Apley Castle 29-01-10

Photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett



















My long-standing friend (I do wish she’d sit down) Vera Wayfrommer - a big fan of this blog - asked me the other day why I never publish a photo of her. Thing is (get a little closer so she doesn’t hear - I’ll whisper) you’ve heard of the beauty of Helen of Troy launching a thousand ships? Well Vera’s claim to fame is that she sank a thousand frigates! My mission is to save you all from her - hence no photo!

 Apley Castle on Friday Jan 29th was another great success I’m sure we all agree. Whenever the Wrekin Forest Volunteers lend a hand or 12 we always get looked after really well. Despite, rain, snow, hail, sleet and intense cold we were once more treated to a veritable feast - a hot-food picnic in the woods with Sausage Casserole followed by Plum Crumble and custard with mugs of hot steaming tea and coffee to accompany it all! Thanks go to Sean and his cheerful and obliging Friends of Apley Castle.

These aren’t ‘film-grain pics by the way - the camera lens is looking through sleet and hail.



Photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

We were here to work, of course! So ‘the Friends’ and the WuFuv’s all mucked in together. Olly,  who now spends a lot of his working week here in Apley Castle Woods, was our guide for the day and with his suggestions we trimmed back and cut down much of the box hedge that had grown out of control. A spot of tree planting (oaks and whips) was also on the agenda. This is Liz obviously 'working' with Olly and Jim advising in true hole-digging fashion!

Hang on! What’s happening over there?

Kevin? No!
KEVIN - NOT THAT ONE!

 
Photo: Nigel Cane-Honeysett

My camera unfortunately died sometime during the day - probably a result a soaking at Devils Dingle but thanks to Les and Nigel between us we managed to get a few pics. There was a proviso for using Les’s pics though - I had to publish one he took of me so…


Photo: Les Hughes

What do you think - ideal subject for a Caption Competition?

I must also include this one from Les as it so epitomises the beauty of Apley Castle


Photo: Les Hughes

The regular WuFuV’s met many new volunteers from the Apley Castle area on the day including someone who appears to be hiding in the undergrowth… 

Say hello to Nikki who arrived to lend an extra pair of helping hands.
 

Photo: Les Hughes

Don’t know why but I can’t help feeling there’s a red pointy hat and fishing rod missing here!

Anyway, all in all an excellent day in Apley Woods and looking forward to our planned Moth Night here on July 9th.

Oh… nearly forgot - we have a winner for the last ‘Where Is It’ Competition - find out who was clever enough to work it all out at the next meet.


Catch you all shortly…

Click collage to see more pics

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The Wrekin - Mammal Boxes

Had to cancel my Friday excursion with the Wrekin Forest volunteers this week due to a 3-day decorating programme which stretched to 6! Saturday’s planned day out with Mike Williams and crew at Stiperstones also fell foul of the paint brush. My Apley Castle blog post from the previous week was well under way but not completed so it was fortuitous that Nigel emailed his article for posting to the blog. Apley Castle article to follow shortly, but in the meantime over to Nigel Cane-Honeysett for his first-ever posting on the group’s blog: Friday’s foray on The Wrekin …
  
Small mammal nesting boxes – Wrekin Forest said the programme. Brian, Jim, Liz and I (Nigel) met up at the Telford pickup point and duly clambered aboard the battle bus containing Pete, Jamie and Alistair along with two wheelbarrows (more of them later) and a lot of little boxes - and they all looked just the same. (There’s a pink one and a blue one and a green one etc). Actually they were all wood coloured but this blog is renowned for going off on one so I thought I’d keep the tradition up.

Arriving at Forest Glen we met Penny, Mike, Keith, Linda, Allison and Kevin’s car, but where was Kevin (Lilleshall, Apley Castle ?). Penny volunteered to look for him but settled for summoning him using only the power of her mind .

Once together we embarked on a litter pick around the car park and collected 16 black sacks of rubbish here guarded by Alistair and Jamie.

Prize litter pick of the day went to Penny who found the golf bag (minus clubs) closely followed by Alistair who found a rusty shovel which was stored on the bus - you never know when it might come in useful. Some debate arose during the litter pick around controlling the problem – my view (not necessarily that of the management) is that a “litter tax” should be levied on any company whose name featured in any of the sacks so look out C*db*rys (or do I mean Kr*ft), W*lkers and D*r*x (get your Mum or Dad to explain that last one).

Litter picking and griping done we bussed or legged it to Burnt Cottage Coppice (I think) where we unloaded twenty mammal des res and set off up the path leaping aside to avoid Tom in a Landrover.

Pete explained the task with Liz providing illustrations of a dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) from her Collins Complete British Wildlife and we plunged into the undergrowth in determined style. In order to keep it simple Pete suggested that we split into two and started halfway with each team going in a different direction and counting up from eleven or down from ten depending on ..... well we knew what he meant – honest!

We took it in turns to tie boxes onto trees etc with the ubiquitous blue string (no soup for the clangers again!)


whilst others determined what the canopy coverage was (on a scale of A to D) and how dense the undergrowth/shrubbery was (on a scale of 1 to 5). Allison acted as Estate agent



recording this and other suitable comments (close to main track, south facing etc.) Penny, using her nautical knowledge explained how we could get knotted (or knotting perhaps).

Some debate arose whether the aspect should refer to the position of the box on the tree or whether it should be whichever way the residence faced (made more difficult as the entrance was in the back) – this kept us amused for well....minutes!

Choice dwellings were half timbered…



Or thatched…



Kevin then provided gridrefs for all boxes, in between grumbles that the GPS wasn’t really accurate enough with all the interference from trees (quite how they were interfering with him I don’t know) and Jim provided bearings from one box to the next for later survey work.

Having completed twenty boxes we lunched which was when the wheelbarrows really came into their own.


Just a couple of barrow boys! (Ed.)

Penny meanwhile propped up a tree to Liz’s bemusement.



We discussed the Silkin Way walk planned for 19^th February and agreed to start from Princess Royal Hospital around 10 ish and finish as close to the Woodbridge Inn as possible around whateverish. Please let Pete know if you are coming.

After lunch we reloaded the barrows with boxes and followed a different path to erect them. This time we started at the beginning and finished at the end – much to our confusion !

The terrain was steep – so much so that I thought we must be putting up boxes for a new species Muscardinus monticulum (alright so I made that up!).

Kevin tried out Penny’s tree propping technique



While Mike and Liz referred to the Ikea instructions for erecting a new dormouse domicile.



We finished earlier than usual and made our way back home.

The whole day moved me to poetry:-

Your house ?
Dormouse !

a bit long perhaps.

Article by Nigel Cane-Honeysett

Devil’s Dingle

Rain! And rain! And even more rain! Were we bothered? Nope. Nothing much stops The Wrekin Forest Volunteers in their quest to keep our wildlife happy, although this visit was cancelled 2 weeks ago, due to snow which made this somewhat remote part of Shropshire inaccessible.

So Friday Jan 22nd saw around 15 of us arrive at this former ash dump for the Buildwas Power Station where we met up with host Mary and other members of the e.on staff. We were later joined by Kevin who unfortunately had arrived at Allscott on the other side of the county before discovering he was on the wrong site, whilst Nigel in the meantime alighted from the No. 94 bus only to watch our mini-bus disappearing up the lane to the top of the site. Managing to almost catch us up at the next set of gates he again stood waving as we set off once more without seeing him!

Anyway, our mission today, apart from ensuring we all got thoroughly soaked, was to clear the young alder from two adjacent sites to open up the area and encourage other flora and fauna.
So this was the main site just as we launched the attack

A couple of hours later and we’d virtually finished, complete with fire ready for lunch!

But not before we caught Lis growing a second head so that she could talk on her mobile and t’other Liz at the same time!

And a shot of a very wet Penny who holds the notion that on days when rain never abates it’s best not to wear a hat or hood and enjoy, instead, a 3-hour rain shampoo. I have to say, after struggling with my sodden woolly hat and fighting with a hood that constantly gets in the way I entirely agree!

Lunch-time arrived very quickly. Pete announced there would to be no jacket spuds today but fortunately Steve from e-on had the superb idea to bring along a mountain of Sainsbury’s Butchers Choice Sausages and a crop of onions. All of which was a very welcome addition to my soggy egg sarnies.

As I gratefully accepted a fabulous hot dog from the barbeque I optimistically asked if there was any English mustard and tomato ketchup much to everyone’s amusement but then… guess what? Nigel obliged and produced, as if by magic, a large plastic pouch out of his rucksack which was stuffed full of all the condiments anyone could ever wish for. Bliss! Sheer bliss!



Later Penny treated a few of us to a fascinating dissertation about Primroses which apparently can be quite promiscuous - or was that the cowslips? I’m afraid, the remainder of this fascinating and impromptu talk passed me by as I mused on how primroses could be in the slightest way promiscuous.

A vision in my mind was conjured up of these rather innocent looking plants slowing slinking off in the dead of night to visit other beds, returning to their exact daytime spot just before dawn breaks. Vivid is the imagination when daydreams take hold but I will probably now never look at a primrose in the same way! But, I fear, I must make more of an effort to rein in my thoughts as I now have to ask Penny again what promiscuous primroses really do get up to!

Enough of this frivolity!



After lunch we moved on to the other site just over the lagoon inlet stream where we again set-to cutting down the alder. Still in the rain.

Look at that. What? That… that thing in the pool. Have I photographed for the first time that elusive, rarely seen Devil’s Dingle Lagoon Monster? I’m certain that’s what it is. I watch it for some minutes. It doesn’t move, but it seems to be quietly and eerily observing.



It suddenly disappears and then slowly, very slowly emerges, bedraggled from the water.



Now that’s scary. Very scary! Identified as Reptilia Keethica this is something we shall have to be careful of when we spend the night here on a proposed moth night! This was something Pete, Mary and I discussed (could that be Peter, Paul & Mary of 60’s fame?) and agreed it would be a great idea. So once a date has been set I’ll let everyone know. As Mary explained, there have been surveys for butterflies, plants, birds and bats but not our resident moths. It should prove very interesting on the diverse habitats that exist here at Devil’s Dingle. 

Before I disappear back into the oblivion I call ‘offline’ just wanted to introduce a new member of the Wrekin Forest Volunteers. So… a big welcome to James, a very competent and enthusiastic guy but I just wonder, James, whether you know what you’re letting yourself in for here?!



Catch you all later - oh and a quick note to Kevin - next Friday, we’re at Apley Castle and could someone please look out of the mini-bus rear window in case Nigel’s running behind again!

PS. No-one yet has answered correctly both parts of the ‘Where Is It’ competition to win another of my much sought-after and highly prized prizes so it rolls over for another week. Here’s the pic again.

I need the name of yonder hill and from where was it taken? See ‘Comments’ at the bottom of the Lilleshall post to discover what’s been said so far.