Back to the chainsaws

We can't coppice at the moment because the deer browse pressure is too high.  Looks like we are going to have to save our pennies and get some fencing.  But we still have a large amount of felling and windfall to process to firewood so we got busy.  Also it was an excuse for an alfresco lunch - fallow venison steak sandwiches served with whole meal bread, fried onions and mustard

Deer damage

Year before lasts coup showing excessive predation. 

Fire wood processing

Gun dog training

To Willow, our new GWP down to the wood for the first time yesterday. Introducing her to gunfire went well and she was very pleased with the rabbit that I shot. 

This winters deer cull

Finally got started on the deer cull - they do so much damage and although most people don't notice them there are about 20 using the wood on a regular basis.

This winters total is 

Fallow bucks 2

Fallow does 1

Muntjac bucks 1

Not nearly enough but a start.

End of the coppicing season

We must have made about ten visits during the winter, and made a small start on the first coupe.  Today we dropped as much as we could as the sap is starting to rise and the birds are beginning to breed.  We can tidy up the felled trunks later in the year.  Still a huge amount of work to do; moving the 2 metre lengths across the wood and splitting it into firewood sized pieces and stacking it for drying.  Then we have to get it to market or home.

Starting Coppicing

 Some of us were not so keen to help...

 but the chainsaw soon took care of this hazel

Which we protected with a brash pile.

badgers fighting

Black buck

Potting

C potting out Hornbeam seeds and 2 Midland Hawthorn pips.  Our first attempts at growing on seeds for regenerating the wood.  The seeds are sourced from the wood.

Grass Snake Migration

What looked like a male and a female Grass Snake where making a journey down the wood towards to the river.  Maybe moving to their winter quarters.

Bye bye, Norway Maple

When the forestry commission visited they noticed a sick Norway Maple which didn't fit with the ancient wood - some previous owner planted it.  We felled it!

It was hot sweaty work.  Also you can see my new 3x3 tarp which was a birthday present.

mink or polecat

Taken near the river, plenty of rabbits in this bit of the wood.  Probably a mink, but could be a polecat

St John's Wort and more Squirrel control

Smiling for the camera

Rimfire

New tool in the management of squirrels

Muntjac and Fallow (plus fawns)

Summer Solstice

 Slept down the wood on the shortest night.

 the fox cam by while we were eating breakfast

 the dogs didn't notice

Damper bread was a new addition to the menu.

bucks and badgers

Best Badger photo yet.  We  have worked out having the camera lower to the ground gets better pictures.

Culled squirrel

C's first with the new air rifle