A busy week here at Hazelwood Conservation has seen Gareth undertake (and pass!) his City and Guilds "Felling and Processing Trees over 380mm" with TKF near Holmfirth.
This training will help us to safely provide a wider range of services to our Habitat Management clients as well as being useful when we're doing our own woodland work.
We finish the week tonight at Chirpy in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, where we'll be running a "paint your valentine" session for creative couples. They'll get to pick from our specially carved wooden valentines figures to paint up as their beloved, there'll even be wine to help the creativity flow!
It's not too late to book your place, call Chirpy on 0113 266 0062.
Ecologists, conservationists and habitat managers; our most interesting antics will be posted here:
Friday, 14 February 2014
Monday, 16 December 2013
Just logging in...
Ok, so it's been a while since our last post, a combination of well earned holiday followed by a few weeks of catching up with things!
We've been doing more work for the Garganey Trust at Denby Delph and Thunder Bridge Meadows which has involved a significant amount of scrub cutting followed by stump treatment. It's quite physical work but once Maria gets going with the chainsaw there's no stopping her....
We've also done another workshop at Chirpy in Chapel Allerton, this time our wooden figure painting took on a festive theme with snowmen, Santas and even Christmas trees all being decorated by our talented participants!
We also took the opportunity to deliver the first of our firewood bags from our coppice restoration work at YWT Sprotbrough. Seasoned for 1 year and cut into handy stove sized lengths in a ventilated mesh bag ONLY £6 PER BAG or £15 FOR 3 BAGS! Available at Chirpy now!
We're looking to supply firewood through some other outlets and will post these on our website as and when they come up. If you live in or near Sprotbrough we are able to sell and deliver direct to you from the woodland, just give us a call!
We've been doing more work for the Garganey Trust at Denby Delph and Thunder Bridge Meadows which has involved a significant amount of scrub cutting followed by stump treatment. It's quite physical work but once Maria gets going with the chainsaw there's no stopping her....
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| This coppiced Alder was no match for Maria's chainsaw skills! |
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| All turned out and ready to go - painting these is lots of fun, for the young and not-so-young! |
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| Perfect for your festive log fire - and sustainably sourced too! |
We're looking to supply firewood through some other outlets and will post these on our website as and when they come up. If you live in or near Sprotbrough we are able to sell and deliver direct to you from the woodland, just give us a call!
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Saving the bats til last!
We spend most of our summers undertaking bat surveys - standing outside a building or next to a tree with our bat detectors, patiently waiting for these furry flying mammals to make an appearance. Sometimes we get to witness the emergence of hundreds of bats from a maternity roost although more often a single Pipistrelle will reveal its lonely bachelor pad to us. Other times we get through an entire survey without hearing a single bat pass by (although thankfully this isn't very often).
Despite our regular work with bats we very seldom get to meet them "up close and personal", so when we were deciding on a project we could do with our local volunteer group; the Friends of Seckar Wood, we suggested that some bat boxes could be put up in the nature reserve and that from time to time we would check them with the rest of group to see if our work was making a difference to Seckar's bat population.
This time last year 8 volunteer made bat boxes were erected on trees near to the ponds in the wood. A preliminary check in spring 2013 found no signs of bats. Today we checked them again, almost 1 year to the day since the boxes were erected and a real treat was in store for us; 4 of the boxes contained bats (a total of 5 pipistrelle) and 2 boxes had bat droppings in or on the box. 6 out of 8 aint bad! A great end to the 2013 bat survey season.
Thanks to everyone who came and helped with the bat box checking.
Seckar Wood offers lots of great foraging habitat for bats, but many of the trees are relatively young and lack the natural features which bats would use for roosting (such as cracks, crevices and holes). Plans are afoot to make and erect lots more boxes for Seckar Wood, which should provide even more homes for these amazing creatures.
Despite our regular work with bats we very seldom get to meet them "up close and personal", so when we were deciding on a project we could do with our local volunteer group; the Friends of Seckar Wood, we suggested that some bat boxes could be put up in the nature reserve and that from time to time we would check them with the rest of group to see if our work was making a difference to Seckar's bat population.
This time last year 8 volunteer made bat boxes were erected on trees near to the ponds in the wood. A preliminary check in spring 2013 found no signs of bats. Today we checked them again, almost 1 year to the day since the boxes were erected and a real treat was in store for us; 4 of the boxes contained bats (a total of 5 pipistrelle) and 2 boxes had bat droppings in or on the box. 6 out of 8 aint bad! A great end to the 2013 bat survey season.
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| One of the 5 Pipistrelle which now call the Seckar Wood bat boxes home |
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| Maria introducing the group to a bat box resident! |
Seckar Wood offers lots of great foraging habitat for bats, but many of the trees are relatively young and lack the natural features which bats would use for roosting (such as cracks, crevices and holes). Plans are afoot to make and erect lots more boxes for Seckar Wood, which should provide even more homes for these amazing creatures.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Don't rain on our (bat) parade!
Thanks to everyone who came along to our bat walk last Friday night at The Runtlings, Ossett near Wakefield.
Despite the rain we encountered several common pipistrelle in and around the estate which everyone managed to see and hear on the bat detector. There were several budding conservationists in the group, hopefully this will inspire them to carry on with the great work they've done to help wildlife and engage with the environment where they live. So far they've put up bird boxes and bird feeders as well as growing home grown vegetables and produce in planters around the estate.
There are also plans to put up some bat boxes in the area. The findings of our bat walk should help in selecting suitable locations for these to be put up.
The event was organised for local residents by Groundwork Wakefield on behalf of Places for People.
If you are involved in a local community group or organisation and would like us to guide a bat walk in your local area then please get in touch!
Despite the rain we encountered several common pipistrelle in and around the estate which everyone managed to see and hear on the bat detector. There were several budding conservationists in the group, hopefully this will inspire them to carry on with the great work they've done to help wildlife and engage with the environment where they live. So far they've put up bird boxes and bird feeders as well as growing home grown vegetables and produce in planters around the estate.
There are also plans to put up some bat boxes in the area. The findings of our bat walk should help in selecting suitable locations for these to be put up.
The event was organised for local residents by Groundwork Wakefield on behalf of Places for People.
If you are involved in a local community group or organisation and would like us to guide a bat walk in your local area then please get in touch!
Friday, 6 September 2013
Work on your figure and get Chirpy!
For those in the know, the place to go for unique, locally crafted gifts in Yorkshire is Chirpy in Chapel Allerton, Leeds!
Not only can you buy all of your unique gifts there but now you can also take part in some fantastic workshops, run by the very people who make the fab things for the shop!
We'll be running two wooden figure painting workshops at Chirpy over the coming months, see the Chirpy workshop flyer for details and these and lots of other crafty activities. Our first workshop will be Halloween themed, the second will have a festive air with lots of Santas and snowmen (you can even make your figure into a tree decoration!). All the figures are turned by us on our pole lathe using wood from our coppice restoration work at Sprotbrough.
If you'd like us to run a wooden figure painting workshop in your shop, village hall or even at your house (maybe for a birthday party?) then please get in touch.
Not only can you buy all of your unique gifts there but now you can also take part in some fantastic workshops, run by the very people who make the fab things for the shop!
We'll be running two wooden figure painting workshops at Chirpy over the coming months, see the Chirpy workshop flyer for details and these and lots of other crafty activities. Our first workshop will be Halloween themed, the second will have a festive air with lots of Santas and snowmen (you can even make your figure into a tree decoration!). All the figures are turned by us on our pole lathe using wood from our coppice restoration work at Sprotbrough.
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| Fun for all ages - come and paint one of our hand crafted wooden figures to take home! |
Friday, 16 August 2013
The crop circles of Thunder Bridge!
No we've not taken to extra-terrestrial species surveying (although it would make a change from the usual chiropteran subjects!). We've been busy making more hay, this time at Thunder Bridge Meadows, a Garganey Trust reserve near Kirkburton, Huddersfield.
The site is essentially a series of fields (some very small and one very large) along a 1km section of valley floor. A small stream (Thunder Bridge Dike) runs northward marking the eastern boundary of the site which for the most part is surrounded by woodland.
Garganey Trust are aiming to bring the site back into regular management for the benefit of wildlife, in particular restoring the wildflower meadows on site. Some of the meadows (or parts of them) do contain a diverse range of wildflower species, but the absence of any cutting or grazing over several years has led to many parts becoming dominated by coarse grasses or colonised by bramble, shrubs and trees.
So far we have undertaken several days of grass cutting in the two most northerly fields. To make the best use of our time on site we spread our efforts across these fields by cutting a series of patches. Several passers by pointed out to us that they do look a bit like crop circles!
In each "crop circle" the arisings were raked off to reduce the amount of nutrients entering the soil (which would otherwise favour a small number of vigorous plant species). Over the coming years the aim would be to repeat the cutting of these areas and make them larger, joining them up, until the whole meadow can be cut on an annual basis. This should result in an increase in wildflower abundance and diversity, which in turn should benefit invertebrates and other wildlife.
The late spring we had this year is still having knock on effects, one of which we have used to our advantage! Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) has colonised parts of the site, having spread from Thunder Bridge Dike. Usually at this time of year the flowers have turned to seed pods which explode on contact springing their seed up to 5 metres in all directions, enabling the plant to rapidly colonise large areas, particularly on damp ground. This year the seed pods are only just starting to develop in mid August, so we took the opportunity to cut several areas of the site where the plant has taken hold, preventing it from setting seed. Himalayan balsam seed is viable for up to 18 months and so if the cutting of these areas is repeated next year, in theory, they should become free of this invasive 'alien' species.
We'll be back at Thunder Bridge Meadows in the winter to cut and stump treat some of the trees which have self seeded (or suckered in some cases) in the meadows. Maybe we'll see you there one frosty morning!
The site is essentially a series of fields (some very small and one very large) along a 1km section of valley floor. A small stream (Thunder Bridge Dike) runs northward marking the eastern boundary of the site which for the most part is surrounded by woodland.
Garganey Trust are aiming to bring the site back into regular management for the benefit of wildlife, in particular restoring the wildflower meadows on site. Some of the meadows (or parts of them) do contain a diverse range of wildflower species, but the absence of any cutting or grazing over several years has led to many parts becoming dominated by coarse grasses or colonised by bramble, shrubs and trees.
So far we have undertaken several days of grass cutting in the two most northerly fields. To make the best use of our time on site we spread our efforts across these fields by cutting a series of patches. Several passers by pointed out to us that they do look a bit like crop circles!
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| Can you spot the mysterious being making these strange features?.......... |
The late spring we had this year is still having knock on effects, one of which we have used to our advantage! Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) has colonised parts of the site, having spread from Thunder Bridge Dike. Usually at this time of year the flowers have turned to seed pods which explode on contact springing their seed up to 5 metres in all directions, enabling the plant to rapidly colonise large areas, particularly on damp ground. This year the seed pods are only just starting to develop in mid August, so we took the opportunity to cut several areas of the site where the plant has taken hold, preventing it from setting seed. Himalayan balsam seed is viable for up to 18 months and so if the cutting of these areas is repeated next year, in theory, they should become free of this invasive 'alien' species.
We'll be back at Thunder Bridge Meadows in the winter to cut and stump treat some of the trees which have self seeded (or suckered in some cases) in the meadows. Maybe we'll see you there one frosty morning!
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Saturday night is bat night!
We'll be guiding a "bat walk" at Elsecar Park near Barnsley on the evening of Saturday 10th August 2013. All are welcome!
Click HERE for details.
Click HERE for details.
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