Stock proof pond fence Been a while since I had been to a Friday session at Fromebridge with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Only a few of us today, but the task was to start on the stock proof fence that will surround the new pond. The vegetation around the pond which we planted back in May was looking pretty impressive, especially given the drought and the exceptionally low water levels in the pond. We took quite a while to get going, mainly by measuring exactly where the end posts would go on the first run. We need to allow 3.
Last plants in the pond The final day for the pond planting project at the Fromebridge reserve with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. It’s taken most of April, and been a huge volunteer effort, but the results are already starting to show. The smaller pond was completed a couple of weeks ago, and has been left undisturbed. The planted vegetation has shot up already, giving a glimpse as to what this habitat might look like in a few months. We focused today on filling in gaps around the big pond.
Planting more pond shelf The pond planting continued at Fromebridge reserve, where we want to get as many saved plants as possible from the canal into the new pond. We are on the last leg of the big pond, so on track to complete by the end of next week. When complete, we’ll go round again and infill any previously missed areas. I spent most of the day in the pond, taking plants separated by the bank team. The water levels are shallow at the moment, meaning we could go a reasonable distance to the pond centre.
Planting out the pond Plenty of work still with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to get the new pond at Fromebridge into a suitable habitat for water voles. The task today was to plant vegetation more accurately without reducing the size of the pond. The pond has a shelf next to the bank which is reasonably shallow. The digger had created big piles of reclaimed vegetation from the canal alongside the bank at the edge of the pond. Our job was to plant individual stems and roots into the shelf floor under the water.
Restoring the orchard pond I last worked on the pond in the far corner of Fromebridge Orchard back in November 2023 where we removed large willows tangled over the pond surface. This allowed a lot of light in and enable a habitat to develop. A few days ago, there was a lot of chain sawing to remove the ash and willow shading the south side. So the task today was to clear all the brash, create a defined area around the water and remove more willow trunks from the pond itself.
Banking on scrub The regular crowd gathered at Fromebridge for another habitat management session with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. The plan today was to continue along the canal bank opposite where the new pond will soon be installed and cut back the bramble vegetation. Once this area is kept stockproof, then the riperian vegetation will flourish and develop into a rich habitat. So getting rid of bramble now will allow those other plants to dominate.
Removing bank bramble Beautiful weather today at Fromebridge for the regular Friday work party with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. Before we started, Pete walked us round the reserve to give an update on plans and decisions made on the reserve management. Although we are all quite closely involved in the project, it’s very helpful to keep abreast because things change all the time. The main news today was the digging of the (huge!) wildlife pond which will start in the next few weeks.
Clearing the Orchard bank Last Fromebridge Friday of the year with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and we continue to work on the fence line that will protect the riparian bank from grazing cattle. This will enable water voles to burrow and do their thing undisturbed. While the others worked on the bramble in the main grassland, I took the brush cutter into the orchard to clear the ground for the fencing in the new year.
Clearing a blocked path Back to Fromebridge today for the regular Friday Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust session, but this time I didn’t spend any time on the reserve. An area further along the canal had some trees felled which were blocking access to the path. In additional, there was another tree in the middle which needs to be removed anyway for the new tow path. The biggest challenge was to remove the arisings. There is no natural place in this part to build a dead hedge.
Extending the stock fence The ongoing winter project with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust to protect the riparian habitat along the canal bank continues. The main fence posts are now in place and only the rails need to be attached. This prevents stock from accessing that part of the bank where water voles will be creating burrows in the new vegetation. The decision has been taken to remove all bramble patches from this part of the canal bank. It prevents encroachment onto the grassland and allows the riparian plants to flourish.
