Sunday 12 July - Wildlife indentification walk at Wapley Bushes

 

Please join us on a species identification walk around the Wapley Bushes nature reserve with Rupert Higgins of Wessex Ecological Consultancy,  who writes our five year management plans. The meadows are home to a large variety of flower, grass and insect species so we might see some interesting plants and creatures on our tour.

Our events are all free to attend and they do not require advance booking. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Please meet at the Shire Way, Yate gate entrance to the reserve at 2.00 pm.
The postcode is BS37 8US for satnavs. Please wear suitable footwear.

Saturday 4 July - Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve Work Morning

 

This workday will comprise a deep clean and cutting back intruding vegetation along the woodland paths to get the reserve ready for our summer visitors. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Our events are all free to attend and they do not require advance booking. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

You can bring your own tools and gloves, or if you don't have them they will be provided.  

Bird list from Wapley Bushes Bird Walk 14 June

We had a another good score on the 14 June bird walk - 20 species:

Stock Dove
Woodpigeon
Red Kite
Buzzard
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Magpie
Jackdaw
Carrion Crow
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Goldcrest
Wren
Song Thrush
Blackbird
Robin
House Sparrow
Goldfinch 

Sunday 14 June - Summer Bird Walk - Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve - A Great Big Green Week event

Green Woodpecker on the fringe of Wapley Common

As part of the Royal Horticultural Society's Great Big Green Week, we are organising a Summer Bird Walk at Wapley Bushes.

Many bird species can be found at the Wapley Bushes nature reserve - we hope to see or hear more than 20 species. How many types of bird will we spot this time?

There will be quite a few early chicks – not necessarily visible, but the parents will be back and forth feeding them.

Please meet at the Shire Way, Yate gate entrance to the reserve at  10.00am. The postcode is BS37 8US for satnavs. Please also wear suitable footwear.

Our events are all free to attend and they do not require advance booking. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

DNA testing for newts

 

We've taken some water samples in the Top Pond (the pond in the corner of the Upper Meadow) to find out whether we have the rare Great Crested Newt on the Reserve. Common newts have been seen in this pond, but it's important that we know about any Great Crested Newts in case we decide to carry out pond improvement works there.

The Top Pond dries up in the simmer, butfrom late autumn to spring it is an important "staging post" for water flowing from neighbouring farmland, then on via the Wapley ditches to the pond towards the River Frome.

Newts emerge from hibernation on land in the spring, and the purpose of the water sampling is to test for newt eDNA (environmental DNA) durimng their breeding season, Samples have to be taken between April 15th and June 30th for the results to be accepted by Natural England.

We expect to receive the results in a couple of weeks - we'll keep you posted. 

 

A good tidy-up - 17 May Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve work morning

 

Six volunteers did some spring cleaning to get the Reserve ready for our busy visitor season. We cut back intrusive vegetation round the woodland paths (but looking at how fast things are growing, we'll need to do that again in the near future!)

We also cut back the vegetation on the ramps either side of the railway footbridge. Don'r assume that paths like this automatically keep themselves tidy - all over the country there are individuals and groups of volunteers who keep them cut back and passable.

Vey little litter was evident, thanks to regular attention by Dodington Parish Council's groundsman Dave, but we did find that someone had stripped about 50 spiral rabbit guards off newly planted trees in the Centenary Wood. Our volunteers carefully would them all back on.

Would you like to help with activities like this? Please email paul.hulbert@gmail.com for more details.

Sunday 17 May - Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve Work Morning

 

 

This workday will be a combination of a spring clean of the reserve and assorted vegetation management. Meet at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US, 10.00am.

Our events are all free to attend and they do not require advance booking. Everyone is welcome, though children under 16 will need to be accompanied by a responsible adult.

You can bring your own tools and gloves, or if you don't have them they will be provided.