Family Owl Prowl at Wapley Bushes - Tuesday 26 October

Tawny owl photo by Ian McGuire

Wapley Bushes autumn events are starting with a Family Owl Prowl led by local owl expert Ian McGuire, including a mobile slide show. No guarantees, but there's a reasonable chance of actually seeing wild owls. Certainly we'll learn a lot from Ian about these fascinating creatures.

Very suitable for families - children love to explore the “spooky woods” in the dark. And it’s not a school week, so staying up late is OK!

Meet at 7 pm at the Shire Way entrance to the woodland, south Yate, BS37 8US. Please bring a torch and wear suitable footwear.

South West In Bloom success for Wapley Bushes

We are very happy to report that once again both our entries have achieved the highest level – Level 5 Outstanding - in the "It's Your Neighbourhood" category of the South West In Bloom awards:
- Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve
- Wapley Common and the Orchard for the Future

We would like to thank all our volunteers who have helped during this very trying year, and everyone who from Dodington Parish Council Council who has been involved with Wapley – we couldn’t have done it without their help and support.

In other categories we would like to congratulate Thornbury In Bloom for achieving a Gold Award and winning the Sargent Cup and several other awards.

Kingsgate Park, Chipping Sodbury, Page Park and other larger entries are in a separate part of the In Bloom competitions, and their results will be announced in a few months time.

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group autumn events

We've got four events planned between now and the end of the year - there will be something for everyone! So please put these dates in your diaries:

• Tue 26 October 7.00 pm - Owl prowl from Shire Way gate led by local owl expert Ian McGuire
• Sun 21 November 10.00 am - Volunteer work morning starting at Shire Way gate - Clearing stream, general tidy-up, showing volunteers what has been happening re ash dieback etc
• Wed 1 December 7.30 pm - Red Kites talk and slide show at St Nicholas Family Centre, Abbotswood. Ian McGuire's talks and photography are always fascinating
  
• Sat 4 December 10.00 am  - Volunteer work morning from Shire Way gate, planting 30 or so trees to replace the big trees worked cut back in the Ancient Woodland last winter due to ash dieback
  

We'll put more details of each event here and on the Wapley Bushes website as time goes on.

Successful History and Honey Walk on 11 September

 Ten of us started from Abbotswood, exploring Dodington Parish Council's new Memorial Garden at QE2 Kelston Close Playing Fields. We discovered traces of the old Sergeant's Farm and heard about the impact of the coming of the railway.

We crossed over to Wapley Common and explored the Orchard for the Future, learning about pollinators, inspected the bug hotels, and discovered how grassland management for small mammals has attracted tawny owls to nest in the woodland.

On the way back to Abbotswood Paul Hulbert told us stories behind the names of the various roads on our housing estates.

"History and Honey Walk" - Saturday 11 September

Come and join us on a guided walk organised by Wapley Bushes Conservation Group for Abbotswood Action Group. Everybody welcome!

We'll be starting at Abbotswood at 10.30 am, and returning about 1.00 pm.

This walk from Abbotswood to Wapley and back will look at Fruit and History, Pollinators and the Future.

• Find out what was here before the estates were built, and learn about the importance of "home orchards" to local people.
• Learn about the role of pollinators and the importance of encouraging small mammals.
• Find out what the Orchard for the Future project at Wapley Common is doing to encourage them.
• Discover why the railway was a key route to South Wales, its role in wartime and how it created an important wildlife corridor.

 

South West In Bloom assessor visits Wapley

We were very please to welcome the South West In Bloom assessor to Wapley this week. Each year we put in two entries, one for the Nature Reserve:

 and one for the Orchard for the Future and Wapley Common, because they are such different areas.

Our assessment visits are always interesting - they give us a chance to hear outsiders' views of what we're doing, and to get feedback on our latest improvements and changes.

This year we highlighted our new interpretation boards and the work we've been doing on Ash Dieback Disease. We also talked about how much local people have valued Wapley Common and the Nature Reserve during COVID.

We're looking forward to getting our results and our feedback.

Good "Love Parks Week" walk on 31 July

 

Nine of us explored the Woodlands and the Upper Meadow for the second of our summer walks. In particular we looked at how Dodington Parish Council and Wapley Bushes Conservation Group have been tackling the problem of Ash Dieback Disease. 

It was good to see how most of the monolithed trees are already throwing out new shoots. These will provide habitat for insects (so bird food), bats and lichen over the next few years while replacement trees are growing.

On the way back we stopped to watch the bees and other pollinators enjoying the buddleia on the bridge over the railway.

Really hot "Bees' Needs Walk" at Wapley Bushes on 17 July

Thanks to everyone who came to Wapley Bushes for Wapley Bushes Conservation Group's "Bees' Needs Walk" in the Orchard for the Future. Event photos by Alan Monaghan.

14 of us explored the Orchard, the Lower Meadow and surrounding areas, learning about pollinators and a little local history. We saw lots of butterflies - mainly Marbled Whites and Meadow Browns - and one of the local buzzards put in several guest appearances. 

The Orchard for the Future has recently been given the national Bees Needs Award.

Don't forget that we've got another walk coming up on Saturday 31 July, looking at the woodland and the effects of Ash Dieback Disease. Click here for details

 

Summer strolls at Wapley Bushes - two FREE guided walks

 

Saturday 17 July 10.30 – Bees Needs Week – FREE guided walk

Find out how the Orchard for the Future Project is benefiting bees, birds, fruit and flowers on Dodington Parish Council’s land at Wapley Common. 

 

Saturday 31 July 10.30 – Love Parks Week – FREE guided walk

The biggest challenge for the woodlands at Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve is Ash Dieback Disease. This walk through the woodlands will show you how to recognise Ash Dieback Disease and how you could help with replanting.

Online booking before these events is essential because of COVID. Please do not come along without booking.
Click here for full details and booking links

Planning meeting for Wapley Bushes - please come and get involved!

Wapley Bushes Conservation Group will be meeting on Zoom at 7 pm on Monday 14 June to plan project work to the end of the year and beyond. 

We would very much like to see our volunteers there - it would be an opportunity to find out what we've been doing despite COVID, and to decide on priorities for the near future. There will be a quick AGM, then the detailed committee meeting to do the planning. 

You are all welcome to both meetings. If you would like to attend or to find out more, please email us on paul.hulbert@gmail.com and we'll send you the details of the Zoom meeting and the agenda papers. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Season's greetings from Wapley Bushes

 

We would like to wish a happy Christmas - despite the current circumstances - to everyone who visits or helps with Wapley Bushes Local Nature Reserve.

We're sending you this photo because it says to us "There's a fresh New Year coming, just over the bridge". We certainly hope it's better than 2020. If not, we shall send it back under guaranteee...

Wapley Bushes Ash Dieback update - work starts 26 October

 We've written previously about Ash Dieback Disease (ADD), and explained that tree surgery is needed this autumn to reduce around twenty major ash trees in the Ancient Woodland to 6 metres high, producing "monoliths" like this:

The monoliths will decay over a period of many years, providing habitat for woodland flora and fauna while replacement trees are growing.

Another five or so large trees were too far gone to be suitable for monolithing, so they are being taken down much lower.

The semi-mature ash trees in the Centenary Wood, between the Ancient Woodland and the Top Meadow, will all need to be felled this autumn as well.

Work will start on Monday 26 October and continue for about two weeks. During that time access to parts of the woodland will be blocked off for safety reasons.

*** UPDATE 31 OCTOBER ***

Most of the work on the large trees in the Ancient Woodland has now been completed.  The tree surgeons will be returning on Thursday 5 October to deal with the remaining major trees, and move on to felling the semi-mature trees in the Centenary Wood.

You can read more about Ash Dieback Disease on the Wapley Bushes website
or click here to download the Wapley Bushes Ash Dieback information leaflet

Caution - adders at Wapley

Please watch out as especially in this hot weather you may find adders basking in the grass. There has been a recent sighting of one on the slope down from the railway bridge to the Common.

Adders are a legally protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so please don't disturb them. They are quite shy, and usually they are just as scared of people as you might be of them.

Please keep dogs under supervision. If you or your dog is bitten, you should seek immediate medical or veterinary help.

Misuse of Wapley picnic field

With the good weather and the bank holiday, there were groups of people meeting up at the Picnic Field last weekend.  It was a real state when the Parish Council groundsman went to clean it yesterday. There was evidence of drug taking, drinking, disposable BBQs slung in the hedges.  There were the little gas canisters and balloons as well.

Be warned - the police have been asked to put this area on their regular patrol route.

Watch out, ticks are about!

It is tick season, so if you are out exercising around woodlands, grasslands or moorlands, please check for ticks regularly and remove them safely. #BeTickAware.

This video shows what to do if you get bitten: