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