Holt Copse Conservation Volunteers

Newsletter No. 4

Despite the fact that we don't have any major work parties scheduled for the coming months, there still seems to be plenty going on. This meant that we had good reason to put together another Newsletter.

Training Review and Consolidation

One of the problems with all types of training is the need to follow it up and to make sure the skills acquired during the training are not lost before they are fully asssimilated. This was the reason for about eight of our members getting together to talk through what we had learnt at the training day in March and how we could actually use the new knowledge and skills. The main agreements are listed below, in no particular order of importance:

  • Membership details would include a contact name and phone number for a person who could be notified in the event of an injury to a member at a work party that required a visit to a doctor or hospital. This list would be available at work parties, added to by new members or workers, or changed by existing members for "day specific" arrangements.

  • Risk Assessment and a Tools Talk are essential elements of every work party for insurance purposes - even if the risks have not changed or the same tools are being used by the same people.

  • Each work party would have a leader but he/she would be free to ask other members to take on one of the tasks, eg., collect/return tools, do risk assessment, give tools talk, etc.

  • Colin Melhuish has amalgamated all the risk assessments done at the training day into one list which will be used as the basis for future assessments.

  • Colin will also knock together (carefully craft) two Work in Progress signs for use during work parties to warn other park users of potential danger.

  • Nigel Howarth will investigate the possibility of Council funding for a permanent notice board to hold details of the conservation work and to keep other park users informed.

  • The Council may also be able to give small grants for tools purchase. This will be followed up at the Annual Park Inspection.

  • Nic Hopkinson will compile a Work Party Leader's checklist.

  • The four work party dates for the Autumn/Winter are as in the AGM Notes of Meeting. A number of members would like them to be more frequent so others will be arranged with the expectation that there may only be 4 or 5 people on them. However, it was agreed there must be a minimum of four and these work parties must be run in the same manner as any other.

Tree Walk

We will be having a tree walk/ survey on Wednesday 14th June, starting at 7.30 pm at the usual meeting place. It may be a "journey of mutual discovery" so bring your tree identification manuals! The format will be fairly informal with a walk around the copse until about 9pm followed by coffee and comparing of notes.

Summer Bird Survey

I'm afraid, due to business pressure, I have not been able to put together a Bird Survey pack based on the British Trust for Ornithology approach. So, attached to this Newsletter is the same format we used in January but with some slight changes to accomodate our Summer migrants such as Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Swallow, etc.

Fill in the dates you visit the Copse and Park above each column and record the number of sightings of each species in the column below. If you are certain the birds are breeding, please record this either on the sheet or in a separate note attached to the sheet. Continue to the middle of June and return the sheets to me at 45, Marks Road.

I am taking part in the BBOWT Song Thrush Survey because our Park and Copse is something of a "hot spot" for this species. With large area surveys, every single input counts so it will be interesting to see how we shape up against the rest of the county as well as Bucks and Oxfordshire.

Sally Oldfield at BBOWT indicated earlier in the year that she might be able to organise a "batwatch" evening with an expert bringing some ultrasound analysis equipment to help identify any species seen. I'll follow this up in the next few weeks and, if it becomes a definate event, you'll get notification of time and date.

Dorothy Morley Memorial Parish Conservation Award

We have an entry in the above award scheme for this year. It involved gathering together a package of information about our group with some photographs and copies of our Newsletters. Judging takes place in June.

Footnote

Resemble not the slimy snails
Who with their filth record their trails.
Let it be said, where you have been,
You left the face of Nature clean.

  

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