Well…. It’s been a really long time since I updated this blog. No idea why, but maybe I’ve a sneaking feeling that no-one is reading this or is remotely interested! Never mind, I’ll probably find it amusing in years to come.
To pick up on the last post, the missing boat was eventually found by a friend of Maddy’s, abandoned & floating down the River Adur. She kindly caught it and tied it up to the riverbank & eventually the news filtered through to us. We drove down & rescued it, although it was in a bad state, hole in the bottom, seat ripped out, scratched to hell. Still awaiting repair!

My general observations during the summer confirmed my opinion that our lovely wood requires management. Walking along the rides on a sunny day is lovely, but all the butterflies congregate wherever the sun manages to find a way through the canopy. I am convinced that opening up the areas adjacent to the rides would improve the habitat for insects & butterflies hugely, and this is confirmed by my discussions with Butterfly Conservation, the Forestry Commission & the National Parks Authority. In fact, on two days recently, I had work party’s from the SDNP helping me clear the coppice along one of the rides, and what a difference it has made.


If only neighbouring wood owners could be persuaded to do likewise, I’m sure our populations of White Admirals & Silver-washed Fritillaries would be eternally grateful! Maybe we might see some Purple Emperors too.

I’ve also had an Invertebrate survey done of the pond and, although nothing wildly exciting was found, it showed that, in spite of the rampant Duckweed, it is a really good wildlife pond. I am confident it will get even better as it slowly silts up and we get more shallow, reedy areas.

It’s been a disappointing time in the wood recently.

Last week I had a very productive meeting with Phillipa, the new National Park Ranger for the area who will be helping me put a management plan together and said there was a good possibility of getting the occasional work party together to help with coppicing etc. Unfortunately we discovered that day that someone had been joyriding in the boat on the pond and had been vandalising the bridge, chucking lots of wood into the pond and generally messing the area up.

Yesterday I found empty beer cans floating in the pond and the boat was missing! Great!!! I followed a trail they had left dragging the boat along the footpaths all the way to Mackley’s industrial estate. I asked someone, funnily enough a friend of Tom’s who worked in a unit there fixing up VW vans, & he said they had seen 4 youths dragging it along the path. Unfortunately the trail went cold after that.

I reported it to the police, but I don’t suppose we’ll see it again. ( cue stream of expletives...)

Today I found a camp site in Cricket wood with the usual piles of rubbish left behind, but also several piles of shit & toilet paper. Aren’t people nice.........Can’t they even be bothered to dig a hole?
I did however meet David Plummer on the footpath leading a photography course.(http://www.davidplummerimages.co.uk/ ) He had put out some vile-smelling shrimp paste in the hope of attracting down some Purple Emperors. They have not been recorded there yet, but he & Neil Hulme reckon they should be present. No sign yet, but we’ll keep watching!
Plenty of Silver-washed Fritillaries were flying around along with several White Admirals, lots of Red Admirals, dozens of Ringlets, Meadow Browns, a few Commas & Green-veined Whites, and quite a few Large Skippers.