Calley Heath

Today I went to a conservation volunteering day at Calley Heath. With a dozen volunteers we were able to split into two teams. One team repaired a section of fencing that had been damaged by sheep during the winter while the other team, that I was on, put up a new fence down one side of the reserve. This is in a field currently grazed by Belted Galloway cattle. It will create a ‘buffer zone’ between the grassy heath of the reserve and the farmland beyond. The sandy banks and areas of ungrazed vegetation will be good for insects which are this reserve’s speciality.

We started by putting in the line of posts with a Drivall, then rolled out and attached the netting and barbed wire. With a team of people stapling the netting to the posts, the job was completed surprisingly quickly.
 
Making post holes
 
Driving in the posts

Attaching the netting

Curious onlookers
 
The finished fence

Garden Tiger caterpillar on a glove

Marsh Marigolds in the ditch

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