Friends of Adel Woods

Tomorrow being scheduled for the surveying of Adel Woods nest boxes, Brian, Andrew and David came round to your correspondent’s garrett to help refurbish half a dozen nest boxes taken down and replaced last January due to their need for repair.

An hour and a half of banter, and we had six beautiful homes for the birds of Adel Woods.

A happy morning of calm and creativity making Christmas Wreaths in the bar of Old Leo’s.

The soothing sound of Christmas carols, the snip of wire cutters and secateurs, and easy conversation. The taste of coffee and mince pies.

What a nice way to ease yourself into Christmas!

Thank you, and a very happy Xmas, to Old Leo’s Rugby Club for the use of their premises.

A pleasant morning and eleven of us turned out to help Steve Joul thin out the trees in the hospice woodland.

If you are wondering why this is necessary, it is because they have been planted too close together.  Mature trees need to have up to ten metres of space on either side.  Many of the trees in the hospice woodland are planted no more than two metres from their neighbours and are growing into each other.  Left unmanaged, the trees will not prosper.

On the other hand, the good news is that the hospice wood contains a fine range of native trees and hopefully the trees which are left in place will grow into fine specimens.

Steve demonstrated how to safely fell a tree using a bow saw (the bird’s beak method) and then we set to in teams – felling trees which Steve had marked, and then cutting the  fallen timber up into smaller pieces which will rot down, providing habitat for beetles and insects.

At the end of our morning’s work, the area where we were working looked far better as there was clearly room for the remaining trees to grow and spread unhindered.

Travellers along the Meanwood Valley Trail may notice as they pass through Adel Woods, a circular pond, surrounded by trees. It is not large – perhaps only twenty five feet across – but it is the only pond in Adel Woods and, in your correspondent’s view, it is a beautiful adornment to the woods.  Quite apart from its natural beauty, it is home to a thriving population of palmate newts.

If you do not know where it is, follow the Meanwood Valley Trail in either direction and you will surely come to the pond. Otherwise, enter the woods by the entrance on Buckstone Road, follow the path down through the kissing gate and at the bottom you will see a stream on your right, with a bridge leading to some steps heading upwards into the woods. Adel Pond lies in placid beauty at the top of the steps.

A stream trickles into the pond, bringing with it silt which each year blocks up the pond.  In addition, sticks and logs and sometimes large stones somehow find their way into it.  Friends of Adel Woods have therefore spent a morning each Autumn for several years with Steve Joul, dredging the pond and removing debris.

Today we had a good team of about a dozen, two or three litter picking around the woods, but the rest of us enjoying wet and muddy fun in the pond.  This was also the opportunity for FOAW to try out our four pairs of pond gloves for the first time.

As usual, we removed many barrow loads of mud from the pond, and many large logs.  We also found lots of pieces of china, presumably discarded from Verity’s tea room which used serve refreshments nearby.

Two hours of hard work left us tired but exhilarated, and the pond ready for another year of life in the woods!

A good turn out of about thirty five people, including many children, for a “tree walk” led by Steve Joul, senior countryside ranger with Leeds City Council.

The weather smiled on us as we walked through Alwoodley Plantation, and  through the beech wood to the hospice woodland, and Steve identified trees for us and gave us interesting information about the specimens we came across.  Your correspondent could now identify a larch with reasonable confidence!

Thanks again Steve!

At ten to seven, Judith said to me:  “I’m bringing my grandchildren, so at least there will be five of us!”

I arrived at the meeting point in Old Leo’s car park just after twenty five past seven.  Steve Joul was already there with about twenty five members of the public.  And still they kept on coming.  We introduced Steve, and still they kept on coming.  Steve began a talk about bats, and still they kept on coming.  Steve got out his nine bat detectors and still they kept on coming.  In the end we counted between seventy five and eighty nychteridaphiles (bat lovers)  of all ages.  Like true nychteridaphiles, they would not stand still long enough for us to count them, but they contributed £154.97 to FOAW’s funds from which we deduce there were about fifty adults, between twenty five and thirty children, and someone who had a lot of loose change in their pocket!

Having explained how the bat detectors work and demonstrated how to use them, Steve shared them out and we set off.  First of all we went to have a look at the seven bat boxes put up by Friends of Adel Woods.

We then walked along the bottom of the field to the north of Crag Lane.  In the southwest corner, the bat detectors spluttered out their machine gun cry for the first time:   there was a solitary bat flitting about, clearly visible against the clear sky.  Soon he or she was joined by a second and possibly a third bat. The game was on!

Excited we set off round the top of the field and up to the Hospice Woodland.  But the bats were now lying low – or flying high, as they occasionally taunted us with sightings as they gyrated around the top of the tree line, ensuring that their supersonic calls were too far away for our detectors to pick them up.

By now, like a swirling flock of starlings, our gathering had separated into three separate groups of bat hunters, before coalescing again seamlessly into a single congregation in the field where we had seen our first bat.

At nine o’clock it was almost fully dark and time for the younger explorers to go home to Bedfordshire and we wended our way back to the carpark, a cheery hum of conversation and satisfaction buzzing around the group.

A truly memorable evening.  Thank you to Steve, for your interesting and informative talk and for leading us safely around the woods.  Thank you to the committee of FOAW for organising the event.  And thank you to all you nycheridaphiles for making it such an exciting and enjoyable evening.

A varied morning.  While Mary set off litter picking (and picked up a number of bags of litter), the rest of us carried out rapid work on specific targets.

Firstly, we cut back holly on the diagonal path on the right hand side of Crag Lane (coming from King Lane).

Having widened the path, we set off to King Lane and cut back vegetation encroaching onto the footpath more or less opposite Tescos.

From there to Buck Stone Road where we cut back willow trees which were beginning to obstruct the footpath.

And finally up to the moor, where we cut back various branches hanging over the heather or beginning to obstruct the footpath around the moor.

A very satisfying morning.

Archive picture from 16th May 2015

A dedicated team helped Steve Joul to clear saplings from Adel Moor, while at least one person litter picked.

Unfortunately, your correspondent could not be there due to an unfortunate clash with the Walkabout program.  However, reports are that all who were there did a wonderful job.  Thank you to you all.

Common Spotted Orchids

Your correspondent had another look at the orchids in Adel Woods this morning, and felt moved to post the accompanying photographs.

Common Spotted Orchid: Adel Woods 11 July 2015

After clearing the Himalayan Balsam, Sylvia took me to see some orchids she had found earlier this week in a secluded meadow in the woods.

The field was well off the beaten track and was a delightful haven of peace and tranquillity in the morning sun.  The orchids were well worth seeing:  we estimated that there were a thousand, and they were all of a very good size.  Your correspondent managed by some fluke to take this photo!  Click on the photo to see a larger version.

Amid the butterflies and the wild flowers it would have been a very nice place to spend the day, lying back with a cool drink and just letting the mind  wander…