ( x12 in the garden alone ) , loads of Peacock, x12 SWF, x1 very new SPBF, many Common Blue and Speckled Wood, x1 barely alive Meadow Brown, x4 GVWhite, x9 Small Tortoiseshell and x2 Small Copper

Dragons include : x15 Southern Hawkers, loads Red Darter and all of the usual suspects at this time of year

Bat survey in the evening ( x2 GH bats in shed)

Mon 25th Bank Holidays come and go - the reserve remained very quiet today ( mainly due to rain all day ) + managed to get out and check ponies later in the afternoon + more catch up and office related work ( film footage editing mainly + processing /editing a load of photographs )

Sun 24th General strolling about and talking and chatting to folk + some office stuff cleared uand caught up with

Sat 23rd Patrols and checking ponies + feeling like Autumn already with a chill in the air and that lonely Robin song being sung all over the valley + x2 Greater Horseshoe Bats in the shed + Otter spraint check up the valley

Fri 15th - Fri 22nd Off reserve all week

Noted an old SPBF today ( Fri 22nd ) + afew SWF's still flying

Thurs 14th Office all day + resting my back

Weds 13th Slight twinge in my back kept me in the office all day ( which was mostly rainy anyway )

Noticed quite afew SWF still flitting around the garden in any periods of sunshine ( will they ever stop ? ) + reports of a Monarch butterfly at Marsland Mouth

Tues 12th Cutting bridleway path/over hanging branches + Tredown Valley + meeting with DWT lady who is revising walks around various reserves + writing a leaflet - including Marsland ( hasn't Marsland already got a leaflet / walk ? - yes it has )

Checked ponies and boundary at Marsland Mouth + tree risk assessment

Mon 11th Out very early ( 6am start ) cutting paths along BT 12-24 / Broad Arbor and along path to West Mill + clearing tree (s ) after windy weekend + checking condition of paths + heavy rain set in later so Web site up dated / checked / checked for android / tablet transfer ( no go unless I edit this site for android/tablet on another 'non HTML set up' web site ) + later on managed to view this web site on my ipad using a £2.99 app called PHOTON Flash Player ( recommended if you want to see it on your tablet + other sites using 'flash' software ) + in office sorting out footpath data + checked ponies

Sat/Sun 9th/10th Autumnal feel to the weekend with a cooler breeze and lots of rain ( very windy on the Sunday )

Four guys from Dorset up on the Saturday to have a look at Hard Hills/PBF management ( Sun out long enough to see many butterflies )

Thurs 7th In the Marsland office most of the morning + met up with a couple of folk from Woolley ( Ricki and Martin ) and had a look round the reserve for rest of the day - excellent day it turned out to be too

Not too great early on as I was set on by two dogs belonging to the people in the holiday cottage at the bottom - suffice it to say I scared them off with a very large pick handle - these people really should have had those dogs on leads in the first place coz I hate to think what a child would have done in my situation

Roll on the day when that place stops making money and we get nice, friendly, quiet, respectful people in there

Weds 6th Spent most the morning laying the nature garden path with 'bark' ( had to go back to MVF to collect x6 more packs as I had underestimated somewhat - although in my defence I had doubled the depth of the path )

General tool/machinary maintainence + tidied around nature garden + barn area

General mayhem on the Otter Coppice pools with Emperor dragons numbering x13 + x8 Southern Hawkers and x3 Migrant Hawkers all taking their part in a spectacular mid air battle ( more photos added ) Tues 5th Web clicks reached 48000 over night

Cutting first thing over at Goat Meadow/Hard Hills/Franks ( bracken and low growing bramble ) + off reserve for awhile collecting bark for the nature garden path

Dragonflies looking great this year and Ive paid a particular interest all season - c12 Aeshna mixta flitting around - mainly in Goat Meadow ( photo ) + on BT 1-12 x3 female Emperor and x5 males , x12 Large Red, loads of Azure and Common Blue damsels, x4 Southern Hawkers, x16 Emerald damsels and loads of Red Darters ( Blue Tailed damsels conspicuous by their absence )

Butterflies have also had another massive year - x6 Wall at Hard Hills ( photo ) + HH is spectacular at the moment with butterflies,dragonflies and other numerous insects buzzing around + up to x4 Buzzards being hassled by a Sparrowhawk which in turn was being attacked by a couple of Ravens

Carried out a Brown Trout survey up stream to Hackmarsh and the population is looking very healthy to say the least ( I counted x26 individuals in the pool on the corner of Gooseham Bridge hunting for flies - mainly 6-8 inch in size and no wonder the Otter spraint from yesterday contained so many fish scales and fish bones )

Mon 4th Bright and sunny all day - out cutting first thing ( mainly topping areas of bracken in Goat Meadow, Hard Hills 3 and Franks Field ) + cutting path ( BT 1-11 ) + cutting nature garden and office area

Otter spraint check up the valley to Hackmarsh later ( x4 dry spraints up the stream + x1 very fresh and large one at Gooseham Bridge )

Few ragged Ringlet left but one or two Meadow Browns still hatching + SWF swarming + many SPBF and Common Blues all over the place + x3 Clouded Yellow + x13 Brimstone + all the other usual suspects at this time of year

Red Darters in large numbers and many Emperor + Emerald Damselflies increasing + one or two A Mixta noted flitting about Carried out a brief gall survey ( two types found - photo )

Sat/Sun 2nd/3rd More rain over the weekend but with periods of warm sunshine - Silver Washed Fritillaries seem to be increasing too with 100's of them flitting about all over the place + nice to see a young family of Coal Tit in the garden ( 2nd brood ) - CT is unusal in that it usually 2nd broods unlike the other tits which usually only have one ( although availability of food could and probably does encourage them to have more )

Checked ponies + general stroll around + in the evening watched the ever increasingly annoying Matt Baker on BBC Countryfile encouraging people to forage for 'free' food ( filmed in Cornwall ) + his almost inaudible plea for people to 'follow' any by laws was laughable ( I really must stop watching this dreadful programme has it winds me up no end )

Fri 1st Looking over / searching for moth records + up dating data + planning moth report for the past 26 years ( and more )

July 2014 Thurs 31st Mothing last night + ID first thing ( between 50-60 species made up of 100's of individuals including Dotted Carpet, Garden Tiger, Peach Blossom, Gothic, Spectacled ( photo) and Sallow Kitten ( AS left about noon after a stroll round Goat Meadow in the rain )

Strange to see a pair of Silver Washed Fritillaries displaying in the thrown light of the moth trap at 9.15 in the evening - at one point moving into the darkness and out of sight

Otter spraint survey most of the afternoon + editing some film footage + another moth trapping session in the evening ( just the light up against a white wall )

Weds 30th Cutting first thing - in the cool as per usual - then back to office stuff for awhile + web site up date + web checks + checking species data and then met up with Adrian ( Spalding ) re moths survey tonight and tomorrow Tues 29th Sorting out reserve Spider species first thing and went on the web for clarification of one or two individuals and came across an Australian species called a Stained Glass Mirror Spider ( photo over ) - what a beautiful thing it is too

Very warm all day although sunshine at a minimum - that didnt stop butterflies from flying so I carried out a transect around Goat Meadow : Brimstone newbies all over the place especially round an Alder Buckthorn in HH 2 + many SPBFs + x3 Clouded Yellows dropped in ( one individual looking rather 'pale' so be interesting if any of the other two types have been recorded over the past few days )+ x4 Holly Blue + x3 Speckled Wood + x4 Purple Hairstreak + other species noted SWF ( shed loads) , Red Admiral, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Small Copper, GV, Large and Small Whites, Meadow Browns ( some newbies) , Ringlets and x2 Marbled White

Disturbed a Dipper on the stream whilst looking for Otter spraint at Otter Coppice - Dipper made a right racket too although a tad late for 2nd brood

Grey Squirrel survey all afternoon - they seem to be increasing in numbers over the past few months and are really ruining Hazel nut crops in many areas

Mon 28th Off reserve most of the day - chatting and advice to local landowners + evening bat survey over in the next valley + checking out an old LH bat roost site further down the coast ( one or two individuals around but no signs of the Marsland lot ! )

Sun 27th Alot cooler today with a slight drizzle later on - spent most of the day chatting and general PR with folk passing through the reserve ( a tad busier than yesterday with 34 persons counted )

Bat species survey in the evening with one or two people tagging along - pleased to see the GH bat is back in the shed + many Pips and one or two Lesser Horseshoe flitting about ( they're not roosting in the shed ) Sat 26th Andy back in on c15 for half a day pulling Ragwort+ I was out checking all public footpaths for path condition/tree risk + very quiet people wise

Fri 25th Another very hot day today - seems to be too hot even for the butterflies (apart from SWF which are just about everywhere at the moment + Ive noticed numbers of individuals ( up to x23 this morning ) 'gathering' in certain areas - almost 'lec'- like as in the bird world - they're up in the trees, displaying and mating, resting on the Ivy and perching on top of the bracken fronds + SPBF flitting about all over the place ( many noticeably smaller than usual )

Nice to see Banded Demoiselle today ( photo) - the male is similar to the Beautiful but has a blue spot/ band on the wings - rather than all the wing being blue

Spent some time trying to find insects I've never seen before on reserve - more difficult than you may think - and I only found one ( a beautiful Crane Fly called Ctenophora pectinicornis )

Thurs 24th Out to Marsland Mouth first thing to meet Andy from Terry Whiles contractors ( Andy helped shift that fallen tree first then went on to pull ragwort and cut paths at MM ) + off reserve at a meeting most of the morning whilst electricity was off ( came back on at 1pm )

Weds 23rd Carried out a brief health and safety 'audit' first thing and then went to MVF to buy and replace afew things for the First Aid box

Very hot all day + horseflies seem to have found second wind + reserve seems to be knee deep in young birds at the moment + noted male Merlin up the road to Gooseham on my way out ( someone will report a nest to me sooner or later as Ive seen it and a female on and off during every month for the past few years )

Tues 22nd Out cutting in the relative cool of the early morning ( still quite warm at 6 ) - did the paths along BT 12-24 + BA path and bottom path to Lawsons section + checked out fallen tree over TB track ( will have to wait til Thursday morning when I can get help ) + checked path conditions and carried out tree risk assessment + when I got back it was good to see Dave Cholwill down at the bottom with his digger ( here to fill in the ditch dug some while ago to accomodate the now defunct piping from the toilet in the office )

Hottest day of the year so far today + meeting with three 'wilting' students later re third year final studies ( next year ) but reserve a tad too far for them ( be great to have someone study predation at Hard Hills ) + began to organize a reptile survey but it got far too hot so I returned to base and had a lie down - filming stuff in the evening with my 550D Canon + zoom ( just to see if the quality is any better than the Panasonic semi pro camera I usually use for video )

Mon 21st Cutting paths / checking paths / checking trees up the bridleway / Tredown first thing - back for breakfast and then e mailing various folk re various things

SPBF's coming out slowly but surely but probably wont reach the very high numbers of recent years + c12 in Goat Meadow+MB's and Ringlets going over + seems to be more Marbled White around + Small Copper new brood emerging many SWF's and Large White and Gatekeeper numbers increasing + the odd Purple Hairstreak and one or two Holly Blues and Comma + had x21 Small Skipper in an area 20'x20' in Goat Meadow

Good numbers of Strangalia long horn beetles on dead stumps and feeding at flower heads at the moment

GH bat seems to have slung its hook

Sun 20th Out first thing with film camera but nothing special - set up camera for 30minutes filming the Swallows ( too dark to up load ) - quite an interesting experiemnt as it looks in real time at what the adults and young are up ( some sounds can be found at SOUNDS/Swallow feeding time ) : @ 3.20 into the 30 minutes the first adult calls back and feeds + gets rid of a faecal sac ( on the sound track a Dipper can be heard singing in the background )

@6.45 other adult ( or same one as last time ) calls back to feed but drops faecal sac onto floor

@7.22 the chicks are fed again

@ 11.50 an adult drops in to feed but stays for awhile ( 4 mins ) on top of the chicks

@14.59 adult returns with food

@17 adult feeds chicks quickly and flies off ( nothing til 30mins end )

Spent all afternoon photographing stuff + talking to the odd person here and there

Sat 19th Off reserve during the morning then back to meet some students who wanted to do abit of wildlife filming on reserve (they had seen my web site efforts + one guy was a friend of someone who attended the last film seminar ) + weather a tad misty and dull so not much actually filmed |+ most time spent chatting about filming wildlife + propects of future jobs etc

Fri 18th Spectacular sheet lightening from midnight onwards - made more spectacular by the fact that it all occured within one area of a very dark cloud way out to sea - inbetween it and our house was clear sky with 100'sstars shining and the Plough looking clean and clear + there was no rumbling of thunder either which made the whole experience rather sinister and totally surreal

Spent most of the day at Marsland Mouth - just looking and listening really and doing one or two surveys and stuff + not too much Ragwort around but it'll need pulling soon + x3 Yellowhammers singing within the reserve + x1 Skylark nesting at the top + loads of butterflies flitting about ( much more than before we cut and grazed ) including x23 Marbled White and many Gatekeeper + ponies look in fine fettle Web clicks reached 47000 some time today + Natural England are doing a web piece about the reserve ( probably similar to their Spotlight article but with more photos )

Thurs 17th All back to normal ( ish ) - cutting first thing but abandoned due to weakness + back in office sorting through old film footage + sorting and getting rid of old paper documents no longer relevant

Swallows have another brood in the barn but the nest is rather precariously perched on a light fitting ( I'll keep a daily watch on it ) - maybe another pair as the last lot built their nest on another light fitting

GH bat still on its tod in the shed but at least its cool compared to the outside temp which is almost unbearable

Weds 16th Had a dicky tummy last nightmost of the day so took it easy in the house office - got through quite abit of stuff though

Tues 15th Out early cutting GM paths and bracken in the glade areas ( amongst other things ) + Franks Field and around the office and nature garden + cutting back bramble which had overgrown onto the end of the roof + some general tool maintainance

Cutting the road sides up to the top of the hill later on + photo session and butterfly / dragonfly survey

Many SWF about + x7 SPBF's, x3 Gatekeeper, lots of Ringlet and Meadow Brown + x12 Marbled White, Large and Small Skippers, x2 Brimstone new brood, x2 Comma, x4 Red Admiral, x1 DG Fritillary, x5 Small Tortoiseshell, GV White, x2 Purple Hairstreak

Finally photographed Hazel Weevils mating + many Scorpion Flies around at the moment

Dragonflies taking advantage of the warm sunshine in the afternoon - 1st Emerald Damsels in Otter Coppice ( x3 ) + x6 Emperors, x7 Red Darters and many Southern Hawkers + x5 Golden Ringed ( one landing on my wellie to scoff a fly - photo ( + many Azure and Common Blues and still many Large Reds )

Sound of the day must go to young Buzzards making a right racket in the woods - must have been 3 or 4

Mon 14th Tried in vain to sort out the water problem first thing so I called in the experts - we have a (relatively ) new 'pressure' switch on the system which seems to want to break down every now and again + installed a new house office printer and up dated web site

Pump Rescue guys came at noon and fixed the water problem ( the pipe in the well had curled up and come above the water line so they attched a brick to it in order to allow it to sink further down )

Sun 13th More editing today - up loaded a Ringlet butterfly short ( for some reason it wouldn't save to yesterdays video - see LINKS - Links to videos )

More problems with house/water later

Sat 12th Spent time on final edit + up loaded the July video to YouTube ( see HOME )

Fri 11th More cutting today + boundary checks and review of reserve maps + more filming and editing

Thurs 10th More early morning filming + editing for most of the day + male Merlin noted hunting around the house + young fledged Dipper at Gooseham Bridge

1st Purple Hairstreaks x2 in Goat Meadow + x3 SPBF's

1st Red Darter dragonflies x3 ( in nature garden )

Weds 9th Up with the lark today and out filming til late morning ( I'll up load in next few days )

Uncountable Ringlet later on , 100+ Meadow Brown , x12 Marbled White in Goat Meadow, 2nd brood SPBF out at Hard Hills ( x3 - only afew days between 1st and 2nd broods ) , x50 SWF on BT 1-12 ( good footage ) and many roosting early in and around the bracken areas + feeding almost exclusively on bramble flowers + displaying and mating + both Skippers ( nice footage of roosting adult under bracken ), GV White, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell and Comma

Mixed flocks of small birds + young all over the place - including LT Tits, Marsh Tits,Blue and Great Tits, Chiffchaffs, Nuthatch, Goldcrest and GS Woodpeckers (bringing up the rear) + female Sparrowhawk keeping an eye on them all

Spent a very pleasant afternoon chatting to / advising a couple in Woolley who own some land adjacent to reserve in that area - hopefully see them both soon for a look round the reserve here at Gooseham

Tues 8th Cutting first thing then off reserve for awhile ( advice to woodland owner near Bideford ) + back mid day and out filming stuff til rain came down ( good footage of SWF mating ) + office stuff ( mainly ID many photos of insects Ive 'photo' collected over the months ( that insect I found a few weeks ago is a wool carder bee - Anthidium manicatum ( photo )

'Anthidium manicatum, common name European wool carder bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter bees or mason bees. They get the name 'carder' from their behaviour of scraping hair from leaves such as lamb's ears.'

GH bat still on its own in the bat shed

Mon 7th Cutting over at HH first thing and then cutting around Chapel Field for rest of the morning ( when heavy rain set in for awhile ) + rain most of the day but managed a boundary check up along the top to Hackmarsh and then down the stream + Otter spraint check ( none) + Dippers ( none) + x6 Southern Hawker cases today at the larger of the ponds in Otter Coppice so they're beginning to settle down + GH bat still hanging out in the shed

May have a short piece about wildlife and management at Marsland Mouth in the Western Morning news over next weekend

Weekend 5th/6th General pottering about over the weekend ( general patrols and 'being seen' ) + checked ponies + bat survey + more mothing

Fri 4th Moth trapping last night - good number of species - including SE Hawk , Privot Hawk, Burnished Brass, Brimstone, Emerald - intend to show off some of them to St Marks kids later ( photo of Elephant Hawk Moth + BB + Buff Tip ) + picked up our GH bat on frequency detector ( bang on 82 ) + x3 Lessers ( spent a little time trying to ID most of the moths )

More officey catch up later when the rain set in - ideas for new leaflets and management documents + downloadable from web site / proposed articles coming up in the next few weeks + e mail with various people re scientific proposals on reserve ( including PBF's and relationship with ants/predators + canopy moths + organized/filed my wildlife photos ( self published book nearly ready )

Thurs 3rd House office all morning sorting various stuff out then up to St Marks School to help Jane manage the little nature reserve / forest school outdoorsy bit ( took up most of the afternoon )

Definitly ID'ed the mystery bat in the bat shed and its a - drumroll - Greater Horseshoe ( a male roosting on its own ) This is a really exciting find and I'll be keeping an eye on it but its most probably just a 'visitor' for awhile - but it does indicate the suitability of the site for both species of Horseshoe bat

Great views of a female Sparrowhawk hassling a Buzzard today ( Sparrowhawk in turn being hassled by x6 Swallows )

Many Small Tortoiseshells out at the moment (photo) Weds 2nd Out first thing cutting bridleway/Tredown path then back to meet BBC and Nick Baker getting ready to 'voice over' for the proposed Marsland film due for October then up to the house to sort out a water problem + out to help an adjoining landowner with some problem sheep getting onto reserve + checked ponies

1st Gatekeeper of the season + x2 SPBF's and many pairs of SWF displaying and/or mating ( also had one individual SWF on the house window taking a sip of water from behind the double glazing rubber seal ( photo ) + x4 DG Fritiallry (photo)

Checked for Lesser Horseshoe bats later ( none ) but was surprised to see a larger bat hanging from the roof - thought at first it was a Greater but need to check again as it flew out of sight ( could be a Long Eared apparently but the one I noted was larger than one of those )

Tues 1st Out cutting paths on west side first thing but took rather longer than expected ( bottom 'unofficial' path to Lawsons Field rather overgrown ) + noticed x2 of the contract cut areas are a tad over grown at the moment but I cant do anything until winter ( they'll be OK for next season though and hopefully I may have contract to help out with Spring/Summer cutting ) + horseflies reasonably OK until my sweat washed repellant off + cut over hanging tree branches from Travel Bridge east track

Meadow Browns seemed to have had a booster lately + Marbled White numbers slowly going up ( x12 through BT 1-10 ) + x2 Dark Green Fritillary

Southern Hawker dragonflies hatching like there is no tomorrow - Otter Coppice big pond had another 25 cases + x6 recently hatched adults ( total of about 100+ adults already off that pond )

Family of Grey Wagtails + many young Nuthatch flitting around at the moment

June 2014

Mon 30th Cutting very early today but horseflies still found me ( my newly acquired insect repellant kept them at bay ) + 100's of Ringlets flying in the cool of the morning ( 6am ) + Ive noticed on very hot days that individuals actually seek out shade - mainly under the braken - and don't mind flapping about in the drizzle + still x3 SPBF's flitting around + more cutting into the late morning as temps cooled + met up with chap checking all our electrical equipment in the office ( all good )

The Natural England SSSI article on Marsland came out today - short and sweet + bat surveys in the evening

Sun 29th Another hot and sunny sunday + general chilling out + 46000 visits reached later on this web site

Sat 28th Busmans day off today out on Braunton Burrows - spectacular place it is too ( 1000's Pryamidal Orchids, Marsh Helleborine, Bee Orchids and heaving with Dark Green Fritillary )

Fri 27th Rain first thing but warm sun out later - Goat Meadow and Hard Hills teeming with butterflies - 100's Ringlet and 1st Marbled Whites ( x12 ) + Silver Washed everywhere ( many mating ) + x2 DG Fritillary, Large and Small Skipper, Common Blues, Small Copper, x2 SPBF, Brimstone, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood and Meadow Brown

100's of Common and Azure Blue damsels + x 12 BB Chasers and 50+ Large Reds + Southern Hawkers ( Ive counted 78 cases over the last 4 days ) + x3 Emperor ( x12 cases )

I'd intended to do a bit of cutting later but wildlife so good I kept on 'surveying' for the rest of the day ( 'walk the meadows, swim the rivers , run the hills and bag the peaks' )

Thurs 26th Rain mid morning for the first time in many weeks + organizing a dragonfly slideshow on the web site + pony check first thing + sorting out various photos to convert to 'low resolution' for BBC magazine ( may publish ) amongst other things

Weds 25th Noticed a possible Dark Green Fritillary out at Hard Hills yesterday so went over first thing to carry out a survey - glad I did as I noted x6 flitting around + x6 Silver Washed Fritillary and - x1 High Brown - managed to get a photo of the DG but not the HB - far too flitty but easy to ID once it settled on the thistles ( I leave most of these so that the DG's and HB's ( if around) will use them for nectar ) Other species noted include- Red Admiral, Ringlet (100's), Meadow Brown, Large and Small Skipper, SPBF x2, Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell

Horse flies out and about ( photo showing that amazing 'lightning' zigzag green eye) + counted a further x34 cases of Southern Hawker + x6 of BB Chasers ( seem to hatch on the banking vegetation rather than vegetation actually in the water - as SH do - and x1 of Emperor ( adult flying )

Noted x1 Spotted Flycatcher at HH2 + last ditch evening survey for Lesser Horseshoes ( x3 )

Organizing film later + some culm species / Marsh Fritillary footage

Tues 24th GH back in again early to film stuff + I went cutting on t'other side so as not to disturb anything + cut Chapel Field area + tidying up and organizing my film files / sound files / photo files

Mon 23rd Graham Hatherley ( Wildlife Cameraman ) up to suss out best filming spots etc + walk round Hard Hills/ponds etc ( for BBC film + more of my editing old film from reserve ) + off reserve for a while + more film time + tree check BT 1-24

Sun 22nd Cornwall Wildlife Trust Foxclub up to Marsland today to study 'dirty' and 'clean' water habitats + ID photo of Alder fungal gall Taphrina alni taken at nearby Tamar Lakes for future reference in case it turns up at Marsland

Sat 21st Blimey .... busy day with editing film + editing a number of photographs + up dating web site

Fri 20th Off reserve for awhile then back to editing/looking for film footage re BBC project ( Producer sent me an e mail detailing requests )

Thurs 19th Cutting first thing round BT 1-12 + nature garden and office area + I was going to tractor cut all day but had to change to sitting in the office trawling through all my video footage looking for stuff which may ( may not ) be included in an 8min BBC film about Marsland

Took a nice shot of a Swallow on the lecy wires ( one of the pair nesting in the barn ) + a shot of a new insect for me ( I think its a bee in the Melecta family )

Weds 18th Off reserve all day + evening office stuff ( BBC coming to film next week by the way )

Tues 17th Out cutting in the cool of the early morning ( mainly bramble re growth and topping bracken ) + off reserve for awhile + back to survey and monitor 'insects' especially Southern Hawker dragonflies ( counting 'cases' on the Otter Ponds ( x35 ) + x16 BB Chasers + 100's of 'Blues' and Large Reds + good numbers of Scorpion Flies -

'The Scorpion Fly is a strange looking insect which is found in gardens, hedgerows and woodland edges, particularly amongst nettles and Bramble. It has a long beak-like projection from its head that is uses to feed, scavenging on dead insects and frequently stealing the contents of spider's webs. It lives up to its name by sporting a scorpion-like tail, which the male uses in courtship displays. Adults usually mate at night, but mating can be a dangerous game for the male, who might easily be killed by the female. So he presents her with a nuptial gift of a dead insect or a mass of saliva to placate her - the equivalent of a box of chocolates! The resulting eggs are laid in the soil and the emerging larvae live and pupate at the soil surface.' ( photo of female)

+ noted mating Hazel Weevils for the first time ( x2 pairs and both under the leaf ) Butterflies noted : Ringlets ( only afew this am but 100's later in the afternoon ) , Meadow Brown, Large and Small Skippers, Common Blues, Small Coppers, Small Tortoiseshell, Brimstone, x 23 SPBF, x3 MF, GV White and Large White

Mon 16th Hot and humid all day + checking boundary maps / wayleave agreements / deeds / in the office + walked up the valley to Woolley to check out afew things

Sun 15th Relaxing most of the day + messing about with 'old' film footage + ponies checked

Sat 14th Up early again - its very addictive + more filming and recording + editing and up loads ( a short film illustrating 1 hour on the reserve + atmosphere up loaded to YouTube )

Jackie Gage from DWT popped in later - on a break from her weekend rock climbing adventures

Fri 13th Up and out with the lark again today as its all too good to miss at the moment ( mist over the valley and total silence - apart from the racket made by the wild things of course) - bird song starting to diminish slightly + noted a Small Heath on the wet grass at HH 2 + did some sound 'atmosphere' recording and filming the rest of the day( very warm with clear blue skies )

Thurs 12th Up with the lark this morning and what a beautiful sight the sun rise was too - amazing how many insects are out and about at first light in the low sunshine ( SPBF in the nature garden + Hummingbird Hawk Moth feeding on Honeysuckle nectar ) + interesting to hear a recently fledged Chaffinch attempting to copy an adults song - half the right notes but seemingly in the wrong place ( it'll learn ) + noted a very dark Rabbit in the now roofless HH3 shelter + noted that quite afew Oak and Ash trees are a tad late in leafing this year - especially on the north side of the valley ( the Oaks are infested with moth larvae -Tortrix ? - and their leaves don't stand a chance ( they will bounce back though as Oak leaves in particular are programmed to suffer any early onslaught and then re grow later on - its called 'lemna growth'

Took a group of x6 folk round mid morning onwards ( organised by Rita Morris - who makes the best sandwiches by the way ) - excellent walk with loads to see and talk about + many good species in the moth trap ( Privet Hawk Moth photo ) + many Vollucella pellucens hoverflies about + SPBF's, MF's and many Small Tortoiseshell especially in Franks Field + had brillient views of a Stealth Bomber airplane flying over the reserve (In Wednesday's Telegraph there's a photo of the beast and the blurb says that it is one of two US B-2 bombers which have been flown to the UK, joining three long-range B-52 bombers for training missions at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Evidently one of them took part in the D- Day commemorations in France. )

Great to see a pair of Swallows nesting in barn - I had an inkling we had a pair this year but couldnt locate the nest ( 1st ever as far as I can ascertain )

Weds 11th Web site 'visits' reached 45000 overnight

Out first thing ( in the cool at 7am ) cutting BT paths 12-24 + areas of bracken in c25 and c15 + out to Hard Hills cutting selected areas of bracken + started to dismantle the shelter

Noted a Stoat at HH3 raiding a birds nest and taking a young un - back to its own family probably

Set up the moth trap later in the evening and hung about abit to see what arrived - then left it on overnight and put out the 'bridges' for tomorrows group visit

Tues 10th Noted one or two SPBF's moving into roost last evening ( low scrub rather than any trees )

Collecting tyres first thing than into c47 to finish off cutting ( the actual meadow is looking stunning and all the 'fine tune' management over the last 5-6 years has been well worth it + we have Dormice in the bottom section which is mainly Bramble but runs into the scrub woodland adjacent and below the meadow )

Very heavy rain rest of the day + thunder and (scary) lightning ( lecy off for awhile ) + office catch up / web up dates

Mon 9th Fixing puncture first thing then into c47 to cut path and top the bracken + bramble and 50% of the thistles + cutting around the Goat Meadow area later + into the afternoon + + meeting re filming / wildlife course + evening survey of SPBF's ( attempting to watch them 'go to roost' )

Sun 8th Took some old mates from RSPB days round the reserve today + Cuckoo calling

Sat 7th SPBF's still in abundance + MF's seem to have increased ( x16 at Hard Hills ) + x7 Small Copper (HH) + x8 Common Blue ( BT1-12) + x1 Brimstone + x10 Large Skipper

1000's Froglets around the wet areas ( photos)

Broad Bodied Chasers everywhere (especially females) + x4 Southern Hawkers + 100's Large Red ( photo)

Hazel Weevils in good numbers ( x5 on transect ( photo)

Fri 6th Out to Blegberry Farm for 9.30 to film for Tom Hynes / Heritage Coast re stonewall building in Devon + set up at the location but even after 20 mins I realized the wind was far too strong ( affecting the sound ) so we posponed for another day sometime soon ( pity coz it was a beautiful area )

Spent abit of time photographing stuff - noticed two green jelly- like blobs on yesterdays hatched Southern Hawker dragonfly (photo - residue from metamorphosis ? ) + noticed Broad Bodied Chaser females x5 in a very small area resting/hiding from males in amongst the bracken (photo)

Thurs 5th Office catch up til 10.30 when I then met up with Steve Payne ( from DWT Working Wetlands) to have a chat about Marsh Fritillary management + walk round Hard Hills ( 100's SPBFs + x2 MF ) + some photography during the afternoon ( some nice shots at Otter Coppice large pond of Southern Hawker dragonfly hatching out of case + one or two damselflies ( shot of a Azure Blue with what seems to be parasitic eggs attached to its body ? ) + Crab Spider on thistles waiting for SPBF's (whatever happened to camouflage - as they're supposed to take on the background colour of the plant they inhabit - although most of the SPBF's feeding on the thistles did seem to be unaware of anything going on around them as they were too 'drunk' on all the rich nectar ) + seems to be rather alot of Stinkhorn Fungus coming out at the moment + time spent on filming prepaetion for tomorrow

Ponies had their MOT this afternoon when the guys and galls from 'Ponies4you' popped in to Marsland Mouth

Weds 4th I was looking through Marsh Fritillary records last night and Ive actually had x1 or more individuals somewhere on reserve for the last 26 years now - I think that qualifies them as a 'population' although somewhere in the dim and distant they were probably introduced by someone ( it is unusual to have a woodland population as opposed to the more 'common' culm grassland or limestone and chalk populations - and yet they seem to thrive and enojoy the habitat at Hard Hills which afterall has abundant Devils-bit Scabious for the larvae to feed on )

First thing and all morning - cutting the bridleway path/overhead branches + Tredown Valley path + tree risk assessment

Meetings off reserve most of the afternoon + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + black Rabbit at Hard Hills 3 sheltering from the heavy rain under the shelter

Tues 3rd More cutting first thing and all morning - mainly bracken and bramble in Otter Coppice area + Goat Meadow, HH2 and HH3 and then onto c47 Survey/monitor butterflies all afternoon especially at Hard Hills - SPBF's seem to have increased numbers since afew days ago with a significant spreading out of individuals too ( the area just beyond HH3 was literally teeming - see photo of individuals feeding on thistle + they seemed to enjoy the Heath Speedwell too - growing profusely on the ant hills ) + x7 MF's ( noted a male courting a female and then mating ( photos ) + x4 Small Copper, x10 Common Blue ( HH1 only ), Large,Small and GV White, Large and Small Skipper, x2 Meadow Brown, x2 Peacock (old), x3 Brimstone

Broad Bodied Chasers in good numbers ( x7 males and x4 females noted just in Otter Coppice) + 1000's of 'froglets' in Otter Coppice at the moment

Mon 2nd Out oiling, greasing and checking new cutter first thing + cutting in and around Franks Field and topping bracken - a tad wet but the cutter did a great job + more filming 'research' but none of it successful + back to tractor cutting in the afternoon ( paths on BT 1-12 + topping bracken in Goat Meadow, HH3 and smaller areas all along the paths )

Many SPBF's out even in the drizzle ( it was very warm ) + Small Copper and 1st Meadow Brown in Goat Meadow + that aberration SPBF from the other day is probably 'intermedia' variation

A number of Buzzards following the tractor - looking out for small mammals spooked by the noise + x1 young Dipper being fed by adult along stream next to HH3

Sun 1st A mate from BC popped in later and we had a gander at Hard Hills SPBF's during a warm spell ( 100's out ) + x3 MF's

May 2014 Sat 31st Warm sunshine most of the day + cleared a couple of trees from off the bottom path first thing + out to Hard Hills for a spell of photographing /monitoring butterflies and other stuff + SPBF's swarming everwhere ( unusual aberration too - photo ) + x13 Marsh Fritillary especially HH#2 + x3 Large Skipper + Common Blue, Brimstone, Orange Tip and many Speckled Yellow Moths

Fri 30th Some years ago I had a wonderful idea which related to the electronic identification of wildlife species ( birds mainly ) - the idea involved a pair of binoculars which would ID any bird viewed through the lens ( mini computer inside + 'chip' with all the UK species + LCD read out + you could change the chip for different countries etc ) + other chips would contain flowers, fungi, insects etc - Anyoo - I've just read today that some computer bods in the USA have nearly made this idea possible + I'm well gutted

Spread some insect friendly flower seeds into the nature garden raised beds + weeding + dreamt of being rich and famous + more filming /editing ideas for next week ( mainly attempting to sync sound to video + worried about wind noise - we be filming on the coast ) + trawling through a large number of back up CDs to look for an old reserve management document ( eventually Steve found it on DWT's back up system )

New cutter arrived at 12.45 + met the guy up at the top of the road + connected cutter to tractor and drove it down into the valley + will have a bash at cutting on Monday + boundary checks

Thurs 29th Up first thing on a CBC ( really just an excuse to stroll out in the best part of the day) - Amongst other things : 1st Spotted Flycatcher + Green Woodpecker at c25 ( on ground ) + x3 Whitethroat + Cuckoo ( flying over c15 ) +Willow Warblers non exsistant (even at Hard Hills)

In house office later organizing ( amongst other things ) future events/visits - including Dipterists UK, CWT Foxclub, BBC Inside Out, SSSI magazine and many filming days ( 'making a stone wall' next on the agenda ) + updating 'trees risk assessment' files

Cut the paths which include butterfly transect 12-24 ( public paths ) + SPBF in good numbers in c15 despite cool weather + spotted a cow hoof mark so someone has lost one ( pretty bad smell of a dead thing also noted but I couldnt connect the two ) Spent some time with Windows Movie Maker attempting to add voice overs and narration to some film clips ( made me want to end it all ) + meeting with Tom Hynes re filming next week

Mon-Weds 26th-28th Off reserve on and off during the last three days ( meetings , advice, visits to other reserves ) + pony checks + boundary , path and tree checks + cutting nature garden on BH Monday + selected areas of bracken and bramble + improptu group of visitors taken to Hard Hills + cutting round barn area and arranging for new cutter to arrive on Friday

Many SPBF's flying Tuesday - which just happened to be the best sunny day + Cuckoo calling again

Weekend 24th/25th Lots of rain this weekend with very little proplonged sunshine to speak of / checked ponies + stroll around Marsland Mouth ( female Peregrine moving up the valley on Saturday evening ) + time spent in the Marsland office doing some leaflet work + printing + very quiet for a BH weekend + general patrol checking for anyone pinching Orchids/Bluebells ( report to me last week of a number of EP Orchids being dug up just off reserve ) + I didnt see any firm evidence but this type of illegal harvesting from the countryside does occur + cutting around Hard Hills again + checking Hackmarsh

Fri 23rd CBC round BT path 12-24 first thing (Cirl Bunting seen but not heard) + cutting round Hard Hills/Goat Meadow area most of the rest of the morning ( paths/bramble/bracken) then off reserve for awhile + back in house office + Marsland Mouth and checked ponies

Thurs 22nd Rain most of the day so messed about in the house office sorting out stuff + our wood pile is a great hatchery for some species of beetles at the moment - in particular Cardinals ( photo opposite of Pyrochroa serraticornis ) + checked ponies

Mon 19th to Weds 21st Pretty wet and cool for first couple of days but Weds was back to full sun all day + web clicks reached 44,000 on Tuesday Im convinced x2 Swallow pairs are nesting in the valley + Dipper x1 fledged seen again + Cuckoo calling on Tues and x2 calling on Weds + had a look and listen for Cirl Bunting but no luck

Nice to see a Hedgehog in the garden ( photo - curled up ) + checked ponies and had a wander round Marsland Mouth ( looking stunning as usual ) + x3 Stonechat pairs and a singing Skylark on the edge of reserve and could be nesting at the top of slopes near the path + Roe bucks barking in the woods

Sun 18th Discovered another new gall/gall mite today - on Hazel buds - and its called Phytoptus avellanae + maybe a couple of Swallows breeding around the barn area + Goldfinch nesting nearby + Cuckoo calling again

Butterflies recorded today - SPBF, Red Admiral, Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, GV, Small and Large White, Peacock, Brimstone + x5 PBF netted on the slopes in the first clear area at Hard Hills

Broad bodied Chaser emerging + Large Red and Beautiful damselflies

Sat 17th Another hot sunny day + SPBF's everywhere - even in the house garden + Large White,Small White and GV White abundant + group taken round mid morning to mid afternoon + pony check at Marsland Mouth + Cuckoo calling most of the afternoon across the valley

Watched Arsenal beat Hull 3-2 in the FA Cup Final later on - my dad used to play for Arsenal in the late 40's so I have a special link to the team

Fri 16th Another sunny and very hot day all day with little or no breeze to speak of + CBC but no Pied Flycatcher this time round + quite alot of Honey Bees have decided to invade the house with many in the front room swarming on my dogs sleeping blanket ( I did manage to get them all out of the house but they've decided to swarm under the eves on the front end )

Hard Hills over run with SPBF's ( over run being the scientific term for alot more than 'rocket loads' ) + loads of colourful Cercopis froghoppers ( the nymphs live communally surrounded by 'froth' -'cuckoo spit ' once used as a soap - believe it or not ) Photo of a pair of em opposite - these two were ejecting a liquid out of their back ends presumably to aid in cooling down

Thurs 15th CBC first thing out around Hard Hills and I heard the back end of a Pied Flycatcher song ( but only once ) Watch this space + Willow Warbler have finally arrived ( x1 this am and x6 this afternoon ) + Dipper feeding x1 young un on the stream at ther moment + x4 Lessers in the shed

SPBF survey most of the beautiful sunny and hot afternoon - stopped counting at 200 as it was getting boring - lets just say for the official scientific record - 'shed loads' approaching 'rocket loads' + x5 PBF still flitting about ( and what a combined spectacular sight it all was )

Weds 14th Beautiful sunny start to the day but still chilly + got warmer as the day progressed

Meetings off reserve for most of the morning + office + species lists and looking at Adit database + arranging future meetings + took x5 people round Hard Hills later to see the SPBF's ( awash with them again )

Tues 13th CBC first thing but nothing new - not even a Willow Warbler this year + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + up date of web site

Out to Hard Hills later to check on SPBF's ( place awash with them + a dozen or so PBF's too and most of them looking fresh ) SPBF's not in the numbers of previous years but thats probably a good thing - still a spectacular sight seeing so many butterflies in one place + Common Blue, Peacock, OrangeTip, Brimstone and Holly Blue

Definitely been a Bluebell year this year with 1000's in the glades and meadows on reserve + really great to see x6 Swifts over the reserve screaming and covorting in the air space above Hard Hills

Mon 12th Sunny and bright - albeit a tad chilly in the breeze - at least the cold wind blowing over the weekend has died down ( took a group of interested folk round Hard Hills to try to see SPBF but far too cold and windy )

Dr Rob W was pleased with the hoverflies the other day and noted one species not seen in Devon/Cornwall before let alone Marsland - Platycheirus tarsalis ( he also thinks he has a Red Data Book fly too but is awaiting confirmation)

Hopefully by the end of the day the new cutter details and delivery estimate should have been sorted out + the appeal for the Tahiti Monarchs has reached 100% - and is still on going ( a big thanks to anyone who has donated in the past few weeks )

Maybe having a meet soon re the 'old' Yarner Trust' and what is happening in the future

Fri 9th Dawn CBC today but generally very quiet ( no Cirl singing ) + filming most of the rest of the morning( nothing of great worth to be honest ) + Dr Rob Wolton back today looking for insecty stuff especially hoverflies ( list to follow) + sorting out deeds and wayleaves regarding the Darracott Track and its edges ( BT work later in the year)

Thurs 8th Rain all day + cold and misty

Arranging for new cutter to be delivered + sorting out some new leaflets ( 'Birds' almost done ) + writing up a 'storyboard ' for the stone wall building instructional film Im doing next month ( with Tom Hynes from Heritage Coast ) + plant portfolio up date + checking Adit data base for species / missing species

Weds 7th Out bright and early - in the cool - and continued cutting around HH3 and general area ( re growth bramble mainly but also bracken where I dont want bracken ) + bits of the path

Sun hidden most of the day but SPBF's seem to be making an appearence ( x6 at HH ) Marsland Mouth later checking ponies and looking for Cirl Bunting ( didnt see or hear it ) + Hackmarsh check and look around + office catch up ( insect records mainly ) + another go at 'android based' web site ( so folks can view this web site on an ipad - for example )

Tues 6th Bright and sunny start to the day + in 'house' office for awhile sorting out visits etc for the next few weeks + up date web site + sussing out an 'android' version of the web site ( too complicated and lifes too short ) + SPBF survey ( as I got to HH the sun went in behind a load of cloud and a cold breeze blew up but I did manage to count x3 )

I found a Dormouse nest tucked into a depression on the banking opposite our house (whilst trying to record a Garden Warbler singing in the new cut area) - seems the nest has been exposed by a slight 'leaf fall' but is new this month from the looks of it ( photo ) + found a new patch of Wild Garlic along the Bluebell path ( photo )

Up dating the reserve plant portfolio + insect lists' sorting

Mon 5th Off reserve all morning then back to check if any SPBF's were out at HH ( none-too dull and cool) + messing about with the shelter and bridges and checking the top boundary + very quiet for a bank holiday Monday + sorting out M Prince lists from the other days spider survey ( amongst many other things found ) + Lesser Horseshoe survey down at the shed in the evening (x6)

Weekend Holly Blue x3 on the wing + reasonably bright with some sunny periods but still a cool feel to the weather + cutting bracken in c47

Fri 2nd Taking back wheel off of tractor first thing (7am) due to a puncture ( took awhile ) + met up with Ian Barker from Cornwall Wildlife Trust re a Fox Club meet later in June + out to Holsworthy Advanced Tyres to get the puncture fixed ( recommend these guys ) + bought a new chainsaw ( at last ! ) with part of the money James Cadbury donated the other week + put the wheel back on the tractor ( took awhile ) + office catch up and web site up dates + organizing a spider survey tomorrow ( Matt Prince ) Thurs 1st Up dating and up loading web site + continued SSSI report + meeting local plumber re pipe at the office toilet ( pending ) + cold and drizzle most of the day

April 2014

Weds 30th Out first thing on a stroll round Hard Hills + x6 staff from DWT visited for most of the rest of the day - cream tea later and PBF's (very good views in the c25 Clearings along with Early Purple Orchids) + Holly Blue and 1st SPBF ( c25 ) + very red dog Fox in Goat Meadow + Dipper

Very sad news with the passing of John Randall - this is taken from the Devon Butterfly Conservation web site

John was a good all-round naturalist being very knowledgeable about British birds. He was an active member of Devon Moth Group. He had been a Devon BC member for some years before joining the committee in January 2002. The following year John became Events Organiser, and not long after, Regional Action Plan Coordinator for the branch (posts he continued up to his sudden death). In 2004 he organised a county survey for Pearl-bordered Fritillary and continued to organise county surveys for some of the rare fritillaries in Devon, usually doing an enormous share of the survey work himself.

John was a quiet, unassuming man widely respected by all those who knew him.

Tues 29th Cutting in and around the nature garden after catch up on office stuff + various things re new equipment/tractor tyre puncture etc

Write up for a SSSI magazine most of the afternoon + organizing for a visit tomorrow ( DWT staff) and on Friday ( Cornwall Wildlife Trust Fox Club leader )

Noted Goldfinch carrying food to nest + sun out early evening and PBF's moving at Hard Hills and c25 clearings + only x5 Lesser Horseshoe Bats in shed at the moment ( I still haven't found out what happened to last years winter roost and probably never will )

Mon 28th Out bright and early cutting path along BT 12-24 + down to West Mill field and along bottom path + checked trees and paths + did some printing in Marsland Office + checked boundary above c25/15

PBF's at c25 excellent and also many in Travel Bridge Coppice area ( didnt count last week mainly because I didnt expect any - as the area as overgrown with bramble coz I hadnt time to do it over last winter ) + Hard Hills colony flitting around in the afternoon ( mainly seen up at the top of the slopes rather than in the left hand coppice as last season ) + OT's looking good and 1st GV White noted

First Beautiful Demoiselle on the stream at Gooseham

Weekend Fairly cool and dull for the most part but some sunny periods especially Sunday evening ( PBF's very good at Hard Hills ) + checked ponies

Fri 25th Out very early to search for Cirl Bunting at Broad Arbor and only after a few minutes I heard it rattlin away on a bush near the end gate + recorded + got a couple of photos as a bonus ( go to HOME and you can hear the 'song' there + photos opposite ) + also recorded a territorial dispute in c15 between two male Whitethroats ( see SOUNDS 3 ) + a nice unusual Great Tit alarm in the garden ( see SOUNDS 3 )

Also had a look at PBFs later in the warm sunshine + looking very good in Broad Arbor on the slopes ( x13 ) + in c25 clearings (x7) and in Travel Bridge Coppice ( x3 ) - counting as I passed rather than a detailed survey ( and it was only 10am ) + had a gander at Hard Hills c2pm and there were many individuals flitting around and it was brillient walking through the cut areas and seeing 'frits' wherever you happened to be looking at that time ( I think the word is 'abundant' ) + mating + females laying in all the right places + noted for the first time a female Brimstone laying eggs on Alder Buckthorn ( photo) + a Beefly laying on the warm surface of a bare patch of ground + the Goldenhair Lichen is thriving ( photo) Dippers still at the 'new' nest site + I had an individual singing its heart out at the 'old' site at Gooseham Bridge ( on inspection I found a brand new nest next to last seasons re built nest ( is this one of last years young having a go at breeding but no female available ? )

Spent time looking up 'cutters' for the tractor and ringing round suppliers - seems most people I want to speak to aren't available today for some reason ( James Cadbury very kindly - yet again - funding the new equipment )

Decided to count PBF at HH later ( pretty difficult survey but I finally arrived at c x78 + the c50 from this am making a total of c x128 ) + x12 Brimstone, x9 Peacock, x5 Speckled Wood, x12 Orange Tip and x1 Comma + 1st Large Red Damselfly on Otter Coppice Pool

Thurs 24th Meeting at HQ all day then out to Hard Hills later in the evening but by the time I got there (in the sunshine) the rain started up again + web site reached 43000 today

Weds 23rd Very heavy and persistant rain all day / office + Cirl Bunting reported again today from just off reserve at West Mill

Tues 22nd Humid start to the day with bits of drizzle + out early to cut BT path 1- 10 + cut some areas of bracken beginning to grow and one or two smaller areas of grass / vegetation + Otter Coppice areas + Bluebell path + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + trees on BT 11-24

Rain later + checked over tractor and truck re tyre pressures, oil + greased points and general maintainance + afew PBF's out during a very brief spell of sunshine ( 1.45 til 2.30 )

Mon 21st Sun out first thing shining through the mist and drizzle + dawn chorus really good Warm, hazy sunshine later on through the afternoon so out and about at Hard Hills studying the PBF's - its now such a large area that individuals have spread all over the place but I did have a small number (x12) at the far right hand side flitting in and around the tree line + about x30-40 on the site as a whole + met local wildlife expert Roger Harding out looking for butteflies amongst other things + he had good numbers in the clearing at c25 + in c15 + some really great photos ( he may send one or two for the web site )

Spent time being available down at the office - talking to various folk passing through on this bank holiday + back out to Hard Hills late evening to observe PBF's ( photos ) + seemed to be a hatch going on between 6.30 and 8.00 + individuals became very hard to find at about 7.30 + although there are many to be seen at the moment I'm a tad disappointed that there aint more because the habitat is so good that it is crying out for 100's + nice views of Common Lizard with ticks ( photo ) + Roe Deer + Goldfinch with nesting material and song ( near office )

Sun 20th Dull and cold all day with occasional rain later + I knew the weather over the past days has been too good to be true + no PBF's noted anywhere today + good to hear Cettis Warbler in Bude later on + Kingfisher at the Wier cafe

Sat 19th Easter trails started at 6am and all over by 11am + another sunny day but still with that cool breeze + down to Marsland Mouth to check ponies and look for PBF's + out at Hard Hills later and noted quite afew PBF's ( est x30 ) but didnt carry out a detailed count as such + many spead out over a large area and things looking good + very hot on slopes with abundant viola and Bugle

Fri 18th - beautiful sunny dawn so had a stroll round Hard Hills - carried out a spot CBC ( after saying what I did yesterday the chorus seemed to be a bit louder than of late ) + did some song recording but nothing new + Dipper busy at nest site ( probably eggs hatched ) + x2 Blackbird young ( just fledged and very flappy )

Showing various PBF folk round later but only x3 seen + PBF survey at 4.00pm revealed x12 so a hatch is taking place and I'm looking at today as first hatch day rather than Weds 16th ( photo ) Thurs 17th Recent dawn chorus has been a tad quiet - I seem to remember when I arrived at Marsland (some 25 years ago in 1988) that the birdsong was really really loud in the early mornings

Dull and cold all day + caught up with office stuff - emails,reporting and that kind of thing ( changed my e mail - which took alot longer than I first thought )

Weds 16th Cutting c47 areas first thing + garden sections + 'tidied' up around the office + out to Hard Hills with a couple of interested folk but didnt see PBF ( I'm beginning to think if was seeing things the other day ) The new section to the right looking up the slopes is almost ideal now for PBF with loads of open hot bare spaces filled with Viola and Bugle + more taking up of old fencing in c47 and some in Goat Meadow

Checked a couple of boundaries later and then office stuff

Tues 15th Early CBC but no Cirl Bunting + off reserve with woodland management advice in the locality then out to Hard Hills for a couple of hours but didnt see PBF ( breezy ) + spent time sorting out my hacked e mail

Another bat monitoring period last evening but no increase in Horseshoes as yet ( x8 )

Saving the Tahiti Monarch has reached 96% of the total needed

Mon 14th Dr Rob W paid a visit over the weekend ( Sat ) but rather cool and dull so dont suppose he saw many hoverflies + I took a group of visitors round on the Sunday ( x5 ) + CBC early

Out very early today (in the cool) cutting nature garden and around barn area then off reserve out to MVF to get a replacement lock and chain for the gate at Marsland Mouth + checked ponies and cut a section of the path

Had a phone call this morning whilst out at MVF from a local chap who was out on reserve last Wednesday and heard and saw a Cirl Bunting on the wires at Broad Arbor ( I popped up mid day but didnt see or hear it - probably a loan male just 'testing' the area - be interesting to see if anyone else spots it in the general area )

1st PBF today out at Hard Hills - 12.45 noted x1 flitting around but as I approached to take its photo it took off into some mid height scrub near the large Ash tree to the left + spent a couple of hours looking for more over lunch but none noted + very hot on the slopes and had x4 Brimstone + x3 Orange Tip + x4 Speckled Wood and x2 Peacock

Fri 11th Sorting out pulling old fencing from off of Chapel Field - spent most of the morning doing this + off reserve for a while then out to Marsland Mouth to check ponies and have a general wander about ( CBC survey - didnt get Stonechat which is strange ) + carried out butterfly survey later - x8 Brimstone and x12 Peacock out around Hard Hills + 1st Orange Tip ( male ) and Comma + also had male Roe Deer in Goat Meadow

Warm sun most of the day with a forecast for more hot and sunny periods ( great for PBF's )

Thurs 10th Out early doors on a CBC - usual suspects in the dawn chorus + 1st Garden Warbler singing ( in the garden ) + cutting sections of the path + another impromptu visitor( x4 ) escort to see PBF sites ( Hard Hills then up to the clearing in c25 and c15 + new site adjoining Travel Bridge track ) + prelim Horseshoe bat survey in the evening ( x2 flying at the bottom + x3 in the roost area + x12 Pips coming out of Chapel Cottage gables

Weds 9th Out on CBC first thing then off reserve for a while and back to office stuff + no sign of the Wood Warbler from the other day + no singing Willow Warblers as yet whilst Chiffchaff are in good numbers this year + check over on tractor and truck - oil, grease,tyre pressure etc

Tues 8th Sunny and bright but cold in the shade most of the day + spent a good deal of the morning sussing out the Dippers nest site ( Im certain its where I said some days ago ) + spent time on the Hard Hills slopes looking for PBF larvae/pupae ( none found ) + taking temperature readings ( despite the chill breeze the ground temperature was 28c ) + checked ponies ( all good ) + Slow Worm survey under slates on BT 1-11 ( only x4 noted + photo of young un under the ant nest slates ) + may have found a newbie for reserve in a bright orange slime mould ( maybe Lycogala epidendrum - watch this space - photo opposite + I'll attempt to photograph the specimen as it matures

Showed x3 folk round Hard Hills later on + PBF info + had another look for larvae etc ( none found ) + noted both Dippers

Mon 7th Heard the back end of a Wood Warbler song over the weekend so went out first thing to see if it was a) still around and b) see if I could record its full song ( negative on both counts although I did manage get a Blackcap and a Chiffchaff singing in the rain ) A decade past I did have about a dozen WW singing at the back of the house but they all moved on + be nice if 1 or 2 hung around the woods now and again

Also x13 Lesser Horseshoe bats back in the shed but only x3 hanging from the roof - the rest hanging on the walls + 100's Herald Moths still hibernating ( one bat hanging almost in a number of moths but didnt seem interested in scoffing them all - these moths may have a 'mechanism' to deter predation especially if the hibernate in similar areas to bats although after saying that their larvae feed on Willow which isnt particulary poisonous + they probably are relatively safe looking like a dead leaf like they do and not so safe when they take flight)

Rain most of the day but did manage to get out for an hour or so mid morning + checked ponies and a boundary at Marsland Mouth

Fri 4th Rain all gone and today brought out the sun and loads of Brimstone + decided to visit all those areas not usually visited on reserve - including up the side valley which can be seen from across the valley in Broad Arbor + areas above the bridleway section and an area adjacent to this on the other side + carried out a Dormouse survey in the last section mentioned as it contains a good deal of Hazel ( found lots of hazel nuts opened by Dormice ) + Otter spraint check and rubbish cleared from stream all the way down to Marsland Mouth ( x2 spraint and not much rubbish )

Thurs 3rd Well, the rain came back today but generally was very humid and warm + had a long stroll round all the managed sites worked on this year and - although I say it myself - the reserve winter management has been the best ever + although Ive worked mainly on my own the long hours / hard graft has been well worthwhile + seeing all the areas ready for the new season is very encouraging to say the least ( contractors have been excellent this winter by the way especially Posh Paddocks - who really is only one guy with great kit and great experience with managing scrub on slopes )

More cutting around HH + had a walk up stream to Hackmarsh collecting bits of debris and rubbish washed down over the past few months ( mainly large plastic bags used by farmers ) + attempted to film bits of reserve in the mist and rain but far too damp to risk much

Great to hear so many birds singing in the drizzle especially Blackcaps many of which seem to have dropped in en masse all of a sudden + male Merlin flying over Hard Hills + first Swallows and a handful of House Martins feeding over reserve air space early on

Weds 2nd Office stuff first thing (after another early CBC walk roumd Hard Hills) then out to Hard Hills again cutting a section of path + bramble re growth + rushes + round shelter area + Goat Meadow edges and around Otter holt (over the stream) + Otter Coppice areas then on to cutting an area in c47

Spent a little time bird song recording but results not really good enough to up load

Tues 1st Bitty stuff in the nature garden first thing then out to meet contractor + check work on slopes at Broads Arbor + last winters PBF area down Travel Bridge track ( to the right half way down ) + tree check on paths + cut paths BT 12-24 Sunny and warm - Peacock,Brimstone,Comma all noted + Hard Hills larval check ( none found but did note many ants milling around and usually near on on clumps of viola - or is that me being paranoid ? )

March 2014 : Mon 31st Out first light on a CBC ( common bird census) + usual suspects chirping away + x2 Blackcap + Tawny Owls a hootin and Roe deer a barkin made for an eery atmosphere + confused re Dipper nest site as I had both m and f at the site from last year inspecting the old nest + later meeting with contractor re future works + putting final touches to the Annual Report + up loading to web site (Home/Documents/Annual Report 13/14) + out to Hard Hills and found x4 PBF larvae at the first spot I arrived at ( photos ) + loads of viola out over the last few days especially in the cut areas from 2012/13 ( most of the clumps flowering )

Weekend 29th/30th - x5 butterfly bods visited on the Sunday to look at PBF site (s) + talked about management and looked for larvae ( none ) checked ponies later on + general visitor related stuff + pretty warm most of Sunday ( Brimstone the only butterfly noted though )

Stumbled upon x2 Bluetits ( male) having a scrap + they were so involved in trying to kill eachother they didnt realize that I'd picked them both up (they were 'joined' together by their feet and claws ) + even when I let them go they got back into fight mode again ( male Robins are usually the most aggressive passerine but these two blueies were something else )

Weds 26th - Fri 28th Still on the cold side but some sun now and again + rain - its at this time the PBF's in particular need a great deal of warm sunshine ( their larvae ) + Im not seeing too many viola at the moment but enough to keep things ticking over I suppose ( I have been monitoring viola leaves with the 'moon' cut indicating larval feeding - quite afew found this week ) + mulling over ecological questions such as ' Has the increase in SPBF numbers affected the number and range of PBF ? Do their respective population increase/decrease affect eachother and/or the amount of viola each year ? Does the amount of ant species and their density affect everything at Hard Hills ? How many larvae do the ants take for prey' Noted 42000 clicks on web site today (Fri) / nearly finished AR

BirdLife's Urgent Appeal: Saving the Tahiti Monarch from extinction has reached 30% of its total

Tues 25th Up with the lark this morning and out to Hard Hills 3 to check shelter and carry out 1st dawn chorus survey of the year + shelter better but still collecting water + singing birds included ( amongst the usual suspects ) - x2 Goldcrest + x1 Goldfinch + x1 Nuthatch + x2 LT Tits + x2 Grey Wagtail with nesting material ( Gooseham Bridge area) + spent over an hour waiting for Dipper ( which was singing on the stream near the shelter) to maybe fly to nest + found nest site at 8am when both male and female flew out after placing material inside + probably over due to lay + nest in a very secure and quiet spot

Found fresh Otter spraint too + Brown Hare in Goat Meadow

Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd Shelter proving abit of a pain at the moment as it collects the rain water in the canopy and is weighed down with gallons of the stuff / lifted canopy to try to fix the problem + x1 female Roe Deer + x12 Canada Geese overhead Hard Hills late evening ( hope they didnt come off any of the ponds on reserve ) + generally sunny but very cold + x2 Goldfinch and x1 Nuthatch in the garden

Fri 21st Off reserve for a wee while then back to cutting at Hard Hills and area around + raking + later keeping an eye on contract workers messing with phone cables + carried on with Annual Report - nearly finished + 1st Willow Warbler at Hard Hills + had a stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh looking for the Dipper nest ( bet its around HH3 area - behind the shelter probably ) + x2 fresh Otter spraints found

Thurs 20th Annual Report again + checked ponies + 1st Wheatear at Marsland Mouth

Weds 19th Starting writing Annual Report Tues 18th Out first thing cutting and caring for nature garden and surrounding areas ( extremely heavy rain for a while ) then onto a meeting with a grassland and scrub contracter re finishing off the work on the PBF sites ( looks promising and can be finished in three days within budget using a specialized 'slope' tractor/flail ) + then out to Hard Hills and adjoining area cutting and raking til mid afternoon when my back 'tweeked' reaching up to pull some bramble out of a Hazel bush (beautiful afternoon with full sun but still a tad chilly in the shade ) + Dipper singing again at HH3 ( have we got x2 pairs this year ?) + office rest of day + Lesser Horseshoe bat survey in the evening looking for early returners ( none )

Mon 17th Dormouse 'hibernating' survey for most of the morning looking in the usual areas for signs of nests on the ground used for over wintering ( didnt find any - not unusual as they dont use the same exact site every winter ie you are very lucky to find any at all ) + Dipper singing on the stream just down from Gooseham Bridge and opposite the office + took stuff out to the shelter + maintained scrub cutter and organized a meeting tomorrow with contractors + finished the day off with more cutting at Hard Hills

Weekend 15th/16th A tad cooler over the weekend with abit of fog and mist moving in + very quiet on the visitor front + pony check + trying to contact various contract workers to help finish off the reserve cutting programme + checking areas due for a cut to look for early nesting ( none found ) + most of cutting will be on grassland rather than 'scrubby' sections

Fri 14th Very foggy and cold first thing and for the rest of the morning - time spent in the office sorting out various stuff ( e mails mainly + made a start on the Annual Report ) + boundary check top side up to Hackmarsh then down stream for Otter spraint check ( one piece found middle distance ) + back to AR for the remainder of the day

Note - All yesterdays diary should be for Weds - yesterday was taken up with meeting PBF enthusiasts whom I took over to Hard Hills ( spent time looking for larvae but no luck + noted a lack of viola for this time of year ) + met a filming mate who wants to record some wildlife during the year ( butterflies noted included Red Admiral,Comma,Brimstone,Small Tortoiseshell and Peacock ( trying hard to feed on Primrose )

Thurs 13th Off reserve for awhile then back to fix the shelter in Hard Hills 3 + made it more stable and waterproof and less prone to having big holes punched into the roof section ( especially during windy periods ) + great fun trying to manipulate a 23 foot x 17 foot piece of material over a tall wooden structure - all by myself

First Chiffchaffs singing today with x6 at Hard Hills + carried out a general bird survey to see what was about - x4 Buzzards over Hard Hills + Sparrowhawk + x2 Ravens + x1 Woodcock + x1 Dipper + x2 Grey Wagtails + x2 Blackcaps ( male nearly let out a song but was spooked ) + x2 GS Woodpeckers banging away + seemed to be more than the usual number of Dunnock singing + x3 Goldcrest singing + x2 Mistle Thrush singing + all the other usual suspects

Big and brazen dog Fox at Hard Hills sitting at the top of the slopes in the sun shine ignoring me completely + had a very white chest and white neck markings which reached up to around its snout

Weds 12th - Thought I'd give over abit of space to Birdlife International today- trying to save 10 pairs of a species of bird in Tahiti

( Ive worked - in the dim and distant past- on one or two islands in the Indian Ocean trying to do the same with species particular to those islands - so this tale rang true ) .

Web site details on front page ( HOME )

Tahiti monarchs ( photo opposite) are beautiful, friendly songbirds and one of the most endangered species on the planet. There are only 10 breeding pairs left, clinging to existence in a steep wooded valley in French Polynesia.

It is now breeding season and local children, volunteers and Manu (BirdLife in French Polynesia) are giving this year’s chicks, their parents and fledglings all the support they can by planting trees and controlling rats, an invasive species which eats chicks and eggs. But it is raining hard in Tahiti and new threats from killer ants and other invasive predators are emerging.

Today in Tahiti birds are nesting and eggs are hatching but we need to make the forest safe for the fledglings, please donate and make the forest safe for the fledglings.

Tuesday 11th - Out first thing ( in the freezing cold ) down to Marsland Mouth + checked ponies and walked the complete fence line ( amazingly still intact all the way ) + ponies looking very well ( photo ) and I actually got up close to two of them to check out general health ( eyes, mouth and ears-that sort of thiing ) + walked top path and checked out Gull Rock + off reserve for awhile - checking out the canal at Dunsdon

Tidied up the shelter in HH3 later + spent time fixing up the old cover and putting back on the roof section + good to hear Dipper singing on the stream just behind the shelter whilst I was hammering away + amazing amounts of Hazel flowers this year ( photo) - these strange little crimson florets are easy to miss but if you look close you'll see them at the moment on any Hazel

Mon 10th - More cutting out at Hard Hills + raking + butterfly survey ( x1 Red Admiral, x1 Comma, x2 Brimstone and x1 Small Tortoiseshell ) + tidy barn area + very warm and sunny + time spent on paths mapping and reporting stuff

Weekend 8/9th - Took a trip down to the Bude Marshes and had a walk along the canal - noted Kingfisher,Teal, sick female Goosander, female Sparrowhawk, x14 Oystercatcher ( in adjoining fields catching worms very efficiently ), singing Reed Bunting and lots of Moorhen

Peacock, Red Admiral and Brimstone (singles) all out on reserve

Out first thing recording March dawn chrous

Fri 7th - Misty and cool first thing but sun came out late morning and for the first time this year it felt like Spring was on its way ( also had the first tick of the season ) + unlike many National Trust properties in the South West ( according to recent reports) Marsland didnt really lose any significvant amount of trees during the past 'storms' ( must be that we are in a sheltered valley ) + its always 'good' for a woodland that natural gaps are created within a closed canopy + cutting in c15 for a couple of hours

Had a walk in the afternoon just looking and observing + x7 Buzzards displaying + x2 Ravens + x2 Grey Wagtails + x1 Sparrowhawk ( hassling the Buzzards over Hard Hills ) + noted a Rabbit at Hard Hills - which is unusual as I haven't seen one on reserve for years + lots of early Spring birdsong including some Blue Tit calls I've never heard before ( they do tend to have many and some they hardly use at all )

Thurs 6th - Two meetings today ( second one didn't happen ) + cleaned up the office + more work on future film projects

Weds 5th - Collected brushcutter stuff first thing from Holsworthy then back to check out Hackmarsh + maintain equipment and fix new blades + out to carry out butterfly survey around Hard Hills ( x1 Peacock ) + photos ( sun out most of day and warmer than of late ) + cutting til mid afternoon then back to carry out IT checks in the home office ( back ups, web check - that kind of thing ) x2 Grey Wagtails at the bridge at Gooseham but no signs of the Dipper this year ( spent abit of time checking out possible nest sites )

Tues 4th - Walk down the west side of reserve first thing to check out contract work + checked ponies + tree check + continued cutting c47 and finished off the top 2/3rds ( the bottom section was left 3 years ago to 'scrub over' as I thought there was too much rough grass on it - the grass is slowly disappearing and I found x3 Dormouse nests today + 2 of them around the Hawthorn tree in the middle of the field + good to see x2 ant nests developing at the far end )

Mon 3rd - Cutting most of the morning and half the afternoon at Hard Hills and c47 + filmy stuff for the rest of the time

Sat/Sun 1st/2nd - Popped down to the coast ( Sandymouth to Bude section) to check out dead birds recently washed up after the 'storms' - small numbers Guillemot and Razorbills and alot of various fish species ( hardly any at Marsland apart from one or two decayed specimens ) + found out my contract guy is too busy to finish off the work here on reserve February 2014 :

Fri 28th - Working all day on x4 filming projects planned for the coming year ( basically means I've been thinking of formats and ideas + story boards ) + ranging from filming wildlife story telling to building a stone wall to general reserve atmospheres

Thurs 27th - Picked up x2 Mistle Trush singing today but a tad too windy to hear on recording which I made + at least x3 GS Woodpeckers banging away on the trees = took afew photos of spring related stuff mainly round Hard Hills + haven't seen or heard the Dippers for along time now + Otter spraint survey revealed none at all ( from Gooeham up to Hackmarsh - rise and fall of water in stream probably washing stuff away maybe ? ) + time spent up dating web site

Weds 26th - Picked truck up from garage in Bradworthy ( passed with flying colours apart from one back tyre change ) + 'road' checked trees at Hackmarsh ( wish other landowners would do the same as I had to back down a very long track coz of a tree down from adjoining land )

Mon 24th - Out first thing taking truck to Bradworthy for its MOT + back to meet a local chap who helped with making another felled tree safe ( hopefully he will be back on Weds to clear + collect wood ) + met up with guys fitting a new water pump + replacing some piping which had corroded ( good to see the sun today + had a Skylark singing over the back fields above the house ) + spent time on this web site + Andy at c15 cutting re growth bramble

Sun 23rd - Mini 'trial' up Darracott in the afternoon so I kept an eye on that + 'rare' House Sparrow in the garden

Sat 22nd - Brillient views of a male Merlin in the morning checking out a mixed flock of small birds flitting through the trees at Hard Hills + saw it again later around the house - chasing a Blue Tit off of the bird table on one occasion

Water pump playing up again + whilst 'priming' late in the evening I noticed a Lesser Horseshoe hanging from the rafters Fri 21st - Off reserve most of the morning ( advice re tree felling etc at local farm ) + checked ponies + checked trees/paths up to c15 and back along the bottom + picked up chainsaw ( Husky 61 )

Thurs 20th - Bright and sunny most of the day + scary rumblings whilst out at Hard Hills mid day turned out to be an earthquake under the Bristol Channel ( I thought it was a plane going overhead )

Blimey - floods, hurricanes and earthquakes all in one week

Weds 19th - Had to take big chainsaw ( Husky 61 ) back in to the machinery works as it wasnt working too well + just in case you were worried - Spring is on its way ( many species of bird singing away first thing )

Tues 18th - Out first thing with a friend making safe a fallen tree from last week ( still needs to be cleared but at least people can pass through on the path ) + cutting at Hard Hills

Mon 17th - Off reserve til just after lunch + lots of rain but calmer

Sun 16th - Walk first thing ( in the sun ! ) on west side - non dangerous tree blocking path at far end by double gates but clearing that will have to wait til Tuesday at the earliest ( if I can get my hands on a chainsaw and someone to help out ) + check ponies + rest of paths on this side clear

Sat 15th - The storm did arrive overnight + very windy but most seemed to pass over the south end of reserve + electricity off and on for most of the day and evening ( which seemed strange as it kept on during the very heavy wind and went off when it was calm )

Fri 14th - More cutting at Hard Hills first thing as the 'storm' forecast for today is apparently arriving overnight + carrying on from where Andy left off the other day + raking until heavy rain pushed me into the house office + off reserve in the afternoon ( advice at local woodland for a friend - big Grey Squirrel problem amongst a small Dormouse population )

Thurs 13th - Tree damage check first thing on BT path 12-24 / Travel Bridge track to the bridge and along bottom path to West Mill fields ( big branches and lots of Ivy ) + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth ( all three are fine ) + having problems with old chainsaws and manpower so hopefully tomorrows 'storm' won't touch the valley + out to meet Andy at Hard Hills re contract work + checked bridleway /Tredown in the afternoon (surprisingly clear although the actual path was a mud bath in many places ) + checked paths and trees on BT 1-12 ( off public paths but one or two folk will insist on walking them ) + no time for Hackmarsh check

Weds 12th - Maintaining chainsaws first thing ( x2 will have to go in to be 'looked at' ) + high winds forecast ( wind howling most of the day but still had a chap walking his dogs on reserve and a lady on a horse going towards the bridleway + another lady walking her dogs ) + 'sorting out' Hackmarsh administration / management / trees + scouted round Hackmarsh most of the afternoon ( tree check mainly + re think re management in the future )

Tues 11th - Off reserve til mid afternoon + office catch up + researching mobile/ ipod apps for recording wildlife

Mon 10th - Messing about at the bottom / barn first thing then off reserve for awhile looking for specific 2nd hand machinery amongst other things / MVF + back to continue on the internet + management plan review

Found a dead Firecrest outside the office this morning

Weekend 8th/9th - Still lots of wind and rain over the period but luckily no flooding in the valley as the stream tends to fall as fast as it rises / still been the wettest and windiest winter Ive ever known + pony check + one or two trees down in places but within the reserve rather than over paths + many Common Frog females gathering around the ponds and laying more and more spawn ( males close by and many in mating mode )

Really great to hear a lone Mistle Thrush singing over the wind and rain recently ( A 'stormcock' is one of the many traditional names found in British folklore for a Mistle Thrush.The name was traditionally used in the south of England. The name derives from the fact that the Mistle Thrush, unlike most other birds, who seek shelter from stormy weather, actually seems to be stimulated by approaching storms and will sing or call lustily before and through bad weather.) Fri 7th - Andy back in for a full day cutting Gorse re growth and seedlings at Hard Hills ( fairly decent day too apart from the odd heavy shower )

Weds 5th - Tree check down the bottom path first thing ( windy overnight) then back for a meeting with IC + later meeting with MB and SH ( office related ) and then a meet with J from BT ( re possible work down the road and up Darracott later in the year ) + x4 Ravens displaying and getting frisky + full web site 'test' all afternoon ( works perfectly )

Tues 4th - Beautiful first half of the day with brillient sunshine + out first thing clearing up afew fallen large branches from off of paths + general maintainence of tools + started cutting ( and finished ) Travel Bridge Meadow + rain later ( 3.30 ) + tree check + office

Mon 3rd - Decided to carry out an Otter spraint check along the stream up to Hackmarsh ( at least x1 very busy ) + keeping my eyes and ears open for cubs ( a la film in 2010 at this time of year) + pushed x1 Dipper up the stream + rain most of day + office

Sat/Sun 1st/2nd - Usual amount of rain and wind over the weekend but good to hear the first stirrings of early birdsong ( Song Thrush and Robin imparticular ) + Bullfinch making their annual visit to the garden to pluck off any early buds from the plum tree + male Peregrine at Marsland Mouth + Snowdrops appearing + Hard Hills looking the best its ever been especially for PBF's - if they get a sporting chance this season ( basically the habitat management is nigh on perfect so all we need from now on is lots of sunshine )

January 2014:

Fri 31st - Andy on Hard Hills slopes today cutting re growth in the areas cut last winter + joining on to where I left off the other day ( had to abandon mid morning after cutter broke down + heavy rain )

Weds 29th - Andy started today ( one of Terry Whiles contract guys) cutting up at the clearings in c25 ( he should be on site for a goodly number of days til the end of February + I continued to cut the top sections of Hard Hills slopes + widened paths just beyond Goat Meadow + cut paths/ride/glades in Otter Coppice + had to have a word with a group of 'runners ' who had 'lost their way' + really muddied up paths on BT 2-5 Tues 28th - Out first thing cutting at Hard Hills 1 and Hard Hills 3 ( finishing off bracken ) + widening path/glades + hedge cutting path BT 1-10 ( noted lots of Primrose leaves under the bracken ) + noted quite alot of Frogspawn in the pools and ruts ( just laid on the ground on x2 occasions) + checked ponies ( all well )

Mon 27th - Out cutting first thing + checked afew areas for fallen trees after last nights wind + off reserve for awhile meeting afew folk and visiting MVF then back to base and checked truck/tyres blown up/oil levels checked etc / machinery checked later + office ( Adit data base mainly )

Sat 25th - Recieved a short beetles list today from Rob Wolton ( 5 newbies ) + got me looking through the reserve beetle list + up dating and checking

Fri 24th - Rain most of the day / strange to note x5 Snipe at Hard Hills mid morning ( maybe the mist brought them down )

Thurs 23rd - More cutting late morning to late afternoon (c15) + sorting out HQ e mail / possible courses with Yarner Trust / courses (other) / fixing shelter in HH 3 / up dating signage

Weds 22nd - Cutting at c25 Clearings all morning + Hackmarsh check / patrol all afternoon + some cutting + maintained some tools later + office ( Health and Safety stuff )

Tues 21st - Off reserve for awhile (woodland management advice ) then a couple of meetings with various folk ( firewood + wood carving ) + a tad more cutting until rain set in mid afternoon then into home office to sort out out bird records over the past 26 year (book/leaflet in mind ) amongst other stuff + bat check mid evening in the shed ( x1 Lesser Horseshoe + x1 Peacock + x 88 Herald Moths )

Mon 20th - Office stuff + cleared a fallen tree from off bottom path + started clearing c25 top section ( nylon/nylon blades with power saw ) + more office stuff late afternoon

Sat 18th/Sun 19th - Sunny weather on the Sunday after heavy rain for long periods on the Saturday ( spent some time trying to avoid flooding at the bottom ) Good to spend time at Tamar Lakes doing abit of bird watching and walking ( usual stuff seen but nice to see Tufted Duck on the top lake and Golden Plover/ Lapwing in adjoining fields ) + checked ponies

Fri 17th - Boundary checks most of the day / up at the back of the house and along to Hackmarsh + office organizing Hoverfly ID courses later in the year

First Bluebell shoots noted today along with lots of Frogspawn - especially in tractor ruts and small ponds ( counted x5 very large female Frogs too ) + first tentative birdsong starting up ( Dipper on the stream again today )

Thurs 16th - Last day for the tree guys who are doing a splendid job + will be great to see the flora react to the open space + light + Bluebells should spread over the coming years

Spent the morning checking trees along the bottom path + clearing x2 + meeting with a local chap re firewood + checking path condition + checked ponies ( all three looking healthy and fine ) + checked tree condition up the track to Little Marsland +afternoon rain and office work ( web site up dates/photo portfolio/courses /records/editing management plan + annual reporting + feeling myself again of late with flu etc fading although I can still wheeze for England

Weds 15th - Good to hear Dipper back singing on the stream at Gooseham despite rain most of the afternoon

Tues 14th - Tree guys in again today and making a great job of coppicing the slope above the house / last day tomorrow / organizing a wildlife /landscape/macro photo portfolio all day and into the evening ( new course coming up soon ish )

Weds 8th - Mon 13th - General patrols / office work / organizing future workshops / being ill / web clicks hit 40000 in the New Year

Tues 7th - Tree thinning on slope above the house started - Joe Field Tree Care from Bude ( recommend very highly ) + Im still ill / office

Mon 6th - Office catch up for awhile but Ive been very ill over the weekend with 'flu' and I had to retire to my bed Fri 3rd - Very wet and windy + office work + I think I may have sorted out our water pump problem

Thurs 2nd - Day off on my 58th birthday

Weds 1st - New Years Day walk round reserve in the wind and rain + checked ponies

December 2013:

Fri 27th - Tues 31st - General patrols / tree checks / pony checks / weather been mild but lots of rain and wind

Male Peregrine hanging around the valley for awhile / No signs of Dipper this Xmas / noting more Goldcrest around the garden + x1 male Blackcap on the 25th / Lesser Horseshoe bat on the 26th flitting around outside the roost shed

Sat 21st - Thurs 26th - Quiet Xmas period / water problems still on going / ponies checked and general patrols / very sad death of J's lovely mum on Boxing Day after a short illness over the Xmas period

Fri 20th - Water pump playing up today so messing with that most of the day which didnt do my back any good + leaflet hard copies arrived and look great

Thurs 19th - Still got a tweeky back so more office based work

Weds 18th - Rain on and off most of the day + up loading and creating a wildlife photo album on Picasa (BBM56) + a new web site which may or may not relate to this one sometime in the future + 101 other officey things to keep me busy + ponies checked and OK ( Jane and Molly )

I had all the winter time thrush family in the garden today -x 1 Song, x 1 Mistle, x 7 Blackbird, x 7 Redwing and x 21 Fieldfare (flying over + x 2 called in )

Tues 17th - Over the past few days Ive been researching stuff / mainly PBF larvae behaviour / e mailing Tom B at BC etc + attempting to find out which other insect larvae may feed or does actually feed on viola + more web updates / photo editing etc

Started to outline a new improved reserve management plan which will be divided into sections relevant to habitat management + species management ( only planning at this stage but its starting to feel plausible and potentially more useful )

Im attempting to write some kind of book on birds at the moment ( birds which in my opinion are above the birdy average ) - my bird of the year so far has to be this one from the USA - Clark's Nutcrackers store seeds, usually in the ground for later consumption, in caches of 1-15 seeds (average of 3-4 seeds). Depending on the cone crop as well as the tree species, a single Clark's Nutcracker can cache as many as 98,000 seeds per season. The birds regularly store more than they actually need as an insurance against seed theft by other animals (squirrels, etc.), as well as low availability of alternative foods; this surplus seed is left in the cache, and may be able to germinate and grow into new trees, if the conditions are right. Through this activity of caching and over-storing, the bird is perpetuating its own habitat. Closely tied in with this storage behavior is the bird's remarkable long-term spatial memory; they are able to relocate caches of seeds with remarkable accuracy, even nine months later, and even when the cache sites are buried under up to a meter (3 ft) of snow ( from Wiki )

Thurs 10th - Mon 16th - Light duties + home office mainly

Weds 9th - Out first thing cutting but my back went (again) so had to return to office duty + painful meeting with BT later on

Tues 8th - After sorting out some stuff with BT in the office first thing I went out to Hard Hills to start cutting the left side with nylon blades + nylon ( left some areas to 'scrub over' over the next few years ) + started and finished cutting the glade area just before HH + cutting the first coppice area after Goat Meadow left side ( opposite Otter Coppice ) + back in office late afternoon

Noted that the fallen oak leaves ( now brown ) along the top section of the left side of Hard Hills would ( may) be a 'good' thing for the PBF's because so much 'brown' with viola pushing through would probably be an ideal 'habitat' for laying eggs Mon 7th - Stroll up to Hackmarsh in the morning checking both boundary lines + checking out BT work + organizing a meeting with BT re work which may affect reserve

Web site up dates all afternoon and way into the evening ( moonfruit developing a tablet version of web sites but very simple as yet )

Sun 8th - Met x6 people interested in PBF management so i took them around Hard Hills ( they'd read the article in the latest DWT magazine and came on the off chance of meeting me )

Edited and then e mailed off a couple of photos which are to be used in publications in the new year ( Song Trush opposite is one of them + a PBF mating shot I took afew years ago )

Set my little hide up in the nature garden in the hope of taking some bird shots ( not many around ) I'll have to set up a feeding station to attract them in

Sat 7th - General patrols through reserve + winter bird survey / tree checks / path checks etc + chat with group (x4) bikers moving through the valley

Birds noted include x3 Woodcock, x2 Redwing and x1 Grey Wagtail - pretty quiet otherwise

Fri 6th - Off reserve again for awhile during the morning then back for a Fungus survey ( seems to be quite afew species around at the moment ) - took one or two photos but didnt find anything different

Otter suvey later - with new spraint at Gooseham Bridge + some thin, pale looking spraint I haven't come across before ( cubs ? ) + checked both Otter holts put in a couple of years ago

Thurs 5th - Met contractors today re some tree surgery work near the house in the early new year + had a chat with neighbour Gillian ( Ayres ) over the border re some tree work advice + off reserve with more wildlife management advice most of the rest of the day + back in the house office sorting out contract work once again + a few really nice comments coming back re the Hoverfly lealfet Weds 4th - More office based work today as my back tweeked again yesterday although it only hurts when I laugh

Tues 3rd - Changed the font on the Fritillary Management leaflet ( easier said than done - the old font leaflet can still be downloaded from web site )) + up loaded Hoverfly Leaflet to web site ( can be seen / downloaded / printed as a Pdf at HOME)

Mon 2nd - Cutting first thing over at Hard Hills on the slopes + many viola plants under the scrub layer + tough going but rewarding

Spent time surveying for PBF larvae - didnt find any although I did locate many viola leaves chewed in the typical manner with a 'half moon' chunk taken out ( Ive only found two other insect larvae (moths) which feed on viola but both pretty scarce and dont live on reserve - to my knowledge anyway )

I 've a strong feeling that these areas of scrub/bramble are really important for PBF larvae and perhaps after hatching in the open areas they 'migrate' to these more covered areas for shelter/protection/food ?

Bought some drain piping for the shelter - to use as a 'frame' and not for running water off the roof - the round smooth surface of the pipe should help keep the fabric of the roof section intact ( the old one has many holes in it but will be used again as a 'first skin' )

November 2013 :

Fri 29th - Off reserve most of the morning and then into the home office sorting out various projects for next year + contract organization for this winter + Grey Squirrel survey off the main Hazel coppice Dormouse areas ( recorded x3 ) - Greys are an introduced species from the USA and despite their furry, cuddly image are a massive problem in the British countryside. Some folk call them 'tree rats' which seems to me to sum up their behaviour and attitude. Ive witnessed them eating both birds' eggs and young and also devouring young Dormice in boxes ( Greys are very adept at getting into any nest box ) Thurs 28th - Uncoupling the cutter/collector first thing then spent the rest of the morning and some afternoon splitting logs out on reserve and bringing back to base + then taking off the 'roof' of the shelter so I can fix it (its a little bit ripped ripped ) + a bat survey around Gooseham Bridge as Ive noticed afew buzzing around late in the afternoon ( they turned out to be x3 Lesser Horseshoe ) + looking into opening up the old mill leat and water storage area ( easily reached from the nature garden ) + it'd make a good talking point and a good wildlife pond

More 'batting' in the evening with some mates ( not much happening to be honest although we did hear lots of hooting - Tawny Owls - and actually heard a tree fall over somewhere over in the Darracott track area )

Weds 27th - Cutting in Franks Field first thing then meeting with Ian Chadwick from HQ + more cutting on the slopes at Hard Hills ( lots of viola underneath the cut area which hasnt seen the light of day for 10 years ) + using 'nylon' blades today on the scrub cutter because of the number of large stones on the slopes ( metal blades could shatter ) + had a look for PBF larvae but none found

Looks like Marsland has abit of money to spend on more contract work over winter ( will help maintain the already cut areas from last winter )

Male Sparrowhawk hanging around the house bird feeder waiting for an unwary Blue Tit or two + old dog Fox wandering along the top path to Goat Meadow + x1 Dipper at Hard Hills 3 section of stream + Grey Wagtail on house window sills ( feeding on insects caught on Spider webs )

Tues 26th - More cutting out at Hard Hills + office later

Mon 25th - Met up with wood loggers first thing ( probably their last visit to Franks Field to collect wood from last winter ) + waited for other contrators who were supposed to come down to cut trees/branches at the bottom re electricity clearence ( as it happened the guys seemed to have the wrong area on the wrong day + our power stayed on too - it was supposed to be off 9-4 ) + walk down to Marsland Mouth to check ponies ( looking fine ) + checked on trees / paths ( up BA path / down the concrete road / along the bottom and back to base )

Full monitor walk round the Grey Squirrel areas ( through Goat Meadow and up to the top boundary above Hard Hills and over the valley to the other side + only saw x2 ) + carried out Dormouse nest survey ( x1 ) and checked trees/paths

Web site clicks reached 39000 today

Sat 23rd - Another cold frosty start to the day + warming up slightly later on + general stroll around + 'shooter' patrols in the truck + first Redwing of the season stripping the Holly berries outside the house + flock of x12 Siskin noted feeding on Alder in Otter Coppice

Fri 22nd - Out first thing having a walk up the valley in the first frost of the year ( far too many Grey Squirrels and x5 Woodcock ) + bringing in tractor + more cutting + photos trying to capture autumnal atmosphere on the reserve ( failed )

Beautiful sunny day the rest oftoday + light perfect for photography although I didnt take my camera out on the Dormouse nest transect + Grey Squirrel survey ( fewer nests than usual - only x1 - but had x6 Greys ) + had the best view of a Brown Hare ever ( I actually noticed it on the other side of the stream in Goat Meadow and so I stood perfectly still and watched it approach the water ( I thought it would turn round and go somewhere else but it didnt ) It then, to my great surprise dipped its front paws in the water and took off swimming confidently across the fairly fast moving water ( I'll tell you - its slightly bizzare watching an animal like a Hare swim ! ) It then got out, without shaking itself and came within 2 feet of my wellies. But then it knew 'something' was in its way and so actually went round me through some low scrub - coming out just behind me ears twitching all the time. This beautiful splendid creature then took off lolloping down the path and out of sight ( photo of Brown Hare opposite - by Steve Round ) The best wildlife experience all year and Im still buzzing

Out and about later on in the truck on the lanes up to Hackmarsh and Woolley checking on various stuff including known 'dumping' areas and trees over public roads

Thurs 21st - Improptu woodland mangement advice + looking at lichens with a small group who turned up mid morning whilst I was tidying up in Franks Field + spent time looking at large fallen oak branches in order to survey for galls and other stuff ( lichens especially good at the top of trees I find + searched for Golden Lichen but none found - the specimen in Hard Hills looking a tad yellow - rather than Golden - around the gills ) + fixing up the shelter after the wind ( will need to deconstruct at some point in time and reassemble )

Decided to alter the font on the hoverfly leaflet and it now looks really good - more informal and font friendly )

Weds 20th - Cutting and finishing off Franks Field first thing with tractor/collector + cutting areas with power scrubcutter where the tractor cant go ( tree stumps mainly causing the problem )

Chubb guy checked all our office fire safety equipment later on ( then got stuck on wet leaves going out - so I swept the road with a good old stiff brush and off he went ) + met up with contractors re possible winter works + checking boundary above Hard Hills re fence and escaped sheep + tree safety check ( been a tad windy over the past few days )

Tues 19th - Checking hoverfly leaflet first thing and sending out to Rob Wolton then over to Franks Field cutting and collecting the grass and bracken ( 2/3rds done ) + counted x7 Field Voles + x5 Robins looking for grubs and disturbed insects + x2 Buzzards looking for the Field Voles+ more hoverfly leaflet later + final edition completed

Mon 18th - More cutting + rain came in then up to St Marks School to manage a section of their little nature reserve + later finished editing and compiling the new hoverfly leaflet ( thanks go to Rob Wolton and Stephen Falk for text and photographs)

Sun 17th - Early winter bird survey - not really too much to report apart from the usual suspects + x1 Dipper (way up towards Hackmarsh ) + x1 Woodcock + x2 Fieldfare + x1 GS Woodpecker + x3 Blackcap + x2 Chiffchaff + many Blackbirds especially in the garden feeding on the fallen apples ( didnt see either Treecreeper or Goldfinch )

Fri 15th - Cutting all day - Hard Hills again ( my back is - seemingly - better ( right leg playing up now )

Thurs 14th - Bit of a tweek in my back today so spent time editing the new hoverfly leaflet ( words by Dr Rob Wolton ) + rummaging around in the undergrowth at Hard Hills looking for PBF larvae amongst other things ( none found unsurprisingly ) + found many more ant hills too - will the ants eat any of the larvae I wonder ? I need a Phd student to study this aspect of the ants' behaviour )

Weds 13th - Cutting out at Hard Hills all day - cut HH2 + started in the new coppice + some office work down at the bottom ( mainly spent waiting for the computer to warm up ) + more hoverfly leaflet 'thinking' time

Tues 12th - Unblocking drains and water run off channels around the office building first thing ( lots of springs have sprung coz of the heavy rain over the past few days ) + then out to Hard Hills 3 and 1 to continue cutting + on the slopes in the afternoon ( very encouraging to see loads of Common Violets under all the bracken and low lying scrub )

Mon 11th - Off reserve most of the day + checking hoverfly records later re a leaflet in the pipeline + checking through local planning applications whch could affect the reserve in some way

Sat/Sun 9th/10th - Patrols mainly and generally checking around + ponies and trees/paths - chatting to visitors + bikers passing through

Fri 8th - Out first thing getting very wet checking on neighbours escaped sheep then met up with National Trust Ranger Fred Hutt from down in Bovey Tracy + discussing and looking at Hard Hills + PBF management + FH has a potential PBF site on the area he works + I love talking to people who love wildlife, who have obvious dedication, experience, knowledge and self motivation (sadly lacking throughout the ranks of conservation these days )

Off reserve rest of the afternoon + advice on woodland managementto folk over on a farm just outside Holsworthy

Thurs 7th - Cutting with tractor/cutter first thing + power saw cutting at HH 3 and HH 1 + mainly bracken and bramble re growth + alder seedlings + later met up with local guy up beyond Gooseham to discuss and look at woodland area + possible pond etc + check round Hackmarsh ( trees from Gooseham track - Hackmarsh farm )

Weds 6th - Male and female Blackcap in the garden first thing + a couple of Chiffchaffs + Heron on the stream at HH3 ( at the same place I saw Kingfisher some time back - seems to be a large gathering of Trout there on most days ) + Otter spraint at Gooseham Bridge + Hornet flitting about in the drizzle

Worked on making good stream crossings + cleared bramble from off of office roof + tidied up the plant life + brought in the camera/infra red from the bat roost and cleaned ( still x4 bats in there ) + 101 other small jobs which I put off during the summer ( eg clearing the drains, oiling stuff, lagging pipes, bringing in bridges )

Full run through 'test' of this web site to keep it up to date and to make sure all is working as it should + up loaded PDF of selected visitors over the past few years ( Documents 2 in HOME )

Tues 5th - Electricity off most of the early morning up to 8am + hopefully new plumber coming sometime today + weather has been wet and windy for some days now

Putting some heavy concrete blocks on front of the tractor first thing ( hopefully will counter balance the cutter ) + continued cutting at HH3 ( inbetween waiting for phone calls from plumbers etc ) + decided to leave cut vegetation this year ( when cutting with power cutter ) mainly because of lack of man power - most of it should rot away over winter anyway + if there is time during the winter I'll rake up as and when

Plumber arrived mid afternoon and we have water again + Im off to have a shower

Mon 4th - No luck with plumber today - didnt seem at all interested in helping me out so tried to find another one ( easier said than done round these parts ) + looks like we're without water for awhile at this rate

Cutting and finishing off Goat Meadow later - in tractor + made a start on cutting HH#3 - powered scrubcutter

Good to see Dipper at HH3 + Grey Wagtail + Red Admiral flying about in the late sunshine

Sat/Sun 2nd/3rd - Water off down at office and up to the house + spent some time looking for the problem but looks like a plumbers job to me + good to see x5 LH Bats in the shed where the water pump is located + x105 Herald Moths ( photos ) and x2 Red Admiral settling down for hibernation

Fri 1st - Off reserve most of the morning then back to office + general patrols rest of the afternoon

October 2013:

Thurs 31st - Checked ponies in the morning and wandered round Marsland Mouth especially the fence side ( it is almost 25 years old and may need renewing soon ish ) + cutting on hold at the moment mainly because grass and scrub is too wet ( cut vegetation tends to block the cutter collector ) + old mate from RSPB popped in later so I took him round the reserve + discussed possible bird surveys / monitoring in the future

Weds 30th - Office first thing then off reserve for most of the morning + organizing some mapping work + Hackmarsh boundary checks

Tues 29th - Off reserve all morning ( chainsaw advice etc at a farm above Tamar Lakes ) + cutting for a while and then office when the rain set in

Mon 28th - I was woken up at 1am this morning by water dripping onto my forehead a la 'the ancient water torture' ( the end was nigh I thought ) + turned out to be a drip from a cracked slate on the roof which I fixed by climbing into the attic space + but hardly any sleep for the rest of the night imagining the worse + out at first light into the relative calm to check out all the 'damage' forcast over the past days + didnt find any ... not even one large fallen branch ( after walking all the public footpaths for 4 hours ) + ponies OK + the 'storm' just hasnt happened around these parts ( it rained abit and was a tad 'blowy' over the other side of the valley but that was it ) + all fine around Goat Meadow and surrounding area too ( even the Hard Hills shelter survived )

Cutting the rest of the bright and breezy day

Sat 26th - Sun 27th - Spent most of the weekend worrying about 'Armageddon' arriving on Monday ( according to the mass media and the BBC the end of the world is starting on Sunday night into Monday morning ) + made sure I had all the right equipment ready and fully maintained and I also drew up a 'plan of action' + a list of names I could call up to help out Fri 25th - Began to work on the 'ford' crossings over the stream to Goat Meadow and beyond - mainly moved tree roots on the tracks and made the whole thing less steep as the tractor + cutter is a wee bit 'back heavy' + general boundary check up to Hackmarsh + cutting in Goat Meadow round the edges missed yesterday + I was going to carry out a tree check on paths to the coast but apparently a big 'storm' is heading our way on Monday so I'll leave it til Tuesday ( hope it isnt as bad as the news is making out as I sprained a finger today and chainsaw work is nigh on impossible at the moment )

When I was 7 or 8 my uncle let me look through his 'pull out' telescope at a Starling on a wall opposite his house . It was the best thing I'd ever seen - he was cremated today and 50 years later that scope is now with me .

Thurs 24th - Sorting out coastal records/data/future survey work first thing + office then out to maintain the tractor/cutter and started on cutting Goat Meadow ( only 2/3 as I want to leave the middle section til the weather turns colder ) + office again later in the evening + e mail chat with Dr Tom Brereton ( who is off the coast of Marsland in a CEFAS ship monitoring sea life - thats the Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture Science to you and me ) + Tom reports seeing Grey Seal , lots of Dolphins and Balearic Shearwaters ( not bad for someone who is head of monitoring at Butterfly Conservation )

Weds 23rd - Cutting at Hard Hills #1 all day + cutting bramble creepers / vegetation in last years final cut coppice ( noted many clumps of viola ready for next seasons PBF's ) + cleared a tree from off of the bridleway path first thing

Wood cutters in Franks Field for some of the day shifting wood from last winters contract work

Noted Red Admiral in HH Coppice + many varied species of insect in the afternoon when the sun came out and warmed up the area ( including many Common Red Darters )

Tues 22nd - Having problems re the pipe lagging / cleared up round the barn + cleared my house office files + office catch up / rain most of the day Mon 21st - Rain all day with wind picking up mid morning + started and finished Butterfly Report for 2013 ( download as PDF @ HOME ) + sent off to various people/groups + sorting out outside toilet pipes + ditch

Sun 20th - Frequent mixed flocks of small birds moving about of late - Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, usual Tit species, Blackcap, Bullfinch, Chaffinch and Wren amongst them ( + Grey Wagtail messing about on the office roof and male Merlin flying up the track to Gooseham - they must have bred round here somewhere ) + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth ( Gannets noted off the coast )

Tues 15th - Sat 19th - Off reserve - went back up north with my mum ( my uncle died - aged 83 ) + tree check /stroll on my return

Mon 14th - Sunny and bright after morning rain ( very autumnal ) + x4 Southern Hawkers , x17 Common Red Darters + 100's 'drone fly' hoverflies + x3 Small Copper, x1 Speckled Wood, x2 Red Admiral

Cutting over at Hard Hills most of the afternoon

Sun 13th - General stroll around reserve today + check ponies

Sat 12th - Web site clicks hit 38000 today

Fri 11th - Off reserve for some of the day + check ponies + up dating web site + office work

Thurs 10th - Finalized a Moth course + Hoverflies x2 + Bumblebees + maybe Lichens / Wildlife / Landscape Photography ( all for next year )

Weather starting to turn - more like autumn with cool breeze and cloudy sunshine

Weds 9th - Sorting out PBF/SPBF + individual butterfly species reports today + sent off to various people + looking into more courses for next year

Electricity tree trimming guys came and went but didnt trim ( tree branches poking up through wires + too sparky ) Tues 8th - Meetings all day with Ian C and Matt B + reports later

Fri 4th - Mon 7th - More cutting - inbetween the rainy periods + more photos ( mainly of stuff I can't identify but at least they remain as a record - of sorts - for future experts to mull over) + checked ponies + Hackmarsh + Beatland Wood area + spent some time in Goat Meadow waiting for potential bikers but none turned up

Good to hear Dipper singing at Gooseham Bridge on the 6th + tree check Tredown/Bridleway

Thurs 3rd - Rain most of the day + spent time with various species data/reports/photos + organized my small mammal trapping results ( didnt take very long - although it was intended as a 'look - see' rather than a full blown study - that'll come next year ) + species found over the last few weeks - x1 Pygmy Shrew , x2 Wood Mouse and x1 Field Vole ( reached the conclusion that the traps were probably placed in the wrong place (s) + maybe should in future vary the food bait ( mainly nutty stuff at the moment and probably needs more meal wormy type stuff )

Weds 2nd - Out cutting early again - Hard Hills and new coppice in #3 + after lunch too + office later + Hackmarsh ( all boundaries checked + trees )

Butterflies - x1 Red Admiral, x2 Speckled Wood, x3 Small Tortoiseshell and x1 Comma

Flocks of mixed species birds moving through - in the garden I had x3 Blackcap, x1 Goldfinch, x1 Goldcrest, Blue/Great/Marsh,Coal and LT Tits, x6 Willow Warbler, x2 Chiffchaff, x1 GS Woodpecker

Tues 1st - Cutting most of the day ( 8am - 3.00pm) at the start of the BT path 1 , c47 (part) and glade beyond Goat Meadow right track ( Hornets nest + rain stopped play ) + office catch up

Motorbikes have been on the path beyond Goat Meadow for the first time ever - seems x2 came down from Hackmarsh ( Sunday ? ) and seem to have lost their way

September 2013 : Mon 30th - HQ meeting all day

Sun 29th - General walk round reserve and down to MM to check ponies

Sat 28th - Molly (my Sprocker dog ) is very good at sniffing out Hedgehogs and found x2 in the nature garden

Fri 27th - Sorting out moth / beetle records all morning / after lunch + going over the 'moths in canopy' idea for next season + ideas re moth ID weekender next year + Hackmarsh later + pony check

Late evening check for possible Brown Hairstreak - not many people actually notice adults but I reckon if they were here I could spot one especially the females ( you may remember that I thought I may have had a sighting last year at this time hence the survey ) + walked to every accessible area around HH with Blackthorn + spent some time around the Blackthorn in our garden ( brief glimpse of something flitting at the top of the oak trees )

Noticed quite afew Ash tops looking abit thin ....

Thurs 26th - Meeting with various folk all morning + discussions re management + sorting out my home office internet with BT all afternoon + lost faith in all mankind and decided to end it all ( not really ) + inbetween all the BT nightmare I did manage to write a Butterfly 2013 Report

Spent the evening on a bat watch survey ( funnily enough I had x1 LH Bat + Pips mainly )

Weds 25th - Off reserve all morning + more research in the afternoon + survey of Chrysolina beetles in Goat Meadow ( x196 + photo ) + found a moth larvae ( unb ID ) in an 'unrolled' bit of hazel leaf + x2 Hummingbird Hawk Moth + x19 Small Tortoiseshell in Hard Hills #2 alone feeding primarily on DB Scabious

Tues 24th - Spent most of the morning doing research into various species especially Otters and selected plant galls / leafminers ( interesting shot of Artichoke Gall on the buds of Oak - see Plant Galls in Select Species ) + general safety checks after lunch on west side of reserve + checked trees and paths + noted 100's of Chrysolina banksii beetles ( photo ) + took afew photos of various butterflies Also carried out a Hazel Weevil leaf case survey on the BT 1-11 + counted x12 cases which is more than recent years surveys ( the leaf actually encloses a pupae case and a copious amount of 'frass' ( droppings) of the larvae which - I assume - stays in this state until the following spring )

Mon 23rd - Slight 'lower back' problem at the moment so spent all day in office ( outlining next years courses which should include Hoverflies ( part 2 ) , Moths ( weekender), Birdsong , Dragonflies, Wildlife Photography and Plant Galls - amongst others ( maybe Spiders, Pondlife Woodland Plants, Woodland Management, PBF Management )

Jane checked out ponies at Marsland Mouth + dead Grey Seal on the beach

I did manage to get round Hard Hills later on + x5 Red Admiral, x6 Small Copper ( photo ) , x12 Small Tortoiseshell, x6 Speckled Wood, x8 Large White, x4 GV White, Brimstone x5 and x3 Comma

Many Southern Hawkers noted ( with x4 pairs mating - one pair along way from water and hanging onto vegetation in Goat Meadow ( photo )

Otter spraint in Otter Coppice full of Dor Beetle cases ( at least x4 individuals ) + this is an unusual food source but can be a supplement to other food items ( there was Diving Beetle case in there too )

Sun 22nd - Big catch up with e mails + other stuff most of the day

Sat 14th - Sat 21st - 'Busmans' holiday on the Isles of Scilly + always a pleasure to see the special wildlife ( Rose Chafer beetles particulary spectacular + Ortolan Bunting + c50 Dolphins on the way over with x2 Basking Sharks )

Fri 13th - Off reserve all morning + lots of e mails and other stuff in the afternoon + rain and damp again + catch up and update material + download photos for a HQ article on the butterfly season at Marsland + tidy e files and paper files

Thurs 12th - Very misty and damp first thing + a 'fall' of c9 Blackcap ( male and female ) outside the house office in the bushes in the garden + the usual amount of Tit species, Goldcrest, the odd Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler and one or two Swallows heading back to Africa

Web site hits 37000

Drizzle and damp + office all day

Weds 11th - A full and very satisfying day showing groups of DWT 'long time' members round the Hard Hills area of the reserve ( x9 in the morning and x10 in the afternoon ) along with Dan and Jasmine from DWT HQ + weather fine but not sunny yet we did manage to see a wide variety of wildlife ( Hazel Weevil still around + young Slow Worms, Ant nests and some very interesting galls and leaf miners ) + really interesting day and was a great pleasure to meet and chat with all the folk who came to visit the reserve ( photos )

Tues 10th - Very chilly first thing and remained so even when the sun came out later on - still have Large White, Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell hanging around

Some cutting first thing mainly around the office area + nature garden + track

Mon 9th - Spent most of the morning managing the pond and other stuff up at St Marks school + later on tidy Marsland office + organize home office files on computer + back up and deleting un used files etc + sorting out archive material ( ie what to do with it - keep or get rid )

Sun 8th - Cranefly Ecology and Identification Course - fully booked with 13 people spending all day at the Marsland office with the excellent John Kramer + lots of great and interesting slides and specimens for ID using (in the main) microscopes ( some provided by JK + some delegates brought their own ) and species keys + lots of tea and biscuits + a great success all round ( photos ) + made many contacts for more courses next year

Sat 7th - Some prep work for tomorrow + MM checking ponies + printing out stuff and checking office equipment after the thunder and lightening storm very early this morning ( phones out + internet down + managed to get internet back on track but phones still dead ) Fri 6th - Moth trapping last evening / night - lots of Black Arches and heaving with Brimstone Moths + Acleris emargana

First real rain for many days today + office catch up most of the morning and early afternoon + abit of shopping for Sunday + up dating lists and records + filing all the digital maps of the reserve + attempting to digitalize 'paper' maps in archive

Thurs 5th - Website 'Moonfruit' now have a new version of their web design template which I have been looking at + may (will) have to go over to that version soon ( hopefully won't lose too much from this site + if things prove 'too much' I may have to shut down )

Early am - Ponies have Burdock 'burrs' at the moment ( mainly on their tails + manes ) which although may look uncomfortable actually do no harm and will fall off eventually + cleaned up some litter and plastic off of the 'beach' at Marsland + had a stroll round taking notes of what needs doing over the coming months and over winter ( re management ) + checking quality of the stream from Travel Bridge to the mouth

Off reserve all afternoon ( more woodland management advice ) + back later in the nature garden ( weeding ) and doing some prep for the Cranefly Course this Sunday

Weds 4th - Lost quite abit of data on the web site first thing but managed after awhile to get it all back + then went to Marsland Mouth to check ponies and cut their path which they use to go for a drink in the stream + locked keys in truck after wasps got in from wasp nest next to open passenger window + I got out quick whilst x7 horses passing so closed door quickly so as not to get stung and / or trampled ( and forgot my keys were still in the ignition + a very nice man from D and C Recovery came and got me back in + that took all day mainly because of the amount of to and froing from MM to the house to phone people up ( no signal on the mobile ) + ( spare keys in France with Steve ) + managed to check path and trees down Travel Bridge and along bottom ( x3 times)

Recorded a spectacular 'picture wing' fly yesterday and Rob Wolton IDed it for me last night - Phasia hemiptera (stock photo ) One of a small group of distinctive Tachinid flies. This species is strongly sexually dimorphic the female has noticeable orange hair patches on the sides of the thorax, and the abdomen shows some subdued orange marking. The males are even more colourful with curved patterned wings.Various habitats, but usually in well wooded areas or around hedgerows etc. It is a parasite of Heteropteran bugs, with known hosts including Green Shieldbug and Forest Bug. The female lays her eggs on these insects and the larvae then develop inside the living host.Widespread and fairly frequent, particularly in the southern half of Britain.

Editing video footage in the evening but still putting off the day when I have to stitch it all together !

Tues 3rd - Cutting BT paths 1- 11 all morning + selected glades and ride areas + sorted workshop

Beautiful autumn afternoon so had a concentrated look for SPBF but didnt find any ( so yesterday was the official last day of the SPBF flight period - running continuous since May 16th - thats 109 days and that must be a record for anywhere let alone here at Marsland ) + noted Speckled Wood, SWF, Common Blue, Small Copper, MB, Red Admiral, Peacock, Large White, GV White , Small Tortoiseshell and Comma

Many Common Red Darters around + Southern Hawkers ( female photo illustrating the effect of merging into the background ) and Emerald Damselflies

Also had x3 young Grey Wagtails and a young Moorhen ! ( at Gooseham Bridge )

Had a stroll late afternoon round BT paths 12-24 checking path condition and trees along the way - all seem fine + pony check

Mon 2nd - Off reserve most of the morning + later sorting out costs of DSLR camera and lens ( proposed setting up of a DWT Film Unit )

Carried out some cutting at Hackmarsh + more plant gall work ( recorded Bracken and Broad Buckler Fern galls - Chirosia grossicauda and C. betuleti + branching out to 'leaf miners' as a result ( photos up loaded to Plant Galls at Select Species ) ( Also recorded what for me was a new species - Phyllonorycter coryli - photo + not many records of this in the south west )

Nut Leaf Blister Moth - Phyllonorycter coryli (Nicelli, 1851) Wingspan 7-9 mm.

A common moth throughout much of the British Isles, this species is one of the few in the genus which mine the upperside of leaves, rather than the underside.

The larva forms a blotch on leaves of hazel (Corylus avellana), having a parchment-like upper surface, and causing the leaf to contort, especially if close to the margin. There can be several mines to one leaf, and the mines are very visible in late summer and autumn.

Being bivoltine, the adults are on the wing in May and again in August.

MBrown still hanging on with SWFritillary and probably the last of the SPBF's

Sun 1st - Weather still calm and fairly warm although pretty chilly in the mornings + spent most of the day sorting out plant galls ID and reading up on the subject + Marsland Mouth checking ponies etc + more up loads to my photography book (on the wildlife of Marsland down the years )

August 2013:

Sat 31st - Updating and adding material to web site ( eg more butterflies + moths in PHOTOS ) + re organizing one or two of the pages

Fri 30th - Spent some time checking out links which my daughter Becky had sent to me re what nature reserves and wildlife areas can offer up to people with mental problems and disabilities ( ie how we can help with a more 'spiritual' dimension using nature reserves as a focal point - Becky works with 'Workways' based in Exeter )

There are 1278 different types of plant galls in the UK - Marsland list stands at x4 (so along way to go before I sleep) + spent some time on reserve specifically looking for galls again ( ided Eriophyes laevis on Alder and new to reserve - although this species is very common ( after saying that it hasnt been recorded in the area according to the National Biodiversity Gateway web site ) + Holly mite Phytomyza ilicis ( again new to reserve lists and not recorded on the NBG site )

11.47 am - list now stands at x6

New page created on this site specifically for 'galls' + photos mainly ( see SELECT SPECIES)

Marsland Mouth later pulling the last of the Ragwort ( very little ) + checking ponies ( all good and in excellent condition - although today a 'member of the public' reported to HQ that one of them had cuts and scapes all over its legs - none of them did) x34 Speckled Wood at MM mainly along the paths

Thurs 29th - More plant gall survey with 'usual suspects' found - Smooth Spangle Gall, Silk Button Gall, Common Gall - all on Oak ( proving records of their respective wasp )

Ive had afew e mails re galls so below is a 'run down' -

What is a gall?  A gall is a growth of plant tissue that starts with an organism’s (insects, mites, fungi) chemical and/or mechanical stimulus, which increases the plant’s production of plant growth hormones (auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, etc.).  Galls are made ofcells that are more numerous or larger than normal plant cells, or plant organs whose growth and development have been altered into unusual shapes.  An insect gall forms because of the plant’s response to the insect’s egg laying, presence of the egg, and/or feeding stimulation by the larva. Plant cells are usually modified and enlarged, the plant tissue surrounds the egg or larva, and the gall protects and feeds the gall-maker.

Where are galls located?  Usually occur on rapidly-growing plants or plant parts.  On catkins, seeds, flowers, petioles, branches, stems, and roots; most occur on leaves and buds.

What do galls look like?  Some galls are single-chambered (monothalamous) and contain only one gall-maker, and others are multi-chambered (polythalamous) and contain many gall-makers.  The most common galls are described as blister, bud, bullet, oak apple, roly-poly, rosette, or stem galls.

What are the most common gall-making insects?  Most gall-making insects are adelgids, phylloxerans, psyllids, gall midges, or gall wasps (cynipids).  Of the more than 2,000 gall-making insects in the U.S., over l,700 are gall midges or gall wasps.

Can insect galls hurt a tree?  Leaf galls can be abundant and noticeable, but are usually not physically damaging.  Neuroterus sp. leaf galls, however, make leaves look diseased after galls have dropped off the leaves, and may cause some defoliation.  Occasional stem galls should not be physically damaging or reduce tree growth. However, severe infestations by some gall-maker species may alter branch angles, cause branch dieback, or tree decline.  Some reports suggest that severely infested trees in nurseries may not establish well after being installed, but no studies have been done to confirm/refute this.  Ifproperly maintained, established trees do survive and outgrow a gall infestation in the landscape.

Are galls ever beneficial to have?  Some galls/gall-makers are used in weed biological control programs.  Galls containing tannic acid (e.g., oak galls) have been used to make inks and dyes, and to tan leather.

Weds 28th - Popped up to Hackmarsh first thing to have a look round - all OK + checked for a 'dumping'of Japanese Knotweed ( could be Him. Bal ) but couldn't locate + more editing of film ( dragonflies hovering and GS Woodpecker )

Butterflies still out at Hard Hills include x12 SWF , x1 MBrown, x3 Common Blue, x12 SPBF, x7 Peacock, x9 Red Admiral, x2 Comma, x7 Small Tortoiseshell , x4 Small White, x4 Large White, x1 Gatekeeper, x1 Small Copper, x1 GV White, x1 Brimstone and x2 Speckled Wood Started the Plant Gall Monitoring Project later on - found Taphrina tosquinetii on Alder leaves ( photo) + its a gall formed by an ascomycete fungus rather than an insect + thats a 'first' for reserve and this area I believe + I've always had a facination for 'galls' ever since I did a study of Oak leaves (in another era) for a biological diploma course ( basically centered around 'spangle galls' on Oak leaves and their relation to zonation both on the leaf and up the tree - vertical and horizontal + spangle galls house the larvae of a gall wasp - the wonderfully named Neuroterus quercusbaccarum )

Spent some time with helping out folk with a Yellowhammer survey + regional song 'dialects' ( in that other era I mentioned above I once did a study of bird song 'dialects' - mainly Chaffinch and Yellowhammer ( depending on where they originate from and what habitat they occupy some birds have slightly different songs eg a 'garden' Chaffinch has a different song to a woodland 'Chaffinch ' + a garden female Chaffinch is attracted more to a male if his song is linked to a garden rather than a woodland ( phew - look it up )

Tues 27th - Maintained chainsaw + clearing a tree off of the bottom path first thing then cut and strimmed both sides of the road up to Gooseham ( I usually cut more than once but looks like I dont need to do that this year - apart from the obvious, cutting like this also helps out the spring and summer plants especially the Primroses) + cut part c47 + pony check + film edit + web site up dates + office work catch up and emails

Mon 26th - Stroll down to Marsland Mouth and along top path + reserve very quiet for a bank holiday + good views of male peregrine over Gull Rock area spooking the gulls + some time in nature garden spreading seeds and clearing the path amongst other tasks ( Jane has propagated some plants from the house garden including Buddlia )

Sun 25th - BT in the morning after spending some time in the nature garden ( propagating ) + species seen - Red Admiral, Peacock, Brimstone, Purple Hairstreak,SW Fritillary, SPBF ( will they ever go over ? ) , Small Copper, Speckled Wood, Large White, GV White, Small White, MBrown, Small Tortoiseshell, Comma, Common Blue, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper and Painted Lady Also noted the Kingfisher again ( must be having good luck with catching small Brown Trout in the small pool on the bend in the stream just before HH3 ) + heard the Dipper calling further up + young Buzzards seem to be doing well

Sat 24th - Spent most of the day editing and filming + continuation of Marsland wildlife photography book

Fri 23rd - Off reserve for a while advising on woodland management + back to base camp just as the rain set in + recieved the results of the PBF Devon survey for this year ( not very good reading I'm afraid but at least Marsland + one or two other sites had decent numbers )

Thurs 22nd - Started the day off cataloging the library books then a meeting / chat til lunch with Ian (Chadwick) from DWT + more editing and alot of thinking about what film to do next

Catch up with paper work ( mainly magazine articles and some reports ) and some bat work into the evening + more cataloging

Weds 21st - Out early checking / cutting back bramble on the paths on the west side + noted a large branch down on the bottom path ( its safe and folk can pass ) + pony check + formulating a work programme for the coming months and over the winter period

Had break mid day and took more reserve film footage ( for 'fillers' mainly but I did manage to attempt to film Southern Hawkers over the ponds in Otter Coppice but I became temporarily insane caused by trying to get the dragonfly to stay still for long enough for me to focus on it - so I packed it in . However , I did manage to get afew seconds of 'in focus' hovering + managed to take some hand held of a GS Woodpecker on the elecricity pole outside the house

More editing into the evening

Tues 20th - Cutting the nature garden and surrounding areas first thing ( 6am again through til 9am - reletively cool working conditions )

Spent time editing yesterdays video footage and up loading to YouTube + up dating to web site ( see HOME ) + organizing a 'plant gall' survey for the coming months More work photographing plants + butterflies ( x14 Peacock on the garden Buddlia in the afternoon - photo of one of 'em ) + up loading + work on helping with managment plan for a woodland beyond Bradworthy + maybe one in Kilkhampton + pony check

Mon 19th - Out bright and early ( 6am ) to check boundary along the bridleway ( with maps ) + check trees and path condition + cut back path where needed ( not much ) + Tredown valley too + checked the small length of path at the far east of reserve + office stuff rest of morning + printing stuff + footpath mapping up dates

Filming most of the afternoon and editing into the evening ( another 1 hour 'quicky' showing insects mainly (ie butterflies) on reserve at this time of the month ( nice to see afew Wall butterflies at Hard Hills ) + Ringlets all gone and MB low numbers and Whites on the way out but SWF still in large numbers along with SPBF + Common Blues out in force + Purple Hairstreak going over + still the odd Small Skipper ( Buddlia in the nature garden full of Peacock , SWF with some Red Admiral and Comma )

The trees and bushes outside the house were alive with fledged birds around 7pm - c40-50 individuals flitting around and preening themselves ( manily LT Tits but also Marsh, Blue and Great with the odd Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and the odd Blackcap and Goldcrest ( Purple Hairstreaks having a torid time )

Sat 17 / Sun 18th - Rain and wind on Saturday followed by drier weather on the Sunday - general 'messing' about in the office with preping for cataloging of all the reserve library books/literature + patrols + Marsland Mouth checking ponies + photography + some time spent trying to photograph the Kingfisher in the hide ( no luck ) + walk on the bridleway and over to Hackmarsh and back ( tree check and path condition check )

Fri 16th - Out cutting round Goat Meadow and Hard Hills first thing (6am) - relatively cool ( ish ) with no biters + mist and drizzle

Usual numbers of various species of butterflies coming out after the early rain with numbers of Peacock and Red Admiral on the rise + afew brand new Meadow Browns emerging ( most have gone over but these new ones 'feel' like a second brood - most are probably 'delayed' emerging individuals )

Film editing for some of the afternoon + an impromptu walk with afew folk ( x3 ) round Hard Hills + thrilled to see all the butterflies ( x100+ SPBF + new ones emerging ) + x4 Small Skipper, x7 Common Blue, 100+ SWF, x8 MB, x2 Brimstone+ Speckled Wood, Purple Hairstreak ( Painted Lady x3 - photos ) + amazing amount of nectaring plants out and blooming especially Hard Heads and Knapweed

Southern Hawkers in good numbers ( photo ) + 100's of Common Darter

Up dating web site later on into the evening

Thurs 15th - Off reserve for most of the morning + some office work later dealing with reserve field areas and condition

SW Fritillaries in almost 'plague' proportions at the moment - I found x5 in the house porch this afternoon and x21 in the garden + everywhere you look at the moment the airspace is populated with flitting butterflies of all sorts ( + fledged young birds ) + pony check

Took a small group of visitors round Hard Hills in the evening - nice to see Roe Deer female and hear the Kingfisher ( must be hanging around so I may set up my filming hide over the next few days at Hard Hills 3 )

Weds 14th - Work on the office new toilet system started today

Spent some time in the evening on a bat watch ( the x3 LH bats in the roost have all but gone + pretty quiet all round really leading me to think that bat species in general have had a poor season ) + Pips seem to be down too with not too many coming out of the eves of the house

Tues 13th - Off reserve most of the day + Steve out at c15 testing the new cutting equipment

Preparation for Cranefly ID Day in September + fine tuning some ideas I've had re courses / nature days ( ranging from night time walks lit with lamps / exclusive walks + meal and music in a yurt + tethered hot air balloon rides above reserve Mon 12th - E mail/ office catch up + collected tractor from Kilkhampton with Steve after some adjustments to the new cutter ( Steve testing out most of the morning + running well and 'stronger' than our last cutter )

Cutting c47 + PR cutting outside Franks house on the track/road + top side boundary check and tree check

BT transect 1-10 - still 100's of SWF flitting around and many laying females ( incredible to witness 14 males trying to display to a female in the air about 10 feet off the ground ) + x50 + SPBF's ( many in Goat Meadow now ) + Speckled Wood, Small Copper, brand new MB ( although most gone over now ) , x4 Ringlet, x3 Painted Lady, x4 Common Blue, x1 Marbled White, Purple Hairstreak , many Large,GV and Small Whites, Gatekeeper + Red Admiral,Brimstone and Comma + found 5 MF's webs on the path at HH ( photo )

Common Red Darters in big numbers + I had a great view of a Kingfisher on the stream just before HH#3 + it caught a small Brown Trout and ate it + just as I put my camera up to take a shot it spooked and flew off ( 5 minutes viewing time at least )

Sun 11 - Been away all week on a busmans holiday up north ( visiting my old haunts - Leighton Moss, Arnside Knott, Gaitbarrows, Morecambe Bay Estuary - highlights being Marsh Harrier, Bearded Tit, Brown Hawker, High Brown, Grayling and Scotch Argus + really good to see and hear all those estuary birds again

Fri 2nd - Out meeting Andy first thing (Terry While contractors ) - Andy is going to finish off Ragwort pulling + carry out selected cutting at Marsland Mouth + I checked ponies whilst I was down there ( all three of em looking contented and happy )

Butterfly survey and monitoring all afternoon + general patrols and chatting to folk - Common Blues really emerging now in good numbers along with Small Copper + mating noted ( photo) + SWF mating all over the woods ( photo of laying female on ground - many more noted laying eggs on tree trunks especially Ash and Oak but also Holly ) + record numbers of Brimstone today with x18 noted just in Hard Hills 2 ( lots of Alder Buckthorn in this area ( photo ) More work on the wildlife/conservation related 'game/app' - decided its a great idea but needs lots of money to develop so its going on the back burner + my idea for binoculars which identify whatever they look at has also been shelved

Very heavy rain later on + spectacular thunder/lightening over the valley

Thurs 1st - Out early pulling Ragwort at Marsland Mouth ( the flies get up early too and came with me) + had a chance to check out butterflies and other stuff - MB still hanging on, Ringlet in good numbers, x7 Small Copper, x9 Common Blue, x5 Dark Green Fritillary, x50 + Gatekeeper and x 20+SPBF's -in selected areas - along with many Burnet Moths

Marsland Mouth is looking really good at the moment and the ponies are doing a stirling job at grazing + helping to create many areas of coastal turf and grassland which is good for the Small Coppers and Common Blues and obviously beneficial to the DGF's + many areas of nectaring plants ( Knapweeds, Betony and Hemp Agrimony for example ) + the chaps from Cornwall County Council have done a great job cutting the coastal path and public rights of way

Also noted good numbers of Gannet passing out at sea + fledged Herring Gulls +x12 Shags on Gull Rock + male Peregrine jetting up the valley + Stonechat fledged + Whitethroat fledged

Office catch up for rest of day ( reporting mainly ) + early evening stroll on BT 1-10 - x100 SPBF, x7 Common Blue (photo), x5 Small Copper ( photo ), x5 Marbled White ( photo ), x70 SWF, x50+ Purple Hairstreak, x12 Brimstone ( photo) xmany GVWhites/Large White and numerous Small White, x34 Gatekeeper, numerous 'just going over MB's and Ringlets, x3 Small Tortoiseshell, x2 Peacock , x2 Red Admiral, x7 Comma, x12 Large Skipper, x4 Small Skipper , x3 Speckled Wood and x1 Holly Blue ( the butterflies this year ( and I say again ) have been - and are still being - absolutely fantastic )

Dragons and Damsels also fantastic - Southern Hawker, Azure/Common and Blue Tail , Red Darter, Emerald Damsel and Golden Ringed all on small Otter Pond

July 2013 : Weds 31st - My usual early morning stroll was very enjoyable today ( Dipper, Heron on Otter Ponds, a Hare on Darracott track + back for meeting with Viridor Credits Representative ( Ian Tucker) and Matt (DWT) discussing the past three years funded work for the fritiallry butterflies ( all went very well I think ) + good for Ian to see ( amongst other things ) SWF , DG Fritillary, Marsh Fritillary web and SPBF flitting around in the sunshine ( only for a brief period however as we have had drizzle and mist most of the day - although after saying that I did notice many butterflies flying around in the rain because it was so warm - SWF's especially )

Office later

Tues 30th - Out cutting the 'west' paths first thing ( mainly BT 10-24 + pulling Ragwort for awhile ( not much of the stuff really ) + tree check / path condition check

Spent some time preping for a meeting tomorrow with Viridor Credits Environmental Company re work on reserve with PBFs and other Fritillary species from 2010 til 2013 ( VCEC funded the work )

Mon 29th - Early morning cutting round Goat Meadow and Hard Hills + found the first ever Marsh Fritillary web at Marsland on the cut path at Hard Hills #2 ( photo of very new caterpillars in their protective web ) + dull and cool early but usual bright sunshine later

Young Grey Wagtail on the stream at Gooseham Bridge + x4 young recently fledged Goldcrest

The new cutter/collector arrived mid morning so spent time getting the beast down to base camp from up on the Green at Gooseham ( photo) + spent some time working out what goes where and scraping my knuckles

Sorted out all those books I picked up last week from Mike D'Oly - amazing variety of ID manuals ( ranging from British Leeches to the Larvae of British Hoverflies to the Clothes Moths of Britain ) + every one will come in very useful in the library

SPBF's out in good numbers at the moment + Small Copper (2nd brood) + Ringlet and MB going over but SW Fritllary threatening to take over the world ( correction - Purple Hairstreaks have already taken over the world - or at least Marsland Valley as there are literally 1000's of them in the oak canopy - had a walkabout in the late evening and counted in the oaks adjoining the road up to Gooseham)

Also Golden Ringed ( photo ) , Southern Hawker, Emperor, Emerald Damselfly, Common and Azure Blue Damselflies

Sun 28th - Spent some time studying the Purple Hairstreak population outside our house - primarily on the large oak trees but also spread around on the ash and sycamore - counted (on average) c30 individuals flitting around and sunning and /or looking for mates - either that or dodging all the other butterfly species in the same air space ( SWF, Ringlet, 'whites', Holly Blues ( 2nd brood emerging ), Red Admiral, Comma and Small Tortoiseshell ) + can you imagine the number of individuals on reserve given the number of ideally situated oak trees ? + after a rain shower at 6.30pm the PH's came out in force - almost a 'swarm' around the oak outside the house

I have said this before but this long spell of sunny weather has produced probably the best butterfly period over my 25 years here at Marsland

Also noted many broods of fledged birds - especially Tit species + Sparrowhawk passing over being mobbed by Swallows and House Martins + x6 Ravens and x2 Buzzard

Also spent time going over my wildlife management 'game' idea - still think its plausible + in touch by e mail with x2 people who could help out some time in the future

Sat 27th - There are butterflies literally everwhere on reserve at the moment- 100's of 'Whites' and 'Browns' and SW Fritillary + Purple Hairstreak are in record numbers ( evening is the best time to see PH flitting around oaks and surrounding tree canopy )

Took x5 ramblers round to Hard Hills for a couple of hours later - OK til sun went in and weather turned slightly cooler

Fri 26th - Off reserve most of the day - partly due to me collecting two big boxes of natural history books from Mike D'Oyly who lives just outside Tavistock ( every book / journal is a real winner and a great addition to the library at Marsland - a very big thanks to Mike and his wife + lovely dog ).

Mike (you may remember) donated those collections of shells and insects some weeks ago

In my office the rest of the day messing about with various projects + browsing through most of Mikes books and journals

Thurs 25th - Early bird cutting again out at Hard Hills then back to spend a couple of hours tidying up the nature garden + putting up a mesh for honeysuckle against the bat shed back wall + putting two more bags of chippings on the path + cleaning out the pond ( must get another lining soon ) + male Sparrowhawk hunting over the garden air space

Noon - x12 Purple Hairstreaks on the Goat Meadow oak + x23 SPBF's at Hard Hills ( photo ) + carried out a 'contact' transect for SW Fritillary ie I walked the 1-10 circular transect with a 'clicker' and clicked every contact I made with a SWF ( it may or may not have been the same one but as long as the pace is constant the chances of clicking twice reduce - Anyoo - I made 87 contacts ( which is very many ) Also had x3 Small Tortoishell and x1 Brimstone

Species with record breaking numbers this year - SPBF, SW Fritillary, DG Fritillary , GV White, Ringlet, Large Skipper and maybe MBrown

Weds 24th - Out early to check around Hackmarsh - then off reserve for a while and back to Hackmarsh + hay made in usual field along with some hay made in adjoining fields where the farmer usually grazes sheep ( the 'big gorse' field )

Butterflies noted - Ringlets, MBs, Large and Small Skippers, GV Whites, Large Whites, x8 SW Fritillary, x2 Marbled White, x2 Gatekeeper and x1 Speckled Wood

Full end of month check and run through of everything on this web site

Bought more 'trip traps' and will put out tomorrow and start the small mammal trapping Had a stroll in the rain over to Hard Hills in the evening + x9 Purple Hairstreaks on the Oak in Goat Meadow flitting about in the gloom

Tues 23rd - Email catch up first thing + PBF reporting ( including leaflet print ) + various records e mailed away to various interested people + 'visitor' report from April 2011 - to date

Butterfly Transect 1-10 later - x57 SW Fritillary ( must be a record on all reserve ) , x100+ Ringlet, x50+ MBrown, x20+ Large Skipper, x15 Small Skipper, x6 Red Admiral, x75 GV White ( x51 gathered together at the ford at Gooseham licking minerals - almost a tropical sight + Tamar Group witnessed this too although lesser numbers - photo of x2 of them ) , x12 Large White, x8 Purple Hairstreak, x3 Speckled Wood, x2 Small Tortoiseshell, x3 Comma, x12 SPBF, x1 Dark Green Fritillary, x7 Marbled White ( - unusually numbers are still very low - photo ), x9 Gatekeeper and x5 Small White ( one of the best butterfly days in my last 25 years here )

I've noticed a Robin in Goat Meadow using bracken to perch from and dive onto the cut path for food - rarely does it flit back into the tree cover / acts more like a flycatcher - photo )

Otter sprainting at Gooseham Bridge again after a long while away + decided ( rightly or wrongly ) to change all the 'font' on this web site ( just dont ask how long it took - but I think it looks and reads better )

Ponies checked and OK - they have ample shade and lots of water from the stream

Mon 22nd - Had a 'relaxing' day today editing some new film with some old stuff - finished off the 3 min video of 'an hour at Marsland Mouth' and up loaded to YouTube + music by Martin Cole ( see HOME )

Not as hot today as sun was hidden behind clouds most of the time but still humid + mist rolling in later and becoming a tad cooler

More sorting out of video footage and attempts at a quick and easy storage system and identification of each section ( part success)

Mark from IT DWT came up to the office to install various bits and bobs into the computers Sun 21st - Cornwal Wildlife Trust ( Tamar Branch - photo ) paid a visit today and we all had a great day ( up to 1 pm ) - lots of wildlife to enjoy on yet another sunny , sultry day ( although we did notice lots of cloud bubbling up + Purple Hairstreak underwing good views for some of us + Hazel Weevil + SPBF )

Very interesting to chat about the more 'serious' matters facing wildlife in the present and future ( population increase , lack of 'awareness spirituality' in peoples' lives, childrens wildlife education etc )

Butterflies noted - Ringlet, MB, SW Fritillary, SPBF, Purple Hairstreak, Large Skipper, Small Skipper, Gatekeeper, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell, Small White, GV White ( nice to see c12 taking nutrients from horse dung area on the Darracott path ) , Large White, Marbled White, Dark Green Fritillary and Comma

More time spent with old beetle collections + trying to photograph Purple Hairstreak and Marbled White ( no luck ) + researching into x12 parasitic wasps found in a black ant nest ( ants approaching the wasps but leaving them alone )

Sat 20th - General checks and strolling about today + sorting out some 'old school' beetle collections + took a couple of people around interested in PBF management ( they were amazed at the number of SW Fritillary + x4 SPBF )

Fri 19th - Stroll round GM and HH first thing just after sunrise ( one or two Ringlets flitting about ) and what a beautiful part of the day it is too - probably my favourite time + interesting to note x3 SW Fritillary roosting' under hazel leaves at Hard Hills + Blackcap singing away like it was Spring

Cleaned and tidied up the office when I got back

Meeting all morning with DWT staff ( Penny Mason and Matt Boydell ) regarding the future of Marsland ( very positive )

Off reserve rest of time doing other stuff + a couple of hours later with bat detector around the shed and barn area sounding out LH bats ( picked up the unique signal x3 occasions) Thurs 18th - Early morning nightmares involving ash dieback so got up and started cutting at Hard Hills ( 6 - 8.30) - mainly bracken and bramble + widening glades and paths

Rob W sent in the weekend moth list last night so I had a look through that and sorted out + checked against the reserve lists (a total of 98 species + x4 new records which is excellent considering the amount of moth recording on reserve over the years )

Read through various documents relating to small mammal trapping etc + organized my transect and numbered the traps etc + made a list of 'bait' goodies ( each species seems to have a favourite be it carrots or peanut butter ) + put out 9 traps in Goat Meadow at 10-15m intervals and marked with white tape on the above vegetation ( weather very sultry and humid today with no breeze at all ) + I need to get 11 more traps to take total to 20 - which is probably a good number for an initial base line survey

Despite the hot weather I've still noticed a lack of insect life on the various nectar plants on reserve + Ringlets and Meadow Browns numbers have really gone down over the last couple of days

Saw a Grey Squirrel outside the bat shed early on but still cant believe it's the reason for the crash in the roost numbers ( more news on the internet re numbers of post hibernation bat deaths + why not pre hibernation bat deaths because the early winter months were pretty bad all round ? )

I note that the media news are broadcasting the onset of widespread heatwave fires ( always means more to come as potential arsonists gather in numbers when schools break up )

Weds 17th - More cutting first thing in the cool of the morning ( 7am til 9am ) - mainly bracken in a glade near Otter Coppice

Ash dieback 'survey' later + taking photos of what look like ' tired' trees with sparce canopy - its all very confusing ( the vast majority of ash I've looked at so far look fine and healthy with only the odd one or two looking abit ropey but then one or two have always looked ropey ) The hay field up at Hackmarsh wasn't cut last year due to bad weather so I gave the go ahead for it to be cut now whilst the weather is predictably good ( we usually wait til late July / early August )

More plant photos taken + others + planning a small mammal survey with live traps

Small Tortoiseshell out today in the garden + 1st Purple Hairstreak out on the oak outside the house

Spent most of the evening with small mammals and how to trap them + ash die back documents + more contacts regarding my educational conservation app / computer game idea

Tues 16th - More cutting early ( 6 - 10.30am ) -very misty and cool for awhile so started on the path up to c15 Broad Arbor, down the track to Travel Bridge ( cutting tops for horses/riders to pass easily) and then down the bottom path back to base + cutting more rides and glades at Hard Hills ( widening ) + bracken in HH 3

Stroll later up and around Hard Hills area just taking in the glory that is this reserve on a bright and sunny day - noted Lestes sponsa on ponds in Otter Coppice ( photo ) + Keeled Skimmers regular records recently ( I only usually see one or two in each season past )

Is there a better nature reserve anywhere in the UK ? I've been in this business now for 32 years and worked on and visited many but this is still No 1

Pottering about up at Hackmarsh later looking for a pile of dumped Balsom ( couldn't find it in the time I had - will go back tomorrow if I've time ) + checked trees on either side of track

Early to late evening stroll around Hard Hills with afew locals later - enjoyed by all ( SW Fritillary especially appreciated )

Mon 15th - Cutting bridleway ( sides and top) , Tredown Valley path, top path above Goat Meadow, bracken glades in HH 3 - from 6am til 11.30am ( actually the later morning slot was more comfortable for cutting because of a faint breeze ) + the honeysuckle scent along the bridleway was overwhelming + tree check all the way + up track to Darracott Butterfly Transect later on along 1-10 ( basically Goat Meadow round to Hard Hills and back ) SW Fritillary x35 ( numbers very high and really interesting to see males skirting along the the edges of trees and bushes in search of females - lots of display and mating to follow , x5 Dark Green Fritillary ( not convinced any were High Brown as they were very fast and flighty and difficult to |ID so they are all DG's ), x19 Large Skipper( photo ), x6 Small Skipper , x7 Large White, x3 GV White ( photo ), x1 Red Admiral, x2 Comma, x1 Brimstone, far too many Ringlet, 100's Meadow Brown , x7 Marbled White, x3 Gatekeeper and x2 2nd brood SPB Fritillary ( photo ) + x1 very worn individual which proves a continuous flight period of the species from 16 May

Dragonflies - x6 Keeled Skimmer ( all female) , x3 BB Chaser ( female photo ), x4 Golden Ringed , x2 Southern Hawker, x1 Emperor

Jane found Lesser Centaury at Marsland Mouth this morning - hasn't been recorded for 25 years so well done Mrs P

Sun 14th - Adrian and Rob stayed overnight Saturday with more ID early the next morning + breakfast + A and R gone by 3pm - long hours weekend but well worth it ( bed for a few hours later on )

Sat 13th - Preparing for reserve 'Moth Everning' most of the day + lists + office furniture move + printing + risk assessment

Very hot and sultry day and evening + x3 folk arrived at lunch for a pre moth walk + some at 8pm and most had arrived by 9pm when all went out to do 4-5 hours of 'mothing' ( and what a great evening and night it turned out be ) About 8-9 light traps were put out in Franks Field and Goat Meadow + Dr Rob Wolton led the ID with a little help from Dr Adrian Spalding and Paul Butter + all in the group were very knowledgeable about most things that fly by night + about 100 species noted with more to be Id'ed later + Matt Prince found (and was very excited by) a very impressive spider called Araneus angulatus + new record for reserve ( constructs the largest web of any UK spider - photos ) + 1000's of other insects in the traps + bio mass was very impressive

The up dated list of what was recorded will follow Fri 12th - The sunshine and heat continue and wildlife seems to have gone to find shade along with everyone else ( apart from the insects of course )

Checked trees up the road to Gooseham first thing + out to survey Marbled White ( didnt see any morning but noted x2 in the afternoon in Goat Meadow) + Keeled Skimmer noted (female-photo) + met a a group of people who stopped to chat about dragonflies ( they left 30 mins later as budding experts )

Seems the last SPBF was on the 8th of this month ( the 1st was on the 16th May - so a very long flight period ) + 1st Gatekeeper of the season at Hard Hills + new Commas flitting about + many Large and Small Skippers + many Burnet moths

Thurs 11th - Out first thing (7am) cutting in the relative cool of the early morning but by 10.30 things had become a tad warm + horseflies had found me + some preparation for Moth Weekend

Stinkhorn fungus out at Hard Hills which is unexpected - v stinky

Added ' Management for Fritillary Butterflies ' leaflet to web site ( see HOME )

1st Marbled White in the afternoon in Goat Meadow + the place is absolutely heaving with Ringlets and Meadow Browns ( not to mention SW Fritillary)

Messed around with Aditsite database later on (for ages) but didn't really get anywhere but still have over 32000 records to deal with

Weds 10th - Paid a visit to Travel Bridge to put a chain and lock on the gate + noticed an adult Dipper near the Bridge coming out from the edge vegetation ( didnt have wellies and water a tad deep but will check later ) + I have had recent reports concerning frequent sightings of Dipper from the Bridge down to Marsland Mouth which in my opinion is a second pair to that nesting further up stream beyond Gooseham Bridge ( the stream from the Mouth up to almost the A39 would support 2 pairs easily )

Carried out a tree check from Little Marsland all the way up to Mead corner + down the bottom path to Lawsons Field Butterflies heaving in this sunshine and heat so took a stroll round BT 1- 10 ( Goat Meadow areas ) - x26 SW Fritillary, x4 Dark Green ( its going to be a DG year methinks), x7 Large Skipper, x3 Small Skipper ( photo ), x1 Brimstone, x3 Large White, 100s Ringlet, 70+ MBrowns, x1 Red Admiral ( taking nutrients from some horse droppings ( photo )

Noted afew butterflies seeking shade from the very hot sun in surrounding trees and tucking themselves in amongst the leaves

Also good to see Golden Ringed Dragonflies( photo ) , Southern Hawker, BB Chasers and one Keeled Skimmer in Otter Coppice + many of the usual suspects ( Beautiful Demoiselle everywhere on the stream - males especially getting energy from reflected heat off stream stones - photo )

Added more plant photos to web site + completed the latest leaflet ( management for fritillaries ) + will probably keep it as a web based leaflet until next season

Tues 9th - Off reserve at meeting at HQ all day

Brillient views of male Merlin up the road to Gooseham this morning as I was going out to the meeting + I'm convinced its breeding somewhere in the area ( watch this space )

Preparation for the Moth recording weekend later on + checking internet for any bat news ( a couple of reports from April this year mention the fact that one or two LH bats were found out of hibernation and seriously under weight - both later died )

Mon 8th - Reserves Officers meeting at the office most of the day + a stroll round Goat Meadow

Dark Green Fritillary x4 out near the coast + x1 SPBF + x1 in Goat Meadow (yesterday)

Planned out a full path/tree risk assessment for the coming weeks + checked bridleway / Tredown

Sun 7th - Nothing from the police up til 10am so decided to take a look down at Travel Bridge by myself - two white vans were there + 6-7 very hung over + very large lads + I asked them (in my quietest voice) to move on asap + tidy up + when I arrived back at base the local policeman phoned and said he'd go down and have a word if they were still there + I think they may have problems getting those vans out of the valley + tree assessment on way down and back

Very hot today + noted 35000 hits on this web site + despite the weather ( or maybe because of it ) most wildlife seems to be very quiet at the moment

Sat 6th - Another very sunny day + Local Naturalist Group x5 late morning and most of the day - a beautiful sunny day enjoyed by all ( usual suspects seen + Hazel Weevil 'nests' were favourite + health of the Ash trees judged to be fine for the time being ( photos ) + 75+ Ringlets in Goat Meadow + many Burnet Moths flying this season + interesting to see SW Fritillary defending territory at Hard Hills ( an Alder Buckthorn bush with the SWF chasing off a Brimstone female presumably wanting to lay eggs ) + many Wasp Beetles noted

Slight problem reported in the evening - a local lady phoned in that a couple of trucks + tents had turned up at Travel Bridge + I phoned into the police + awaiting advice ( always wary of 'raves' starting up although TB is probably the worst place in the world to hold one especially having to go down that very rough track ) I suspect they are the same people who had abit of a camping booze up a couple of years ago - but I didnt get to have a word with that lot )

Fri 5th - Started 'organizing' my home office first thing and gradually became obsessed so didnt stop til lunch + files organized + lots of irrelevant stuff got rid of + computer files sorted + getting together all the maps I have of the reserve and sorting out

Out surveying and monitoring later in the very warm sunshine + photos + Common Valarian 'study' trying to suss out which insects 'prefer' the nectar ( many do by the way - photos )

Thurs 4th - Spent most of the rainy part of the day reviewing recording + monitoring + surveying on reserve / database options / reporting + carried out my monthly internet search re up dates and information on Marsland ( eg Devon Branch of Butterfly Conservation don't include Marsland as an important site for butterflies - including PBFs + Forestry Commission are still giving out false and confusing information regarding PBF's

Breeding Individual eggs are laid in the autumn on bracken or and other nearby vegitation' (sic)

Development The eggs develop during late spring and the caterpillars grow from June to the following April, hibernating over the winter.

Weds 3rd - Out for an early morning stroll round Goat Meadow ( Ringlets flying in the cold drizzle ) then some office stuff and then met up with a group of x10 Ramblers from the surrounding area and showed them round the Hard Hills section of reserve - really great bunch of people who then went down to the Mouth on their own ( photo ) Weather was abit dull but we did manage to see SWF Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Ringlet, MBrown, Beautiful Demoiselle and various other wonderful bits and bobs

Meeting off reserve for most of the rest of day + trying to organize a Spider ID course ( no luck )

Tues 2nd - There are only x2 bats in the roost at the moment and I think its too late for any more to show up + I still find it hard to believe that over 100 bats have all died over winter ( the roost started out with x2 individuals all those years ago so numbers should start to build ( hopefully the two in the shed are male and female )

Finally sorted out my Otter records and sent of to various record centers and interested people + realized a serious backlog of records needing to be entered onto the reserve data base

Mon 1st - Up bright and early cutting round Goat Meadow area + BT paths + some 'rides' off paths + bracken and bramble + Chapel Cottage Field later on

Both Ringlet and Meadow Brown flying in the meadows - even with a bit of drizzle falling and at 7am Brighter with some sunny spells later so carried out a BT - x30 Ringlet + x12 MBrown + x9 Large Skipper + x12 SPBF + x2 SWFritillary + x2 Small Skipper + x1 Brimstone + x1 Painted Lady + x1 Marsh Fritillary + x2 GV White + x3 Large White

Nice to see both Grey Wagtails ( still ) flitting around HH3 ( photo ) + flocks of recently fledged Long Tailed Tits

June 2013:

Sat/Sun 29th - 30th - Dull drizzly weekend but I did manage to get loads of work done in the house office including some film editing + photography editing + work on wildlife book + some otter data + up dates of many species lists

Fri 28th - Off reserve for some of the day + met up with a couple of BC guys and had a walk to Hard Hills to discuss management + a tad cool for SPBF's although we did see one + more work on Marsland Wildlife Photography book + general office based work

Spent some time in the evening looking for Grey Squirrels which may or may not be disturbing the bat roost ( none seen ) + the last time the roost numbers dropped I discovered a GS messing about in the shed

Thurs 27th - Spent a good part of the day travelling back and forth to Huckworthy Bridge near Yelverton where Mike D'Oyly and his wife live ( Mike has a life time of wildlife expertise and experience behind him once working for the old NCC and recording everything from Hoverflies to Moths for DWT amongst many other groups - Mike has kindly donated a number of specimen boxes and magazines to Marsland and they are very much appreciated

Had a meeting up at Hackmarsh / Woolley most of the afternoon discussing (with various folk) new developments in the general area + possible future management of that part of the reserve ( some much needed rain later on too )

More time spent on Otter reporting Weds 26th - Cutting the circle path all morning up to Broad Arbor and back along the bottom to Gooseham Mill + bits and bobs of bracken and bramble

Attempted to record some bird song later but the latest batch of tourists in Franks House are way to noisey so I took off round Goat Meadow instead

Noted both Dippers at Hard Hills 3 stream + many Hazel Weevils + 1st Horse Flies of the year + noted a Common Blue Damsel trying to eat a female Large Red Damsel then tried to mate with her ( she was already mating with a male Large Red + Blue eventually flew off and left them in peace ( photo ) + nice shot of a Large Skipper just taking off and a brand new Silver Washed Fritillary ( photo ) + x2 Marsh Fritillary and x4 SPBF+ more plant photos for the portfolio + Otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh and back ( x2 spraint fresh )

Spent some time on the internet chat in the evening with a friend in India doing some birding - we got talking about a new species of bird just found in Cambodia and I was reminded of a Pied Flycatcher with a long tail which I saw at Sariska ( in India ) from the back of an elephant (to this day I haven't be able to find the species in any book and always believe it to be a 'new' one - I wish )

Tues 25th - Out cutting first thing before the sun warmed things up then met up with Pete Jolly and his wonderful team from Petroc Collage who pressed ahead with the 'alternative' path to Goat Meadow ( and what a great job they did too - photos )

More cutting during the day in Franks Field and Chapel Cottage Field

Took some time off to take a few photos of butterflies which are out in force at the moment around the BT sections 1-10 - x1 Red Admiral . x2 Small Tortoiseshell, 1st Silver Washed Fritillary, x12 SPBF's, x3 Marsh Fritillary, x6 Large Skipper, x4 Ringlet, x3 Meadow Brown, x2 Brimstone, x3 Small Copper, x4 GV White and x3 Large White

Also had x1 Golden Ringed Dragonfly, x2 Southern Hawker, x5 BB Chasers and many Common and Azure Blues + Beautiful Demoiselles and Large Reds Mon 24th - Cutting first thing in the nature garden and surrounding area + barn + later up at Broad Arbor cutting the path with power saw ( no tractor cutter as yet + workforce diminished )

Bat roost down to x2 individuals

Impromptu group escort later on out to Hard Hills

Large + Small Skipper out at Broad Arbor + SPBF, 1st Ringlet and 1st Meadow Brown + Red Admiral, Speckled Wood, GV White, Large White

Time spent looking at 'local natural burial' application in a field up at Woolley adjoining the reserve + 101 other things that have sprung up all of a sudden

Sat 22nd - Generally quiet on reserve due to lousy weather of late + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth + some Marsland Office stuff relating to future courses etc + x8 Ramblers shown round

Fri 21st - Off reserve most of the misty, murky day - advising various folk re wildlife management mainly + had lunch with Richard Cole and Felicity at Welcombe Mouth after chatting about their nature garden / wildlife pond requirements + really good to see them again after so long

Thurs 20th - Batcam early and some good news - x12 bats back in the roost

Otter records and reporting most of the morning - taking from the reserve Adit database - but not very easy for some reason + more Otter related work including a 're edit' of the video taken in 2010 and an up load to YouTube ( with original sound and music ) + linking to various people who wanted to see it + up loading to this web site ( under VIDEO / #3 OTTERS)

Batcam later in evening but still only 10-12 individuals

Weds 19th - Much better weather with sunny periods so I was off out at 7am to do some filming to attempt to try and capture the atmosphere of the reserve at first sun up + good to see SPBF in Hard Hills + Marsh Fritillary in Goat Meadow + family of x4 young fledged and x2 adult GS Woodpeckers ( details of the species noted in the film can be seen at YouTube ( BBM56) + editing rest of day and evening + the film can be seen at beginning of this web site )

Some time spent in the evening trying to sort out the reason why the LH Bats haven't returned in numbers as yet ( Somehow I don't think they will - which means that their winter hibernation and subsequent post feeding has been a disaster - for all of them ? )

Tues 18th - Off reserve for most of the day + checked ponies + time in home office due to rain + Ash die back survey ( found one or two trees which look 'ill' but may be because of other causes as Ash trees close by seem fine )

Mon 17th - Cutting very early in the drizzle in Goat Meadow area ( at 7am as it beats the heat + flies ) + topped bracken and cut BT 1-10 + Otter Coppice + Franks Field path + I've been widening the path in many sections + cut around the shelter + took 5 hours but well worth it

Back out to Hard Hills later to check out SPBF's - sun sporadic so didnt see many + time spent back in home office sorting out variuos tasks / courses / records /Adit data base / bat e mails / PBF and SPBF report for Devon Butterfly Group etc

Sat 15th - Spent most of a sunny / showery day walking to the Double Locks in Exeter ( Little Egret + Heron but noticed a distinct lack of insects + especially dragonflies and bees alongside the wet sections and canal - this seems to reflect the Spring period in many areas )

Fri 14th - More work on the Otter data + 'across the valley' survey of Ash stands looking for signs of die back ( simply looking at the other side of the valley from high points on the opposite side) + no signs as far as I can see

Attended the opening of Gillian Ayres recent exhibition in Exeter later on ( Gillian has been my neighbour in the valley for 25 years and many of her wonderful paintings have been painted here + many show 'nature' as a big influence - photo ) + her exhibition is on all summer ( 15 June -15 September 2013 ) at the Exeter Museum )

Thurs 13th - Finished sorting out my wildlife photography portfolio and sending off ( internet ) + sorting out some 'local' area and Marsland Otter survey work + Otter survey data collection from over the last 25 years

SPBF's struggling in the wind today at Hard Hills although the rain did stop mid day and the sun came out again

There has been a Cuckoo calling in the valley over the last few days ( I first heard on Sunday ) and today it was going hell for leather ( females short on the ground presumably )

Great news later today - I've been informed that I've graduated in the Photography Diploma Course ( its been a intense but brillient 25 weeks ) + my portfolio was very successful ( top marks ) and they especially liked my SWF image taken last year ( photo )

More year planning re management/courses/funding

Weds 12th - I've been keeping an eye on our Ash trees here on reserve over the past few weeks - re die back ( haven't noticed any obvious signs as yet but the way things are going elsewhere in GB it all seems fairly inevitable )

Spent ages trying to solve the 'non playing' video problem on this site - all abit of a nightmare Im afraid but I eventually managed it and all videos are now playing perfectly ( the problem with drop down menus was cured later on too ) + spent much time altering pages and full test of site links, videos, downloads etc

Ian C came up ( with Matt B ) for the day to meet with Steve mainly ( Ian did fit my appraisal in mid afternoon )

Tues 11th - Weather changed over the last 24hrs with rain and a chill breeze returning

Noted 34,000 hits on this the web site at 15.45 ( 1000 hits over 2 weeks )

Spent all day in my home office sorting out course ideas + portfolios + manipulating images etc + adding a page to the web site involving ID ing 24 species Mon 10th - Off reserve for awhile early morning then caught up with some of my diploma work in the morning + getting together a portfolio of photographs and finishing off next to last module + general walk along non public footpaths checking condition + any dangerous trees etc + checked out risk assessments + areas of 'danger' + reviewed health and safety

Sun 9th - Printing lots of stuff in the morning + messing about in the Marsland office + cleaning up nature garden pond ( it badly needs some fresh water ie rain )

A couple of friends popped in later and I took them round HH to look at the SPBF's - amongst other things + no sooner had I returned when four other people arrived and wanted to see the butterflies so I took them round to HH too ( everyone suitably impressed with the spectacle of seeing so many SPBF's flitting around )

Many Slow Worms under the tiles + good to see so many Beautiful Demoiselles on the stream x2 Large Skippers out in Goat Meadow + Brimstone numbers are looking good this year ( x8 on BT 1-10 ) + x1 Red Admiral + x6 Small Copper + x2 Speckled Wood + x12 GV White + x4 Large White + x4 Orange Tip + x2 PBF's ( I counted 100 SPBF's on the slopes and had x2 PBF's amongst them - pretty late for this species especially when it came out on the 27th April )

Spent the rest of the day at Hard Hills photographing stuff for my portfolio + many damsels in Otter Coppice pools displaying and breeding / laying + BB Chasers fighting and protecting territory ( photos ) + Cuckoo calling

Sat 8th - Another beautiful and sunny day + checked ponies at the Mouth + surveys then relaxed most of the rest of the day + Pete and Catherine Burgess ( DWT and Natural England ) popped in later in the afternoon to check out the SPBF's at Hard Hills

Fri 7th - Batcaming last evening but only x3 in the roost ( spent time on internet checking for 'reasons' + if anyone else noting a crash - couldn't find anything ) Spent some time in morning giving gardening for wildlife advice to local(s) up in the village + then sorting out a wildlife photography portfolio for my diploma course

In my 'home' office most of the afternoon sorting out various stuff and nonsense

Thurs 6th - Walked up the stream to Hackmarsh and spent all morning 'mentally' working out any possible future management for the area + this included the large gorse covered field, new fencing and possible coppice management + brief survey ( good to see Otter spraint in afew places up the stream )

Spent most of the rest of the day/evening looking over 'old' film and trying to sort it out

SPBF count revealed c250-300+ ( c17 in Goat Meadow ) + over this sunny, long and fruitful flight period there must have been in the region of 1000+ individuals on reserve ( al least ) + Brimstone have decided to show themselves with x9 around Hard Hills section of the BT

Broad Bodied Chasers are showing well with x19 counted around BT 1-11 + x3 Southern Hawkers + x12 Beautiful Demoiselles on the stream sections + many Common and Azure Blues + many Large Reds still flying

Weds 5th - Early morning walk down to Marsland Mouth via Broad Arbor and up to the top end near Gull Rock entrance + back along top of reserve, down Travel Bridge track and back to base + survey for butterflies, CBC and plant photos + habitat photos + checked ponies and boundaries + only just realized a new bridge has been put in over the ford ( photo ) + pulled and chopped some Ragwort before it flowers

Many SPBF's out all along the route in suitable places + x2 Wall + x2 Dingy Skippers ( at MM ) many GV and Large Whites + x3 Small Copper ( seems the butterfly season still on hold for many species )

Good to see and hear Whitethroat at MM ( x4 singing ) + x3 singing Stonechat + x2 Garden Warblers + located a Kestrel nest just off reserve to the right of Gull Rock area + Gull Rock rather quiet with breeding Herring Gull mainly + Jackdaws + the odd LBB Gull and GBB Gull + a pair of Grey Wagtails at Marsland Mouth ( probably x2 on the stream now )

Cutting bracken / bramble in the afternoon + tractoring round Goat Meadow / Hard Hills area moving bits and pieces + took a couple round to see SPBF and have a cup of tea in the shelter ( didn't want to leave )

Tues 4th - Best record of the day was a fledged Dipper in the stream at Hard Hills #3 being fed by adult ( so they did nest nearby afterall )

Cutting for a period of time especially bracken in Goat Meadow area + Chapel Cottage Field + Nature Garden

Spent time trying to sort out 'video' on this web site ( non working to date but Moonfruit are looking into the problem )

Up dating web site + more photography

SPBF's really all over the place at Hard Hills + they're moving into Goat Meadow and HH3 ( stopped counting at 150 + ) + x4 Small Copper in Goat Meadow + many GV Whites

Also noted a Green Tiger Beetle on the bare path to Hard Hills #3 Photo ) + many many damsels on the Otter Coppice Pools + Southern Hawker and x5 Broad Bodied Chasers

Mon 3rd - Editing film footage all day and most of the evening re DWT Meeth Quarry Open Day last Friday

Sat/Sun 1st / 2nd - another bright and sunny weekend + spent time wandering about taking photos ( how many photos of SPBF do I really need ? ) + SPBF's out all over Hard Hills + one or two noted this season with 'deformities' ( usually mis shapen wings + also had Brimstone , Orange Tip, GV White, Large White, Red Admiral

Jane ( my Mrs ) been out and about painting flowers lately ( see photo of Dandelion ) + I'm trying in vain to get her to paint all the flowers of Marsland ( wonder why she said 'no' ? ) + the flora in the valley is looking better than ever this season ( see photo ) After all this good weather I had expected the LH bats to be back in the roost - the hibernating individual is still doing just that and x1 in the roost ( I'm beginning to think their winter hibernation wasn't too successful )

Checked ponies at Marsland Mouth

May 2013

Fri 31st - Off reserve most of the day ( DWT Meeth Quarry Opening Day ) but did manage a stroll round Hard Hills later

Thurs 30th - Off reserve most of the morning with Steve then back to carry out studies on SPBF behaviour whilst the sun shines out at Hard Hills etc

Later checked out some footage from filming this morning

Weds 29th - B. Benfield sent directions to the Golden Hair Lichen last night so I went on an early morning ( 7am ) stroll up to Hard Hills to find it and find it I certainly did ( on a Willow on which I had previously looked - but obviously not close enough ) + later on in the morning I walked up most of the Hackmarsh Valley looking for more GH Lichen but no luck ( I can't believe that the whole area contains just the single 1cm piece of the stuff )

This section of Carr has always been very special and therefore not included in any management programme as it is a rare habitat in itself - Gypsywort, Iris, Ladies Smock, Marsh Violet and Marsh Marigold mingle with a wide variety of sedges and mosses + of course many species of Lichen on the old Willow trees + it runs all the way down the valley and up to Hackmarsh so it is quite an extensive area

Also did an early morning survey of SPBF's again to see where they spent the night + many ( noted x12 ) were actually in the wet sections of Willow Carr at the bottom of the slopes sunning themselves as the sun popped over the top of the valley ( see photo ) + I counted x2 deep within the habitat - there were patches of Marsh Violet dotted about so I wonder if they were laying ? + by about 8am many were on the move and nectaring but most were looking for mates + although it was still early and chilly I did notice x2 pairs mating ( didnt notice any other butterflies about at that time )

Spent most of a fantastic afternoon studying the SPBF / PBF's at Hard Hills - lots of movement + mating + watched x1 PBF laying eggs ( she laid x26 eggs in an area the size of a snooker table over a period of 10 miutes then flew off to lay more - I assume - so PBF's have been around since the 27th April which is just over 1 month ) ( photo) + SPBF were all over the bottom area+ the slopes and even x12 up right at the top ( impossible to carry out a count because too many and too much flight ) + I used to say ( general rule of thumb ) that any 'frit' on the slopes was probably a PBF and any 'frit' on the bottom was probably a SPBF - I've never seen so many SPBF up on the slopes mixing with a still flying population of PBF's - sometimes I feel like I know nothing about these two 'frits' + had Brimstone 'sniffing' around for an Alder Buckthorn to lay eggs on

Tues 28th - The LH Bats seem to have reverted back to behaviour from afew weeks ago - none in the roost first thing ( 7am ) although x1 did come in and settle at about 8am and made for a gap between the roof and a large rafter to the right - I wonder if they are all in that space ? + the hibernating individual is back in the same place fast asleep

Barbara Benfield sent a great photo of the Golden Hair Lichen - its very tiny but surprising very beautiful ( see photo opposite )

Cutting bracken and bramble most of the day + went over the paths again including Otter Coppice + cut round the shelter in HH #3

SPBF's at Hard Hills very active in the sunshine - I didnt have time to count them but they seemed to be everywhere as in past years

Mon 27th - very wet most of the day so did abit of catch up on e mails and reports + checked ponies + spent some time at Hard Hills trying to suss out what SPBF / PBF 'do' and where they shelter during this type of weather - didnt find any

Spent some time on another wildlife photography module for my Diploma

Sun 26th - another bright and sunny day so spent all morning at Hard Hills counting stuff ( and still looking for the Golden Hair Lichen ) + it took some time but I arrived at a count of x56 SPBF's in the bottom sections of Hard Hills ( seems more 'natural' somehow to have this number rather than the 100's of past years - Hard Hills is looking stunning at the moment by the way + x3 PBF's still hanging on + Broad Bodied Chaser dragonfly ( newly hatched - I suspect -and pumping blood into its wings and sunning itself on the surrounding Willow branches - see photos )

What was I saying about 100's of SPBF ? - I went out later in the afternoon and spent some time re counting + x134 and whilst wandering up the slopes counted x34 PBF's which was a hugh surprise and very exciting ( and they were the ones I checked on - seemed to be more up the slopes which I didnt check against SPBF + only x6 were 'old' specimens with the rest being newly hatched or certainly fresh ) + noted a couple of fresh 'damaged' SPBF( photos) + lots of mating and displaying going on ( males noted trying to mate with a damaged female who couldn't really do much about the attention )

Also had x1 Red Admiral + x2 Brimstone + x1 Small Copper + x3 Orange Tip + x5 GV White + x3 Large White

Also had x5 Ravens ( all adult) + x2 Grey Wagtails and I'm convinced a pair of Buzzard are nesting in Otter Coppice + GS Woodpecker nesting around Hard Hills #3 again but not in last years nest site hole ( as far as I can ascertain anyway )

Sat 25th - Another fine and warm day on reserve but generally quiet / Marsland Mouth to check ponies and all three OK

Fri 24th - General walk / patrols / survey most of the day - cold and windy but sun later + reserve quiet

Tractor back after service + new hydraulic attachment added to take the new cutter / collector which should arrive next week sometime

Thurs 23rd - Cut two thirds c47 field today as it was covered in low spreading bramble ( didnt have time - or manpower - over winter to carry out usual cut ) I checked for ground nesting birds for an hour or so before hand + a plant survey + good to see x2 large ant nests developing mainly due to this type of sympathetic management Survey later up the valley to Hackmarsh looking in particular for the Golden Hair Lichen ( none found ) + attempted a butterfly survey during a sunny period but abandoned due to many frequent downpours + cold wind

The Lichen Group sent in a list today which is quite extensive + contains the full GB list too ( see Documents #2 in HOME )

Weds 22nd - Off reserve most of the day + I did fit in some time in the evening trying to locate a chap who had parked badly at the bottom next to the office and then set off quickly and suspiciously into the woods - I followed but couldnt find him anywhere and then heard one shotgun blast in the distance + I really did think suicide ( turns out its a bloke doing a Woodcock survey without asking permission - Ive been surveying for Woodcock for 25 years and if he finds one I'll eat my hat ) + batcam watching after my ordeal ( x3 in the shed + x12 outside flitting around - 9.30 ish )

Tues 21st - In the office before light this am to check on returning LH Bats coming in after feeding / returning after hibernation + not too exciting as only x6 noted and each one roosting on its own rather than together in a huddle + did note some aggressive interaction between two individuals ( seem to smell or sniff eachother before deciding on whether they can stay near eachother or not ) + noted lots of 'preening' - the bat hangs on with one foot and licks the other before cleaning anywhere it can reach ( top of the head and around the ears mainly + changes feet and repeats the procedure + cleaning in this case lasted for 14 mins then it settled down to rest with wings folded )

Also carried out x2 'spot ' counts CBC but only familiar song noted

Dave (Cholwill) + digger arrived to dig trench for new toilet pipe ( photo )

Mon 20th - Out cutting the Bridleway and Tredown path at 7 am for a couple of hours + carried out a brief survey of plants on the paths ( which are looking really excellent after all these years of cutting ) and found x2 new areas for Early Purple Orchids + Sanicle is abundant + fixed afew waterlogged path problems + surveyed for 'tricky points' for horses along Bridleway + Tredown path damaged in sections because someone on a horse is going up there along the public footpath ( which is annoying to say the least )

Spent some time clearing around the barn area + cutting nature garden and continued the general spring clean

Tried to locate the Golden Hair Lichen over mid day dinner but no luck despite having a six figure OS number

Good news - x10 LH Bats back in the roost ( batcam last evening + this am )

Sat / Sun 18th - 19th - Beautiful weather over the weekend with almost continuous sunshine x13 SPBF and x10 PBF on Sunday at Hard Hills + checked ponies at MM on Saturday

There maybe a pair of Goldfinch breeding near the office + definite pair of Swallow in neighbours buildings

Showed a couple of butterfly guys round Hard Hills later + discussed visits to various PBF sites

Funniest sight of the day was watching a middle aged lady hiker have a toilet break up the track where I park our car ( I was in my house office working at the 'puter) No shame some people + she left her toilet paper all over the place

Fri 17th - Web site clicks hit 33000 ( thats 1000 in x3 weeks )

Early morning walk down to Marsland Mouth - x3 Swift, x2 Goldfinch and x1 male Peregrine + check ponies + back at base I heard a Blackbird singing and immitating my whistle which I use to control my dog ( I think I had one last year too - the same one maybe ? )

Hard Hills later in morning and early afternoon - x9 SPBF ( first of the season photo taken yesterday ) + x2 Small Copper ( photo ) , x8 GV White, x2 Large White , x1 Peacock ( nectaring 100 % on Bluebell ) , x17 PBF on the slopes - still cool but occasional sun throughout - also noted Speckled Yellow Moths x5 + at c2.45 spotted a Grizzled Skipper on the slopes ( not recorded for years now but obviously still a population continuing - made my day but it was too quick for me and I couldnt get a photo )

First Large Red Damselflies of the year ( photo of female f. melanotum with yellow thoracic stripes ) + cleaned out nature garden pond and did a draonfly/damselfly larvae count ( x19 Libellula, x16 Hawker and dozens of unid ed )

Reading some old reports for awhile - the 1993 May Report contains weather which is very similar to 2013 - cool, frequent rain and even a frost on the 16th + butterflies slow and not in large numbers etc etc ( what comes around goes around and everything is still the same )

Thurs 16th - More strong winds and rain over night so went out first thing to 'fix' the shelter again + CBC

Spent most of the rest of the day in my office sorting out an agenda for activities on reserve this year ranging from a bushcraft day to another filming weekend

Spent some time later on Hard Hills where I counted x32 PBF and down in the bottom section found x4 SPBF + x2 Large White, x5 GV White, x4 Orange Tip x2 Grey Wagtails look busy around HH#3 and may have chicks + Raven mobbing and taking on x3 Buzzards above Hard Hills

Weds 15th - Early morning stroll up to Hard Hills to check the shelter after a very wet and windy night ( spent time putting it back straight and fixing cover - it must have been extremely blowy in Hard Hills 3 last night and it feels more like November than May )

Sarah Walsh and four friends popped in for the day - SW had won a day out at Marsland as part of a prize winning nature based piece for 'Resurgence ' Magazine ( based locally - the piece will be printed in a summer edition and is well worth looking at ) . We spent all day chatting and walking and having a cream tea later in the afternoon ( Jane makes the best in the county ) I think all the guys enjoyed the day and I certainly found the company both refreshing and stimulating ( photo ) We didnt really see much because of the dull weather but it didnt really matter ( the sun came out later when all had gone home and I noted x10 PBF's at Hard Hills at about 6.30 ) )

Tues 14th - Rain most of the day + catch up office work ( including a filming agenda for this year ) + a wet stroll up to Hackmarsh checking for Otter spraint ( found fresh at Gooseham Bridge on my way back ! )

No LH bats this evening and the hibernating individual has returned back to a state of deep sleep in exactly the same place it left yesterday

Completed the 'Nature ' module section of the photography course I'm taking

Mon 13th - The hibernating LH bat has finally moved into the roost - hopefully its mates will follow soon ( although it has been hibernating on its own all winter so probably hasnt got any )

Cut the footpath first thing up to Broad Arbor and back along the bottom + Otter Coppice and the second section of Goat Meadow BT path + cut 'high' for horsey people on relevant sections

Looked for the Golden Hair Lichen for awhile later x2 times ( no luck ) + PBF survey at Hard Hills ( cold and windy but did see x6 brand new individuals + x5 Orange Tip ) + some more plant photos taken for the web site + Otter spraint check up the valley ( nought )

Evening stroll round Hard Hills to check on PBF's ( x4 ) + checked into bat roost ( x3 ) + pulled the bridges in because of rain forecast for overnight and all tomorrow + full check out of this web site + up dates ( c3 hours and all working fine )

Sun 12th - Batcam in the morning revealed nought and the hibernating individual is still , well , hibernating.

Did some printing before the Lichen Group for Devon paid a visit mid morning + set them off into Goat Meadow and beyond in the drizzle and later rain ( photo ) + they found Golden Hair Lichen (a rare and Red Data Book species )

Sat 11th - Very quiet on reserve today + cool and no sunshine Still no bat movements around the roost ( batcam on for a few hours in the evening + a check outside )

Fri 10th - Started to cut footpaths / Butterfly Transect path early + round shelter in Hard Hills 3 + Franks Field and Chapel Cottage Field

Noted a lone Dipper at the nest site - I get the feeling that one of the pair has died + unusual to see x2 Little Egrets flying over reserve at 2.30

Met up with some more Butterfly Conservation chaps late morning and I explained the work at Hard Hills ( we did see x2 PBF's but too cold and breezy for any obvious movement )

Walked the stream up to Hackmarsh later on to see if I could find another Dipper ( no luck )

Thurs 9th - Off reserve all morning ( Stowford with ST ) + meeting in the afternoon with Matt B and G Kirk from HQ

Wet and windy all day + still no sign of the Lesser Horseshoe bat roost building up

Weds 8th - Steve had a survey walk towards the coast side of the reserve yesterday and counted x31 PBF's + added to my x46 at Hard Hills makes a total of x77 ( reasonable considering a slow start ) ST also had Speckled Wood and Small Copper besides Red Admiral, Brimstone , Peacock and Orange Tip ( and a Cockeral in c25 ! )

Weather turned misty and cool today + I caught up with e mails and other stuff as I was away all Tuesday off reserve + Steve cleaned up office windows

Mon 6th - Weather holding out but still chily in the mornings + very warm later

CBC early on but no new songs ( x1 Garden Warbler Hard Hills )

The guys from the Pony Group popped in late morning to give the Marsland trio a MOT I carried out a late evening PBF count at Hard Hills ( 6pm for an hour ) and x46 popped up + mainly out of the usual left hand section and mainly in the middle area at the top with a dozen or so in amongst the more scrubby sections + x6 right over to the right in an area uncut this year ( roosting ? )

Sun 5th - Took a small group pf people ( x5 ) round Hard Hills mid morning and they were thrilled to see the PBF's + Bluebells out near Franks Field

Also took my wonderful 81 year old mum round Hard Hills later and she loved it

Rain overnight helped water the flowers and everything looking Spring- like at last

Sat 4th - No surge in PBF's as yet and I dont think it will happen - I had x22 at Hard Hills and x22 on the rest of the reserve making a total of 44 ( this is really disappointing but the PBF is a tough beast and it will bounce back ) + I had x5 Orange Tip x2 Peacock and x2 GV White x1 LHB back in the roost area + the 'hibernating' individual

Fri 3rd - catch up on e mails today + dealing with SSSI Invertebrate surveys in May and June + costing out future moth surveys

Thurs 2nd - Very warm day today with hardly any breeze and consequently the Hard Hills slopes were boiling - but still only x30 PBF's counted + the area is now noticably larger and counting stuff takes time and some effort because individuals are spread out ( although after saying that half the population were to the left of the slopes )

Bat survey in the evening but still no Lesser Horseshoes

Weds 1st - Early morning CBC but very quiet and very cold ( a wee bit strange listening to Blackcap singing with frost on the ground )

Also checked to see if I could find any PBF's resting but no luck ( I have found them sheltering from the rain in log piles before now ) + two checks later on when the sun was hot ( x12 - I had expected to see many more today ( has the over night frost done some in ? ) + whatever happens from now on I think this season is going to be the most disappointing for 25 years which is a shame when the actual habitat is the best its been for 25 years ( cant do anything about the weather Im afraid - this season early on or all of last season )

Dr Rob Wolton popped in at about noon and spent afew hours wandering and recording stuff ( photo of dipterist at work ) + I think his list is going to be a good one

No sign of the Dippers anywhere + a pair of Goldfinch near the barn seemingly building a nest at the moment and male singing + Rob had a Swift over reserve mid afternoon

Spent some time in the evening looking for Lesser Horseshoe Bats in the shed - x1 noted flying at 9 pm going into the roost and out again

April 2013 :

Tues 30th - I'm concentrating on PBF's mainly at Hard Hills this season + observation and general behaviour + x15 late morning + x17 mid afternoon + x26 late afternoon ( most were seen in the area cut two years ago patrolling up and across at the top of the slope and making a definite and obvious turnaround when they hit the new area cut this winter ( see photo opposite) + apart from one or two, all individuals were fast moving and rarely stopping to nectar in the very warm sunshine - although there was a cool breeze again but this didnt seem to deter them - actually saw one nectaring on Violets rather than Bugle ) + later on I took a couple of butterfly enthusiasts round HH for awhile ( they were made up seeing the PBF's )

Also noted x1 Brimstone, x2 Orange Tip and x1 Peacock

Some cutting in the afternoon in Otter Coppice + c47

Still no bats and the 'hibernating' individual is still torpid and hasn't moved for weeks ( it's still alive as it moves when breathed upon )

Mon 29th - Off reserve all weekend ( my beautiful daughters' wedding ) + PBF's out on Saturday - spotted by Mark Elliot from DWT and Roger Hardy + some guys and gals from Butterfly Conservation + I had x12 at Hard Hills this afternoon ( still very cold although sun shining ) + x1 Peacock, x1 GV White and x2 Orange Tip

Fri 26th - Sunny and bright for most of the day but still a cold breeze especially on the slopes at Hard Hills ( no PBF's ) + Bugle starting to come out and alot more Violets

Web site clicks reached 32000 last night

Thurs 25th - Weather turning cool again and still no PBF's ( x3 visits to Hard Hills ) + no bats but Blackcaps have started full song and there seems to be quite alot of them in the valley at the moment

Weds 24th - Although things are warming up a tad the weather is generally still misty and dull

Lots of e mails coming in asking me if PBF's are out yet - at the moment Ican't imagine them ever coming out

Tues 23rd - Warm today but still no bats and no PBF's anywhere

I did notice some Ladies Smock out near Hard Hards 3 (but no where else) but no Orange Tip out at the moment

Mon 22nd - Rain and mist most of the day in the valley.

Still no bats in the roost as yet ( although the one on its own looks fit and healthy - albeit in an hibernation state )

Sat/Sun 20th / 21st - Beautiful sunny day on Saturday but cold returning by end of the weekend

Fri 19th - up first thing for a CBC but still generally very quiet although Blackcaps have started full song but no Willow Warblers as yet + lone Dipper hanging around the nest site + Coal Tits calling around the garden area + Heron noted over reserve + x2 Mallard ( probably coming off the ponds) + cold with slight breeze ( I read some old reports from 1989 last night and the weather then was very similar to now + birds not singing and butterflies emerging late + PBF's didnt come out til early May ) Noted very large Brown Trout in the stream at Hard Hills 3

Checked Hard Hills mid morning but nothing but x1 Peacock and x1 Small White + another check in the afternoon + some photography and a stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh and a check round that area + final fix of the shelter in Hard Hills coppice ( some more struts put inside to stabilize the cover )

Thurs 18th - The nature garden had a full Spring clean makeover first thing + I finished off the PBF management leaflet ( added to final report to Viridor re PBF work over the past three years )

Finishing off reporting and then went out to survey / monitor Hard Hills ( x1 Peacock) + costings for future research projects + began to plan out a possible Badger watching hide at Hard Hills

Batcam watch in the evening - x2 LH bats back in the roost today but still pretty quiet + a mate visited today and took some great shots of Buzzard and Roe deer at Hard Hills

Weds 17th - Off reserve all day at meeting in Exeter HQ + batcam watching in the evening but nothing moving at all apart from an overwintering Herald Moth flitering around the camera lens

Tues 16th - More work on the PBF management leaflet + Dr Rob Wolton has agreed to produce a hoverfly leaflet for Marsland

Transect for part of the sunny afternoon ( x3 Brimstone, x2 Comma and x1 Peacock ) + spent somer time on Hard Hill slopes looking for PBF larvae but no luck + very warm + Bombus major flying ( bee mimic ) and numerous hoverflies are buzzing around . Spring has sprung methinks

Had a Water Rail in Otter Coppice rummaging around the undergrowth near the smaller of the two ponds ( brillient record for reserve and first since 2008) + Grey Wagtails certainly nesting around the office and maybe in one of the wall holes + x1 Dipper still hanging round the nest site area ( either one of the pair has left or is dead or they have another nest nearby - watch this space )

More management photos + more plant photos + organizing moth surveys with AS I was going to record some background stream sounds for a video but the latest bunch in the holiday cottage are extremely noisy especially their kids ( shouldn;'t they be back at school ? ) Even trying to talk to some visitors at the office was almost impossible with the racket going on

Mon 15th - Early batcam watch revealed no returning individuals / dawn chorus building very slowly ( Chiffchaffs mainly )

PBF reporting all morning ( last year at this exact time I had PBF's at Hard Hills ( x47 ) and a wide variety of other species too - nothing this year so far ) + moth list up date from the other night + sorting out photos on this web site and filing + started a PBF management leaflet + checking ponies

Moth List 12/04/13

Engrailed Diurmeo fasella Double - striped Pug Common Quaker Dotted Border Oak Beauty (x26 ) Twin Spotted Quaker ( x11 ) Oak Tree Pug Brundled Pug Hebrew Character March Moth Early Tooth - striped Small Quaker ( x 57 ) Clouded Drab Early Thorn Red Chestnut Pale Pinion Early Grey Tortricodes alternella

Sat/Sun 13th/14th - Fairly quiet on reserve for a change now the holiday period is over Had to repair the shelter on Sunday due to heavy rain and wind but not too much damage ( nothing a length of gaffer tape couldn't fix )

I hadn't heard or seen the Dippers for a while so went to check the nest on Sunday evening and found it abandoned and empty ( probably due in the main to that disturbance over Easter which I had to deal with + x2 other occasions - a minority of people now visiting in the local holiday cottages really are spoiling the area with their litter, dogs and noisey rude kids )

Hopefully the Dipper pair will nest somewhere else in a 'quieter' part of reserve

First flocks of Swallows and House Martins over reserve on Sunday evening and with the weather warming up I suspect afew bats may start to return in the next few days + batcam watch revealed just the one individual

Fri 12th - Discussing all things 'mothy' last evening with AS (photo) + set up light trap + despite the heavy over night rain checked in a splendid 21 species including Pale Pinion and Engrailed (photo) + discussed future research work on Scarce Blackneck ecology and light trapping moth species in the tree canopy ( + contrast and compare to trapping on the ground )

Thurs 11th - Good news today as James Cadbury ( Christophers son ) has kindly offered to fund a tractor mounted cutter/collector for the reserve ( this is a very efficient and quick method of cutting our fields / glades etc without having to rake up the cut vegetation ) + spent some time looking for cutters on the internet

Big report to write on the Viridor funding for PBF work at Marsland - so prepared for that + National expert on Moths , Dr Adrian Spalding, paid a visit + discussed possible future projects at Marsland + more web site work and up loads

The weather seemed back to 'normal' today with a warmer breeze and sun mixed with heavy rain showers

Weds 10th - Slightly better results on the early CBC this morning - first Blackcap singing although a half hearted attempt + Dippers busy as per usual and Grey Wagtails with nest material + pair Buzzards displaying over Hard Hills ( weather slightly warmer and the chilly breeze has gone - for now anyway ) + recorded some bird song but nothing new ( Chiffchaff ! )

Photos of 'first light' at Hard Hills + new shelter 'roof' cover

Started the PLANT 'portfolio' for reserve + prepared and up loaded a number of images ( under main heading 'Photos' and then 'PLANTS' )

Tues 9th - Its very strange seeing many migrants at the moment but hearing none them singing + Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap are all in but staying ( predominantly) silent + it seems as if the dawn chorus will never start up ( although some species singing later when the sun came out included Goldcrest, Chaffinch, Dunnock , GSWoodpecker drumming, Chiffchaff and Song Thrush )

Lots of Mole hills being created recently and today I witnessed one individual actually moving soil from under its hill and then I saw its nose peek out to have a sniff around ( and go straight back down when my dog Molly became involved )

Warming up gradually - especially at Hard Hills on the slopes where I spent some time looking for larvae of PBF ( noticed clumps of young viola + flowers so carried out an 'ad hoc' survey and out of 28 such clumps I recorded x5 'moon shaped' cuts in some leaves - PBF larvae do this - see last seasons video @ HOME )

Late evening batcam watch but nothing to report ( just the one from last week and that individual seems to still be in hibernation )

Mon 8th - early morning stroll round Hard Hills first thing taking temperature readings ( still very little bird song ) then back to office to catch up + clean system + work on future funding/grants

Off reserve for awhile then cutting later in c47 and surrounding area - mainly bramble + clearing round the Cornish Moneywort at the bottom of the field

Web site up dates and re organization took up the rest of the day Sun 7th - I'm half way through a 25 week photography course at the moment and spent all day with 'high key' and 'low key' elements + I'm trying to involve natural history images as much as possible and photos used for my 5th assignment included a Roe Deer skull and a (B/W) shot of the coppice work at Hard Hills

Dull weather today but slightly warmer + x2 Blackcaps feeding on the bird table later in the day + Goldcrest singing for the first time this year + Grey Wagtails busy nest building around the office area

Sat 6th - Web click counter hit just over 31000 today ( thats almost 1000 'hits' in two weeks )

Another sunny but cold start to the day with frost on the ground especially in the valley bottom + spent all morning putting up the new shelter cover + noted a female Roe deer ( first seen for months )

Whilst out at Hard Hills I noted x2 Chiffchaff singing away due to an increase in the temperature and a drop in the wind + strange finding a female Blackcap feeding on seeds on our bird table ( not many insects to eat at the moment )

Fri 5th - up first thing to have a preliminary CBC ( common bird census) but not much singing or even attempting to sing ( noticably not as cold as previous mornings but still a brisk breeze )

Dippers busy ( probably too early for young ) + I think we may have x2 pairs on the stream as I've noticed x1 at Marsland Mouth on afew occasions in the past few days ( with the amount of food in the nearby area near the Gooseham nest I doubt that pair are flying this far down the stream ( could be x1 of last years young )

Very 'urban' looking Fox in Goat Meadow + 'urban' behaviour ( ie not running away ) + makes me wonder if individuals from towns are being caught and 'removed' to the countryside ?

Spent the rest of the day at Hackmarsh and checking out footpaths over to Linton Hills + more work on the shelter up grade + a PBF larvae survey ( and temperature check - 7c air and 16c brown ground ) Thurs 4th - up early cutting at Hard Hills in a bitter cold breeze + then took the cover off of the Hard Hills #3 shelter and made the whole thing stronger ( the new cover will have to wait - mainly because of the strong wind today ) + more dealings with BT re the new cable line

More boundary checks in the afternoon and checking for lost sheep again + spent time ID ing moths from photos sent to me by a a local youngster who became interested after a visit to reserve last year

Weds 3rd - Matt popped in for a chat during the morning then I was off showing some guys round the reserve re butterfly management + met up with BT re laying new cables for our phones down in the valley

Afew Willow Warblers recorded but no singing - although someone noted singing last Thursday down Long Meadow + checked out ponies at Marsland Mouth + those sheep are still on the run up by Broad Arbor

Tues 2nd - Bright and sunny today but still cold out of the sun + another stroll down to Marsland Mouth + survey early migrants etc + showing a couple of butterfly enthusiasts round Hard Hills + time spent hanging around the bridge at Gooseham to 'protect' the Dippers from disturbance from walkers etc

Mon 1st - Generally quiet day on reserve + checked ponies at Marsland Mouth with all three looking happy and contented + walk round Goat Meadow area looking for the first butterflies of the season

Male Merlin on the road up to Gooseham + male Dipper busy ( feeding the female on the nest ) + Otter spraint on the stream again for the first time in ages

Spent time with films and editing + some printing + tidy up the office

March 2013 :

Sun 31st - More patrols + new gate before Goat Meadow and new 'No Access' sign + noted Dipper at the site so hasnt been put off by the hassles from yesterday I think the cold weather has put people off from coming into the valley as Easter is usually busy ( although there are alot more holiday makers around the general area than ever before ( presumably in the 43% of holiday homes/second homes in North Cornwall )

Finalized the Annual Report and sent off the PDF to various people

Sat 30th - Easter Trials came and went without any problems and was all over in record time ( 10.30 am ) generally everyone left the area tidy

Later on I did have to ask some folk to stop throwing stones in the stream next to the Dipper nest + put dogs on leads etc but apart from that reserve quiet again.

Fri 29th - General patrols around the reserve but very quiet

Thurs 28th - Had a look round Hackmarsh first thing ( looking for lost sheep amongst other things ) + spent time looking for PBF larvae in the sunshine at Hard Hills ( didn't find any + noted violets few and very far between and the Primroses are very late and scarce

Pair of Sparrowhawks displaying over the valley + Grey Wagtails nesting in the Hard Hills #3 area + x9 Buzzards in the same air space riding a thermal above Goat Meadow

Checked Marsland Mouth in the afternoon looking for sheep + pony check + checked boundary up the valley adjacent to Gooseham

Weds 27th - Spent most of the morning sorting out the bat shed and getting it ready for the new season + blocking up holes to make it darker and halving the entrance slot ( again to cut out light ) + re positioned the camera and infra red lamp (closer to the main roost ) + x1 LH in position but in hibernating mode

Both Dippers busy at the nest + 1st Chiffchaff ( not singing )

Buzzard survey ( amongst other things ) all afternoon from the Mouth to Hackmarsh - maximum x9 in the air at any one time and x2 pairs noted ( display ) Tues 26th - First Wheatear of the year - seen at Gooseham Bridge early morning whilst looking for Dipper nest

DWT CEO Harry Barton paid a visit today and we had a stroll round the Hard Hills side of reserve discussing this and that.

Finally found the Dipper nest - pushed right back into a tangle of tree roots just feet away from last years site.

Mon 25th - cutting at Hard Hills most of the morning after doing some document printing early on in the office + sorting out computer filing system all afternoon ( amazing amount of file duplication sorted out ) + full check out of the bat shed ( none located although I did find x9 over wintering Herald Moths - and many wings of this species presumably 'got at' by mice )

Still no signs of bird migrants or early butterflies - the bad weather during last spring and summer + this period of unsuitable weather doesnt really bode too well for the coming season

Sat/Sun 23rd/24th - Generally cold and dull most of the weekend - very sad Sand Martin at Marsland Mouth looking exhausted + general check over truck

Fri 22nd - More persistant rain today - at least none of the snow the rest of the country is witnessing ( last year at this time the temperature hit 21 degrees for weeks )

Despite the weather I had a trudge round the reserve up to Hackmarsh and into areas I dont usually go ( to make sure they are still there if nothing else ! ) I do try to visit all areas on the reserve during the year ( at least once at the beginning and once at the end - minimum )

Deer conspicuous by their absence and I didn't see a single Woodcock

Film editing in the evening + some photo editing and continued with some reserve leaflets editing + up dates

Thurs 21st - all change re the weather as we move back to winter again ( cold rain and wind all day ) Seemed to have spent all day very busy but actually achieving very little although I did manage to edit a short film of the Wild Daffodils in Goat Meadow

Weds 20th - I now believe that the Dippers are nesting in the same area as last year but the nest is more hidden away in a clump of roots and debris ( I had the male singing away this morning and a very faint song of the female replying - she being in the clump ) + up to x7 Buzzards displaying over Hard Hills airspace and being hassled by x2 Ravens + a Sparrowhawk for a brief time

After collating material for Natural England and doing afew maps I wandered around taking afew photos of a beautiful day on the reserve ( photos x2 )

Started initial work on a Hedgehog survey method which involves a number of tunnels ( up to x10 for the animal to walk through ) + ink pads ( so the 'hog leaves an imprint of its pads ) + hot dog sausages ( for the 'hog to eat )

Also setting up a 'small mammal' survey with some live traps

Tues 19th - Another sunny springlike day today + had a stroll in the morning - but still no butterflies / bird migrants as yet + Dipper still hanging round at last years nest site ( they had actually built the nest at this time last year )

Checked ponies later in the day and added some more pages to the Annual Report

Mon 18th - off reserve most of the day but did manage some correspondence later on mainly centered around future courses and events on reserve + up date of Adit site species lists

Sat-Sun 16th,17th - Bright and sunny for long periods followed by hail and wind indicating our Spring has probably arrived + first Viola showing flowers and Wild Daffodils all out although no signs of any fiirst butterflies or migrant bird song although there are many bees flitting around

Noted the 30000 visitors mark for this web site on Sunday afternoon Fri 15th - Rain all day but did manage to get out on reserve checking out a broken fence + sheep at Marsland Mouth + ponies

Very large male Peregrine hunting over the reserve + a small flock of Golden Plover flew over heading north + Woodcock survey up to Hackmarsh (only x1)

Finished off the Annual Report and will post on this web site over the weekend

Thurs 14th - out early cutting in c25 and c15 ( although still cold the sun shone most of the day making it feel very much like Spring )

Wrote a little something for the Cornwall Butterfly Branch 20th Anniversary this Saturday - really hard to believe that its so long ago that myself and afew others started everything off + they are now an extremely impressive group with experience and motivation in truck loads / unfortunately I can't make the day but will be there in spirit

Took advantage of the sunshine in the afternoon and went out to take some photos of the reserve for future projects

More work on the Annual Report in the evening

Weds 13th - continued writing up the Annual Report for 2012/13 + sorting out a list sent by Matt Prince from last August ( mainly varied species but MP has now officially started the Spider / Harvestman list proper )

Spent time up loading maps to web site ( HOME / BOUNDARY MAPS ) + up loading to my 'tablet ' so I can use them out on reserve

Tues 12th - cutting and raking in the morning (in a bitter cold wind) and then onto starting the Annual Report + arranging courses and mapping out the reserve strategy for the next few years

Mon 11th - working on boundary checks and up dates during the morning until the electricity went off for a while due to high wind + continued later + up date of our Management Plan ( web site HOME / DOCUMENTS ) + had a look over at Hackmarsh and our road boundary in that particular area + checking out Beatland Woods on map ( too much wind for a safe walk which I will do as and when )

Continued editing film ( or rather looking at it all again and trying to decide what (and how) to edit )

Both Dippers at the nest site again but I still can't see the beginnings of a nest ( I need to set up the hide and spy on them when they aren't looking )

Weather turned today with those heavy winds and snow later on ( didn't stick thankfully )

Fri 8th - Had a look for some lost sheep first thing but no luck - they'd escaped from West Mill area at Marsland Mouth onto reserve afew days ago + boundary checks in the afternoon

First Slow Worm ( albeit a very small one ) under one of the monitoring slates at Hard Hills + bumble bees moving about

Thurs 7th - Finished the cutting at Hard Hills today and then onto preparing an 'agenda' document for the next 10 years at Marsland (eg - more ID and educational courses + wildlife projects and research + expanding film and photography )

Weds 6th - Matt and Ian from HQ up today for a walkabout and site meeting and general catch up discussion

I was out again first light this am looking for Dipper activity ( they are still boith at the nest site but apparently nothing going on - I'll bet the nest is behind the wood debris on the bend of the stream ) + Grey Wagtails displaying and calling and maybe setting up nest in the barn again

Tues 5th - out on reserve bright and early this morning ( always the best time to see stuff and experience the atmosphere ) although a wee bit too cold for a dawn 'chorus' but some species were obvious ( Nuthatch calling + GS Woodpecker hammering + Grey Wagtail calling and Dippers singing - tried to record some song but far too muted )

Dippers noted again at the nest site and I feel they may be setting up home just left of last years bank Otter spraint at Gooseham Bridge for the first time in weeks + many areas where Badgers have been digging up the top soil

A great deal of the frogspawn in the ponds has hatched - fairly unusual to see tadpoles this early in the year swimming around under ice patches

Found a dead Buzzard in Franks Field next to a dead Pigeon + both eaten through ( I think a large female Sparrowhawk hanging around lately had them both or maybe a Peregrine ? )

Did some more cutting later at Hard Hills and then off checking the back bouindary near Gooseham

Mon 4th - time spent up at the local school cutting and raking their little nature reserve + 2012 butterfly records sent out to various groups

Fri 1st - Sun 3rd - very quiet on reserve recently ( people wise ) despite the weather becoming drier and slightly warmer + noted a pair of Grey Wagtails messing about on the stream

Finalized a Moth Seminar at Marsland on the 13th July with Dr Rob Wolton + a Cranefly ID day on the 8th September with the Cranefly Recording Group ( John Kramer )

February 2013 :

Thurs 28th - time spent catching up on paperwork and future plans for reserve

Weds 27th - more cutting at Hard Hills all day ( creeping Bramble mainly ) + male and female Dipper noted at the nest site early am and later in the afternoon ( the lack of singing to each other recently probably indicates its time for building the nest - be very interesting to see if they build on exactly the same spot as previous years )

Tues 26th - cutting at Hard Hills all day - pretty slow work at the moment due to the fact that I'm cutting mostly Ivy and fallen over Bracken ( it'll be worth all the effort when the viola push through ) Mon 25th - off reserve most of the day but did manage to fit in a couple of hours cutting at Hard Hills late afternoon

Tues 12th - Sun 24th - took some time off during this very cold but dry period but did manage to get round the reserve quite abit - everything starting to turn towards Spring at the moment with the first Snowdrops and Primroses showing through + GSWoodpeckers drumming away and Buzzards displaying. The Dippers seem to have moved somewhere else for the time being ( maybe further up the stream towards Hackmarsh ) + no Otter spraint to speak of + Blue Tits displaying and checking out boxes and the holes in the office walls + loads of frogspawn in the ruts and ponds ( seems to freeze up and thaw out on a daily basis )

There have been sunny periods too and the ant hills are starting to become active again

I've had afew folk visiting and wanting to see Hard Hills and the PBF work - all seem very impressed with the amount of work being done

Mon 11th - early morning (7.30) stroll around Goat Meadow area looking for the Dippers - found them singing on the stream next to Hard Hills #3 but couldnt see a nest of any discription + they seem very tolerant of me being near them ( more so than last season although they seemed very tolerant then )

Off reserve til after noon then back in office to check through old records and various other archive material

Sat 9th - Sun 10th - off reserve most of the time with bird surveys elsewhere - nice to hear Skylarks tuning up and setting up territories just along the coast from Marsland + many Meadow Pipits and some Rock Pipits too / noted quite afew Fulmar - more so than in the past few years

Did manage to get round the reserve and recorded afew Blackcap but didnt see or hear the Dippers which is unusual / x8 Buzzards circling Hard Hills / many Woodcock still + x2 Snipe in Hard Hills #3 / x2 Grey Wagtails / male Merlin on the roadside trees near our house ( really must try and find where it is nesting this year - in the immediate area )

Fri 8th - tied to the office most of the day ( in house ) but did manage a nest box survey on the Hard Hills side of the reserve ( most - if not all - ready to be changed and so I began looking into replacements either which could be made or bought or maybe a mixture of the two )

Thurs 7th - off reserve most of the afternoon + shepherding some lost sheep out of the woods at Hard Hills first thing + general office work catch up

Weds 6th - Yet more cutting out at Hard Hills then off reserve for awhile

Tues 5th - Lots of Woodcock in the woods of late + Chaffinch song starting up early morning + thought I had A Red Kite today but way off in the distance flying away ( be interesting to see if anyone spotted one late afternoon )

More cutting out on Hard Hills slopes

Mon 4th - cutting out on Hard Hills first thing and for most of the day - spent a little time in a pleasant period of sunshine looking for PBF larvae but no luck + more office based work later on + printing stuff

Both Dippers at the nest site early on but no singing + signs of afew pieces of nest material at the actual nest location

Sat 2nd / Sun 3rd - various patrols during the weekend but all very quiet + contact with local wildlife hospital and care center + editing film

Fri 1st - cutting all day on various PBF areas + office based work inbetween times + some equipment maintainance

January 2013:

Thurs 31st - Cutting Ivy on the slopes at Hard Hills (new cut) most of the day - need to get this Ivy layer off of the ground to allow plants like Viola to grow and spread

Carried out a general survey up the stream to Hackmarsh late on - nothing special to report but I did notice many Woodcock ( must have dropped in recently as I didnt have any last week ) Spent some time printing out reports for various people

Weds 30th - cutting small areas beyond Goat Meadow after mid morning for awhile - off reserve first thing

Organizing courses for this year is still taking up time and I may have to put some ( all ? ) off til next year - especially now that we have a shortage of staff up here on reserve ( my original plans included a part time member of staff running events and showing groups of people round - so all that is on hold and probably won't happen any time soon )

Dippers still singing to each other round the Gooseham Bridge area but no signs of nest building as yet - I may build afew artifical nest boxes to see if the pair use them ( be good to get them to nest away from the access path to Goat Meadow as they always seem to fly off when I walk past on my own or with groups - they have been successful for two years though )

Tues 29th - lots more wind and rain so carried on up dating web site + adding various material + up dating reserve lists - especially insects with 35 new species ( Dr Rob Wolton sent his 2012 list through last night - edited version can be seen in HOME / Documents )

Spent an hour cutting at Hard Hills later on but more rain sent me running for cover

Mon 28th - Quiet weekend period with hardly anyone moving about the reserve due (in the main) to the bad weather

Out early checking ponies at Marsland Mouth as someone mentioned over the weekend that they hadn't seen them recently whilst out walking their dog ( the ponies are fine and have found a good hidden spot which offers good protection and shelter from all the recent wind and sleet )

Also checked for any dangerous trees along the main paths down to the sea + checked the state of the paths themselves + more cutting ( until heavy rain stopped play then back to the computer to sort out last seasons plant photos and ID )

Also on flood defence duty later in the afternoon as run off from the top fields threatened to drown Gooseham Mill via the road outside Fri 25th - cutting PBF sites all day + some office related work in the evening

Thurs 24th - out at Hard Hills cutting first thing + dormouse nest check along usual transect ( x1) + Dippers singing at Hard Hills #3 + resident Ravens taking nest material to their Beech tree site beyond Hard Hills

Top side boundary check later ( behind house to Marsland Mouth )

Weds 23rd - office work all day centered around this seasons projects + courses + e mail liason with other conservation people/groups in the south west

Tues 22nd - off reserve most of the day advising a woodland owner + catch up with with an old friend who used to work here at Marsland

Mon 21st - spent most of the day cutting at Hard Hills + some time in the office sorting out courses + printing off material ( mostly stuff regarding a 'Forestry School' idea )

Sat 11th - Sun 20th - very busy period for me on the reserve mainly due to the fact that everyone else has been off ill / the winter contract work finished on the 13th with all the new areas ready for the PBF season ( all will be ideal in 2 years time ) although all the past work areas need managing to a certain degree ( hence the very busy period and lots of work still to finish )

Web site visits passed the 28,000 mark over the weekend beginning 19th

Dippers still singing to eachother but no signs of rebuilding their nest / male Merlin flitting around the track up to Gooseham on numerous occasions / x2 male Blackcaps hanging around the garden feeding station / a number of Wrens using the holes in the office walls during this cold spell

Carried out an Otter spraint check up the stream on the 20th but didnt find any - been a quiet period all round

No snow to date but very cold and wintery throughout and the reserve is still very soggy especially in the bottom of the valley Fri 10th - Meeting with Ian Chadwick and Wendy Fernandez ( DWT staff) most of the morning + then onto contractors who will probably finish all the work by Monday evening + long walk round Marsland Mouth area ( ponies good )

Photos of contract work added

Thurs 9th - office all day sorting out filming requests + testing out a new windshield for the video microphone ( seems to work well ) + later checking top side boundary from the house to Hackmarsh and back down the stream

Dippers singing in the rain most of the day at Gooseham Bridge but failed to record Woodcock which was a surprise

The firewood guys came to collect coppice wood from Franks Field and were here most of the day

Weds 9th - Out early to visit and advise on a woodland + its' management plan just outside of Launceston + lovely place made even better by seeing the sun for the first time in weeks

On my return to Marsland I had an e mail request for footage of PBF's in their habitat / feeding / breeding so spent time locating film and then editing + had a request to film Monty Halls being interviewed by DWT next week

Tues 8th - Catching up with e mails first thing and then started on work programmes for next few weeks + Grey Squirrel survey + cutting just beyond Goat Meadow in the small glade areas + cutting at the bottom of Hard Hills in the afternoon until the rain got the better of me

Kate and Steve went to Meresfelle reserve most of the day but did manage to clear a tree over the bottom path ( or at least made it passable ) on thier return

Dippers singing at the bridge and further up near Otter Coppice today + lots of fresh Frog spawn in the ponds Mon 7th - Kate and myself went to chat with TW at Broad Arbor + set more work in c25 + a general look around for Kate as its her last day here at Marsland

Spent some time commenting (via internet ) on a management plan sent to me re PBF management in the north west

Kate went out raking in the afternoon in one of last winters new cut areas + I started on cutting re growth at Hard Hills on the slopes

Fri 4th - had some old conservation friends down over the last few days + wandering around reserve discussing management etc + mulling over the old days with the RSPB + TW still up in Broad Arbor extending the scrub clearance + good to hear the Dipper pair singing to eachother around the Gooseham Bridge area

The three ponies are fine and dandy down at Marsland Mouth

Thurs 3rd - More drizzle and mist and TW and the lads out working at Broad Arbor clearing scrub for the fritillaries + office work for me + planning the year ahead

General tidy up later on then I had to have a 'word' with a local hunt group ( taking some kids out on a 'special day' + hounds etc ) The leader didnt impress me much when I could hear him asking the others which way to go when he reached the bottom of the road ! This type of total non preparation doesnt do their 'cause' any good + wonder what the kids learnt from all that ? + I shudder to think what 30 or so fox hounds ( trained to kill) would have done to my dog ( small and looking like a fox to them ) or someone elses dog for that matter and why on earth come through the tracks and roads on a well known nature reserve ? ( although I cant keep them off the roads and unmettled sections their arrogance and ignorance amazes me ) Spent the rest of the day patrolling and waiting for phone calls about the hunt being on the reserve ( none came )

1st / 2nd - general patrols + check on ponies on New Years Day + all still very wet and dull + thanks to everyone who reads this daily diary and thanks for all your support, interest and comments

Grey Squirrel survey also carried out over last few days - x1 around the garden areas at the bottom + x1 up the road to Gooseham December 2012 :

Mon 31st - Fairly big up date and check of this web site to make sure everything working OK ( noted 27000 clicks today so somebody is reading all this stuff - probably one person 27000 times)

Sat/Sun 29th/30th - More wind and rain and the stream at full tilt but did manage a walk and noted x1 Brambling beyond Goat Meadow and a small flock of c8 Siskin feeding on Alder seeds + did abit of printing

Fri 28th - Various folk ( x5) popped in today to have a guided walk round the PBF site at Hard Hills - and they were very impressed with the work going on there at the moment + more office based work later on

Hopefully the 2nd phase of the work will start on the 3rd January

Sat 22nd - Thurs 27th - Rather quiet over the Xmas period probably due to the consistantly wet and windy weather + did manage to get out and about checking ponies and general patrols + checking boundary lines (mainly up at the back of the house towards Hackmarsh) + some photography + some tidying up in the office and the barn area

Also went out on Boxing Day to check out some culm areas re traditional hunt ( nothing to report) + general patrols back at Marsland checking on adjacent shoots

Thurs/Fri 20th-21st - been ill over the last couple of days so not much done I'm afraid

Sad news - Kate is leaving us ( to go to Working Wetlands DWT )

Weds 19th - Kate out cutting at Hard Hills during the morning ( very heavy rain after very heavy drizzle stopped work )

More time spent on organizing next years courses although Yarner Trust won't be involved due to internal struggles ( so far I hope to do the film course,woodland management and ID courses on moths, bird song, butterflies, PBF's (seminar) grasshoppers,ground beetles, dragonflies, craneflies, bees and maybe ants + plants various ( if I can get Cornwall Trust involved ) + lichens

Tues 18th - Carried out more on line research on PBF's - mainly centered around their ecology and other such information on the internet ( the very first piece of info was contained on the Forestry Commission web site and they were attempting to inform the general public about the correct way to manage for the species - they tell us that 'Individual eggs are laid in the autumn' and that ' the eggs develop over the winter ' and that 'caterpillars hatch in the spring' and that adults fly 'between late April and July' and ' adult butterflies feed on common dog-violet '

That information couldn't be more wrong if it tried + it seems to me that the very first thing we need to get right is species ecology and then (hopefully) everything else will follow

Mon 17th - Kate out at Hard Hills most of the day cutting PBF areas

I spent most of the day catching up with e mails and corresponding with various folk re possible research projects on reserve + more photo editing + building up photo library (plants) + more time spent on birds leaflet ( which is turning into more than just a leaflet )

Fri - Sun 14th - 16th - More office based work + attempts at GPS on worked areas + general patrols around the reserve

Spent some time looking for hibernating PBF larvae at Hard Hills during the sunny ( but very cold and frosty) periods - generally searched just on or just under the surface in curled up leaves and other vegetation - located in what I would consider to be (a) 'ideal' spots ( open bare earth with dead leaf litter and lots of viola spread around ) and (b) covered areas with lots of scrub - all results negative ( what I really need to do is locate and find larvae during the spring and summer and then keep them in laboratory conditions to record and monitor their behaviour )

There isnt really that much on over wintering PBF larvae even on ther internet ( any students out there who would like to carry out such work please contact - I'm interested in the predation of larvae ( Lizards ? Spiders ?) + effects of weather on the development of the larvae ( Spring / Summer prolonged rain + warm winters for example ) Thurs 13th - Steve and Simon have been busy cutting bracken and re growth in the new clearing at Travel Bridge Track + I made a check at Hard Hills in the finished new clearing at the top of the slopes ( photo )

More work on various projects including photo book, courses for next year, PBF seminar, group visits and maybe a reserve film based around walks in certain areas ( maybe an app if I can find someone to help me produce one )

Tues 11th - Very frosty overnight +TW's last day out at Hard Hills til after Xmas + more work on photography book + more documents up loaded to my 'tablet' pad ( plus bird song and some photos which will be good for ID purposes with groups and visitors )

Mon 10th - Bright and sunny today + TW back on Hard Hills + good news - I found out my photo of PBF larvae feeding on violet came 3rd in the UK Butterflies web site photo competition 2012 ( 'immature' section ) + bad news - only three entries - what a cruel cruel world )

Spent some time transferring (mainly) reserve maps onto my 'tablet' for use out in the field ( be very useful when checking boundary lines )

Tues-Fri 4th -7th - Cold, wet and windy for most of the week + TW and the lads kept working at Hard Hills ( photos ) creating a large space for future PBF's to enjoy ( along with all the other wildlife of course )

Mon 3rd - Kate out in Broad Arbor and the clearings in c25 cutting last seasons re growth + TW and the lads pushing ahead at Hard Hills at the top of the slope

Organizing one or two courses for next September ( 'Craneflies' and maybe other insects + maybe a visit from an entomological society based in the south west )

November 2012 :

Fri 30th - Off reserve for most of day + got back and went out to watch Simon and Steve out at Hard Hills with the new chainsaw equipment - for cutting up logs into planks for use on reserves ( first task will be to construct two foot bridges across the stream at Goat Meadow ) + the kit will be used soon at Uppacott to plank up and make a board walk ( all the kit should have paid itself back within a couple of years at most )

Very impressed with the chainsaw + Simon and Steve did a great job ( photos ) + the oak planks were ( to my eyes anyway ) top grade with a heartwood fine grain good enough for a new modern kitchen + walkways + nest boxes etc

Thurs 29th - All day spent designing a new leaflet (s) / web leaflet (s) for this web site - based around wildlife and habitat management rather than actual species ( its what to leave out rather than what should go in ) + management of particular species starting with PBF + it all turned into something grander made of recycled card with a CD inset and ring bound

TW and the lads have now finished on the left side of Hard Hills and are back on the slopes continuing where they left off last winter

Weds 28th - Check over at Hard Hills first thing before TW came in and then again later when the guys were working ( excellent clearing being created for future population of PBF's - amongst other things of course - photos )

Kate and Simon cutting up a fallen tree for Mr and Mrs Newton in the morning + general maintainance of machinery + Kate out in the afteroon cutting in Otter Coppice again + Steve out in the Travel Bridge 'new cut' section ( from last year ) cutting bracken

Really good feeling with all the practical work going on at the moment + time spent 'advising' people on what they could do with their sites / reserves for butterflies and PBF's inparticular

Tues 27th - Terry While and his boys started PBF project management today out at Hard Hills - basically carrying on from where they left off last winter by cutting out more scrub and coppicing on the left hand side of the hillside

Before I took TW out to site I was printing and laminating photos ( I've got this reserve 'post card' idea )

Off reserve with Kate for some time then back to photo editing and writing bird reports for various bodies + checking out my Slow Worm data ( to see if it was enough to help out a Phd student - it wasn't ) + Kate went out cutting again at |otter Coppice

Also sorted out the new toilet details etc and that should be with us hopefully before Xmas

Mon 26th - Cutting at Hard Hills during the morning then more trekking in certain sections of reserve checking trees for safety and ash dieback etc - we seem to have missed the worst effects of the recent bad weather although I've never seen the reserve so wet and sodden as it is now ( I'm even noting 'new' water springs springing up in some areas but the office has missed any signs of flooding - which means its probably safe(r) in the future . This sodden state is a result of a prolonged period of rain during recent months rather than what has been falling over the past few days)

Having lots of contact with various people re my old idea of a wildlife conservation PC / Playstation game type thing ( like most things these days it takes money to make progress )

Sat / Sun 24th/25th - Very heavy rain and strong winds most of the weekend so out checking when possible + work on the outside road clearing leaves and blockages in the drains + sweeping and clearing at the bottom opposite the office + time spent on photo filing and organization + film editing ( which basically involved looking at 'old' film footage - the contents of which I'd forgotton about ) + contact with various people re courses next year + possibility of a 'PBF management' get - to -gether with interested parties ( ie a seminar based on reserve mainly to highlight and to discuss what we do here for PBF and the other fritillary butterflies etc )

The actual logistics / costing out of each course etc takes time ( the easiiest ones are the 'free' ones )

Fri 23rd - Contract work organization and planning for the future ( when contract work and funding comes to an end ) + office 'catch up' work after an early morning general stroll up Tredown / Hackmarsh - off paths - checking and looking at stuff as its always good to reconnect with the areas which aren't visited too often ( making sure someone hasnt built a house in the woods whilst I wasn't looking ) Thurs 22nd - Out at Hard Hills cutting after cutting a section of c47 but the bad weather put paid to that + worked on my Blurb book re Wildlife Photography at Marsland over the last 25 years

Weds 21st - General machine maintainance first thing + some time spent on reserve work programmes for the winter months + health and safety issues checked ( safety signage mostly ) + out new improved toilet seems to be on its way soon

Off Marsland reserve for awhile then back to cutting at Hard Hills - decided to leave some areas intended for a cut because they seem too 'green' and need to 'scrub over' for afew years ( this will protect future violets which should grow up in a 'not so green' ground layer )

Took a stroll up the stream to Hackmarsh but nothing much to report

Tues 20th - Fairly dull and damp day today but I did manage some cutting at Hard Hills before the heavier rain set in + then sorting through old documentation - especially spider and lichen lists + 're filing' reserve photographs + attempting to download photos of reserve bees and wasps re a document following on from this years survey by Paddy Saunders + more research into developing an 'app' for the reserve + looking through my new 'job description' ( I remember the good old days when my JD just said ' Day to day running of nature reserve ' + the advert for the job in 1974 mentions the fact that 'It will be a fairly lonely life particularly in winter in a lovely part of the world' )

Mon 19th - I had an early morning walk to Hard Hills where I witnessed a very strange effect in the sky for a few moments - a reddish tinge bordering on pink mixed in with a very dark cloud and abit of blue + light rain ( a weird atmosphere only added to when hundreds of gulls got up out of a field at the top of reserve and started calling whilst using a thermal to spiral up and beyond the tree line + the Turkey began calling in the woods sounding very much like a person screaming for help )

The owner of the Turkey turned up mid morning to collect it + Kate and myself off reserve getting the Vealand ponies 'used' to a red bucket full of grub which should make moving them a tad easier ( also named the pair 'Moose' and 'Noddy' ) Ian C popped in for awhile + I spent some time organizing one or two courses for next year

Kate and myself cutting at Hard Hills in the afternoon + viola under the bracken cover seem to be particulary 'lush' at this time of year ( especially under the bracken which falls over and creates a thick dense layer - amazing how the viola leaves still retain a rich green colouration rather than a dull limp shade which one would expect from such a lack of light )

Bearing the above in mind I've decided it would be interesting to keep a weekly check on a particular area of violets under bracken (with different densities) in order to ascertain if colour and therefore 'health' is affected at all ( are violets under such areas affected by a potential covering of snow / ice for example and maybe PBF larvae thrive in such micro conditions ? )

Sun 18th - Good to see a little sunshine today + Turkey still making a racket in the woods ( lots of Woodcock + x2 Fieldfare whilst tracking the beast )

Two guys popped in from down south and seeing as they were interested in the PBF management ( via the article in BW ) I showed them around Hard Hills for awhile

Sat 17th - Two new records for reserve today - walking round Goat Meadow in the morning I noted a...... Turkey ( very vocal and probably someones pet and/or someones Xmas dinner + later I noted a male Black Redstart in Broad Arbor ( tired and consequently very easy to see )

Fri 16th - Steve and Simon busy on checks on any chemicals in use on reserves + general health and safety issues + 'soil ' ssues on all our reserves ( management of etc )

I continued with sorting out old files + attempting to archive pre computer documents + old 7 inch 'disk' material + pre empting when the present methods of filing disappear and/or become out dated ( CD's and data pens for example )

I tend to store all my personal files on a 'cloud' based internet facility - whatever that is Also carried out some research into 'apps' and their possible use on reserve (s) + more time spent on my old 'game' idea - the one centered around the management of habitats for wildlife ( anyone got £10K to spare so I can develop the idea ? )

Spent some time on species reports for afew of our culm sites + a check up the stream to Hackmarsh ( x7 Woodcock ) + x2 Dippers singing ( M and F ) + x2 Grey Wagtails ( two photos of Autumn )

Thurs 15th - More office stuff today centered around filing and cleaning up / organizing data / any health and safety issues

Weds 14th - Was intending to have today off but I got bogged down with various stuff mainly through e mail ( ranging from maybe giving a talk to the BC Cornwall Branch AGM next year to what some people are doing about invasive plants in National Parks in the USA + what to do about a rogue male Fox roaming the area + helping with taking Land Rover to the garage to fix its' head lights + 101 other such things )

Tues 13th - Took the punctured tyre off the Woodah tractor first thing and Kate took it to garage on her way ( with Steve ) to a meeting in Exeter with DWT

More bees and wasps stuff during the morning + a walk up the stream to Hackmarsh to check for ash die back ( as suspected none was found ) + Otter spraint ( none found )

Had a meeting in the afternoon re courses for next year + maybe setting up a 'green wood' workshop + did a section of cutting beyond Goat Meadow area

The Barbastelle bat died over night + the last LH bat has left the bat roost

Mon 12th - Rain all day + Kate set to tidying up the barn area + I continued general office work ( including web site up dates and up loads, PBF( and general butterflies) report for various people, planned article on aspects of Marsland wildlife, up date Adit data base , course planning for next year, reports to regional bird recorders and mammal society Barbastelle bat found hanging on the side of the bat shed and taken in for care

Sun11th - Woodland Management Day - cooked the rice and made the yogurt dip first thing then onto preparation for the x7 folk who arrived at 10am + Kate already out on site at the 'hovel' setting up

After cups of tea and biscuits and introductions I did a presentation including photos and films of the reserve and the management we do here - then it was out to Hard Hills to have a look at some of the coppice work ( especially for the Dormouse population and then the management of bracken for PBF + after a curry lunch Kate showed everyone the shaving horse + lathe + the guys had a bash at abit of coppice + hedge laying and constructing a hazel hurdle + finally back at base we had a session on management planning and general discussion

The day went very well I thought + curry in Hard Hills #3 sat under shelter and around a fire etc was a highlight + the weather behaved itself and all ( hopefully ) went away having had an informative and enjoyable day ( photos )

Sat 10th - Projector screen arrived this morning but too large to put up by myself + cooked the vegetable curry for tomorrow ( always best left over night )

Finished off bits and pieces for tomorrow mid morning ( paperwork mainly + laminating photos ) + time spent on film footage ( most of which is driving me mad as I've viewed it soooo many times) + feed back still coming in re PBF article + replying

Walk about mid afternoon + many Redwings moving about + Siskins + Peregrine + x2 Dippers + x2 Grey Wagtails + x1 Red Admiral x1 Lesser Horseshoe bat still in the shed + a growing number of Herald moths wanting to over winter

Fri 9th - Shopping for Sundays curry stuff first thing + general check on reserve up to Hackmarsh and across to bridleway + Tredown and boundary checks to Broad Arbor + e mail catch up and office general stuff til evening Also spent some time organizing courses for next year ( already got an expert coming in to do a beginners Cranefly ID day + Dr Adrian Spalding agreed to do afew Moth evenings/days ID + I intend to do some birdsong mornings + dawn chorus events )

Thurs 8th - Fire safety checks in the morning at the office with Chubb + Simon went off to Uppacott to do abit of cutting before a volunteer day on Saturday

Looks like seven people coming to the Woodland Management day on Sunday so it should be quite involved and intimate + more preparation ( organizing food mainly as we cook a 'woodmans ' curry in the woods) + printing off stuff for the participants + burning CD's full of information for them to take back home

Weds 7th - Electricity off again first thing but trip switch wouldnt go back to 'on' so I called an electrician in ( meanwhile I went out to record the two Dippers singing to eachother under the bridge ( too much background water noise on the playback )

Problem with the electrics solved ( shorting out at the sewage treatment pump ) + more stuff taken out to the 'hovel' with tractor and trailer + Kate made the damaged path down at Travel Bridge 'good' and then went up to the local school to sort out some trees on their little nature reserve

Burning data to discs most of the afternoon + trying to get film to be projected through the projector ( solved )

Tues 6th - Panic first thing as no electricity in the office ( trip switch gone off so all back on when discovered )

More preparation for the weekend + Kate had P Jollys' group out + they worked on and in the 'hovel' ( weaving a new willow wall amongst other things )

Checked out a path which seems to have fallen into the stream + powerpoint presentation up date ( entering films ) + PBF management article e mail answering

Mon 5th - Quiet weekend people wise but lots of heavy rain and strong winds Ian C up in the morning to have a chat with Kate + I worked on preparation for this weekends Woodland Management course ( including a new revised powerpoint presentation ) + sorting out more plumbing problems + abit more research into 'ash dieback' prior to a visit to Vealand and Dunsdon to check out some planted trees from last year ( all healthy )

Finally recieved the British Wildlife magazine today (the fritillary management article looks and reads very well )

Sat 3rd - Noted a lone Red Admiral flying around at 7.30 this morning whilst I was counting the Blackbirds and Redwings in the Holly Tree and surrounding area outside the house ( x12 and x17 respectively )

Receiving some very positive responses to the BW article ( especially pleasing to hear from John Wilson - my 'mentor' at Leighton Moss RSPB 30 odd years ago and now retired but still sharing his vast knowledge of wildlife and the management of wildlife sites)

Interesting to note that since the article hit the streets ( last Tuesday ) this site has had 368 hits -not bad for four days

Fri 2nd - Went out to Hard Hills early to check on the 'hovel' as the weather has been rather wet and windy overnight ( turns out it was standing with no damage at all + I'm realizing what a great bird hide it would make + filming hide )

Finished the bee and wasp survey editing + quite abit of feedback re PBF BW article to answer etc + Google map boundary check ( panicked at one particular area + had to go check (which took most of the afternoon ) - encroachment from reserve to afew back gardens ( and thus obscuring the boundary line ) was more than I first imagined so all is well + disturbed a very healthy looking Fox at the back of the Office

Checked out future work in the Marsland Mouth area - especially Fritillary project ( photo of Simons cutting last week ) + checked Lesser Horseshoe bats ( x1 left - photo )

Thurs 1st - Off reserve all day + PBF film footage watching later ( still having problems sorting out a time line ) October 2012

Weds 31st - Seems to be quite afew Blackbirds dropping into reserve of late ( x7 males in the Holly tree alone - outside the house picking all the berries off ) + x2 Dippers on the stream at Hard Hills #3 ( just behind the 'hovel' ) + regular Heron on the stream usually at the crossing where the Dippers nested + regular sightings of GS Woodpecker + x2 Grey Wagtails + x12 Redwing feeding with the Blackbirds ( first of the season and loving the Hawthorn berries more than anything ) + x3 Blackcaps ( the number of Blackbirds / Redwings was silly later on - couldn't move for disturbing them off the 'berry' trees - seems to have been a big influx into the area over the day )

More cutting and raking at Hard Hills during the morning + also carried out Dormouse nest check ( couldn't see any ) + took a detailed look at a number of ash trees ( all seem normal ) + heavy rain forced me inside for the afternoon so more 'officey' type stuff + contacted the pony people to see if they wanted to check the ponies at Marsland Mouth before the winter sets in ( photos of ponies getting an MOT in June ) + all looks good for the ponies

Tues 30th - Spent most of the day with Kate at the 'hovel' making it strong and safe + putting some camo material over it + putting together a wood lathe + it all looks really great and now set up for group visits etc ( next one on the 11th November with Woodland Management - joint event with Yarner Trust )

Plans ahead for woodturning / lathe work / hurdle making days - inviting experts in to lead + maybe 'forest school' activities ( my wife Jane recently qualified ) + trying to inform folk just how important woodland management was / is for wildlife

Got back into scanning archive material later in the evening + cleaning up old slides

Mon 29th - Patrick sent down his bee and wasp survey results / report so I spent time looking it over etc ( good to see we have at least x3 notables and x1 Red Data Book3 species - Normada lathburiana + a total of 61 species - the seasons poor weather seems to have had an affect on numbers and types and there are probably far more species here - but thats for another year)

Started to organize a bee and wasp list a la the reserve Hoverflies ( with descriptions/photos etc )

The heavy rain and wind overnight (and part of today) helped to bring down the 'hovel' so Kate, Steve and myself spent some time putting it back up again + tied in guide ropes etc to make it stronger

More work on the bee survey later + some stuff relating to Marsh Fritillary management ( I've never really seen Marsland as a 'proper' MF site but looking back at the records over the last 25 years MF have always been here - albeit in low numbers )

Sat / Sun 27th / 28th - Cooler weather pushing down on to the reserve over the weekend + abit more breezy than of late + some periods of sunshine on the Saturday

The 'hovel' survived the breeze / windy periods but only just ( some minor remedial work got it back on the level )

Large flocks of mixed passerines over the period + Sparrowhawk hunting over the office air space + Red Admiral still flitting around + x2 Dippers hanging round the nest site

Continued more research into 'ash dieback' - Ash at this time of year 'appears' to look like it could be 'affected' by something anyway as it is losing leaves early especially from the top canopy areas ( Anyoo, I cant imagine that the disease has reached this far south already )

Fri 26th - Ian C up in the morning for a visit + Simon cutting at Marsland Mouth and along Long Meadow

Rest of the day spent doing all the small things which never seemed to get done over the summer ( clearing barn area + moving mud piles + putting a temporary light up in the tool shed as the one in their don't work anymore + did abit of raking beyond Goat Meadow + maintained machinery + covered up an outside pipe in readiness for the big freeze Thurs 25th - Catch up with e mails / office work til mid morning then onto the 'hovel' and abit more work on its construction + checking all the hazel coppice in that area for signs of Dormice

More cutting at Hard Hills later on + spent some time mixing up some 'daub' for the bat shed back wall ( clay from the stream + straw + sand ) - I'm taking bets on how long it lasts ie how long it stays on the wall

Up dating this web site and checking links etc inbetween time + up loading new material

Weds 24th - Took the infra red lights out of the bat shed and cleaned them up before storing away until next April + also cleaned up the batcam and packed that away + amazing numbers of ( probably) moth larvae in the large amounts of bat droppings in the shed ( still one individual left in there )

Kate and myself continued with willow coppicing and weaving a wall into the hovel + Kate continued fixing her shaving horse from last season

Spent some time later on filling in forms for the Forestry Commission + checking out their advice on 'ash death'

Possible large flock of Siskin dropped in later ( too far away to hear but most likely suspects at this time of year popping in to feed on the Alder seeds amongst other things) + x1 Red Admiral flitting around Hard Hills #3 for awhile

Completed the Lesser Horseshoe bat report for 2012 (HOME/Docs#2)

Tues 23rd - Early morning stroll around Goat Meadow - both Dippers very active once more on the stream around the nest site ( very vocal and lots of alarm calling as if protecting nest / young etc - I did only notice x2 - there maybe one of this years young still hanging around causing a problem ? or maybe a migrant from somewhere else has popped in and the residents are protecting territory )

Just seen the cover of Octobers' British Wildlife on the internet ( ' Fritillaries of Marshland' ) Why can't people get the name right ? - it aint that difficult ( heres hoping no mistakes in the article itself ) Kate working on the sides of the 'hovel' ( weaving willow) + I cut areas of Hard Hills #2 and #1 + off reserve for awhile in the afternoon ( photo )

Later on in the evening I attempted to record the two Dippers but with no luck ( they somehow knew I had a recorder and microphone with me because later on still they started up singing again when I'd put the equipment away )

Mon 22nd - Off reserve most of the morning + more 'hovel ' work in the afternoon ( putting the waterproof material roof on )

Dippers very vocal and active around the bridge area + one spotted actually in the nest from this year ( probably keeping an eye on it + maybe fixing and patching up )

Sat + Sun 20th -21st - - Quiet weekend on reserve + ponies checked + Dippers x2 at Gooseham Bridge ( slight 'twitterings' too ) + x3 Red Admirals flitting around in the weak sunshine + Sparrowhawk taking a Great Tit which was part of the usual mixed flock of small passerines at this time of year

Fri 19th - Ive come to the conclusion that 2012 isnt a good year for 'galls' of any kind as Im finding it very difficult to find any at the moment ( it does seem, however, that 2012 is / will be a good year for fungi )

More cutting during the morning then onto abit of filming in the afternoon to fill in potential gaps

Thurs 18th - tidying up various reports first thing + checking boundary fencing going on at the moment on adjacent land + spent time on the hovel and collecting hazel + struts + hazel coppice check in the Hard Hills area + otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( none found but x2 Grey Wagtails messing about on the stream + Grey Heron feeding further up the valley)

Weds 17th - very early walk round the reserve this morning checking out yesterdays contract work + check on ponies + hovel ( still standing - photos ) + noted Dipper at the nest site + many Jays passing through reserve + a very large Black Bulgar fungi (photo) + made a start on ID of some plant galls I managed to bring back to base + organizing courses - especially the Woodland Management day on November 11th Whilst working up in the house office over dinner ( dinner time being mid day ) the usual tit / warbler / goldcrest flocks were moving through the garden and amongst the various species I noted a Yellow Browed Warbler ( had them here before but always good to see a rarity now and again on the reserve )

Impromptu meeting late afternoon with woodland crafts folk from Cornwall - very interesting it was too - discussing management /crafts/'vermin' control etc

Tues 16th - Terry While and the lads started scrub cutting up at Broad Arbor first thing ( just for two days ) + after meeting him up there I checked the paths/ trees + cut some sections + checked ponies and sorted out winter work areas

Kate and myself then went over to Hard Hills and started on constructing our reserve 'hover' - we managed to get the main frame done + added some strengthening cross pieces ( bolted and binded all the sections too ) + afew Red Admirals and a Speckled Wood still flitting about in the weak sunshine + x2 Southern Hawkers

Two new books arrived today - all about plant galls ( so we should all be experts by the end of the month )

Did abit more research re 'ash die back'

Mon 15th - Cutting round Hard Hills # 3 with Kate in the morning + off reserve for a while after noon then back to base

Kate preparing a 'hovel' construction on reserve + plan to have an area with woodwork 'exhibits' as a talking point into woodland management and its history

A 'hovel' was a place where the woodsman could get some shelter from the rain and sun and is built from wood struts made into an 'A' frame and covered with bracken etc ( over a waterproof material in our case)

Ian worked in the office for the morning and Steve came back from leave Sun 14th - off reserve in the morning than back to more editing and watching all ( most of ) the wildlife footage from the past two years + edited three films for inclusion on the BBC Countryfile web site ( maybe ) + spent a short time attempting to find and ID 'galls' ( I've just recently acquired a new book for the library and have always been fascinated by these plant abnormalities )

Sat 13th - very heavy rain lately + amazing light with rainbow in the valley first thing ( photo ) + editing wildlife film footage and working out 'voice overs' etc + more wildlife book editing of photos / slides ( and some old ish actual paper photos )

Fri 12th - Helping Jane with her 'forest school' project at St Marks first thing

Simon fixed the tractor and cut Travel Bridge Coppice area + I then took him over to Working Wetlands at Cookworthy

Spent time researching 'ash die back' in the UK ( one or two trees in the valley looking a tad stressed ) + otter spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( none found - probably too soon after recent flood levels )

More office related stuff for the rest of the day

Thurs 11th - Rain all day + Simon went to collect a part for the tractor cutter from down south + I carried on and finished the butterfly report ( amongst other things )

Simon returned with tales of floods further down into Devon and him spending time rescuing various people from deep water and ditches

Weds 10th - Visit by Lyn Kenerdine and Ed Parr Ferris to discuss and have a look at some of management here at Marsland with Kate and myself ( especially PBF's and SPBF's ) + we were joined mid morning by Kevin and Donna Cox ( landowners, DWT members and all round deeply convicted conservationists) + later went off reserve to discuss work on two of our culm sites

Excellent day today - refreshing and realistic conversation with realistic and refreshing people Simon came in to continue cutting but had problems with the tractor + will get a new part and fix tomorrow

Tues 9th - Off reserve for half the day then back to some office work ( mainly catch up + records added to Adit data base + butterfly reports finished + started individual butterfly synopsis of the season + working on a Marsland Wildlife photography book )

Mon 8th - Organizing work programmes first thing + had a meeting with Terry While re contract work for the Fritillary Viridor Project over this coming winter ( TW and his gang have carried out really important work over the past few years adding significantly to the success of the PBF's and other fritillary species + other wildlife which just happens to be around those areas )

Kate went out to Broad Arbor c15 to start cutting the slopes ( she had x8 Small Tortoiseshell nectaring on one Ragwort plant - which we must have missed whilst pulling some weeks ago )

Working on photo up loads + out taking management shots + printing / laminating and preparing up coming group days + organizing a 'plant gall' survey

Met with Clare Manning in the afternoon - she is the new Nature Improvement Area Officer for North Devon + discussed various ways to help out with this new venture

Sun 7th - Spent some time editing / trawling through film footage and attempting to 'storyboard' proposed projects ( without too much success to be honest ) + some preparation for a meeting on Wednesday

Sat 6th - x 7 Small Tortoiseshell, x3 Red Admiral, x2 Large White flitting about in the warm sunshine + I managed to find a Marsh Fritillary web at Hard Hills ( albeit a very small one with caterpillars long gone )

Checked out some recent fencing work on our boundary line

Fri 5th - Up loading various butterfly photos first thing then a start was made on the 2012 butterfly report ( finished later ) Off reserve for half the day then back to catching up on office work ( rain all day )

The plumber came in the evening to check out our office toilet and the possibility of changing it to a more 'practical' one

Thurs 4th - decluttering my home office files early on + finalized PBF article + adding more records to Adit data base and up dating + started article on our Lesser Horseshoe bat season + organizing some photos and other material for a friend getting together a lecture on wildlife management

Simon continued cutting Franks Field and then moved on to Goat Meadow ( both finished and looking great - photos )

Weds 3rd - Kate cleaned the office windows yesterday and they are now sparkling

We now have a projector for the office - thanks to Working Wetlands for passing on their old one ( works very well by the way )

Ian C popped in mid morning after I'd paid a visit to local school (St Marks ) to have a look at their little nature reserve ( we usually manage it for them at this time of year and will do so strating next week )

Editing some bits of film later + organizing our library

Web site numbers hit 24000 today

Tues 2nd - Off reserve for the morning + picked up a 'faulty' projector from Working Wetlands and sorted that out ( now works very well ) + more fine tuning the PBF article

Pete Jolly and his wonderful group paid a visit and raked up loads of bracken from our cut areas with Simon

Simon out in the tractor later on continuing cutting fields and glades

Mon 1st - Check round most of the reserve in the morning + followed up a 'pollution' incident involving our stream whilst I was away + caught up on replying to e mails + cutting around Hard Hills+ more checking round coastal sections / ponies to mid afternoon

Simon picked up the DWT tractor and grass collector from Woodah and proceeded to cut Franks Field + we have the equipment for 2 weeks so should get quite a lot of work done x3 Lesser Horseshoe bats still in the shed (also noted 'droppings' in the hibernaculum )

Spent some time reading the PDF of the British Wildlife article - looks splendid and cant wait for the actual magazine to come out later this month

September 2012

Sat 22nd - Sun 30th - time off on the Isles of Scilly ( Ortolan Bunting, Citrine Wagtail, Lapland Bunting amongst many others frequenting the various Isles )

(Also some great fishing )

Fri 21st - Tidied up and cut nature garden first thing then meeting with Steve , Matt and Ian for most of the morning

More cutting in the afternoon + alot of pottering about

Thur 20th - I had a brief check over the seasons butterfly records and it seems only Marbled White have had 'low' counts ( at least on on transect 1-12 as Broad Arbor was very good ) + obviously the weather seems to have played a significant part in butterfly populations throughout the area and the UK has a whole ( my intention is to contrast and compare more closely this year with other areas / species especially PBF's and the other fritillaries ) because at first glance our numbers seem to have been fairly stable ( this of course may reflect the number of counts we make here at Marsland throughout the year compared to other areas eg the PBF's are monitored every day from first sighting to last ) Rob sent a photo through of a leaf 'mined' by that small moth found on reserve last week ( looks to me like a modern work of art - photo ) Rob said

' It is a nationally scarce species (although there was a strong population on the site - Marsland Mouth ) '

More laminating after noon + a couple of hours cutting at Hard Hills + e mail folk re possible future courses here at Marsland

Weds 19th - Early morning bird watch then off reserve most of the day + office catch up later

Tues 18th - early morning bird watch looking for migrants passing through but only had a very strange Blackbird with a totally white head and neck + daily Heron feeding in the nature garden pond and nearby stream + Dipper again at the nest site

Time spent running over Robs hoverfly lists + up dating + Tobys video of the film day up loaded ( see under LINKS ) + up dating / checking this web site + more photo editing

Good to see x6 Small Tortoiseshell in the nature garden later + 100's of bees and hoverflies

Mon 17th - Maintained the cutters then onto cutting glades and rides at Hard Hills most of the day with Kate + nice to see and hear adult Dipper at the breeding site again + a fresh SPBF ( slightly darker and very small compared to the 'usual' type )

More film footage edits later + Toby sent his video of the film course in July - up load later

A big thankyou to Mr and Mrs Newton for donating a chainsaw to the reserve

Sat 15th-Sun 16th - I had 26 Slow Worms under the large sheet slate at Hard Hills + x6 (very small) Common Lizard ( x3 of them all black ) sunning themselves on top of the slate + a Grass Snake Large and GV White seem to have had a surge in numbers lately + SWF still on the wing + new Speckled Wood

Rob sent the hoverfly lists through with 27 species recorded on the day which is really excellent for this time of year ( nothing new as yet but numbers were amazing ( 1000+ Helophilus pendulus in Hard Hills alone )

Barry Henwood also recorded a first for reserve and our area (VC2) in Enteucha acteosae ( one of worlds smallest moths ) - he found them 'as mines' in sorrel leaves ( Rumex spp ) on either side of Marsland Mouth ( the moths larvae create a 'mine' on the leaves ( see stock photo in gallery + very limited distribution )

Description from Moths UK :

Wingspan 3-4 mm.

One of the world's smallest moths; some examples having a wingspan of only 3mm!

There are two or three generations in the British Isles, with adults on the wing between April and July and larvae feeding between May and October. The moths have brassy inner forewings, a silvery fascia and purplish beyond.

The larval mine is very distinctive. Feeding on sheep's sorrel (Rumex acetosella) or common sorrel (R. acetosae), the larva mines in a tight spiral, which turns bright red, and later moves away in an irregular gallery.

Fri 14th - Off reserve for some part of the day then had a walk up the Tredown area of reserve + round to Hackmarsh

SPBF still on the wing ( x1 at Hard Hills )

Thurs 13th - Tidy up in the barn area then a stroll around the reserve - including Hackmarsh - organizing work programme for the winter + Toyota truck check ( oil etc ) + woodland management display photos printed out

A chap from the last weeks tree conference popped in (unexpectedly) and so I showed him round Hard Hills + PBF management Rob Wolton turned up too at mid day for a look round - Barry Henwood with him so the list for the day should be quite good

My wildlife photos are now being edited into a 'Blurb' self publication and should be available on line soon

Weds 12th - Id ed all the species on the new film first thing and added to You Tube information ( thanks to Rob Wolton for helping with hoverflies )

Spent all day dealing with more film footage and trying to write a working 'script' based around PBF management ( easier said than done )

Tues 11th - x5 Lesser Horseshoes in the bat shed first thing and x1 in the hibernaculum (also x3 in the barn area )

The new moth leaflet hard copies came through yesterday and are a fine addition to the other information leaflets on reserve

More PBF film work in the morning - which only served to make me realize exactly how much footage I actually have ( + exactly how much footage I dont have )

Spent an hour in Hard Hills filming and attempting to capture the essence and atmoshere of that wonderful place ( dont think I managed it ) - I then edited the footage and up loaded ( see HOME and VIDEO )

Its that time of the year when Autumn is nearly here but insects especially are still in abundance ( with new SPBF and new SWF mingling with old ones )

Great guitar playing from Martin Cole on the soundtrack too

Dragonflies seem to be having a late surge lately with many Aeshna cyanea ( Southern Hawker) and Common Darter ( Kate actually filmed Aeshna mixta which can be seen in the up loaded footage from today )

Mon 10th - Cleaned up the DWT car first thing ready for Steve to take back to Cricklepit then a concentrated effort on organizing PBF management video Off reserve most of the afternoon + Steve brought in loads of wood from Hard Hills #3 when he got back from Cricklepit

More editing in the evening ( not getting very far however)

Sun 9th - Seems the PBF article for the British Wildlife magazine will be in the October issue

Started to organize and prepare ( in my mind ) some more display ideas for future workshops etc at Marsland office ( there may be a family activities day soon with The Yarner Trust + the November woodland management course - with YT again )

Excitement mid day when I noted a strange unfamiliar butterfly outside my office window flying around the old Blackthorn tree in the garden ( only saw it for a second or two ) - Brown Hairstreak came to mind as it was dark ( in a femlae BH kind of way ) with what appeared to be lighter 'orangey' under wings flashing as it flew away ( this species hasnt been recorded on reserve by the way + spent time outside wandering around all the Blackthorn in the immediate area but no luck ( although did have x6 Small Tortoiseshell + x3 SWF in the garden + a very active wasps nest in our porch )

Noted 23000 clicks on this web site at 14.15

Intended to have a 10 min walk round Goat Meadow area after dinner ( mid day) but it turned into 2 hours + as wildlife was heaving especially hoverflies and late butterflies and dragonflies - x11 SWF + x14 Small Tortoiseshell + x3 Red Admiral + x2 Painted Lady + x1 Speckled Wood + x7 SPBF + x3 Peacock + x1 Purple Hairstreak + x2 Small Copper + x3 Common Blue ( checked most of the Blackthorn on the walk with no luck )

+ 100's of Silver Y moths

+ x8 Southern Hawker + x3 Golden Ringed + 50 Common Darters + x12 Emeralds

Rain later which was unexpected + started to organize the proposed PBF film Sat 8th - Time spent catching up on office work + e mails + had a look round the reserve

Although it was sunny there was a distinct chill in the air but SWF's still flying + a handful of SPBF's

Weds 5th-Fri 7th - The Trees Beyond The Woods Conference in Sheffield with Kate and Ian + poster session went down very well despite it not being very ' treey ' and I didnt use the film loop as it seemed abit over the top ( although most of the posters on show were a tad ' simple ' and the majority centered around all things to do with trees rather than what lived in and around the trees themselves) (photos) +135 people attended over the three days and Im sure everyone enjoyed it as much as I did

Tues 4th - Down in Exeter / Cricklepit picking up the car for the conference most of the day + packing everything + organizing and last minute preparations

Mon 3rd - General tidy up in the office first thing + editing PBF film loop + PBF management loop

Just for a break I strolled round Hard Hills and checked out butterflies taking advantage of very warm sunshine after yesterday - x7 SWF + x5 Common Blue + x2 Holly Blue + x3 Speckled Wood + x13 SPBF + x4 Peacock + x8 Small Tortoiseshell + x1 Small Copper + x2 Painted Lady x 2 Meadow Brown + x4 Gatekeeper + the meadows were literally humming with bees, hoverflies and numerous other insects

Had a 'One Show' researcher on the phone today talking about filming Lesser Horseshoes at Marsland - unfortunately its abit late so the BBC may come back next mid April or through the summer 2013

Sat-Sun 1st and 2nd - Martin from the Yarner Trust collected a number of hazel rods from reserve some time ago in order to make some basic archery bows at a days course ( seemingly went very well - photos )

Heavy drizzle Sunday+ a slight amount of frost the other night and the leaves are starting to turn - soon be xmas c30-40 House Martins and afew Swallows feeding in the drizzle and mist + spent some time nursing a Noctule bat back to health after it became lodged in the house chimney stack ( gave it some water and abit of dog food and it took off flitting around the trees in the mist - no worse for wear

August 2012

Fri 31st - Its that time of year when gangs of tits and other small birds start hurtling round the woodland edges + garden fringes feeding in a loose gang and then moving on / I had Long Tailed Tits ( some young ) + Marsh,Coal,Great and Blue Tits + Goldcrest, Chiffchaff + one or two Wrens and the odd Robin

Spent most of the day walking the reserve + checking a small section of boundary + Otters sprainting again at Gooseham Bridge + Spotted Flycatchers on the move through the reserve + Dipper chirping away at Travel Bridge

Thurs 30th - Slight change in display plans so spent some time re organizing + cutting and weeding nature garden + barn area and our car parking area + Hard Hills

Yet more work on the display poster session ( editing together a 5 minute PBF film to 'loop' at the conference + will have to do again as the computer shut down before 'saving' due to a one second power cut )

Paddy in today doing the bees but I didnt see him to speak to

Weds 29th - More film edits in the morning with Kate + cleared a fallen tree at Travel Bridge which was blocking the track + MVF + Kate more filming in the afternoon when the sun came out

Abit more work on the displays- just to tidy up + Aditsite up dates + working out some new maps for reserve ( may change the compartments or rather join up certain areas and make less numbers ) + some bee survey up dates and maps for Paddy + editing the Marsland booklet and up dating Tues 28th - Batcam first thing - only x7 individuals left in the shed ( no young ones ) + continued with the display for next week ( finished by the end of the day )

Had a walk round Goat Meadow + Hard Hills to look at autumn / winter work with Kate ( the number of insects nectaring on Devils-bit Scabious and Knapweed etc was amazing + especially hoverfly species + x19 SWF ( Kate took a photo of a very ragged female laying eggs on an ash stump in the newly coppiced area at Hard Hills #3 - photo ) + x21 SPBF + x2 Small Copper + x2 Common Blue + x2 Meadow Brown + x1 Red Admiral + many Large and Green Veined Whites + x3 Holly Blue and x3 Purple Hairstreak

Also noted Grass Snake at Hard Hills #1 and a number of Common Lizards basking in the sunshine

Kate out cutting at Goat Meadow later + she managed to fit in some filming and editing ( damselfly sequence ) before the rain came

Mon 27th - More up loading and editing wildlife photography book

Sun 26th - Started up loading a selection of my wildlife photos from the past 25 years onto Blurb ( make your own book web site ) + hope to 'publish' sometime next year

Unusually sunny today - x6 SPBF still flying at Hard Hills + numerous SWF and the odd Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper + x2 Painted Lady

Sat 25th - The latest edition of Resurgence and Ecologist magazine mentions a nature writing contest ( with DWT membership for a year and a Marsland visit offered as part of the overall prize )

Spent time organizing past bird surveys and CBCs + x2 Spotted Flycatchers in the house garden + x4 Blackcap males + x2 Goldcrest

In the evening it was interesting e mailing 'chat' to a guy in the US re fritillary butterfies and their foodplants

Fri 24th - Winter work programmes first thing ( including PBF ) then later out on reserve checking boundary round Hard Hills + checking hazel areas + Otter spraint / Dipper survey in the stream alongside bridleway + office work later + organizing web site data files Thurs 23rd - Matt and Ian from HQ paid a visit and Steve, Simon and myself went for a stroll til just after noon

Trying to sort out accomodation at the conference most of the remainder of the day + visit to Hackmarsh + off reserve for some time

Weds 22nd - some early morning cutting of main paths ( mainly Bramble and over head Holly branches ) then onto cutting the Hard Hills #3 ' new coppice' vegetation ( mainly Bramble re growth and Fern species )

Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars seem to be everywhere at the moment on Willowherb species ( x2 more photos ) / Its the resemblance to an elephants trunk which gives the moth its name by the way

Carried on with the display later in the afternoon ( now that Ive acquired some sticky backed velcro to display photos etc )

Tues 21st - Spent a couple of hours IDing the moth collection from last night ( photos ) - most common moth was Black Arches with x19 species identified by Kate and myself + Jane (+ 4 un ID)

Also had many wasps in the trap which is unusual ( although I did see afew wasps taking wood from the bench on which we placed the trap eariler in the day - they chew the wood ( 'girding' ) and use it to consruct their nests

The most uncommon moth was 4 Spotted Footman ( male and female ) with Pebble Hook Tip being a favourite ( also had x4 Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillars in the nature garden feeding on willowherb ( photo)

Kate contnued building the steps on the new path

Up loaded many photos to web site + other web sites ( mainly moths and butterfly sites ) + up dated Aditsite and hoverfly lists + spider and bee lists Mon 20th - took a trip over to c119 in the morning (with Kate) to have a look around and decide on any future management + walked Hard Hills ( SPBF's still flying especially when the sun came out after noon )

Kate started constructing the steps on our new path to Goat Meadow + some did some filming

More display ideas + changing some photos + outlines + messing about in the nature garden which is humming with life at the moment

Set up the moth trap in the house garden just before dusk

Sat 18th / Sun19th - Editing film clips most of the weekend + viewing more film footage from the course some while back ( can be seen @ LINKS ) + some general office work catch up

Fri 17th - early morning bat watching - x13 in the roost but separate ie no roost 'huddle' + x4 in the barn area + still one very large young one still clinging to its mother whilst being hassled by another individual ( video in SELECT SPECIES )

Rain most of the remainder of the day + editing a backlog of film + more captions and printing / laminating re displays

The new office display boards arrived later + realized I have too many display items (unless of course I use the back of the boards and a table )

Apparently the PBF British Wildlife article is due to be published in the October edition

Thurs 16th - Off reserve most of the day but did manage to continue with the reserve projects idea in the evening

Weds 15th - Heavy rain and wind in the morning so Kate and Simon clearing up the barn area + fine and sunny later so they both went out clearing a fallen tree on the bridleway + Kate sorting out the nature garden and looking into areas of coppice hazel which we could use/manage for hurdles etc sometime in the not too distant future

More preparation of displays with lots of laminating + writing display captions / management notes + organizing a hazel coppice distribution project ( along with Dormouse presence / absence etc - hopefully to start in October ) + listing other projects which would benefit the reserve ( canopy surveys / woodland structure / soil testing / indicator species / 'drainage' surveys amongst other things )

Tues 14th - spent time with Kate and Steve IDing moths from the trap last night + more photo printing + went out to take one or two more photos for the display x22 SPBF at Hard Hills + x6 Southern Hawker ( photo ) and noted Emerald Damselflies on the ponds in Otter Coppice ( new record for this area ) + a good number of Beautiful Demoiselles on the stream ( photo )

Otter spraint check from Gooseham Bridge to the end of HH#3 ( x2 spraint found fresh from last night ) + pushed adult Dipper up the stream + checked down stream to Travel Bridge ( none )

Counted SPBF's on transect 11-24 ( x43 with good numbers in c25 and the new cut beyond Travel Bridge Coppice ( many SWF and x1 Dark Green Fritillary )

Tree safety check whilst on on transect + path assessment

Mon 13th - Morning spent printing out and laminating photographs for the tree conference

Kate and Steve went out ragwort pulling til just after noon

Off reserve til later afternoon when I continued the display material + attempted to retrieve some old 'Recorder' records ( failed ) + catching up on general 'office' work

Sat / Sun 12th - Organizing photographs most of the weekend + printing + preparing conference displays + had a walk round Hard Hills ( nice to see male Peregrine being hassled by a female Sparrowhawk ) x16 SPBF flitting around the area mid afternoon

Fri 10th - Early morning cutting session out on Hard Hills + Chapel Field + round the office areas + cut the road hedges up to Gooseham Off reserve for a couple hours then back to filming and surveying ( Otter spraint up to Hackmarsh - none found ) x4 Holly Blues out at the moment in the nature garden

Very hot sunshine all day so it was a relief to do a evening walk down the bridleway across the reserve to Hackmarsh and back to base

Thurs 9th - Spent some time early watching the batcam - the bats seem to have spread out in the shed with a small roost out of camera shot but there were 3 adults with young in the usual area ( counted x34 adults + young )

Fixed a leak in the office water supply and then got on with the conference poster display preparation

Steve had a bash at more ragwort pulling at Marsland Mouth

Hard Hills butterfly count in the afternoon when the sun came out and we had full blue skies - x23 SWF ( lots of display and mating ) + many Large and GV White + x4 Small Copper (photo) + x6 Large Skipper + x34 Meadow Brown + x16 SPBF + x12 Gatekeeper + x3 Purple Hairstreak ( later at 7pm I counted x13 PH in the oak tree outside the house office window + mating )

Experimenting with video capability later using SLR camera + Panasonic + point and shoot / the quality of the Canon EOS was excellent but awkward to manipulate / the Panasonic came out top as expected

Weds 8th - Usual drizzle and damp throughout the day so spent time concentrating on planning future courses at Marsland + preparing stuff for the tree conference in September + Paddy Saunders popped in for a chat and up date on the on going bee survey

I'd like to organize a bee ID course + maybe a day course on habitat mangement for the species - Paddy keen on leading

Editing the plant photo data base started this year + checking over old records and up dating Aditsite data base + checking 'old' 3inch disks data transfered to CD 2 years ago for relevant documents + fit in a walk down to Travel Bridge to check out gates and bridges Steve down at Marsland Mouth pulling ragwort for an hour or so

Tues 7th - Spent all day off reserve having a chat with Rivers Barry in Somerset and offering advice re management of his 32 acres of land - Rivers popped in to Marsland a couple of months back.

Mon 6th - Back on reserve after a week away and spent all day catching up + checking out butterflies at Hard Hills and general area ( lots of SWF and a dozen SPBF + Meadow Browns hanging on + Large and Small Skipper and many Large and GV White ( photos of SPBF and SWF - I love the orange contrasted with the greenery as they rest up and sun themselves )

Kate did some ragwort pulling and a butterfly survey mainly up at c15 Broad Arbor + cutting nature garden + Steve did some ragwort pulling at Marsland ( I feel that it has been a 'ragwort year' if the forests of the plant on the motorways is anything to go by )

Spent some time linking film from the Film Course day to the web site ( see LINKS ) + checking on Lesser Horseshoe bats in the shed ( numbers have gone down with slight dispersal in the roof space with x21 counted although x5 recorded in the barn )

Matt Prince popped in last Saturday to check out spiders and other stuff - lists expected fairly soon

July 2012 :

Sat 28th til end of month : Kate and Steve fitting new gates,checking ponies,pulling ragwort, surveys + cutting all paths +collecting new small trailer + cleaning up barn area and ATV garage

1st '2nd brood' SPBF on the 31st despite the returning bad weather

Fri 27th - Tidying up some loose ends for a while in the morning then off reserve til mid afternoon

Noted a Meadow Brown at Hard Hills when I got back with white forewings / I found a photo by ianok! on Flickr which is identical to the one I saw ( I had no camera with me at the time ) - photo in gallery for illustration Started translating 200+ old records of moths from Latin to English ( and some of the Latin has changed since 1989 when the list was compiled )

Thurs 26th - thought I'd have a check on some of the reserve boundaries today but far too hot and humid and way too many horse flies so I abandoned the walk after about an hour ( did note two or three SW Fritillary along the bridleway )

Spent most of the day in the office up dating records + adding to our data base + cross checking records ( especially moths and hoverflies ) + some time spent adding to the plant photo log ( nice to see Wavy St Johns Wort in Otter Coppice again + spreading ) + a brief spraint check up to Hackmarsh ( some old stuff but nothing new )

Seems that a local magazine is offering a full years membership of DWT + a one day guided personal tour round Marsland ( by me ) as a 4th Prize in a nature writing competition ( 5th prize is a two day guided tour by me )

An article in 'The Ecologist' maybe in the pipeline and also a spot on the Radio 4 Clare Balding walkabout programme ( unusual for the BBC to have two programmes in the same area during a year so this one may not get off the ground - having done one earlier this year )

Weds 25th - another sunny day first thing and more bat cam watching - roost count down to x36 + around 5 young in camera vision ( 7.30am ) + x46 and x8 young at 8.30am (x10 individuals on the other side of the shed counted quickly after a lens cleaning session ) + no dead individuals noted + x1 noted in cooling tower + x3 in the barn area ( total @ 8.45am = x58 )

The numbers are down probably as a result of the recent long bad spell of weather ( or maybe a rogue Grey Squirrel - two of which are around although I havent actually seen them in the shed at any time)

Spent most of the middle part of the day on a butterfly count - Ringlets and Meadow Browns on the way out but still in reasonable numbers + x1 Holly Blue + x2 (2nd brood) SPBF + x50+ Marbled White but only in c15 Broad Arbor fields + Red Admiral, many Large Whites, x 2 Large Skippers,x 4 Small Skippers , x2 Brimstone , x 2 Purple Hairstreak, x4 Small Copper, x3 Small Tortoiseshell, x1 Dark Green Fritillary ( possibly 2 ), x13 Speckled Wood, x12 Gatekeeper and x34 Silver Washed Fritillary ( especially in the new clearings at Travel Bridge Coppice and Otter Coppice - photo )

Also managed to carry out Web updates and down loads + a full check of links / video etc

Tues 24th - ID moths in the trap first thing + photography - x17 Buff Tips was the best count + many Poplar Hawk + Burnished Brass + Garden Tiger + Engrailed + Lesser Swallow Prominant amongst a very good nights 'haul' ( photos )

Dr Tom Brereton from Butterfly Conservation popped in for a few hours for a chat and a look round the PBF site + discussed final version of the BW article

Kate spent time cutting the paths on the coast side of the reserve + editing some of her photos from the past few days ( photos ) + more filming in this wonderful weather + Kate recorded large numbers of Marbled White in c15 Broad Arbor

Mon 23rd - Beautiful start to the day with full sun and blue skies

Silver Washed Fritillary flying at 7.30am and feeding on bramble flowers next to the information board outside the office / Nuthatch family feeding along the tree line in nature garden / Spotted Flycatcher flitting amongst the trees above the Mill ruin

We all spent most of the day off reserve but later Kate went out filming

Pottering about with office work and invoices and other stuff + set out the moth trap for later

Sun 22nd - Started to edit and upload some footage shot by Kate last Friday on one of the ponds - an excellent little film showing a Great Diving Beetle adult being attacked by a larvae of the same species ( look out for the curious Newt - in VIDEO ) Also up loaded a short sequence showing the first flight of a young Lesser Horseshoe bat ( in VIDEO )

Goat Meadow walk later - butterflies flying but numbers have been affected by the previous weather

Sat 21st - Spent most of the day at Marsland Mouth / ponies looking good as is the Mouth itself ( noticed quite afew Brimstone + Red Admiral coming from off the sea + 1st Gatekeeper of the season ) / exceptionally low tide today at 1o clock revealing more sand than Ive ever seen on the beach

Fri 20th - Batcam at dawn ( ish ) to watch the Horseshoe bats return / x13 already back when I arrived - all the roost back by 8am and in the huddle at the top end - no individuals out of main roost / x46 counted / the young ones from last night all seem to be back with mothers but there seems to me to be far too much light seeping into the shed

The Horseshoes ( and presumably all bat species ) are exceptionally clean animals - I watched one clean / preen itself for around 45 minutes this morning - this included 'licking' each wing vein ( top and bottom ) and what seemed to be a 'testing' procedure for damage to the wings ( cleaning aswell ) / alternate feet used throughout with lots of wing stretching and copious amounts of pee

Steve worked out a route for a new path to Goat Meadow which will save us building bridges across the ford + hope to build two permanent bridges from Goat Meadow avoiding the two fords there

Butterfly Transect walk in the afternoon taking advantage of the sun - Hazel Weevils in numbers ( x6 ) + Southern Hawker (male ) and Azure Damselfly ( photo)

Kate did some filming for the first time after cutting up some fallen trees with Simon in the morning ( managed to fit in cutting up a big fallen Oak for Dr and Mrs Newton too )

Thurs 19 - Finally got round to cleaning the shower room out now that the plumbing / pump is fixed / its a pleasure to be able to allow water to run down the sink again Ordered a brass plaque for the library door ( 'The Christopher Cadbury Memorial Library' )

A little bit busy off reserve for most of the day but did manage some interesting bat watching ( 8.30 - 10pm ) on the 'cam' - only x38 bats in the shed at that time but a group of x13 have young ones ( half look ready to go it alone )

Nice to show the bats to a young family coming back from a pub meal at the 'Smithy'

At 9.30 I managed to film a young one leaving its mother and flying around the roof space and landing near the old roost site

At 9.45 - noticed quite afew young 'fledged' bats flying around and presumably leaving the shed to do some hunting ( with their mother to show them how its done ? )

At 9.50 - a group of x5 young staying behind at the main roost area + lots of twitching and wing stretching

At 9.54 - only x3 young left + x1 adult some distance away ( gone one minute later )

At 10pm - x2 young left + x2 young flying around and landing all over the place

Wed 18th - yet more rain first thing and continuing all day / interesting to record about 30 or so House Martins and a handful of Swallows feeding very low over reserve ( cant be much insect life flying about in the present weather conditions )

Morning meeting with local historian re Hackmarsh + walk up the valley and look at the old mill down by the stream ( East Mill )

Plumber called in the afternoon to solve our pipe blockage problems ( all fixed and working again )

Start made on collating a Red Data Book species list for the reserve - this to include 'Endangered' 'Vulnerable' 'Rare' 'Notable' and 'Scarce ' + possible future projects on reserve ( mapping areas of trees and vegetation and monitoring change + distribution of Roe Deer with monitoring / seasonal movements / breeding success related to any damage + Sycamore and Beech distribution + distribution of dead wood on reserve - standing, lying and artificial wood piles + distribution of Hazel Coppice / relation to Dormouse populations

Had a look at creating a new path over to Goat Meadow to save building semi permenant bridges at the stream crossing point + maybe build two bridges by the side of the two fords over to Hard Hills + looking at the old mill leat above the nature garden and possibility of opening it up and filling with water ( wildlife 'pond' )

Tues 17th - Thought I'd make an attempt to 'fix' the office plumbing first thing - failed

More rain and mist / more archiving and reviewing old records / more post Film Course work + editing + visits off reserve

Batcam in the evening + more plumbing failures + buglife and insect forums

Mon 16th - Its the first season in 24 years in which I havent recorded Marbled White at Hard Hills and Goat Meadow / there is still time but the sun needs to come out for longer than a few hours

More cold rain today which adds to the misery for the reserve wildlife - although its all ecological swings and roundabouts in the long term

Spent most of the day writing and organizing an abstract + outline for a conference in September + browsing some of Sundays film footage taken on the reserve camera by one of the participants

Sun 15th - Batcam first thing - noted a reduction in numbers but not worried as this happens now and again and numbers 'return' to normal given time (disturbance by Grey Squirrel may be the cause so I'll keep an eye out + when the bats go out to hunt in reasonable weather conditions and then during that time the rain/wind kick in they possibly shelter somewhere else til conditions get better ) I later went into the shed to check the cooling tower and noticed a group 'off camera' in another section of the roof space ( about x20 + the x46 I can actually see )

Brian Simms and the British Naturalists Group shown round the reserve from 11am onwards / the sun shone for most of their stay and everyone had a great visit / a lovely group of people who tend to return for visits year in year out

Paddy around aswell during the day surveying bee species

Up dating web site and e mailing rest of the day and organizing further day courses + up dating moth lists + up dating photo files

Sat 14th - Filming Course all day with Sarah Pitt and Tim Shepherd

Started for me at 5am putting up bridges over three points on the steam after heavy rain last night ( two were fine but one washed away but didnt affect the day at all ) / then preparation of food and drink in the office and sorting out chair space etc - folk started to arrive early and Kate sorted the parking

I'd put the moth trap on overnight so we could do some preliminary filming if the weather turned bad and Tim set up a small 'studio' in the library to film insects etc under lights (as it turned out we didnt see any rain all day and the sun even came out on occasions along with one or two Silver Washed Fritillary)

After an introduction and general talk in the library two groups of very enthusiastic people went into Goat Meadow and beyond filming on theiir own cameras and using Tims macro facilities.

After a lovely lunch - thanks to Jane and Kate - (and then more filming) a selection of the results of the days work were shown back at base and were quite stunning to say the least ( all this excitement followed by a a cream tea was all too much )

The day ended at around 6pm All the folk are going to let all the others see their days work at some point ( ' best of ' ) and hopefully I'll edit a 4-5 minute footage into a real 'best of the day'

Toby Russell did a great job in 'filming' the activities of the day ( once edited that'll be up loaded to YouTube for all to view )

All in all a brillient time had by all ( I hope ) and even as we speak I'm thinking of another course ( maybe longer )

Selected photos of the day opposite

Fri 13th - Ian from Woodah popped in for a short time late morning + I spent most of the day with Sarah discussing tomorrows filming day + organizing the office space

Thurs 12th - Rain all day - more preparation work + organizing more annual reports for archive + management plan review + out visiting culm sites for awhile + clearing storm drains down the track to alleviate flood water + attempting to design a new leaflet / booklet for visitors to take on reserve and read information at certain points ( wildlife, management, history etc ) + review of all our machinary safety / maintainance etc

Batcam in the evening

Weds 11th - Preparation for Saturday taking up most of my time at the moment although I did manage a butterfly survey in an unexpected period of sunshine ( x 7 SW Fritillary + the usual suspects in the meadows )

Spent an hour or so trying to identify grasshoppers etc ( photo ) mainly because there seems to be 1000's flitting around the meadows - along with a large influx of 'y' moths

Otter spraint check up the stream to Hackmarsh until the rain set in late afternoon ( no spraint found )

More bat watching in the evening

Tues 10th - Kate and Steve finished clearing the big tree down on the bottom path + checked the bridleway + Tredown Valley / Kate then cut all the butterfly transect paths 1-11 More editing of the conference poster presentation + editing some film to send to BC + some of bats to Bats UK + working out the lunch for Saturday's film day + reviewing the Hackmarsh area management + costings + 101 less important 'other tasks'

Steve scanned in all the boundary maps of the reserve so they are available on computer + this web site ( soon ish ) + I spent some of the evening editing and organizing the scanned maps

Mon 9th - early morning Batcam watch revealed a lone mother and fairly large young one separated from the main huddle ( I 'm sure they had just arrived from outside ) - lots of preening and wing stretching and after a short while she took off with young un still attached / I knew mothers did fly about with young but not at that stage - she eventually landed next to the huddle and walked backwards into it ( I'll post the video footage later today ) / at 8 o clock there were still individuals coming in and going out of the roost presumably still on feeding sorties or maybe taking advantage of a lull in the drizzle

I did notice how individuals 'preened' themselves with one of their feet whilst hanging on with the other and then changing feet after a short while to carry on / there tends to be a lot of licking but obviously only to the parts of the fur and wings they are able to reach / all this maintainence after a long night outside hunting and before they settle to rest ( no evidence of other individuals preening others apart from mothers cleaning young)

At 8.30 around 15 bats suddenly appeared into view and flew around for awhile and landed - again probably from outside ( on going outside I did notice some bats going in to the roost entrance )

Cut more overhanging trees at Hackmarsh later with Kate + finished off the path at Broad Arbor + cut some re growth bramble on the slopes ( 1st Marbled White in the field ) / Steve and Kate cleared a tree from off the bottom path after dinner

Brief butterfly count mid afternoon ( x5 SW Fritillary, x2 Speckled Wood, loads of Ringlet and Meadow Brown , x5 Small Tortoiseshell, , x4 Red Admiral + many Silver 'Y' moths + x3 Hazel Weevils Started my 'poster' presentation for a conference in September (the organizers want a long resume of what I'm going to present)

Sun 8th - Batcam viewing in the evening - amazing how the young bats exercise by hanging on to their mothers neck fur with their feet and stretching their wings before almost taking off ( reminded me of 'nearly fledged' young birds of prey wing flapping at the edge of their nest ) / I counted x10 young uns in the main roost huddle with x78 adults ( making around x88 in the shed )

After all that exercise the young bats inevitably moved down the mothers fur to feed / also counted many bat flies and they are breeding too as the whole roost seemed to have 2 or 3 residents ( I did notice one bat fly move right under the nose of an adult bat but got no reaction whatsoever - a rich source of ready meal if ever there was one ( video)

Sat 7th - Spent most of the day with some old friends down from Scotland discussing (in the main) management of woodland + PBF survival predictions + having a stroll on reserve

Fri 6th - This is officially the worst run of bad weather since I started at Marsland in 1988 - its been relentless rain and when it isnt raining its been dull, cool and misty

Spent most of the day visiting a local (ish) farm to give advice on management of a small bit of woodland + hedges ( bad Grey Squirrel problem )

Thurs 5th - Finally got round to tidying up and sorting out the end room in the office + more finalizing the filming course + made a start on reviewing management at Hackmarsh+ met local historian to have a chat about the reserve

Added more archive material + photos to web site + started a review of the Marsland deed schedules + boundary lines and maps ( all needs checking + land etc to be added and all to be digitalized )

Weds 4th - Visited a local patch this morning first thing (with Simon) up at a hamlet called Brownspit - A lady called Judy Greaves has a wonderful area with a large pond which is probably heaving with wildlife ( didnt see much due to the usual rain - Judy did mention she had seen Hen Harrier passing through and Wheatear) / be good to go back if the sun comes out any time soon and make a list of whats around / always like to see this kind of local interest in wildlife

Started cutting the lane and entrance gates at Hackmarsh ( also carried out a butterfly count in the general area when the sun came out ( x12 Ringlet, x10 Meadow Brown, x2 Red Admiral, x1 SW Fritillary and x2 Speckled Wood )

Cut various areas round 'beyond Goat Meadow' later - especially re growth bracken and bramble in the new cut areas and also did a section in Otter Coppice which is looking splendid at the moment / sun popped out for abit and the Ringlets and Meadow Browns came out in very large numbers / great to see x2 Large Skippers chasing a Southern Hawker dragonfly out of their precious air space

Steve made a start on cutting the public right of way at the top of c15 - Broad Arbor

Tues 3rd - Rain all day again - reading all the old archive material is really interesting although its all old hat now and from a completely different era / even reading some old stuff from when I first started seems un real somehow ( x3 old documents in photos ) + the amount of paper used in all those letters is a little un nerving

One real positive in looking through all the correspondence is the fact that Christopher Cadburys' personality, character and in particular his vision shine though

Spent some time preparing for the filming day on the 14th of this month + cut round the nature garden and did abit of weeding

Batcam watching in the evening / I think some of the bats in the roof space have moved out of camera shot - but I did see another x4 young in the main area being looked after and cleaned by their mothers and despite the drizzle many left to carry out their feeding and hunting duties

Mon 2nd - pulled the bridges out of the stream first thing this morning before the rain came - and any rising water washed them down to the sea ( I'm still finding bits of old bridge further down the reserve and actually found a section at Welcombe Mouth afew years ago )

Nice to hear Dipper singing at the nest site at 7 am + up to a dozen Ringlets and 4 or 5 Meadow Browns flying in Goat Meadow despite the early hour and the drizzle and the cool breeze / be interesting if species like PBF's had the gene which allowed Ringlet to fly whatever the weather / havent had any Otter spraint for awhile

Spent some time measuring out future area (s) for PBF management at Hard Hills and attempting to imagine a management plan for that whole section of the reserve up to Hackmarsh

Rain most of the rest of the day / reading and scanning documents / up dating web site + putting some thought in to the filming day in a few weeks time ( food, parking, agenda , timetable ) + wading through 'sent in' photos and some films from the past few months

Sun 1st - met some local folk ( x10 ) up at Broad Arbor at 10 oclock - Yarner Trust had organized a walk round the reserve for today and as luck would have it the sun shone throughout their stay / usual Ringlets and Meadow Browns + good to see afew Large Skipper in Broad Arbor + Silver Washed Fritillary in Goat Meadow / good views of at least x3 young Lesser Horseshoe bats in the shed on the batcam / everyone seemed to have had a splendid day

June 2012:

Fri 1st - Checked the 3 moth traps which were put out last night and filmed some of the contents ( video coming soon ) / spent the rest of the day in my office playing with a new slide scanner and transferring to digital / PC - hope to upload some of the photos over the weekend

Sat 2nd - Spent the beautiful sunny morning at Marsland Mouth carrying out afew surveys + filming / the ponies are doing an excellent grazing job and the flowers at MM are looking the best I've ever seen in the last 24 years ( lots of SPBF's too + x4 Small Heath ) / also had amongst other things x3 Whitethroat, x1 Linnet , x1 Yellowhammer / Cuckoo calling up the valley / x3 Dippers / scanning slides of past management on going Sun 3rd - rainy day - editing yesterdays filming at MM / sorting out more archive material contained in 10 great big boxes ( some of it dating back to the late 50's but seemingly most of it not very relevant to the here and now ) / I'll digitalize the interesting and disregard everything else ( but keep it somewhere in the boxes for the next person to have a look at ) / worked a little bit more on the Moth leaflet / scanned more slides

Watched the '100 Years of the Wildlife Trusts ' film ( link in HOME - Sarah Pitts (the producer) used some of my footage - nice to get a credit at the end

Mon 4th - Morning CBC early / good to hear Dunnocks at last + an array of the usual suspects ( x2 Garden Warblers at Hard Hills + SPBF survey at Hard Hills later when the sun came out ( x123 ) and also had x12 in Chapel Field ( I'd cut the top half earlier + bracken + bramble)

Had a walk down the othe other end later but very quiet for a bank holiday / watched the LH bats in the evening coming and going from the roost + on the 'batcam' / good to see c50 + House Martins feeding over the reserve until dusk ( the air swarming with midges )

Tues 5th - scanning more slides + using photo software to 'clean up' resulting image by 'removing' bits of dirt and dust ( all very addictive stuff ) / general walkabout through the west end of the reserve and didnt see a single person / bats in the evening + watching the 'batcam' + more moth trapping

Weds 6th - cutting in Franks Field again + more areas beyond Goat Meadow brief check out at HH's - lots of Small and Large White butterflies at the moment / noted SPBF's in Franks Field, Chapel Cottage Field and the nature garden

Kate out on the other side cutting Travel Bridge area + the clearings in c25 + paths and butterflty transect 11-24

Viewing the bats / batcam in the evening + recording the sounds of the roost prior to their leaving the building / counted x76 LH bats at 8.30 and 95% of them had left by 9.45 to feed ( all bar none leaving by the square entrance / exit hole ( some used to leave / enter through gaps in the door before building converted ) - the immediate air space in the last third of the building next to the exit hole was used by all the bats prior to leaving ( 'testing' the air temperature etc )

Video / sound of the bat activity in HOME + SELECT SPECIES

Thurs 7th - more cutting but rain stopped play so continued scanning and up loading old slides + another fritillary report completed + editing and up loading 'batcam' footage and sound

Very windy overnight.

Fri 8th - general check around main paths with mainly branches and heaps of leaves brought down over night - still fairly windy most of the day although the sun did come out later / more scanning and looking through some old 'papers' which were sent to me re records from the past etc ( nothing new )

Spraint check up to Hackmarsh for a couple of hours but none found although it gave me a chance to clear over hanging branches from off of some stretches of the stream / Dipper nest looks rather sad and I doubt a second brood will be brought up from the site ( I did notice x3 Dippers at Marsland Mouth over last weekend which were probably the Gooseham Mill 1st brood)

Sat 9th - more scanning then off along the coast from Sandymouth to Bude on a bird survey ( nice to see Wheatear Skylark, Linnet and a small colony of Sand Martins ( x10pairs ? ) just beyond Northcott

Sun 10th - yet more scanning throughout the day and into the evening / up dating web site / up dating details on film course in July / check up at Hackmarsh for a couple of hours

Jane did some much needed weeding in the nature garden

Mon 11th - CBC early morning but all very quiet although nice to see both adult Dippers back around their nest site / cut the nature garden and cleaned the office + windows Really good to see Tracy from HQ when she popped in for a chat and a look at the office ( managed to see SPBF + Marsh Fritillary + close up of a young - and very long - Grass Snake on our walk round Hard Hills )

Kate busy cutting paths early then off with Steve to check out MF's on the culm

Butterfly transect in the afternoon from number 11-24 ( pretty quiet despite sunny periods ) - did note Small Tortoiseshell, SPBF's, Speckled Wood, Large, Small and GV White, Common Blue, Marsh Fritillary and Brimstone

Also saw a female Pied Flycatcher on bottom path along Long Meadow ( no males singing on my CBC's ) / noted at least x5 GS Woodpeckers ( all adults )

Tues 12th - checking all reserve boundary with available paperwork / maps / photos contained in our archives in readiness for a full check on the ground sometime soon + re taking of photos etc / cutting bracken beyond Goat Meadow areas + bramble in Otter Coppice / some time spent on the filming schedule in July / scanning documents for archive

Kate and Steve cleared a tree down over the bottom path

Weds 13th - trimmed the path up to c15 and down along Long Meadow + half the path down the bottom towards the coast + also trimmed back the track from Gooseham Mill up the hill to Gooseham itself

MOTHS of Marsland leaflet available now for viewing and download

Noted this web site had its 20,000 hit at 15.46

Thurs 14th - Started the 'Birds' and 'Plants' leaflets for the reserve but may be slightly delayed with a lack of photos for the birds / time spent on retrieving selected records from off of 'Adit' our data recording software / cutting at Hackmarsh and more late night bat watching / batcam

Fri 15th - cutting out Bramble re growth from off of the latest coppice areas ( and dense Goosegrass swards) + trimmed path + planning PBF work for this season and over winter After visiting afew culm sites I carried out a Otter spraint check for a couple of hours and x3 located mainly around Goat Meadow area / Dipper activity noted + a little subdued song

More plant / flower photos taken including Bastard Balm in c25 and Scarlet Pimpernel in Broad Arbor c15 (photo)

Sat 16th - general walkabout in the morning and very quiet it was too mainly because of the heavy rain / editing some film footage later on and again attempting to solve our piping problem in the office ( no luck ) / did manage to organize some shelving for the library section + had a think about changing the toilet system

Set up the motion camera in the evening to see if I could capture the Otter(s) moving downstream

Sun 17th - No luck with any Otter movements from last night although I did notice new spraint so they were around / beginning to think I havent set up the camera properly

Still one or two SPBF's flitting around at Hard Hills although I had x2 in the house garden today when the sun shone / also had x4 Meadow Brown and x2 Ringlet in Goat Meadow

Set up a moth trap in the evening and did some more bat watching on the 'batcam'

Mon 18th - not too many moths in the trap but some nice Ermine and Poplar Hawk / Rob Wolton popped in today and recorded many hoverflies and other diptera

Spent a good part of the day with Harry Barton ( our new CEO ) Terry Radmore ( one time Assistant Director who is now retired but helps out DWT in oh so many ways ) and Rivers Barry ( a DWT financial supporter amongst many other things) / had a good long chat and a walk round Hard Hills before more chat back at the house and lunch / its because of kind and generous donations from people like Rivers that a great deal of DWT's work moves forward and flourishes so it was my pleasure to show him some of the work we do here at Marsland ( and not forgetting some of the wildlife too - photo ) Still a handful of SPBF's out flying especially in Goat Meadow nectaring on Thistles

Tues 19th - Spent most of the day away from reserve surveying and monitoring on some of our culm sites / I did manage a walk later on and noted afew Large Skipper (photo) / also had a good number of dragonflies including one or two Southern Hawker

Robs comments from yesterday -

' Masses of flies about – including about 30 hoverfly species. The best of these were Chrysotoxum bicinctum (1), Criorhina flocculosa (2), Ripponensia spendens (1), Melanogaster hirtella (6), Sphegina clunipes (10), Epistrophe grossulariae (2), Cheilosia variabilis (1), C proxima (1), Pipiza austriaca (1) and Chalcosyrphus nemorum (2). The hemlock water dropwort flowers were the most productive, although the Chalsosyrphus was on your log piles in the alder areas. A good collection of long-legged flies (Dolichopidiae) too, with Dolichopus discifer, D wahlbergi, D plumipes and D ungulatus. D wahlbergi is an uncommon and local species. Otherwise, good to see the robber flies still numerous, and masses of the striking tachinid Phasia hemiptera. A new tachinid for me was Zophomyia temula (2). Impressive numbers of dung beetles and longhorn beetles too '

Had x6 Swifts screaming up the valley in the evening - a very rare sight and sound in the valley ( reminds me vividly of being a teenager sitting in my bedroom back home in Darwen revising for my 'A' levels during the summer )

Really excellent bird watching from my office window throughout the evening whilst watching England 'play' football - Blue Tit and Willow Tit familes moving through + x2 GS Woodpecker , x5 Long Tailed Tits, Treecreeper family, Tawny Owl flying by later on just as England score the first goal and Pipistrelles start coming out from the eves of the house just has Croatia put the ball 'over' the line / absolutley no wildlife anywhere as England won the match

Weds 20th - all day spent escorting VIP visitors around part of the reserve / life long members of DWT ( in two groups of 11 morning and afternoon) + folk kindly donating money to the Trust etc had a very enjoyable day walking round Goat Meadow and over to Hard Hills ( photo ) ( the sun did come out for a while but mostly dull with abit of drizzle) / the first group did manage to see SPBF, Golden Ringed Dragonfly and Marsh Fritillary amongst many other things / Slow Worms were good value as were the Black Ant nests

Inbetween time I managed to film a young ( days old ) Lesser Horseshoe Bat in the roost ( See Home and Species - LH Bat #4)

Thurs 21nd - Rain for most of the day and pretty breezy so no surveys or monitoring as I'd planned / did more scanning and archive work + some off reserve bat work / new shelves put up in the office space and and in the library / edited loads of video footage in the evening but the amount of film waiting to be edited is a tad daunting and I keep putting it off

Fri 22rd - editing quite alot of sound recordings today ( bats mainly - which isnt easy - and some background sounds for any future Marsland video ) / full checkthrough this web site to make sure all is OK ( it is ) / took time out to visit a local woodlands to give some advice to the owner and popped into a couple of our DWT culm sites to have a look round

Sat 23rd / Sun 24th - a weekend of checks and 'patrols' making sure everything on reserve is in order / pretty rainy and breezy til sun finally came out late on Sunday evening / continued scanning and digitalizing material which I'm finding in the reserve archives

Mon 25th - out most of the day advising some some local folk on how to manage their small woodland + some culmy grassland / Paddy Saunders was around continung his bee survey / continued archive work / one or two Ringlets out late evening in Goat Meadow as I had a look round for any signs of Otters + a spraint check halfway up to Hackmarsh ( all washed away in recent rise of water )

Tues 26th - only x2 singing Song Thrushes first thing this morning although I did have a Roe deer male in Goat Meadow / x95 LH bats in the roost last night but numbers seem diminished this morning ( weather related ? ) / brief visit to give management advice at a local woodland site but too much rain stopped play 100's of froglets leaving ponds at the moment and the nature garden pond is no exception

Two framed photos collected and put up in the office ( PBF's mating + Dormouse )

Rain all day so another chance to scan archives and read through some old reserve correspondence from the early 1960's ( and old records checked / amazing to find that a White Tailed Sea Eagle was seen off the coast of Marsland in 1844 + a Dipper in 1942 and a Mr AG Folliot-Stokes recorded a 'Gull' off Gull Rock at Marsland Mouth - along with 'Cormorant' and 'Bracken ' / all still there - apart from the eagle)

Weds 27th - Yet more rain in the valley until after noon when the sun came out for an hour / updating the hoverfly data base + booklet / many hoverflies in nature garden ( photos ) / scanning old documents / checking ponies at Marsland Mouth / cutting bracken in selected areas until horse flies got too bad

Thurs 28th - Started cutting early this morning to avoid horse flies ( which worked ) / beautiful weather until about 8.30 and the usual rain and mist came down and covered the valley / late morning had a walk to Hackmarsh up the valley to check Otter spraint on the stream ( none ) + check on over hanging trees and branches which will need a cut back over the winter months - be good to have a Dipper direct flight path up the stream in certain sections

Dr Rob Wolton paid a visit just after noon in search of all things diptera / I'll post whatever he found at a later date

The sunshine didnt last long but when it shine I had dozens of Ringlets and same amount of Meadow Browns + the 1st Silver Washed Fritillary of the year at Hard Hills / the amount of insects on reserve still impresses even after all my time here

Arranged all our books on the new shelves + some new photos in frames put up ( photo ) / more plant photos taken for the photo library / edited the moths video from last week but wasnt satisfied so I'll do again ( maybe ) Beautiful end to the day so I took another stroll round Goat Meadow and Hard Hills / noted x3 Red Admiral and many BB Chasers ( photo )

Fri 29th - Moth trap arrived today ( a 'Skinner' type with vapour lamp all ready made ) / hope to put it on most nights in the nature garden especially when groups are coming / edited the moth footage from a few weeks ago and up loaded to this web site + YouTube / started the long task of editing footage taken over the past year at Marsland and trying to put in some kind of order ( storyboard - sort of )

Posted / emailed a couple of PBF / SPBF reports to various people / read through more old archives but no scanning ( I can only take so much )

Batcam in the evening and Im suspecting the numbers have reduced a little ( x2 Grey Squirrels in area may have something to do with that although i didnt pick any up on the camera )

Sat 30th - Sunny periods with showers most of the day / put out the bridges for tomorrows group visit / did an 'unofficial' butterfly transect - MB's, Ringlets, Large Skippers, and SW Fritillary ( photo ) - unusual to see SWF nectaring on Foxglove for quite a period of time ( especially when its favourite plant (Thistle) was close by + Small Tortoiseshell , Large White, GV White

May 2012

1st - Fairly sunny today so decided to go to Hard Hills to check on PBF's and counted x24 which is pretty good after nearly 21 days flight period / also had x1 Holly Blue and x2 Peacock / seems Channel 5 want to use abit of the Otter film for a programme on water shortage and how its affecting wildlife

2nd - More sunshine today so I made most of it and carried out yet another PBF survey ( x18 at Hard Hills ) / also had x1 Brimstone, x1 Holly Blue, x2 Small Copper , x2 Large White, x2 GV White, x5 SPBF, x5 Peacock and x9 Orange Tip ( photo ) / Bluebells looking good ( photo) and had x2 fledged Dipper on stream being fed by both parents ( photo) also had x2 Whitethroat singing at Hard Hills / Wren nest outside toolshed / Blackbird nest in old Gooseham Mill / after noon I counted PBF's on the other side of the reserve ( x34 - making a total for the day of x52 which is a very significant number after 22 days flight period ) - also had x1 Brimstone, x2 Speckled Wood ) / located x2 Buzzard nest sites and had x5 Whitethroat singing in c15 Broad Arbor

All the 'frits' were PBF's apart from x3 SPBF's (all in c25 clearings) and many PBF females laying eggs (photo)

Some time spent sorting out recent records / new records of species for reserve - Megabunas diadema ( very strange but wonderful harvestman creature found on mosses and lichen ( photo ) + Phaonia bitincta ( Red Data Book Muscid fly) + Incurvaria pectinea ( a new moth for the reserve lists )

Spent a couple of hours out at Hard Hills in the evening looking for PBF roosting - managed to find one flying into a low Hazel bush / may have x2 GS Woodpeckers nesting within 100m or so and males having territory battles near the big Ash tree at HHills

3rd- 4th - National Moth expert Dr Adrian Spalding paid a visit over the last two days mainly to 'trap' moths out at Dunsdon Nature Reserve ( bit quiet to be honest with only a handful of species in two traps set up over night ) / also had a look at the PBF's at Hard Hills ( x12 ) / also organized a Moth ID course for the end of May here at Marsland / dozens of Adela reaumurella ( day time flying moth ) out on Hard Hills displaying and mating (photo)

Dipper feeding x2 young uns today out on the stream ( all out of nest now ) ( photo of adult on stream )

Checked out more PBF's in the afternoon with x23 on the other sites ( reserve total of x35 )

5th - Another cold and dull day but I had x2 PBF's at Hard Hills / x2 Whitethroat singing and x4 Chiffchaff but no Willow Warblers which is strange for this time of year

7th - Bright spells in the morning / x13 PBF's at Hard Hills mainly in the coppice to the left + x4 SPBF + x1 Common Blue Started the The Catalogue of Marsland Plantlife today - looking into past photos + taking new ones / going to take time but hope to have a photo of every plant on reserve in the next few years and display them on this web site ( the birds, butterflies etc to follow + film ) / I had started a catalogue 24 years ago but most of the plants are on old analogue 35mm 'slides'? ( spent some time looking at these old slides and deciding which ones can be 'scanned' for archive (most of them)

8th - Common bird census / dawn chorus this morning early / I'm sure the 'chorus' isnt what it used to be 24 years ago / didnt have a single Willow Warbler or even a Dunnock / Merlin seen again at Hard Hills - is there a pair nesting in the area ? / out on the culm most of the day but did manage to count x9 PBF's at Hard Hills in the afternoon and met Paddy Saunders who is here again doing a bee survey ( pretty quiet apparently )

Some excellent views on the bat cam this evening as the bats left their roost

9th - Inbetween the heavy rain I cut the nature garden grassy areas + sections of Chapel Field / prepared for tomorrows hoverflies ID course / started wading through my old slides looking for possible scanning material + editing and organizing plant files + continuation of up dating species lists + researching for a possible paper on PBF management

10th - Spent the whole day here at the Marsland office with Dr Rob Wolton + 10 of the DWT reserves staff learning all about hoverflies and their ecology - and what an excellent day it was too despite the drizzle / even our field trip out to Hard Hills was productive and the group caught quite afew samples to ID back at base / learnt about keys and used the recently acquired reserve microscopes / hopefully a 'springboard for us all to start making species lists on all DWT reserves ( photos )

11th - Spent the morning showing some butterfly guys round the reserve / weather abit dull but we did see SPBF / pity they didnt stay til the afternoon as the sun came out (as did more SPBF's )

Rob very kindly 'lent' us a very nice microscope from yesterday and also sent me a list of what we found on our field trip ( two new hoverfly species to boot ) Dealing with new spcies lists for the rest of the day + looking at old slides + organizing displays for a future trees conference

The pair of Grey Wagtails busy nesting and being very noisy around the barn area

13th - excellent weather over the weekend and looks like SPBF's are coming out in numbers ( x12 at Hard Hills in the afternoon )

14th - checking on some of our paths today ( one or two stretches need mending ) + had a good long look at some of the archive documents in the morning ( during more rain )

Sunny mid afternoon so did a check out at Hard Hills - x10 SPBF's + x6 PBF's ( all fresh bar one) + x6 Orange Tip + x2 Small Copper

15th - Kate and the Petroc group spent time today finishing off the otter holt + mending a path down along Long Meadow ( brillient job by the group and we all really appreciate the big effort the guys put in - photos ) / meanwhile I spent more time with the 'archive' material / up dating this site / organizing a display of the management of Marsland with reference to PBF's

Had a look round Hard Hills in the evening and counted x3 SPBF's down in the vegetation out of the cool breeze / also took some good shots of various flowers / plants in the late evening sunshine ( hope to start downloading onto a separate page soon )

16th - Beautiful sunny and warm day / x59 SPBF's out at Hard Hills in the afternoon + first of the Beautiful Demoiselles and a handful of Large Red Damselflies ( mainly around the Otter Ponds ) / more plant photography and checking boundary above Hard Hills + path up the side valley

Simon had the small Pascali tractor today and cut along some of the paths

Out at Hard Hills in the evening / saw a Badger at the sett in good health

17th - writing up reports for the PBF season most of the day as the weather was damp and cool / editing video 18th - Visit by local plant group based around Bude ( thanks to Tim Dingle for leading ) / more editing today especially of PBF material / re editing Marsland booklet from some years ago ( self published on 'Blurb' ) / 'evening chorus' later on with Garden Warbler singing in Goat Meadow amongst other things

20th - beautiful sunny day today - counted SPBF's out on Hard Hills and stopped at 150 + and I dont think that that is a peak count ( photo ) + took out some visitors who wanted to see one ( thrilled at seeing so many ) / Grey Wagtails busy at their nest and Dipper inspecting their nest ( 2nd brood maybe ? ) / more plant photos and a general walkabout ( very quiet )

21st - dawn chorus survey this morning - sounding almost back to normal too + added bonus of a lone Wood Warbler ( brief song then nothing - but worth keeping an ear out for in the next few days at least ) / found x2 GSWoodpecker holes pretty close to eachother ( photo ) / Hard Hills heaving with SPBF's later on in the afternoon / Kate weeded the sedum roof and cut some of the paths and did a SPBF count in the afternoon ( had x102 on the butterfly transect areas 11-24 making a reserve total of 252+ ) / Common Blue in good numbers (x12) + Orange Tip still flying and x2 PBF's)

Tried to film Badger in the evening but no luck ( far too many biting midges )

22nd - busy writing PBF/SPBF reports for various groups + people + external reports

SPBF's flying in big numbers again today / really pleasing to see so many of them flitting through coppice and over the meadows like they're supposed to do / Otter spraint check up the stream to Hackmarsh later on - one or two signs but pretty old ones ( met a single adult Dipper further up the valley )

Weeded nature garden and started organizing a reserve + management film for the Trees Conference in September

24th - wall to wall sunshine so a concentrated SPBF count today - unbelievable amounts of them flitting about especially at Hard Hills where after awhile I counted x430 + another x256 on the other side making a record total of x 686 ( previous record was 2010 with x620 ) / also had amongst others x2 Orange Tip , x2 Peacock, x2 Holly Blue, x2 Common Blue and x2 Dingy Skipper ( in Goat Meadow where I thought I'd lost them ) x1 very worn PBF - probably the last

Garden Warbler singing at Hard Hills

During any one time at the moment there are probably in excess of 1000+ SPBF's flying about on the reserve

St Marks School down at Marsland Mouth today on an activity day

25th - x6 Marsh Fritillaries amongst the 100's of SPBF's today at Hard Hills / GS Woodpeckers feeding young / Patrick Saunders in again surveying our bee species + populations

Also had Small Copper out at HH with numerous Common Blue

Common Blue + Large Red + Beautiful Damsels and Broad Bodied Chaser all flying

26th - did abit of weeding in the nature garden + cut around outside the office + c47 path / SPBFs teeming again at Hard Hills in this hot weather

First record on reserve of Pied Wagtails breeding ( a pair on the roof of the office and one with nesting material ) / Wheatear at Marsland Mouth + a couple of Whitethroat singing and x1 Stonechat

28th - continued work on future projects aimed at Marsland being a center of excellence for ID and management techniques

29th - there are x64 LH bats in the shed at the moment ( give or take 1 or 2 ) and 'batcam' pictures are always very interesting ( had afew visitors knock on the office door early so I let them have a look at the TV - very impressed they were too )

Spent the rest of the morning cutting back the abundant Goosegrass growing in Franks Field new coppice / unless kept in check it would smother out the smaller plants / also kept abit of Dock in check and cut round the Nettles ( lots of butterfly caterpillars feeding ) / with this kind of 'fine tuning' management we should be recording many species of butterflies in this area in the next few years ( amongst other things ) + bringing in some wood from Hard Hills 3 now all the tracks are bone dry + did some more 'fill in' shots of Marsland at this time of year

SPBF's in silly numbers at the moment / lots of Speckled Yellow Moths and x6 Common Blues at Hard Hills + found the Grey Wagtail nest in the barn

Nearly completed the Moths of Marsland leaflet - big thanks to Dr Adrian Spalding for the text + advice

30th - More early morning cutting after carrying out a CBC ( common bird census) / Dr Rob Wolton paid a visit mid morning carrying out insect surveys at hard Hills - found a RED DATA BOOK species in a Microdon hoverfly ( amongst many other things - see below for full list) Microden apparently doesnt like flying and doesnt 'hover'.

Hover flies (family Syrphidae) of the genus Microdon are unusual among the Diptera. Like other members of the subfamily, they are myrmecophiles, meaning they inhabit the nests of ants (photo)

Robs list :

Hoverflies

Rhingia campestris x200 Helophilus pendulus x20 Helophilus trivittatus x2 Episyrphus balteatus x2 Sericomyia silentis x2 Platycheirus clypeatus x10 (all females) Platycheirus granditarsis x2 Platycheirus angustatus x1 male Microdon myrmicae x2 (RDB) Melanostoma scalare x10 (all females) Melanostoma mellinum x3 (all females) Syritta pipiens x5 Cheilosia albitarsis x20 Eupeodes corolla x1 Eristalis tenax x1 Xylota segnis x1

Robber flies Leptarthus brevicornis x20 (a local species present in good numbers)

Picture wing flies Chaetorella jaceana

Long-legged flies Dolichopus popularis D. pennatus D. atratus

Sepsids Sepsis cynipsea

Lauxanids Calliopum elisae

Black snipefly Chrysopilus cristatus

Finished the Moth Leaflet / more filming ( nice shots of a Common Toad attacking its lens reflection ( video starts in HOME) / did some background sound recording for the Marsland film

31st - out cutting at 6.30 this morning taking advantage of the cool / cut BT path 1-11 + bracken in Goat Meadow + c52 + cut areas in Otter Coppice + cut Fern species and Goosegrass + Bramble in the winter coppice at HH #3

Had a great view of a Roe deer and fawn at Hard Hills / had a very fresh Painted Lady too ( unusual to see a butterfly nectaring so early )

Set up x3 moth traps into the evening at Otter Coppice, Nature Garden and Hard Hills 3

April 2012:

1st - had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden today 2nd - more sunshine today although we did have a frost overnight / had a report of x1 PBF from yesterday but I'm abit wary / had a contract digger in today making a trackway better so we can get tractor etc in to help with PBF work / maybe doing a Radio 4 nature programme soon concerning PBF's - watch this space / spent abit of time looking for PBF larvae at hard Hills but no luck - lots of viola though and plenty of Bee Flies nectaring

3rd - 4th - had an evening check on the Lesser Horseshoe bats in the shed - noted x3 back although it was very cold with some sleet and hailstones / spent time finishing off Annual Report ( have a look on the Home page under Just added ) / Filming Course finally up and running on the 14th July / up dating various leaflets and continuing new ones / recieved some new wildlife posters (framed) for the office and put them up in the library / keep seeing a male Merlin flying up the road to Gooseham - it must be breeding somewhere close as I see the female too on a regular basis / finalized the radio programme to be recorded on the 18th April - its part of a Radio 4 mini natural history series

5th - day spent doing culm reserves annual reports

6th - spent some time recording bird song and looking for PBF larvae - none found / migrant birds popping in with many Blackcaps and x2 Willow Warbler

7th - Easter Trials up Darracott Hill started at 5am / drizzle and some heavier rain later / area left tidy

8-9th - Checking Dipper's ok and general walkabout during easter weekend / had a group of PBF people down interested in the management here + 1 or 2 indivuals popped in / too cool and wet for any butterflies to be about although the Merlin was busy up the track to Gooseham

10th - Kingfisher busy on stream this morning and our Dippers look to be feeding young / more annual reports on the go / the weekend course at Marsland next week has been cancelled due to unforseen circumstances

11th - Local bee expert Paddy Saunders popped in today to start a Marsland 'bee' survey which should be on until the end of the year / the 'batcam' is up and running so I spent abit of time observing c25 Lesser Horseshoe bats which have returned to the bat shed - also managed to get some footage of behaviour as I filmed the TV screen with a camera (I'll upload some footage in the next few days) / went out to Hard Hills in mid afternoon when the sun was shining and had the first PBF at 3pm - x6 by 3.25 when I had to leave

12th - Simon and the DWT vols came to the reserve today and had a look round - they had x12 PBF's at Hard Hills / Kate and myself were out around Tiverton giving some woodland management advice to a chap who attended the course last November / out at Hard Hills later on but I only had x2 PBF's but the sun had gone and it was very cool - did notice a Buzzard with nesting twigs though

13th - unusual to see a very early fledged Blackbird around the office building today + a pair of Grey Wagtails are setting up a nesting site / more annual reports today + organizing courses / too cold for PBF to be flying / c 50 House Martins and afew Swallows feeding over the reserve at dusk

14th - more cool and breezy weather keeping the PBF's at bay / pottered around the nature garden and caught up on some scanning and photo archive ( also nursed a Bullfinch back to life after it smashed into the office window - photo ) / DWT trustee Ian Ferguson + his son and a friend paid a visit in the afternoon

15th - sunny today and fairly warm out at Hard Hills although the recent chilly breeze was still blowing - I did a PBF count at 1pm and got to x27 which seems a little low but plenty of time left especially if this weather keeps going. There was a definite preference for any Bugle in flower but most of the individuals were feeding on Dandelion ( photos ) / also had x5 Orange Tip, x6 Peacock , x1 Speckled Wood, x2 GV White / carried out another PBF survey at 2.30 pm and counted x47 / Steve, Mary and James Robbins popped over to Hard Hills whilst i was there and it was really good to see and speak to them ( Steve was warden here pre 1988 )

16th - very cold early this morning as I ventured out on a dawn chorus in the hope of recording some birdsong but my only recording was of my teeth chattering / weather forecast for the week doesnt look good for the PBF's / Dippers have been a tad quiet over the weekend so I very quickly checked the nest just in case they had abandoned ( but I found x3 young uns safely tucked up - being fed by both parents who returned a little later ) The weather became a little warmer in the afternoon although still abit breezy and cool - counted the other PBF areas and although fairly low numbers I had a total of x76 for reserve ( similar to 2010 when I had x80 ) Travel Bridge Meadow was good with up x11 in a what is a fairly sheltered spot / many individuals counted as I put them up + as they were feeding on Dandelion / also had x4 Holly Blue, x4 Speckled Wood and x3 Peacock

Kate prepared the materials for constructing another Otter holt tomorrow with the guys from Petroc Collage + taking out breeze blocks on the tractor + trailer

17th - the guys from Petroc came today and did a brillient job of digging a space for the Otter holt - they hope to come back in a fortnight and finish it off . Kate did abit of filming of the work and I'll edit and put on the web site soon.

Very wild and windy today but the sun did shine later and x6 PBF were recorded at Hard Hills

18th - Patrick Saunders sent a record of just one of the bees he found on his visit last week - its a new record for the reserve and is called the Hairy Footed Flower Bee ( stock photo opposite )

Spent most of the day with some guys from Bristol Films ( Sarah Pitt the producer and Dave Parkinson the sound engineer) recording a programme about PBF's and butterflies in general for Radio 4 - should be on air on Sunday 29th April at 6.30 am (!) Be available on BBC iPlayer too by the way. Weather wasnt brillient ( rain and wind) but we did manage to see one individual and talk about the reserve and all our management. Richard Fox from Butterfly Conservation was the other chap contributing

19th - more trips out to Hard Hills to try to count / talk about PBF's but still too cold and windy

20th - still cool / cold and breezy but managed a PBF count at noon and although difficult I had x53 - at Hard Hills only / majority of individuals were sheltering in natural 'bays' behind Gorse or Bracken piles etc / I counted x12 at the far end where the line of trees acted as a wind barrier and created a really warm area ( this is just as Hard Hills begins coming from the Goat Meadow side ) / also had my 'sprocker' dog Molly with me and she put x13 up from the grassy areas adjacent to where I was counting / all in all a pleasing count although I ( and Molly ) had to work for it / managed another count of the other sites before the sun went in and got x 31 making a total for today of x84

Dippers still feeding young and a pair of Grey Wagtails have a nest

21st - mostly sunny today but the cold wind kept the PBF's down on the ground although x14 flying in sheltered areas at Hard Hills / took a small group of visitors to Hard Hills and they were thrilled to see the PBF's

23nd - spent most of the day down in Devon at a reserves officer meeting

24th - warm bright sunshine most of the day which allowed me to carry out a morning count of PBF's ( x31) at Hard Hills and an afternoon count with x45 / couple of chaps from Cornwall Butterfly Conservation popped in so I took them to HH to check out the PBF's + Helena and her husband + Rob Wolton + Paddy ( surveying the bees etc ) - so all in all a busy time at Hard Hills / Dipper young look ready to take flight / did a PBF count on the other sites in the afternoon and had x8 at the Clearings, x3 at c15, x2 in the Middle Coppice, x25 in Travel Bridge Coppice, x8 in Travel Bridge Meadow / total for the day = x 91 ( looks like the peak count for the moment ) / also had the odd Orange Tip and Speckled Wood with single Peacock and Brimstone / Grasshopper Warbler singing in c15 Broad Arbor / Kate discovered a male PBF actually mating with a near dead female just hatched out of the pupae ( photo + video at start )

25th - Steve found some Hazel Glove fungi yesterday ( photo ) / spent a very rainy day up dating the reserve species lists / Helene Buse sent some excellent photos she'd taken over the last two days and Ive put some on this page opposite ( more to come ) / Simon in today and cleared out toolshed and tidied it up

26th - x16 PBF's flying at Hard Hills today during a window of sunny weather although the wind was blowing a gale ( the PBF's were all in the coppice area) / also found a GS Woodpecker nest hole and there are x4 Dippers nearly fledged in their nest / whilst out on Hard Hills I watched a male Merlin hunting ( they must be nesting somewhere in the area after so many years of regular sightings both during the summer and winter months ) / at least 6 sightings of Common Lizard on Hard Hills

27th - x39 PBF's out at Hard Hills at noon today and the first Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary made an appearence / located the Grey Wagtail nest in a log pile at Hard Hills #3 field / also watched the GS Woodpecker moving in and out of its nest hole nearby

28th - 7.30 AM - a wee bit cool today for the Cornwall Branch Butterfly Conservation visit / anyoo at around 9.30am I went out to check that we could all actually get over the stream after last nights rain and just as I was being distracted by the Dipper young making a racket in their nest I heard a loud plop in the water to my left and saw an Otter cub swimming just under the surface with its nose out sniffing the air ( it looked bigger / older than those I filmed two years ago ) / the cub played around for afew minutes then moved off right past me and under a gap in the stream bank / didnt see or hear any other individuals / Dippers obviously aware of the Otter hence all the kerfuffle / Cornwall Branch x10 arrived at about 11am and although the weather was dull we did see a PBF at Hard Hills ( must have been the most photographed butterfly of all time ) + many Orange Tips resting on their foodplant flowers ( Ladies Smock ) + loads of eggs + noted the Dipper with beak full of food for the young uns / I had another engagement in the afternoon on one of the culm sites so the other guys set off down the valley in search of more wildlife

29th - very heavy rain all day with strong winds / spent some time sorting out work programmes for over next winter and organizing stuff relating to 'events' in the new office / library

30th - cleaned the bat cam this morning and the picture is much better ( the outer cover of the lens was covered in bat excrement ) / noticed that individuals returning to the main roost actually land a few inches away and 'walk' backwards into the roost ( see video in Select Species ) / meeting in the morning with Matt (Boydell) discussing possible future work on some of DWT's culm sites / I'm recieving many positive e mails re Radio 4 programme yesterday / spending time up dating our species lists and entering new species all the time ( thanks to Rob Wolton and Matthew Prince ) March 2012 :

1-4th - Warm weather turned to fairly chilly over the weekend / tried to film two adult male stags (Roe) head butting eachother in a field near the house - however, they moved before I could press 'record' ( mainly because my 'sprocker' puppy chased them away ) / Dipper pair still very busy building their nest ( photo in gallery ) / contractors nearly finished coppice work in Franks Field

7th - Meeting with various natural history luminaries today to discuss ( amongst other things ) possible day courses ( identification of certain difficult species for example) -photo in gallery

8th - Contractors now completed work on the 'fritillary' sites ( photos of cleared areas in gallery )

9-12th - Managed to fim the Dipper male feeding the sitting female on the nest ( see Video ) - blink and you'll miss it but I do hope to add to it at a later stage / bat camera installed and up and running + 'cooling tower' breeze blocks arrived on the 12th so we should finish that in the next couple of days / small coppice at the end of Long Meadow cut and Steve did some running path repairs with a group from North Devon College

13th - Steve working hard on the cooling tower ( photos in Gallery ) / some time spent looking for PBF larvae at Hard Hills but no luck / some very clear bird song recorded (see Sounds) / editing film on going / very warm day with sea mists and numerous Buzzards calling / spent some time trying to film a Starling roost outside the house in the evening - a large flock ( 500) had been forced down into the valley because of the dense fog and they were attempting to land in neighbours evergreen tree / I did manage to film a short piece ( see Video section )

15th - Finished cutting and clearing behind the barn and next to the nature garden / continued with Annual Report and some scanning / spent some time trying to retrieve my email addresses as someone has 'hacked' me ( apologies to anyone reading this who recieved spam from my email address ) / Ive recently set up our motion camera near an Otter sprainting site but no photos as yet 16-18th - Sunny periods brought out more butterflies / Dipper very active at their nest / good to see Helena Buse and her husband on the friday ( HB took excellent photos of reserve wildlife during the weekend course last year ) / took a small group round reserve on the Sunday mainly to look at management for the PBF's / 1st Chiffchaff on the 18th calling in Goat Meadow

19th - Sunny day brought out butterflies again / Kate finished cutting a small area of coppice at the end of Long Meadow / another check for PBF larvae at Hard Hills - many viola with evidence of eating but no individuals noted / more filming ( 'fill in' footage ) / nice to see Ian Chadwick for awhile in the morning ( fellow RO )

20th - finished scanning and up loading the Marsland booklet to the web site and organizing the 100's of photos etc into separate files / looks like the Film Course will go ahead on the 14th July ( details to follow ) / burning the small area of 'culm' at Hard Hills / progress with Annual Report

21st - First Holly Blue of the year flying about in the warm sunshine / carried out the first butterfly transect of the year - Red Admiral x2 , Comma x1, Brimstone x3 , Peacock x4, Speckled Wood x1 / also recorded x9 Chiffchaff and x4 Blackcap

22nd - Had a really good meeting with various PBF people this am discussing the work here at Marsland + also met with Easter Trials people / had a brillient view of a male Sparrowhawk taking a Woodpigeon ( S'hawk flew off when I appeared and left the apparently dead Woodpigeon on the ground - I hid behind a tree in the hope of filming the S'hawk returning when suddenly the Woodpigeon came out of its coma and flew off - the S'hawk did return a minute later much to its dismay after finding its prey had scarpered ) / Otter spraint survey up the stream to Hackmarsh later on ( very active signs + many spraints with some sort of eggs mixed in - spawn ? )

23rd - Up at dawn to record the chorus ( see Home page ) / had the office measured up for blinds / pair of Grey Wagtails on the stream / editing some new footage for the web site and up dating / checking ponies and brief survey of Marsland Mouth / getting some details together for the filming course / working out a brief management plan for future PBF work 27th - Kate did a butterfly transect today -

Goat Meadow Small Tortoiseshell x1

Coppice after left hand river crossing Small Tortoiseshell x2 Peacock x2

Hard Hills Peacock x2

Path towards clearings from Gillians Brimstone x3

Broad Arbour Small Tortoiseshell x2

Track down from Broad Arbor to Travel Bridge Speckled wood x 4

Travel Bridge Coppice Small Tortoiseshell x1 Brimstone x1 Holly Blue x1 Orange Tip x1

Long Meadow Comma x7 Peacock x1 Speckled Wood x1 Orange Tip x2

28th - The warm weather continues / had a look out at Hard Hills for PBF larvae but didnt find any ( Dipper very busy in the nest though ) / seems to have been an influx of Chiffchaff and Blackcap over the past few days / wrote an abstract for a 'Trees Beyond The Woods' conference in Sheffield in September and organized a Bee species survey for the coming season ( many Bees out at the moment along with an unusual amount of Wasps ) February 2012:

Very cold and frosty start to the month with many Redwing and various thrush species dropping into the reserve ( feeding on garden apples mainly)

Cutting and extending the nature garden area started on the 1st with more scrub clearence on the PBF sites

2nd - Otter survey on the stream took awhile but individual / spraint noted on stream in many areas

Dipper pair singing away most days over by their nesting site / almost guarentee nesting again this year

Out doing some winter filming on the 3rd - nice shots of ice on the stream - lots of thrush species moving through again.

6th - had a Blackcap singing sub song this morning - probably an over wintering male but could be a visitor from Europe ( maybe harsh weather over there has pushed this and other species over to a relatively mild South West ? ) Still very strange to hear this song so early / had a Sparrowhawk taking a female Blackbird in the afternoon ( right next to the Dipper breeding site )

Hopefully will have the new ' batcam ' up and running fairly soon ( batcam arrived this morning ) Picture very clear and the camera itself very sturdy / also has a remote control facility which we can use to zoom in and out of the roost and also allows us to view 360 degrees

7th - spent more time cutting and raking various areas especially PBF breeding sites / raked Chapel Cottage Field

8th - up dating web site / many Pdf's added including reports and species lists / added all Marsland leaflets 9th - good meeting with Sarah Pitt and Tim Shepherd from British Wildlife Filmmakers - discussing a film course in the summer / had national moth expert Dr Adrian Spalding stay over night - did some mothing and discussed future possible recording of moths on various sites up in North Devon ( got the proposed moth leaftet off the ground too )

10th - seems to have been a fairly big influx of mixed species birdlife recently - probably due to the bad weather on the continent / strange but interesting to see x2 Blackcap males feeding on rotting apples in our garden

12th - thought Id have a go at filming either Roe or Badger over the weekend - set the hide up and nearly got a female deer browsing ! ( disturbed by an 'off road' runner )

13 -17th - more cutting and raking on the PBF sites / more filming and editing and adding material to this web site / organizing the Film Course details / scanning and copying old documents

18-20th - Busy weekend what with one thing and another / some time time spent checking on shooting activity on adjacent land etc ( have had 'wanderers' in the past ) / unusual numbers of Blackcaps in the valley ( all males too) / Contract work started on the 20th (at Hard Hills again) coppicing some woodland in the middle of the slopes and extending the bottom coppice / started and finished cutting re growth bramble at Travel Bridge Coppice / re editing the Marsland booklet 'published' in 2009 ( adding material on otters, the new office and PBF work )

21-24th - More cutting and raking / clearing behind the barn to extend the nature garden and weeding / contractors started phase 2 of the PBF management / checking boundary / two meetings re this years proposed courses / lots more material added to web site / more filming

25-29th - More contract work in the Travel Bridge area including coppice and scrub removal / more scanning and booklet editing ( added to web site) / bat cam wired and should be up and running fairly soon / bat 'cooler' tower building blocks ordered and that should be ready before the bats return ( usually sometime around mid April ) / first butterflies of the year flitting about on the 29th - x2 Peacock, x3 Comma and x1 Brimstone / watched the Dippers building their nest in last years site ( very delicate beak work for such a beefy bird ) January 2012:

Counting Lapwings at Tamar Lakes on the 1st ( c100+ ) - probably used to 1000's in the past + x I noted about 20 Teal (ditto)

Abit windy beginning of month but a 'tree down' check only revealed one and that wasnt dangerous ( one or two felled and made safe later in the month)

Began organizing spring and summer ID courses on the 2nd - hopefully will have days concentrating on moths,hoverflies,spiders and plant galls ( amongst others)

Started two more leaflets for reserve - moths and birds

Good numbers of Snipe passing over and on to the reserve over the weekend of the 7th - actually saw one get taken by a Sparrowhawk in Goat Meadow ( only ate the head and brain and took off - which I thought a tad wasteful - had'nt been disturbed either)

10th - cutting at Hard Hills clearing the recently cut areas from last year ( lots of low growing bramble needed to be eradicated + seedlings of beech and holly)

More work cutting and raking at Hard Hills on the 12th - much appreciated help from two of the long term volunteers at DWT ( Wendy and Eleanor)

More filming on the 12th - the PBF management video taking alot longer than first anticipated

Completed all the cutting at Hard Hills on the 18th - just afew piles of bracken to rake up now . Its all looking very good for the new season ( noted quite alot of Frog Spawn in the many wet ruts )

Completed the boundary checks + Dormouse survey + Grey Squirrel survey ( none seen on the 19th but drays evident in 5 areas on the transect ) Also noted 2 Woodcock and 1 Roe deer More scanning of archive documents - mainly for this web site

Drawing up plans and writing first drafts of chapters for a book outlining my 25 years on reserve - anniversary next year ( probably include years before Marsland when I was with RSPB)

A start made on the butterfly + dragonfly reports - 2011 + a short film on a number of selected butterflies was up loaded to You Tube ( see Links )

December: 2011

PBF contract work on going from day one ( photos ) The chaps are out at Hard Hills on the slopes cutting out scrub and also coppicing down by the stream at HH#3

More cutting in Otter Coppice and surrounding areas + at c15 PBF slopes

A start was made on more leaflets in house for the reserve with 'Moths' being the latest. Also want to do the 'Birds' and then 'Insects'

Time spent on editing and writing a script for proposed videos on PBF and MF management + editing short sections for inclusion in a national data base

Large influx of Blackbirds early month + first Redwing and Fieldfare + Peregrine on the 10th + 63 Redwing in the holly tree outside the office on the 18th ( stripped it bare in 10 minutes)

More scanning onto digital database of old archive documents etc + re editing the Marsland booklet

Few problems with motorbikes on the 18th using the bridleway as a 'rat run'

Lots of walks and patrols over the Xmas period but no problems - although the holiday cottage ( Franks House) still is causing me stress ( what is it about suburban people ? )

November: The guys from Petroc Collage paid us a visit on the 1st to help with PBF and SPBF management - a good day had by all (photo)

More work at Hard Hills cutting and raking at beginning of the month

More photos taken on reserve and added to web site / up dates

Preparation on going for Woodland Management course on the 13th ( fully booked )

Kate away for afew days doing tractor driving course

The Woodland Management day ( with the Yarner Trust) on the 13th was very well attended (13) and enjoyed by all - photos opposite - An introductory talk on the reserve in the office was followed by a walk and talk on site.After a woodland curry lunch people had a chance to have a go at various woodland crafts including making a sheep hurdle from hazel poles.Steve meanwhile carried out a demonstration on hedge laying.

Petroc College worked in the hazel coppice on the 15th and had a go on the the lathe and shaving horse with Kate

Work continued cutting in the PBF areas and a meeting with contractors took place ( to discuss winter works in the same areas )

Boundary walk took place over the period with no problems

Mixed flocks of birds rummaging through the trees on a daily basis throughout the month - Firecrest in amongst them on the 16th.

On an early pre dawn walk on the 14th I had x6 Woodcock ( x2 on the track down to the office ) Also Sparrowhawk 'seeing off' a Merlin at Hard Hills

Very enjoyable day with Harry Barton ( new CEO at DWT) who paid a visit on the 21st. Actually saw a Dormouse at Hard Hills which was special and some very fresh ( last night) Otter cub spraint

Still afew butterflies flitting around at the end of the month - Red Admiral,Small Tortoiseshell and a Speckled Wood. Five LH bats still in the roost shed on the 23rd.

Carried out my monthly Dormouse survey on the 23rd / I found 8 nests in the nest monitoring area ( usually have maybe 1 or 2 ) Lots more Otter spraint found on the stream on the same day

Contract work started on the 29th concentrating on Hard Hills PBF site for a while

More cutting beyond Goat Meadow

Just found out that some of my footage re Volehouse and culm has been used in next years Wildlife Trusts film

October:

Very hot weather continued until the 3rd when things returned to normal with rain, wind and a proper Autumn.

The office is 99% completed with computers in and up and running.

A 'get together' was held in the offices on the 13th in order to say a big thankyou to all involved in the build

Dr Bruce and Alison Newton ( neighbours) have kindly donated a number of books to our library in the office - very much appreciated

Building rubbish moved on the 26th and one or two trees around the office felled by tree surgeons.

Cutting at Hard Hills in the PBF and SPBF areas started mid month

Red Admiral,Small Copper and Small Tortoiseshell still on the wing on the 26th.

September:

Wet and windy weather beginning of the month but much work carried out on the new offices ( see Marsland Office photos) LH bats down to 32 on the 6th and unbelievable numbers of different insects in the nature garden when the sun came out.

Work continues on the office building with the gravel now down and compacted - bat shed wall renovation and inside fittings done.

Pete Jollys 'new' group from Petroc College started long term projects on the reserve on the 13th ( 9 young folk raking Franks Field with photo opposite) .Really good to have them back again

Up to 15 Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on transect 1-11 + many Common Blues and afew old Meadow Browns and just one SPBF ( very late)

Sedum roof on the office finished.

Just been reading about UK butterfly declines and especially Common Blues - there have been excellent numbers at Marsland all summer (and especially now)

Time spent working on winter management plans and helping with management plans from other sites (re PBF)

Finished off the British Wildlife article on Fritillaries at Marsland

Started the Autumn cutting especially at Hard Hills / boundry checks and wood checks ( some stealing from reserve from the Welcombe side - we know who you are )

Very hot weather on the 28th with many late butterflies flying about including a SPBF seen by Mr and Mrs Oakes from south Devon ( I had two SPBF at Hard Hills later at 4.20)

Carpets laid in the office on the 28th too.

August :

Just counted 106 Lesser Horseshoe bats in the shed tonight (2nd) Great to see the new doors on the office building + all the inside insulation nearly finished. New video of Silver Washed Fritillary added ( see 'Links' in Video and Sound )

Frank Mortons old house in the middle of the reseve is now a holiday 'cottage' - unfortunately various people 'holidaying' in the property are now a source of continuous noise and the peace of the valley is constantly being broken by shouting kids and adults playing 'games' in the big field. Frank will be turning in his grave.

Dull and cool mid month but many butterflies on the wing especially Silver Washed Fritillary and Red Admiral.Up to x6 SPBF at Hard Hills on the 16th and Dipper noted on the same day. Good numbers of Wall scattered about the valley

Office building progressing with doors and windows completed and plastering inside.

Good numbers of butterflies on the 18th with Common Blue,Small Copper, SWF,SPBF, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell in abundance. One or two Holly Blues in the nature garden ( along with most other butterflies out at the moment) Also noted a young Sparrowhawk on the hunt

July :

Fairly good weather to begin the month

Spent some time filming and editing for various projects

Simon passed his trailer training course

British Wildlife article on PBF's coming along fine / first Marbled Whites starting to emerge on the 5th with many Silver Washed Fritillaries on the wing / 2nd brood SPBF on the wing mid July

Building work started again on the 26th with more frames and windows going in and the BT line connected.

Flushed a Green Sandpiper off the Otter pool today (28th) / still lots of SPBF's flitting about June :

SPBF's still flying on and up to the 23rd

Simon passed his ATV Quad bike training and Kate passed her First Aid refresher course

Filming dragonflies on the new ponds in Otter Coppice - see Video/Sounds section under Links

Time spent cutting bracken etc in many areas

Steve Threlkeld started back on the 20th after along time off

May : Only had a few drops of rain over the past few weeks but we had a spectacular thunder storm over the Butterfly Weekend

Some areas teeming with Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries on the 10th and I've counted at least 12 Marsh Fritillary where they were last year at Hard Hills. Also Common Blue, Red Admiral and all the usual suspects recorded

DWT staff members paid a visit on the 18th and although a tad damp they all enjoyed their walk ( saw many SPBF too). The day was finished off with a cream tea.

Barnstaple DWT paid a visit on the 19th and in glorious sunshine too.The SPBF's were teeming.Also had a Peregrine hassling a Raven.

A Stinkhorn was an unusual find during May

Plants for the nature garden dug in and watered

More work on nature garden ( see Marsland Office section for photos April : 2011 The otter holt flat pack was dug in on the 4th with brilliant help from local volunteers Guy,Victoria,John and Ivan / Kate led the day and took the photos

Otter 'ponds' dug on the 5th near to the holt - hopefully frogs and toads will provide a future 'nearby food store ' for any otters in the area. The ponds will be excellent for dragonflies too.

The digger also landscaped the nature garden and dug a small pond ( see Marsland Office ) + cleared up all the rubble at the front of the office building

Just been out to buy £500 worth of wildlife friendly plants ( grant from Devon AONB ) for our nature garden behind the new office building.

First Orange Tip and Speckled Wood on the 4th with Holly Blue, Brimstone and Comma on the 6th / first Swallows on the 8th

National butterfly expert Roger Harding paid a visit over the weekend 9th / 10th and has just sent me his list: 15 PBF's ( earliest record by far although I didnt have any at Hard Hills) 4 Comma,100+ Orange Tip,50 Speckled Wood, 10 Holly Blue,1 Red Admiral,1 Small Tortoiseshell, 1 GV White,5 Small White and 2 Wall Brown x25 PBF at Hard Hills on the 11th /record count of 305 on the 18th / it really is a spectacular sight watching PBF'd flitter in amongst the coppice on a beautiful sunny day / really no need for them to be endangered as the management is so simple.

Barnstaple Group DWT paid a visit on the 28th to have a look round ...all enjoyed the day and the weather was beautiful.

Petroc Community College volunteers paid a visit and started laying the footpath around the nature garden / great work all round The DWT / Yarner Trust Butterfly Break weekend was a huge success with many Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries flying and great views of Roe deer with twins. Also had a BBQ and moth trapping evening, wild flower walk to Marsland Mouth and a dawn chorus with breakfast. Really enjoyable time had by everyone.

Following on from the weekend I spent some time showing various people the work we do here and especially at Hard Hills ( the main PBF site ) Hopefully some time in the not too distant future I want to set up a management advice group to look into how other sites can increase their populations.

Dipper feeding young on the stream