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The group was helping out at the community garden today getting it ready for another growing season. They engaged in moving mulch into a shed and dealt with an unruly Willow, as well as dealing with spreading brambles, bit less of thorn in my side as, in the thumb. The weather was absolutely fantastic, blue sky little wind and a taste of spring. Hopefully the efforts of today will be worthwhile in months to come, next week we are back on the trees at Kinordy.

In the spirit of John Muir we went out in the pouring rain to build a bird den. We saw ducks, mallards and swans.

Today saw us being a bit flexible and swapping planting trees to making paths. We are asked by the community garden if we could help them out spreading mulch on the paths. it was a big job but many hands made light work of it. The group were outstanding in their approach and worked as a team to make the mound disappear. It is always good for the public to see a group their age in such a positive light. Next week trees definitely.

Over winter, our students have carried out habitat management work called Species Recovery for Dingy Skipper and White Letter Hairstreak butterflies. The White Letter Hairstreak butterfly species is endangered due to the loss of native Elm trees. Both butterfly species are on a special list of endangered plants, animals and habitats written by the government. The list is called section 41. We have cleared brambles and felled trees to make open grassy areas called rides which are a network of pathways through a woodland and open areas of grassland called glades. The butterflies will now be able to travel from one part of the nature to another in search of Elm trees, which is their food plant. Students have also planted Elm trees along the rides and glades. We worked as team with West Midlands Distillery and bar staff from Dr. Eamers bar at the Waterfront in Merry Hill. West Midlands Distillery bought the Elm trees to help them offset their carbon footprint as business. Together we planted 150 Elm trees in 2 hours. A big thank you to Jordan from Dr Eamers for letting our students get involved and to the wardens at Wrens Nest and Saltwells NNRs where they have also planted elms. It was a team effort to try and target threatened species.

At the turn of the year a friend’s teenage daughter spotted a kingfisher on the canal near where we all live. Not long after I spotted it in the same place and for a couple of days we sent blurry photos back and forward. This part of the canal is route 75 of the National Cycle Network and also John Muir Way. I can’t believe it’s been 5 months since I walked the John Muir Way, but during that walk I repeatedly saw kingfishers – I never tire of them. For my Conserver Award, I’ve logged this most recent sighting with iRecord and as part of my stitch-and-share plan, I’ve popped a little kingfisher on a bench on the towpath near where I saw it. I’ll check back to make sure it doesn’t become litter, but even if no one takes it home, hopefully it’ll raise awareness of the John Muir Way and the John Muir Award. This year I’m attempting #My200BirdYear – a challenge to see 200 birds in one year. January’s kingfisher went on the list which is now at 81. It started quickly, and will slow down, but it’s a good motivator to keep noticing what’s around me on walks and cycles. After my trip to the bench, I walked along the John Muir Way for an hour to deliver a present to a friend, keeping an eye out for birds. I also took a #2minutecleanup bag to litterpick on the way home – but there was almost nothing to collect. I know a local volunteer, Stan, is very active here so there was very little for me to do today apart from walk in the sun. :)

At Saltwells NNR today the group were doing tasks around the wardens base, one group were doing some tool maintenance which is really important to ensure they are safe to use. They used wire brushes to brush any mud off and then secured it in the vice to apply some WD40 to stop any rusting. Other students were using the sawhorse and bow saw to saw tree cookies or wood biscuits as one of the leaners described them :))) These will be used for decorations at a later date. Last year the groups used them to make Christmas decorations, we did string art using tacks and different colour string they looked amazing! I took a small group to do a litter pick around the reserve, due to the rain it was flooded in some parts and quite muddy. Using the litter picking equipment they collected cans, bottles, crisp packets and wrappers! we discussed the impact of litter on the environment and the wildlife.