Category: Conservation

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. The weather may be mild again, but with bare trees and muddy paths, there is no mistaking that winter has finally arrived on the reserve. At least our resident bird population have somewhere warm and dry to call home, as we’ve started to replace our old wooden

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. As the days get colder and the nights draw in, the reserve is changing, replacing her verdant skirts with a more subdued autumnal attire, but the cooler days don’t mean there is any less fun to be had! Just substitute blackberry picking with kicking up leaves, and

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. August Workday Our task for our August workday was to scythe Bowsland Meadow. And while we may not have all been as glossy as a certain actor in a certain period drama, we at least know how to use a scythe properly! Sorry Aiden. Although you may

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. The wet weather has continued to cause issues on the reserve, although, ironically, it has yet to fill our ‘new’ pond in Bowsland Meadow and, at the other end of the reserve, much of the bottom of the lake is visible. When you can see a seagull

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. May has been a rollercoaster month of highs and lows for us on the reserve. The highs have included watching the mallard guide her ten tiny ducklings through the weir and onto the lake and the glorious bluebells that are carpeting our woodlands, enjoying, like us, the

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. First, our most ‘eggciting’ news – on 2nd April, Brooke our female swan (pen) laid her first egg! Our bird expert Rob Williams says: “Eggs are laid at roughly two day intervals and are brooded by both parents, who take it in turns to sit whilst the

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. The plan for our March workday was to improve the wetlands (the area by the Braydon gate entrance). We welcomed two newbies, Emma and Megan, and then headed off to the marsh, with a sort of plan! We’ve bought a book on wetland management but haven’t read

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. Our January workday was, as always, two hedge-laying workdays instead of one day. Using traditional methods, we continued laying a hedge along the length of Bradley Stoke Way. To all of you who saw it, we know it looks brutal and you may think the trees won’t

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. Reports from the Public Money raised from our calendar sales was used to buy some more chest waders, which turned out to be a timely purchase… We were told one of the paths around the tump was completely flooded and went to investigate; after clearing the 10ft

An update from Sara Messenger of Bradley Stoke’s Three Brooks Nature Conservation Group. We’ve had a very busy couple of months on the reserve, as well as the usual maintenance work, meetings, training courses and organising public walks we’ve added dog rescue and calendars to our résumé! Owl prowl and bird boxes We were lucky enough to have Chris Sperring