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Steve Joul led twenty seven of us on our third annual bird song walk round Adel Woods.

Before we began, the birdspotters made voluntary contributions totalling £44.80 to FOAW funds.

One of the highlights was to see that Louise’s birdbox by the slabbering baby was occupied by great tits which were clearly feeding young. [NB after the walk Barbara noticed that the next birdbox – by the bridge on the way to the pond – was occupied by a pair of nuthatches.]   See the next entry for Steve’s notes on the species we observed.

A bleary eyed but excited crowd of conservationists gathered at Adel Pond this morning, for the unveiling of the results of last night’s newt survey. There was disappointment as the first two traps, opened by Steve Joul, senior ranger with Leeds City Council, were found to be empty.  However, the mood soon turned to jubilation when the third trap, set by Josh, aged 14 from Leeds, was found to contain an adult palmate newt. The remaining traps contained three more adult palmate newts – two male and two female – and a youngster from last year – still sporting gills.

Your correspondent who is “embedded” with the Friends of Adel Woods had placed one of the traps at the edge of the pond, but to general amusement it proved on inspection to be empty save for a lone leech.

On completion of the survey, Mr Joul addressed the expectant throng on the life cycle of newts before leading them on a “whistle stop” bird song tour of Adel Woods.

Later we will be speaking to our economics editor, Stephanie Flanders, on the implications of the results of today’s survey on the Euro-crisis.

This evening Steve Joul showed a happy band how to make newt traps from old coke bottles and a cane and we then trooped down to the pond where we set the traps round the pond in clock face fashion (one at each point of the clock face).  We then hunted for newts with torches and found some.  We are optimistic for the results of our endeavours in the morning.

“‘Aven’t you got a gnome to go to?”

Your correspondent’s first inspection of the bog for nearly six months and it was an amazing sight.  Admittedly we have just had the wettest April since records began, but a large part of the bog was very boggy – under standing water.

The Sphinx of Adel Crag: photo by Tom Swire

We had a good turn out for our AGM at Alwoodley Community Association and celebrated afterwards with convivial chat over a drink or two.

Roger Gilbert was appointed Chair for another year;  Stephanie agreed to be secretary and Judith treasurer.  David agreed to be auditor again.

Sadly, Sarah, Tom and Tina felt unable to continue on the committee (though they will still be taking part in events). They have all contributed hugely to the work of FOAW and a big thank you to them all.  Tom is a keen photographer and took the picture at the head of this entry.

Fortunately, some excellent people agreed to step up to the plate.

The new committee is (in no particular order):  Roger, Stephanie, Judith, David, Rob, Beth, Phil, Wyn, Brian and Andrew.

Another busy day with fourteen Friends!

Michelle and Win litterpicked – and were rewarded with freshly cooked mushroom tartlets at Old Leo’s!

Meanwhile a team of us put some additional pins in the Stairfoot Lane steps before clearing some of the mud from Crag Lane and putting in hard core so that it is passable without wellies!

“When’s the Queen arriving?”

And another team cleared brambles from the trees in the Hospice wood.

All in all, a very satisfying morning!

Thirteen of us took advantage of the wonderful weather to join Steve Joul this afternoon and carry out more work on the Buck Stone.  Even then we were not able to complete the job – there is a last bit of tree trunk to remove and some general tidying up.  However, the Buck Stone is now clearly visible in all its glory.

Those of us who stayed to the end (about 5.30pm) were each rewarded with a gift from the woods – a bottle of lager each to take home – garnered in our pre-Christmas litter picking.  If any of you who missed out are aggrieved, please let me know as we still have a few lagers left!

If you have not read my earlier blog entries, the Buck Stone appears on a map as a landmark – and is called the Buck Stone – on a map dating back to 1770.  If you do not know where it is, the easiest way to find it is to go along Buck Stone Avenue in a South Easterly direction from Buck Stone Road.  Just after you come to Buck Stone Rise (on your left) you will see a public footpath sign on your right pointing down a ginnel between two houses. Go down the ginnel and the Buck Stone is at the end, to the right.

Before and after

The Buck Stone

Only fifteen years ago the large rock known as “the Buck Stone”, and from which the Buckstone estate gains its name, was a well-known landmark, and the subject of many nostalgic and happy memories.  In recent years it has become obscured by trees to the point that sometimes your correspondent could not find it.  Mind you, your correspondent failed his geography ‘O’ level, so we cannot put too much emphasis on the Buck Stone’s obscurity.

Cutting to the chase, in response to several requests from local residents, the Friends spent a couple of hours clearing a large oak tree and abundant shrubbery from around the Buck Stone and have largely restored it to its former glory.  There is still a couple of hours work left, but it is now once more a wonderful place to go and while away the hours on a warm Summer evening, and a spring board for happy dreams of climbing the Himalayas!

The Buck Stone taken from the East (I think)

In the foreground  of the lower picture David can be seen cleaning an engraving which seems to be dated 1801!

Noted historian Steve Burt tells me that the Buck Stone is shown as a landmark (and named as the Buck Stone) on a map dating from about 1770 prepared for the Land

The Buck Stone from the West (I think!)

Fox family when they were in dispute with John Dixon of Gledhow Hall who claimed this land as being in the manor of Chapel Allerton.

Happy Friends, celebrating a successful and happy day’s work.

At 8 am it was a lovely morning.  At 10 am, as sixteen (!) Friends gathered in Old Leo’s car park, rain and sleet lashed down but, not in the least daunted, we set off to pick litter and clear paths.  Amazingly, the renouned FOAW mojo worked and by half past ten the sun had come out, and it turned into a beautiful morning.

Much litter was picked, many branches and brambles were cut back, and a couple of fallen trees cleared from paths.

What an amazing team the Friends are!

Six of us accompanied Steve Joul in surveying birdboxes along the Meanwood Valley trail – from the Slabbering Baby to the Seven Arches, while Michelle did some litterpicking.  Again most of the boxes had been used.  Perhaps the most surprising find was when Steve opened box number 30 and a blue tit which had been resting inside flew out!

Everyone else left by 1 pm, but Steve and your correspondent completed the survey by cleaning the boxes from the Slabbering Baby up to the cricket pitch.  Again most of the boxes had been used.  A special find was that one of the boxes  (number 47, south of the cricket field) had been used by a nuthatch.  It had used mud to fill in the cracks around the roof and the nesting material was all birch bark chippings .  That it was a nuthatch nest was later confirmed by an almost identical picture on the internet.

Nuthatch nest

The results of our surveys will be posted on our website shortly.

The day started very windy and overcast, but by 2 pm it was a truly glorious Spring day and it seems likely that the blue tits and great tits are already getting ready for this years breeding season.