Our first task of May and we’re back at Moses Gate Country Park planting trees. We’ve planted here and nearby since 2022 and today’s session extends the planted area and also replaces some of the previously planted trees that have failed. We also cut back some trees and branches on the nearby reed bed. We plant some we chop some.. circle of life I suppose.
There’s no mystery to planting trees: you dig a hole, put the tree in it, put in a small stake for support and a tree shelter to stop deer and shrews nibbling it to death. Trees are planted a few feet apart and then grow as nature intended. There’s a bit more about tree planting on a previous post which you can read on this link.
We also celebrated Francis’ birthday, his age is an official secret so.. sshhhhhhh.
Thanks to Tom and Caroline for organising and every one else who turned up.
Today’s task was just a but of tidying up on on the hedges with members of the Barlow’s volunteers. After checking the hedges for nests we gave them a trim and took out any overhanging branches and regrowth that risked shading out the hedge. You can find other work we have done here on these two posts about hedge laying and pond creation.
Other than that it was Eve’s birthday. Here’s a few photos to pad out this very short post.
his years hard boiled Easter task was actually on the day itself, Easter Sunday. Despite it being a popular day for family stuff etc. our numbers were pretty good, but we did get over a baker’s dozen of egg-ceptional volunteers turning up to continue the work on the Jumbeles ponds. If you want to see what we did here previously click here.
On the task side of things we did some trimming of branches, trimming of hedges, built a dead hedge, or linear habitat pile if you prefer, and some pond dipping.
In the pond we found the usual assortment of chocolates.. er.. creatures: fresh water shrimp, hoglouse, various types of rams horn snail, evidence of frogs and toads, and a newt larvae.
But mostly we found chocolate eggs.
Thanks to Caroline and Tom for organising, Jane for shelling out for the eggs, and everyone you made it a cracking task.
The wildlife garden near Rock Hall in Moses Gate country park has been around for a number of years, and we probably worked on it in the in its early days, but it wasn’t until 2016 that management of the area was handed over to Bolton Conservation Volunteers. Since then we have installed planting beds, laid hedges, and generally maintained the site; we also both of our Wildfest events here.
Willow weaving in 2016
Out of all of the places we have worked this one is of special importance as it is the place we most associate with our former leader, Rick Parker. Before he passed away in 2024 Rick used the wildlife garden in his teaching sessions, introducing children to wildlife through pond dipping, willow weaving, and species identification. The abundance of frogs, toads, dragonflies, damselflies, newts, butterflies, moths, birds, wild flowers, and fruit trees made it a perfect place for Rick to do the job he loved the most. It’s a legacy we want to continue.
At the time this was originally posted in June 2025 the garden wasn’t in the best condition: the beds were overgrown, the boardwalk had rotted through in several areas and it was in need of extensive repairs. Since then Bolton Council have come in and done a great job removing the old boardwalk and resurfacing the paths, so now we can start work restoring the garden.
To start with we cut back the willow and dogwood, tidied up the planters, and removed the last of the old boardwalk from the pond. We also added a few aquatic plants to get the pond moving again. Finally we rebuilt part of the hurdle that Rick built.
As work progresses more news will be added to this page along with photos, but in the meantime thanks to everyone involved, Rick would be proud of what you all do.
Unusual task this time around which highlights how some conservation activities aren’t actual conservation but are still necessary to looking after a site. By this I mean making the site safe for visitors, and in this case the danger comes from a sheer drop of the edge of a cliff.
Some years ago a fence had been put up to stop people inadvertently walking off the edge of the quarry, the edge of the quarry being next to the car park. Over the years the wooden fence posts have rotted and the fence had fallen over; Bolton Council asked us to if we could do something to fix it.
The first time we came here in November 2025 we cut down the rhododendron that had grown up near the cliff edge and created a dead hedge set back from the cliff edge. Then we began restoration of a hedge that had been planted previously, partly by laying the hedge but also planting new hawthorn/blackthorn to fill in the gaps and extend the hedge line where needed. We then began the process replacing the fence posts, and recovering and reusing the metal sheep fencing that had become buried under years of fallen leaves.
This task we worked on the hedge again, and also along the path from the car park. We also continued rebuilding the fence using Tom’s fencing tools, and it doesn’t look to bad. Good job everyone.
Last year we did some work with the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside (The Wildlife Trust for short) on creating habitat for willow tit. This task is partly a continuation of that work but also a continuation of our work to extend the reed beds at Doffcocker Lodge LNR.
Willow tits have been present at Doffcocker, to some degree, for a number of years but not in any significant numbers. Willow tit’s, including sub-species, have an extensive range covering Europe and other sub-arctic areas with estimated numbers of 175-253 million. However, since the 1970s the population sizes of these birds in the UK has fallen by around 83% and were Red-listed in in 2022. Habitat deterioration is thought to be the main cause of these changes; competition from other similar species and predation could also be a factor.
So, what does willow tit conservation involve? Willow tit’s like to create nest holes in rotten trees in wet willow carr and fen like habitats. But there aren’t enough rotten trees around for them. To give them a hand we took some old, dead branches and attached them to living trees, partly burying the ends of the branches in the ground. Over time the attached branches will rot and soften and the willow tits will be able to excavate nest holes in them. The photo at the top of the page shows a willow tit and the nest it created at Doffcocker a few years ago.
So, that’s the background on willow tits, and there are photos below from that task as week as today’s task. The work to extend the reed beds involved cutting back the willow. You can find more information on our reed bed work on these posts from previous years.
