Members’ Muck-in

At the Muck-In Morning on Saturday 16th September, we were raking up hay which had already been cut some time before. Leaving the hay to dry before removing it allows wildflower seed to drop and remain on the meadow. This

Eleven volunteers came to High Batts on 10th June 2023. The main task was bracken-bashing in the woodland clearings. The purpose of bracken-bashing is to reduce the vigour of the bracken which would, if left unchecked, smother other flora beneath

An elite unit (i.e. a small number of volunteers) came to High Batts for the Easter Muck-In Morning. There were two tasks. The first was to check and re-paint the marker posts which are set at 50m intervals to help

Thirteen volunteers came to the Muck-In Morning at High Batts on 4th March 2023. Tasks included tree-guard removal from the new woodland on Pennycroft, and pothole-filling on the track leading to the Reserve. Two buzzards flew past at the end

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

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

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