Gibside: 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.