A bit of a wander

November 2018

A flock of twenty or so long tailed tits accompanied by one great tit cousin seemed not bothered by human presence in their midst. A pair of buzzards cruised overhead, but it was probably the sparrow hawk patrolling the woodland edge that moved them on, and quietened all other birdlife.

Hollow Walk in Autumn

Snipes Dene

The wind hastened the fall of leaves and chased them across the beechwood floor, turning it into a moving carpet of golden-brown. We were in these woods a few weeks ago working alongside gardeners planting wood anemone rhizomes – ten thousand of them. That’s a lot. When they come into life next spring, they should create a natural barrier along the path, discouraging people from trampling the woodland floor with its great variety of invertebrates. Not disturbing the creatures of the woodland floor is a good thing anyway, but this stretch is part of Gibside’s SSSI, so there is an extra duty of care. SSSI – that’s Site of Special Scientific Interest; pronounced tripleesseye.

Not Twiglets but wood anemone rhizomes

Steve prepares a slot for some rhizomes

More of the planting team

Down on Warrenhaugh crows played on the wind over fields now empty of sheep. Further down river jackdaws, like their crow cousins, were enjoying the blustery day until spotting a red kite to harass for a bit before returning to their more innocent game. A heron in stately flight rightly ignored squabbling mallard. It was a good day to be on the wander.

Sunlight through the trees

Nearby, just below the icehouse, Ruth and John were barrowing hefty river-smoothed rocks up an extremely steep path to line a streambed and thereby limit erosion. They had already shored up the stream banks and installed drainage to control the flow of water seeping from the adjacent hillside. They are extraordinary people: Gibside’s own volunteer civil engineers.

Birches in Snipes Dene, before.

The wanderer crossed Ladyhaugh and on to Snipes Dene, where the rest of the team were busy cutting out mainly birch and rhododendron to create a woodland glade. Some larger trees, though, are being spared – only to be ring-barked and left as standing dead wood. Ranger Dan experimented by painting some with blue-dyed herbicide. The glade is to be one of five down this side of the valley, each of about two hundred square metres. It’s all part of a plan made in consultation with the likes of Natural England and the Forestry Commission to encourage a variety of ground flora, and construct habitats attractive to amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates. They would expect that of a triplesseye.

Mike tackles a birch

"Timber!"

Picasso: Herbicide being painted onto ring-barked tree.

"The Wednesday" Glade

Dead Man's Fingers - Xylaria longipes

Whilst eating lunch we "spotted" an eyed ladybird (Anatis ocellata), but unfortunately didn't manage to get a photograph.

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne

Clear autumn light

October 2018

Down by the river a flock of mistle thrushes landed high in an autumnal tree, lit by the bright morning sun. Sharp shadows chequered the Avenue, and Mike – usually back working with the rest of the team by mid-October – gave the grass yet another last cut. It was the start of an exquisite day of blue skies, warm air, little wind, and a clear light to raise our spirits and enrich the view. Just as well really; we were off to the West Wood to clear more brash.

Mike mows The Avenue

Some years ago, a stand of commercial timber was harvested by the Forestry Commission. We replanted the area with hazel, and will plant hazel again in the immediate adjoining area which we are currently clearing. There are good reasons for the choice of hazel: it’s a native species; it can be coppiced, providing dense growth for birds and a supply of nuts for small mammals. Another reason is that it doesn’t grow very tall, so won’t interfere with the overhead powerlines that cross the estate at this narrow point.

A tangled mess

Cleared patch, adjoining hazel in top left corner. 

Untangling the debris of the felled trees – interwoven branches, twigs and substantial logs – appears, so far, only to have disturbed one field vole, quite a few ladybirds and innumerable spiders. In the afternoon sunshine, though, young spiders made good use of our lines of stacked brash by climbing to the top and ballooning away on threads of gossamer to start life somewhere new.

Autumn also brings lots of fungi to the surface. Here are just a few recent finds:

Glistening inkcaps

Shaggy inkcaps

Puffballs

Puffballs - puffing

Jelly ear

Russula sp.

Pholiota sp.

Fly agaric

Fungal cascade

Sulphur tuft

Terry – often pictured and mentioned in our blog with his wife, Mary – turned eighty this week. When not heaving logs around in West Wood, Terry occupies himself by wardening his parish church, going on forty mile bike rides with his mates, walking in the countryside with Mary, playing the cornet, and doing family stuff. And he makes us laugh. Happy Birthday, Terry.

Mary & Terry

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne

Hope and experience

September 2018

At the lower turning circle close to where Snipes Dene meets the River Derwent, we came across three Comma butterflies. For us it was an exciting find – perhaps not a rarity, but not an insect we see often. We mentioned our sighting to Ranger Phil at the end of the day. “Was that down by the lower turning circle?” he asked. We have come to expect such a response: there is very little that this man of nature does not know about the flora, fauna and landscape of Gibside Estate. He knew, too, about the Holly Blue feeding on the nipplewort the week before in an otherwise near desert of felled trees in West Wood.

Comma butterfly

Holly blue butterfly

Speckled wood butterfly

The daunting task of clearing the leftovers from the felling in West Wood continues in preparation for planting native species come winter. Close to half has been cleared, but it seems unlikely that the whole area will be ready. It’s hard work, and tedious.

Brash before the great clear-up in West Woods

Hard at work

After the clear-up

A well earned break

By way of change from the toil of removing the West Wood brash, some went off to thin out trees by the Octagon Pond; others cleared the blocked drainage channels on the nearby track. We two, along with Terry and Mary, set about an end of season visit to our grass snake monitoring sites. At each we made a final check under the ACOs (That stands for Artificial Cover Objects. Artificial cover objects are bits of corrugated iron), and stacked them out of sight until next year, then sorted through the nest heaps for any evidence of grass snake activity. Of course reader, as you will have worked out for yourself by now, they are not really nest heaps because nothing ever nests in them – well, certainly not grass snakes. Still, we live in hope even if experience gives us no reason to do so.

Hunt the ACO at the Lily Pond

There were other creatures making good use of our tins though. The ACOs often shelter toads, ants and field voles. They’re not what we’re looking for but seeing them is its own reward, and brings a little excitement to our day. It would be nice, though, if someone were to slip in a few grass snakes. Reintroduction we would call it.

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne

A repair job

August 2018

The strimming had been finished by the time we got there, which was a good thing. We avoid mechanical noise when we can, though some others on the team love the gadgetry of strimmers and mowers and the like. The walled garden and its surroundings had become a bit overgrown, despite weeks of heat, sunshine, and little rain. At this time of year, the pond has to be left alone so as not to disturb the wildlife – in particular, the large population of great-crested newts. For the same reason, the surrounding vegetation has to be left long and dense enough to maintain a safe understorey - if that’s the right term to use.

Raking

We raked up the cut grass, willow herb, thistles and brambles and dumped them out of sight down a steep bank in nearby woods. We had also cut back willow shrubbery where it was encroaching on the pond, but that was to be put to good use.

Filling the bags

Tackling the willow

Uphill from the stables, on the fringe of the West Wood, is the Playscape – a woodland area of things to play in and on. The recently added feature of a woven, living willow dome had died. We mocked the skill level of the rangers who had constructed it, but that was, perhaps, unfair given this summer’s weather. A nearby willow tunnel, constructed by your bloggers two years ago with help from volunteers Terry and Mary, is thriving.  But that’s probably not so much to do with our weaving skills as being well-established and sited in a near-permanently damp hollow. We used the willow cut from the walled garden to strengthen and green it – this time with help from Lorna and David. It’s not the best time of year to do it but, with a bit of moisture, willow usually takes root.

Repairing the dome

The finished job

Whilst we were doing that, some of the team planted willow cuttings in the collapsing banks of the stream that runs through the trees, and others replaced decayed rails on the log bridge that spans it. Children gathered, eager to be the first to cross.

It was another warm day. Jobs done, we took our lunch beside Octagon Pond and sat watching common darters (a species of dragonfly) come and go, and a little grebe repeatedly dive, surfacing only briefly. Apart from observing the wildlife, it was interesting to study the contents of lunch boxes. Clearly visible was beetroot in buns, and someone even had olives.  Thought people only did that sort of thing in Mediterranean countries; maybe it’s the weather.

DO NOT DISTURB!

Male Common darter

Female Common darter

Harvest time

French beans

Globe artichoke

Surplus produce awaits a good home

A riot of colour in The Walled Garden

Steve Wootten & Phil Coyne