​A highly productive day at this lovely nature reserve, with its maturing areas of meadow, woodland, and ponds, and benches where one can sit awhile and enjoy the peace.

​Seven of us joined volunteers from Nettleham Woodland Trust (NWT) to undertake a number of tasks on a day that was much hotter than some of us had expected. I always assume that as the reserve is on higher ground to the north of Lincoln there will be a cool breeze but I fail to take into account the shelter now provided by the trees! So … sun hats and suntan lotion were required. Given the bad insect bites that I got (through work trousers), I should have used insect repellent too!

​Pete helped with the replacement of a pedestrian entrance gate to Coop Wood, having first cut back the overhanging blackthorn hedge, and then to put up bat boxes on a pole that used to hold a raptor nest box, now rotted beyond repair.

​​Sam joined NWT volunteers to oil some of the benches and picnic tables in the main seating areas in the South Wood, and then they oiled Rodney, the wooden deer sculpture. He looks splendid again, and a few visitors to the reserve have been convinced that they are seeing a real deer when they spot him amongst the trees.

The rest of us spent the day working by The Tower in the North Wood. This building, based on a design from the Barn Owl Trust, will house birds, butterflies and beasties in bird boxes and in the nooks and crannies in its walls and roof. The building work is ongoing and the ground immediately around the Tower is a mess of piles of soil, lumps of set concrete, broken bricks and so on. One day there will be a lovely meadow area around The Tower that, with managed mowing, will provide a habitat for a wide variety of plants and wildlife. However, before it can be restored to a mowable state some essential tidying work was needed. We cleared up breeze blocks and broken bricks that were scattered around The Tower, putting some of the brick pieces into the bottom of new ponds that have been dug nearby. They will create underwater habitats and protection for amphibians.

We also cut down the dead and dying ash trees in the meadow. All locally grown trees that were planted a while ago, they have, sadly, been affected by ash dieback. Small-leaved limes have been planted to replace the ash and seem to be doing well.

So thanks to our hard working volunteers – we did a lot and, as always, NWT appreciated our help. We will be returning to this site in September. 
Jude