The Return of the Ragwortistas

Bird News: Very quite today, or perhaps it was just that I was not where the birds were. 2 shoveler near Ivy North hide were the first I have seen this "autumn", there was a teal there the other day, although I have not seen it since. At the Goosander hide the sand martins are giving great value, with loads of juveniles and at times a hundred or more clinging to the wall.

Other Wildlife: At the gate this morning a grey squirrel was in the hazel bushes, wasting the crop before it is ripe, or at least chewing the green nuts and dropping lots to the ground. We may, or may not, have dormice on site, but it we did they would do a lot better if the nuts were allowed to ripen.
On the path near the Ivy north hide a small common toad was surveying the world, I moved it to one side in case someone trod on it.

Volunteers: The "Ragwortistas" were at work again today and what work they did. They got all the way up the eastern shore of Ibsley Water from just south of the Lapwing hide right round to the north-east corner. There is still the grassy spit to go, we could not get there earlier due to nesting lapwing, but they have finished now.

Above you can see the cleared foreground contrasting with the yellow background, it all looked the same when they started! Of course there is always the final plant to pull up.

Other Stuff: In the afternoon we checked some of the dormouse tubes put out in early spring, we found nine out of twelve, which was more than I expected, sadly there were no signs of dormice in any of them.