High Batts Nature Reserve
Nine volunteers took part in the Muck-In Morning on 4th February 2023. The task was using woodchips that had been made after coppicing work on the Reserve. We put them on the paths as a surfacing material. Limestone chips are
The waters have subsided, and Colin is opening High Batts today.
After recent rainfall, parts of the Reserve are flooded and inaccessible. High Batts will therefore be closed until further notice. The Muck In Morning scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 14th January 2023, is therefore cancelled.
The final Muck-In morning of 2022 was on 17th December. Colin pollarded hazel trees near the Pond Hide, and the ten or so volunteers cut branches and twigs into shape and added them to dead hedges. Claire kindly prepared a
The main task at the members’ Muck-In was raking up the grass which Colin had cut earlier in the week, by the Ride and in the North Clearing. We happened across a few frogs and toads, and saw the odd
49% of the world’s bird species are in decline, according to the latest State of the World’s Birds report by BirdLife International. 12% of species are threatened with extinction. Pressures on birds include: expansion and intensification of agriculture logging invasive
There was a variety of tasks for the nine volunteers on Saturday. They included fence-mending, sorting tools, and cutting hazelwood stakes (pictured above).
The task on Saturday was pulling up invasive Himalayan balsam either side of the ride. Although this can feel like a task of Sisyphus, there are tentative signs that progress is being made and there is notably less balsam at
High Batts’ Open Day took place on Sunday 10th July 2022, and was the first since 2019. It was warm, especially in the afternoon. There was lots on offer, with demonstrations, displays, guided walks and plentiful supplies of tea and
Twelve members tackled Himalayan Balsam at the Muck-In Morning on Saturday 2nd July 2022 on the riverbank in Pennycroft. Pulling up invasive balsam is a tiring but rewarding and necessary task. Volunteers were serenaded by a Garden Warbler as they