Meeting

This Saturday morning we held our AGM and Summer meetings, amongst trees we planted.  Due to Covid we didn't feel it was appropriate to cram ourselves into a room for the meeting, and this seemed a good idea. It was a bit damp, but I still managed to take the minutes.

We were: myself, Guy, Cath, Dianne, Peter, Stephen, Duncan and Harvey the dog, Sue, Hap, John, Ben, Lee, Jess, Geoff, Dave and Philip.

The outdoor setting seemed to work, in that we got both meetings done in an unusually short time.

https://youtu.be/Jv0NUZVdIVQ

Blue orchid

Geoff, Tanya and Ben collected 117 shrub guards from Scammonden SC14 on Saturday and probably about 100 stakes (some broke). Dave came along later to 'reconnoitre' and took 30 back to the nursery; the rest are left on site for now. There are a few more there though not many, but most of that site needs de-guarding so could well go back there next Saturday. The weather was fine really - constantly rainy but not at all unpleasant.

 

They speculated that the visit of Jason McCartney to this site must have blessed it since Geoff found this rather fine common spotted orchid specimen (Dactylorhiza fuchsii), maybe even on the very spot that he had stood, proudly posing for a photo of him pretending to plant a tree.

 

Not many songs about orchids...

https://youtu.be/jW8UlrtcEac

Myself and Philip were visiting two prospective sites, the final additions to the Winter's activities.

Do anything you wanna do

The view from Scout

This  morning I was up at Scout talking to a landowner about a planting plan for the coming Season.

Geoff, Tanya, Ben, Lisa, Alexander and Jared were at Scammonden de-guarding.

Dave, Stephen, Peter, Cath and Hap were over the other side of Scammonden, de-balsaming.

https://youtu.be/rK8pAfhC4Rk

There, there, my dear

Another Saturday morning up Wessenden, and another deer/dire situation. This time we were working and heard a godawful screeching racket the other side of the reservoir. Turned out to be a distressing altercation between some deer and a dog. We think a mother deer and a young un, with the young un running off and taking refuge down by the water (pictured) and the mother scrapping with the dog then running off with the dog in pursuit. They put down dogs that worry sheep, probably no such penalty in this case. The picture was taken with a combination of my telescope with Jess' phone, 20x optical magnification achieved, with arty circle effect too.

It seems to be an effect of the epidemic, more people out enjoying the countryside, including more dogs. The deer had probably got used to a quiet life over that side of the reservoir, but now theres a near constant stream of people and their dogs going over there. And, using our tree guards as dog chew toys when there are not deer to chew on.

We were: myself, Geoff, Jess, Peter, Tanya and Ben in one group. Dave Hap and Stephen in another group. And Philip, Cath, Jared, Alastair and John in  the third and furthestmost group.

Lots of bracken got bashed and guards straightened.

And one of my all time favourites for the music.

https://youtu.be/ZjwUX5MKJOo