2004 3rd quarter log

This page holds a few images from activities from July, August and September.
As ever, click the image for a larger view.

September

"Britain in Bloom" - we won the 'Environmental Management for the South and South-East in Bloom' class :-)

This award covers the South and- South Eastern counties, from North and East Dorset, East and North Wiltshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent.
Our win in the first year we entered was especially gratifying.

curved, glass engraved award (posed against a green fleece). September 2004 Richard admiring the award curved, glass award (posed in the field, with bush background)

September dawned bright, hot and sunny :-)
Fence building and scrub clearance continues, and many more flower and animal photograhps were taken.

More wildlife photographs

kestrel hovering. 26th September 2004 ©hm
Kestrel hovering. 26th September 2004


lizard in mulch, september 26th 2004. ©hm Common lizard. 26th September 2004
Small copper. September 9th 2004 Small copper butterfly. 9th September 2004
A perfect red admiral on a michaelmas daisy. September 24th 2004 Red Admiral butterfly. 24th September 2004

More Fencing

Bill and Bob straining fence wire. September 8th 2004 Bill and Bob straining fence wire. The west-most stretch of the fence in compartment 6.
Bob chiselling the notch in a straining post for the strut. September 8th 2004 Bob chiselling the notch in a straining post for the fence-strut.
Apples, picked from a tree in the scrub. September 8th 2004 Presumably, from a tree growing from a discarded picnic apple-core

More Scrub-clearance

Aebi in scrub. September 6th 2004 Aebi in scrub. September 6th 2004 Aebi in scrub. September 6th 2004

6th September

An email arrived, saying:

....delighted to inform me yesterday that he saw several Small Heath on Ports Down last week, after an absence of three years.

This is more proof that the work we're doing is working, and I hope to get photographs soon :-)

Bug Event - 4th September

On Saturday evening, for a couple of hours from 6pm, we had a "grasshopper and cricket" evening. This started with a talk and a CD of sounds,and examination of a few bugs in a tank caught earlier.
We then went out and found more, trying to identify them as we went. Sadly, no Great Green Bush Crickets were found (although many were heard). Numbers seemed to be down from the long hot dry summer of last year, probably due to the rain we've had.

A bug in a box The first one caught, being id'd All out hunting grasshoppers

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August

August started... wet and windy :-(
Task-wise it was a quiet month, with fence-building continuing, scrub-clearance continuing, and Richard on holiday :-o
Additional events were few:

Southsea Show

For the first year, we had a stall at the Southsea Show, from Friday 6th - Sunday 8th August. This was well attended, and the only chance of a photo was before the crowds were let in.

our stall at the Southsea Show, before being engulfed by crowds

Seed harvesting

A number of local sites are trying to restore their natural ecology, To do so, they need to seed the land that is to be returned to the nature. Richard is planning a "seed bank", and is mowing the seed-rich area to create a hay that can be spread on these areas.
This began on the 31st August.

mowing a seed-rich patch of grassland. August 31st 2004 collecting the mown seed-rich grass. August 31st 2004 Making hay as the sun shines. August 31st 2004

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July

The summer quarter started... wet and windy :-(

July

Stump removal

Without Ben and his digger, stump removal goes back to traditional methods.

Tim wielding a pick axe to loosen a stump Tim digging up stumps - July 7th
Ben using his digger to haul out a tree stump Ben digging up stumps - July 14th

A typical task-day

On Wednesday, July 7th, typical summer tasks continued.

Val and Helen, raking mulch into lines for collection Raking
Richard driving the Aebi with colcetor unit, picking up mulch and spreading dust, leaving the ground bare Collecting
Hilma having hacked a path through scrub to a whitebeam tree that is to be removed Scrub removal

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Another trashed car :-(

A burned out car, leaving a toxic burned patch where people walk and dogs run.

15th July, some ecology

An uncoiling bronze-coloured slowworm slowworm
Gatekeeper butterfly Gatekeeper
Robin's pin-cushion, a red spiky flower Robin's pin-cushion

17th July, an evening walk and some more ecology

harebells, a pale blue bell-like flower hare bells
a small snail on a bramble leaf snail
2 red soldier beetles mating on a head of wild carrot Soldier beetles

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18th July, a sunday task with more logging and scrub clearance in the Holm Oak site

Dave attacking scrub with a long-handled axe Dave with a long-handled axe
John carrying a forking load of scrub to the fire John carrying scrub to fire



Heaps of wood, board, a mattress and other trash An ugly end to a good day. What 'travellers' left behind when they left

20th July. Chalkhill Blue Butterfly - my first ever sighting :-o

And there were 100's of them :-)

chalkhill blue - 20th july 2004 chalkhill blue - 20th july 2004 chalkhill blue - 20th july 2004

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A small blue too:

smallBlue - 20th july 2004

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22nd July. Evening walk for the South Downs group of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust

A group around and listening to Richard, surveying the grassland of the Hill a grey-green moth with red spots, resting on a ragged purple knapweed spiky 2-tiered tweezle agasint a stormy sky

24th July. Midday Saturday guided walk for the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Branch of Butterfly Conservation

And the first day I used my new camera; although I hope for more professional pictures from some attendees :-)

a hoard of folk, kneeling in the grass photographing butterflies A day combining much expensive camera equipment with many butterflies
a small blue (looking remarkably grey) a Small Blue (looking remarkably grey)
a brown female chalkhill blue, mating with a blue male chalkhill blue butterfly Mating chalkhill blues

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25th July. Morning guided Sunday walk for the Portsmouth chapter of the Hampshire Wildlife Trust

A scattered group, many crouching in the long grass looking at butterflies small, bright orange butterfly a sphere of spider's web, with the spider guarding the entrance - or preparing to attack me as a food source?

I hope soon to add a page with the plethora of photographs taken by others on the walk, of both butterflies and flowers.

25th July. Morning guided Monday walk for the 'Walk for Health' brigade

A neat line of people, listening to Richard talking something and a small snail brown butterfly, with orange patches and a red spot

Note the red spot on the back of the butterfly, which is a parasite. Clicking the image enlarges the butterfly only.

26th July. Day walk for all

team of people returning up a road brown butterfly, with orange patches, on a wall Humming Bird Hawk Moth

28th July. Back to work....

the trailer full of rools of netting, wire, posts and the tools for hole-boring and fence making Kathryn and Val, fixing the netting Bill by a stretch of fence, with the entting attached

Today's Wednesday task was the beginning of fencing 'compartment 6', along the roadside above the QA hospital.

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