How to look like a drowned rat

 Sounds like a round on ‘Just a Minute’ doesn’t it, but today was a perfect example of one of the many ways possible of looking like a rodent that was at least in the throes of going down for the final time. We’re usually quite lucky with the weather for our working parties on the Common, but today was the second time this season when we were let down big-time by the elements. There had been some doubt about whether the session would go ahead due to the risk of overnight freezing locking up the cut material, but that didn’t happen. What did happen however was rain, beginning shortly before our start time, and getting heavy from time to time. One bit of luck was that it didn’t turn to sleet and then heavy snow until we were packing up.

We were a couple of regulars light this time, with Team Leader Margaret and her stalwart husband John having absconded to Sicily: no doubt they were given an offer they couldn’t refuse. That oft-repeated thing about there being “no such thing as bad weather; only inappropriate clothing” was never less true (although granted, some hats were interesting). Nothing daunted, 14 of us turned up, anxious to show off our weather-appropriate clothing. In the confusion of getting dressed in layers of waterproof gear your usual correspondent forgot to bring his phone - so photography today was exclusively courtesy of Team Leader Julie. (You can always spot her photos – they are invariably better than mine anyway.)

No – it’s not how it looks! Because we were once again having to lay a protective yellow sheet over the boardwalk for the drag sheets to slide over, we had to put out our ‘People at Work’ warning signs.

And before you knew it, sheets were laid out and pitchforkers were getting them loaded.

And here’s the winch team heading off to work, whistling a merry tune no doubt.

We had a tight area to work in for the dump site, so plenty of muscle power was required to be able to steer the sheets to the best position for tipping them out.

The vegetation to be handled had been lying on the ground for the last fortnight, and the abnormally wet weather had had its effect – it was mighty heavy. Once again, thank goodness for the winch! Even so, tipping the stuff off the sheets at the dumping site was hard going, with as many mighty men as could be spared turning the sheets over with a lot of grunts, groan and indeed imprecations.

We could have done with the mighty Scotland rugby team to help here, but they were no doubt nursing hangovers. The dump site is of course where the music happens, led this time by Noel invoking Dylan’s A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. We also had from Andrew the Ramones’ Hey ho, let’s go as a motivation to get the job done.

Stick with this short video to the end, for a glimpse of Noel’s impressive dance moves!

There was a certain amount of surreptitious checking of watches, but eventually it was time for a well-earned tea (and Nina’s famous apple cake) break.

Suitably refreshed, despite the now heavy rain people were off to work again!

There were even enough ‘yes’ answers from the winch team and the pitch fork crew at 11.45 to taking another sheet to finish off the clearance.

We had tried to get it all on the previous sheet - probably overloading it …. Leaving the last sheet quite light!!!

Under that stylish hat your correspondent’s expression clearly asks “Really?”

Then all that remained was to load up the tools onto the trolley and wheelbarrows for the trip back to the storage container. See the happy faces!

Here’s how the site (Area E for the connoisseur) looked after our sodden efforts.

Team Leader and photographer Julie walked up the Bradfield Road spur of the boardwalk at the end – it was cold and wet but the little white smiling snowdrops still made her smile.

Here is Team Leader Michelle’s message of thanks:

Hello all

Thank you so much to the 14 volunteers that braved the elements today to clear the cut reeds from  Area E - with the continual wind and rain, it was certainly hard going for both the rakers and the winching team but the end result was an impressively cleared site, amazing work and all done with a smile (or were they grimaces?!).

Thanks also to Linda and Kevin for the much-needed hot drinks and also to Nina who, despite being away at the moment, still provided her delicious apple cake (it was really appreciated today Nina!)..

Hopefully you all got home safely before the snow started and you have all now thawed and dried out.

Thanks again and hopefully see you in 2 weeks in better weather.

Kind regards, Michelle for the TLs

 

On the subject of snowdrops, this seems a particularly good year for them. I was pleased to spot this group recently on School Common. There are also plenty on the Warren Road side of the boardwalk.

It’s been so wet lately that even The Pit is looking fairly full – I wonder how long for?

15 people went to mow

 Yesterday had been delightfully sunny, and I had enjoyed a symphony of skylarks as I walked Basil. Although yesterday was spring-like, bad weather can soon put that season on pause however. Today the weather was mercifully dry, although dull and windless – unlike the ground, which had been topped up with plenty of rain in the previous fortnight – and 15 volunteers were tempted out for a morning’s fun in the mud on the Common. .

I arrived a few minutes before the official start time, meaning I had missed the preliminary fun: the early arrivals were already pointing out interesting features, and the four drag sheets had been tastefully laid out.

There was already plenty of sodden material lying there from the previous session a fortnight ago, but Team Leader Kevin was also cajoling Grizzly into cutting more.

The only viable dumping site was the other side of the boardwalk (first started last time), so it is important to protect that thoroughfare from damage as the sheets are dragged across it. Protection is provided by spreading a sheet over the boardwalk, carefully lined up of course with the approaching load.

As the dragged load approaches this crossing point, the leading bar is raised so that it doesn’t catch on a board. This is known as “raising the bar” and that’s what makes us such high achievers (ahem).

As can be seen, a certain amount of strenuous steering is often needed: it’s lucky we’re such a fit young crew! We’re always glad to have the winch, as dragging these heavy sheets by hand is no longer an option. Once upon a time the adverts for British Railways urged us to “Let the train take the strain”: our motto (coined today) should be “Let the winch take the pinch”, although that actually doesn’t make a lot of sense. We did muse on how things will work when this is all too much for our ageing bones: perhaps NWT will provide us with all-terrain mobility scooters!

Tipping out can be the hardest part in locations where the winch can’t be used to help with that. Sometimes there are little trip hazards to be aware of.

If you’re a mouse, being mixed up with the material being tipped out is also hazardous. This little one was spotted peering out from the heap. We can report that it safely made its way to relative safety.

It’s not all hard graft of course, and there are plenty of distractions to help us take ad-hoc breaks. Every passing dog (there were many today) needs to be greeted and admired, and today Rita was keeping close tabs on the score from the Australian Grand Slam tennis final. There was a loud cheer when Alcaraz finally won.

After frequent time checks the half-time break finally arrived, featuring Nina’s wonderful apple cake. I described the resulting huddle of refreshment seekers as “a gathering”, but was told that that made them sound dodgy, like “a coven” perhaps.  I think no comment is the safest response...

Noel had been on the sick list last time, but was back with us today. Therefore we had musical accompaniment. At the dumping site it can be hard work, so John Lennon bemoaning the fact the “it ain’t easy” was a good start. Your correspondent was praised for balletically dodging the winch rope, prompting a chorus of “Yes Sir, I can boogie”. This was before I gracefully subsided face-first on a heap, my poise having temporarily deserted me. The penultimate sheet having been dragged, the cry went up that there was only one more to go: cue Bob Dylan’s “One more cup of coffee for the road”, although actually no more cups of coffee were available by that time.

With nothing left to pitchfork onto sheets, the bulk of the assembled company then helped manoeuvre that final sheet. With nine of us on it, tipping out has never been so easy! (I know, there aren't nine people in this photo, but there were eventually!)

Here’s how the site looked after today’s efforts.

Back at the storage container, this fabulous Scarlet Elf Cup fungus was spotted. This image is also the latest addition to our Gallery.

Here is Team Leader Julie’s message of thanks:

Hello all

Huge thanks to the 15 volunteers who turned out today to move more reed from Area E (next to the central area of the common). The material was difficult and heavy to move but everyone stuck at it and the cleared area looks great. Special thanks to those turning the sheets, as the material was heavy.

We managed to do the work in the dry mild weather, finishing just as the rain came.

We will return in two weeks - thankfully the next cut looks a lot lighter!

Have a good few weeks.

Regards, Julie and the TLs

 

Jubilee Boardwalk has been showing some signs of deterioration recently, which is hardly surprising given that part of it sits on very wet ground, and gets a lot of footfall, so it’s good to see that a section has recently been replaced. 

David North worked for Norfolk Wildlife Trust for many years, retiring in 2019 from the post of Head of People and Wildlife. Since then he has been an active volunteer at what I like to think of as our sister reserve – NWT Cley and Salthouse Marshes. (I make that claim because we share warden George.) In addition to leading walks at Cley he often writes articles in the Trust’s Tern magazine, as well as having written four books about North Norfolk’s wildlife. Now he has written Life Changing : Cley and Salthouse Marshes, with profits from the sales of it supporting wildlife conservation at the reserve. It’s a substantial book, profusely illustrated by mostly local artists, and walks us round the reserve month by month. Unusually, the first month is September, because that is when the huge numbers of geese arrive and the autumn migration is at its peak. February is a month of transitions: plants begin to wake up and birdsong increases, while David’s beloved Pink-footed Geese start to make their excuses and drift away to the breeding grounds in Iceland and Greenland (let’s hope they will be safe there). As NWT’s President Patrick Barkham says in the book’s Foreword, “If you’ve never visited Cley at all, this book will enable you to inhabit it and understand it as David does… If you already enjoy a relationship with Cley, this book will deepen it and confirm your affection for its skies, marshes and many moods.” For me, one of its most immediate benefits is the explanation of the reserve’s geography, with short descriptions of all the key locations there, alongside a clear map. I was given it for Christmas, and I treasure it.

We're off - at last!

 Cor blast! What a cold blast, just as we returned to the Common for the first working party of 2026. Not so much the Beast from the East as the Pest from the West (and this time I am not referring to Mr. T). Despite the weather, still full of Christmas cheer and New Year bonhomie a bunch of us braved the conditions to do our bit for the nature of Southrepps. Unfortunately, on arrival the awful truth dawned, that the recent snow had covered the reeds which had been cut a few days before, and everything was frozen together…

… so the session had to be abandoned.

Then came Storm Goretti. Fortunately for us, it didn’t bring more snow – unlike many other parts of the country. It did bring however a great deal of rain. This did at least disperse the remaining snow and ice, but it also soaked the Common. Still, mustn’t grumble!

After an abandoned attempt to convene on the following Sunday, 17 of us at last set to work today removing the cut reed on Area E, which is the reed bed opposite the Bradfield Road Spur of the boardwalk, spreading round to the central area. To say the ground was soft is perhaps to understate it, but it was at least muddy enough to make you glad you had chosen your footwear well. At the start the mist made it chilly, but it’s surprising what a bit of pitchforking and drag sheet hauling can do to warm you up. We were also cheered to be joined by two new volunteers: welcome Lynne and Tim, and thanks for bringing rhyming names!

Work was soon under way, loading the sheets with the wet and heavy cut reeds.

The eagle-eyed viewer will have noticed a fork-load held aloft. Here in more detail is that fork-load, under which can just be discerned our own dear Bob.

That particular area is quite small and close to the boardwalk, so in order to create a decent dumping point a foray into the scrub was necessary. And that meant a long rope pull between the trees.

Blessed as we were with an excellent turnout, some people were able to be deployed in trimming back the said scrub.

You had to be quick however, or you’d miss them, with only their saws to show they were ever there.

In due course the half-time break arrived, during which geopolitics and local broadband provision seemed to be the main topics of conversation. Here Nina gets an honourable mention: although not with us today, her excellent and now famous apple cake was, so thanks Nina!

Team Leader Michelle had her first session with Grizzly …. Well done to her for that!

We’re rather good at creating dead hedges from cut scrub we think, and under Team Leader Julie’s well-practiced hand this one soon emerged.

Tipping out a heavily laden drag sheet can be challenging for a bunch of elderly blokes. Luckily Sheila was on her way to help, and Team Leader Julie was on hand to record it: "I think this shows the power of a single woman!!" is her not unreasonable comment.

Once the relatively easy stuff near the dumping point had been cleared it was time to move the winch and drag the cut material left beside the boardwalk round a corner to get to the new dump site.

This entailed a certain amount of steering the laden sheets, by a combination of hauling on the rope and dragging the moving sheet sideways. It’s best achieved with everyone concerned acting together, and the grunts and groans echo round the place. It put your correspondent in mind of what the magic of film has shown us it was like to heave up the anchor on ships of the line in the good old days of the Napoleonic Wars and suchlike. We needed a sea shanty, and musicians playing a fiddle and a squeezebox: sadly, none were present, so grunting and groaning was the best we could offer.

While we were grunting and groaning, a start was made on cutting the reeds on the other side of the boardwalk, ready for the next session. Some were moved across the boardwalk, which was suitably protected by a yellow sheet.

As we’ve seen before, the rope has a mind of its own, and the more of it we have to play out, the more it plays up. Sorting out this contorted bit of knitting is not easy, and entails someone (known as Brian for the purposes of this explanation) having to walk a long way with the end of the rope indoor to de-kink it.

At the end of the session, we had the satisfaction of admiring the fruits of our labours.

And here’s the result of pre-cutting Area G for next time, complete with blue sky.

Looking across from where we had been working towards the main reedbed in the late morning sunshine was also a suitable reward.

As was the first sight of the emerging snowdrops beside the boardwalk spur to Bradfield Road.

Team Leader Margaret also found this tiny toad, out and about already.

While your correspondent was admiring that little amphibian, and indeed photographing it for your enlightenment, I might have failed to notice that I was missing out on a bit of hard work. But as Dave said, "natural history records take priority", although I am not convinced he meant it!

Here is Team Leader Julie’s message of thanks:

Hello all,

After a false start two weeks ago, we had a very successful work party today clearing reed and scrub. Despite the rather misty, grey start to the day we had 17 volunteers who were rewarded with some lovely sunshine by the end of the session.

We welcomed two new volunteers, Lynne and Tim, which was great and we hope they enjoyed their first work party. They both certainly fitted in well and were soon looking like they had been with us for years!

We also send our thanks to Nina, who could not join us today. but still managed to send her, now famous, apple cake to sustain us!

We will return in two weeks time to tackle more reed clearance.

Regards, Julie and the TLs

 

My latest loan from the library was the recently published Just Earth by Tony Juniper, the Chair of Natural England. Drawing from his experience from a long career in nature conservation and environmental advocacy, backed up by meticulous research, this important book addresses the critical problems of climate change and nature depletion. His central theme is that the destructive and exploitative political policies and economic practices that have been dominant for almost a century have created the astonishing levels of inequality seen in individual countries, and between them too. He deals with the various forms of inequality thoroughly, but his main point is that those least responsible for these existential threats are the ones most badly affected. If new ways of thinking and running the world can be achieved before it’s absolutely too late, these will by definition have to make the world a fairer place for all. It’s a dense book with a lot of ideas and information to absorb, but I highly recommend it and only hope that it helps political leaders and major corporations around the world change their ways.

Incidentally, Tony was the guest on BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002ntnc) on 23^rd December. Well worth a listen!

 

We report wildlife and plant sightings to NWT, including those added to the whiteboard at the Information Point on Lower Street. In 2025 we sent 521 sightings reports, of which 275 were from the whiteboard (excluding dinosaurs and family pets of course!) The remainder were sighting sent to me direct, and my own records from the excellent Birdtrack database (https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/birdtrack), which I highly recommend. In addition birds it also covers reptiles, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies and orchids, and using it contributes to the overall national picture of what lives where, as well as being your own personal record.

Within those 521 records were 75 bird species; 10 mammals; 37 flowering plants (but these are much more extensively surveyed regularly by our own botanical experts); 2 amphibians; 10 butterflies; 1 moth and 1 bug: a total of 137 different species.

 

And finally, you might have noticed something different about the blog this time. We decided that it would be good to include a selection of photographs from our activities and about the commons generally, as well as those that are included in each blog posting. In order to do that we have created two tabs; the ‘Home’ one is for the blog posts, and the ‘Gallery’ one should be self-explanatory. A post called ‘Helpful Hints’ about how to use these will come at the top of the list of posts, and that is how you will have seen it this time. Crucially, those helpful hints explain how to switch between the two tabs when using a mobile phone (it’s very clear on a PC). We hope you enjoy the new Gallery, which will grow over time.

Helpful hints

If using a PC the Home and Gallery tabs will allow you to easily switch between the list of blog posts and a selection of images from our time helping NWT to look after the commons of Southrepps: it is still in development. 

If using a phone use the 'Move to' down arrow at the top of the page to switch between the Gallery or Home for the list of blog posts.

There is also a 'Home' button at the bottom of the page.

Final working party of the year.

 Winter is now officially here, and its solstice is only a fortnight away. Before long we will be looking out for the spring migrant birds, but so far I personally have not noticed many of the winter ones. Dear old Gilbert White noted redwings on 11 December 1771 (I have only seen a couple so far), whilst on the same date five years later he noted that the weather was “Summer-like: the air is full of gossamer, & insects” and it was much the same on the same date in 1780. By 1784 he was complaining of heavy snow and a hard frost, but on 6 December 1787 there were apparently five or six bats flying at dawn, the temperature being above 50⁰ Fahrenheit.

Turning to my trusty 1959 Ladybird book ‘What to Look for in Winter’ the first page talks about farmers layering their hedges in the time-honoured way. Sadly, that’s rarely done these days, with destructive machinery merely mangling them instead, to the detriment of any wildlife that would have otherwise benefitted from more sensitively but labour-intensively managed hedgerows.

Very much on that topic, today’s working party task was to cut back the encroaching scrub bordering the boardwalk between the car park and the spur leading to Bradfield Road. This is important work, as if left alone it becomes increasingly difficult to walk along the boardwalk whilst still retaining the use of one’s eyes.

Unlike the last session, the weather today was fine and quite mild, and 14 of us convened at the appointed hour – including the very welcome first time for newcomer Adam. We spread out thinly, armed with saws and loppers.

Inevitably, the more competitive elements amongst us vied for the accolade of having sawn through the thickest branch.

Your correspondent was called upon to measure the diameters of the two contenders, despite nobody having had the foresight to bring a measuring device. Nobody except Noel, whose braces have featured before on this blog, but to refresh our memories, here’s what they look like.

They were deemed impractical for the task however, and indeed their accuracy was the subject of some concern. I remembered that my phone has an app allegedly capable of making measurements, but on applying the app and it telling me that the diameter of the little twig the chaps had cut through was over a metre, that too was discarded. It was time for low-tech to step in, so a length of reed stem was snapped off and trimmed to the exact diameter of one of the disputed stumps. To the astonishment and dismay of the rival sawyers (John on the one hand; Noel and Andrew on the other), applying the precision measuring twig to both sawn branches revealed that they were the same diameter!

Here is that ingenious device, which should be treated with all the reverence of the standard metre held by some French authority on the metric system.

On applying a tape measure to it back at the laboratory, it measures eight and a quarter inches, or rather more centimetres if you favour that metric system: a tie was therefore declared, to general dismay.

Regular sufferers of this blog will have become accustomed to the traditional photo of the happy throng enjoying some light refreshment at the half-way break. Unfortunately, your correspondent neglected to take such a photo this time, and our other snapper, Team Leader Julie, had absented herself for this particular session, so there isn’t one. My excuse is that I was distracted by the re-appearance of Nina’s splendid apple cake, which had been so sadly missed at the previous rain-soaked session.

Speaking of me, I took myself off with a trusty broom to attempt to sweep away the slippery mass of fallen leaves covering Jubilee boardwalk. Here’s how the first stretch looked before and after my efforts leading up to the break.

After the break I was joined by Nina and Sheila, and with their invaluable help we managed to clear the whole thing.

Missing Team Leader Julie is of course the acknowledged queen of dead hedging, but Sheila, Janet and Team Leader Margaret made an excellent hedge themselves in her absence.

Here is the message of thanks from Margaret on behalf of all the Team Leaders:

Thank you to the 14 volunteers who came to bash the scrub along the boardwalk. It will make it so much easier in the summer when the leaves are back on the trees. We are pleased to welcome Adam who joined us for the first time and hope that he returns when he is able. Lovely to meet you Adam. Thanks also to Nina for the apple cake and Kevin and Linda who despite being away, sent mince pies which were much appreciated. Thanks to Duncan, Nina and Sheila for undertaking the rotten task of sweeping Jubilee boardwalk.

Michelle and I were much amused that the gentlemen of the group had lost none of their competitive edge as to who had cut down the biggest tree!

Thank you all for your help and support through 2025 and as this is the last missive before Christmas, may we wish you all a Happy Christmas and hope to see you all in 2026.

Margaret, Julie, Michelle, Kevin and Sue.

The British Trust for Ornithology’s Birdfacts species has for a long time been an excellent resource for detailed information on British Birds. See for example one of our iconic birds, the ReedBunting.

The BTO has now launched Birdfacts Places on its website. This is a way of discovering what birds are found and, where relevant, breed in different parts of the country. Naturally I looked up Norfolk at https://data.bto.org/birdfacts-places/?search=norfolk-bcra and saw that “In the last 10 years, 369 bird species have been recorded in Norfolk, putting the region in the top 10% of counties. Of these species, 155 have been confirmed to breed.” From the overview you can then see which species occur in the county, and how frequently they are reported, with links to the Birdfacts species for each, how well they are doing, and to what extent they are of conservation concern. Well worth exploring!

I found this fabulous fungus yesterday, not quite on the Common but in the adjacent Warren Woods.

The excellent ObsIdentify app told me that it is a Cauliflower fungus. Never mind looking like a cauliflower, it looks more like a bath sponge to me! Seen on the Jubilee Boardwalk back in 2014 was this Jelly ear fungus.

It occurs to me that if the cauliflower and jelly ear fungi loved each other very much and had babies, those ought to be called cauliflower ears. Just saying.