Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve: March 2022

Volunteer Work Parties

Our volunteer work party schedule for the next 5 months.

Please do come and join us if you're free - a great way to spend a morning, helping nature, working with the local community, and having some fun at the same time.

Tuesday 1st February

Dina Burford: 109 Lapwing.

Wednesday 2nd February

Richard Horton: 2 Brambling (m & f, 16th record for site) & Goshawk (over the mound).

Thursday 3rd February

John Hunt: Brambling (f).

Dina Burford: Little Egret & Goldeneye (escapee).

A huge thank you to the 11 volunteers who gave up 5 hours of their time today to help out on site.

Firstly, we dug the holes for the Sand Martin bank footings. Then we went back to the Kiln for some carpentry. We finished, and hung, the doors on the nesting cabinet. Then we laid out the holes in the front sheet and begun the process of coring out all 48. Thanks to Andy for the bacon sandwiches, and to Mrs E for the rock cakes.

Friday 4th February

Mark Elsoffer: 2 Green Sandpiper, 2 Snipe, Little Egret, Goldeneye (escapee), 2 Lesser Redpoll, Brambling (f), Cetti's Warbler & Peregrine.

It may seem trivial, but we’ve been trying to get the various councils to put bins at the site entrances for years. Up until now, the only bins on site have been ones we’ve put there, and which Len kindly empties. So thank you Rushmoor Borough Council for installing one at the Estate Entrance, and Councillor Sophie Porter for arraging it for us.

Saturday 5th February

Clare Dell: Lesser Redpoll.

Sunday 6th February

Richard Seargent: Green Sandpiper, Goldeneye (escapee) & Lesser Redpoll.

Richard Horton: Raven.

Monday 7th February

Richard Seargent: Green Sandpiper.

Tuesday 8th February

Graham Sharples: 2 Lesser Redpoll.

Wednesday 9th February

Richard Horton: Mediterranean Gull.

Colin Varndell: Lesser Redpoll.

Thursday 10th February

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 2 Little Egret & Peregrine.

Colin Varndell: Lesser Redpoll.

Dina Burford: 161 Lapwing.

We can’t thank enough the seven volunteers who gave up 4.5 hours of their time today to work on the Sand Martin bank. We finished cutting the 48 entrance holes, cut all the parts for the baffle and roof, and then transported it all to site. We then toshed the legs with bituminous paint, lowered the platform into the holes, and added postcrete. The plan now is to finish construction at the public work party on Saturday 19th.

Friday 11th February

Mark Elsoffer: Green Sandpiper, 3 Snipe, 2 Little Egret, Cetti's Warbler, Lesser Redpoll, 5 Siskin, Goshawk & 2 Raven.

Dina Burford: Goldeneye (escapee).

Colin Varndell: Treecreeper.

Saturday 12th February

No reports.

Sunday 13th February

No reports.

Monday 14th February

John Hunt: Green Sandpiper & Siskin.

Tuesday 15th February

No reports.

Wednesday 16th February

Thursday 17th February

Mark Elsoffer: Redshank.

Dina Burford: Snipe & Goldeneye (escapee).

It's #NationalNestBoxWeek this week - never ones to be outdone, 9 of our volunteers spent today building the Sand Martin nesting bank - 48 nest boxes in one structure. We erected the walls and shelves, fitted the boxes, built the roof, lined the roof and added the trim. Still a few more jobs to do next week and then it'll be ready for the Sand Martins when they arrive back from Africa.

Friday 18th February

Saturday 19th February

Richard Seargent: Goldeneye (escapee) & Cetti's Warbler.

Colin Varndell: Little Egret.

Sunday 20th February

No reports.

Monday 21st February

Tuesday 22nd February

Wednesday 23rd February

Colin Varndell: Treecreeper.

Thursday 24th February

Dina Burford: Little Egret.

Friday 25th February

Mark Elsoffer: 2 Green Sandpiper & 2 Skylark.

Richard Horton: Water Pipit (24th record for site, last recorded 30/01/21).

A massive thank you to the five volunteers who gave up four hours of their time today to work on the Sand Martin bank. We replaced the missing and warped shelves, covered the roof in sand and gravel (for terns and gulls to nest on), and added some cross-pieces to the legs. Paul and Gillian did a wonderful job painting the box - if anyone needs their kitchen decorating, I can thoroughly recommend them. And whilst we did the above, Lord Len and his accomplice Roger put up ten new nest boxes in the woods.

Saturday 26th February

A huge thank you to the 24 volunteers who turned up for our work party today. Everyone worked so hard to lay a dead hedge across the eastern end of SSE's cleared strip under the power lines. We also blocked a few side entrances, and put up the no entry signs. Once SSE's contractors have finished next week, we'll make a start on blocking the western end and the cut through by Ray's Gap.

All of the food for today's work party was donated by the Lower Farnham Road branch of the Co-Op - thank you for the support. Well done to Andy and Sharon for the superb catering (baked potatoes, sausages & crackling), and Sophie for the delicious samosas. We all had to work twice as hard to burn all that food off!