Date of Report: 30th January 2023
This is the fourth quarterly report for 2022 and covers the period from Mid-October 2022 through to the middle of January 2023 .
1. In total there were 72 Volunteer Days spent at the mere – each on average giving 5 hours per day – 360 Hours in total. In that the time the following tasks were completed:-
2. Litter report – 22 Full bags of litter were collected with the majority being located in the Heron Hide situated in the North East Corner of the Mere – This is being used as a weekend drink and drugs den and despite reporting this to Lancashire Constabulary, nothing has yet been done. Broken glass is the main litter issue in this hide and it requires a full clean each week.
3. The Volunteer Cabins were broken into during the period – a Stihl Saw was used to grind / cut off the locks and will not have been a quick process. All manner of tools were stolen including fencing equipment, pond rakes, shovels and spades and a large number of hand tools and fixings. The Friends of Marton Mere have replaced a number of these from their limited budget, but if anyone would like to make a cash donation to the group or offer to purchase a replacement tool then please get in touch via the Bird Club.
4. All tools and information was moved from the cabins to the Marton Mere Visitor Centre and the volunteers are now permanently based at this location – it is less practical from a location perspective but far more secure. Feel free to drop in on any Tuesday between the hours of 9am to 4pm – If someone would like to volunteer and man the VC for a couple of hours per week then again please contact the Bird Club for more information.
5. On the habitat management front, work was impacted by 2 wash-out Tuesdays where little work was done and two weeks lost due to Avian Influenzas restrictions - – on those weeks where the weather allowed work to place, the Lawson Wetland Paths were cleared; 2 of the 5 ponds on Lawson Wetland had Willow cleared which was then used to create barriers to prevent access to the ponds; The North Scrub management commenced but was hampered due to a lack of suitable brush-cutters and strimmers – however, the volunteers have managed to remove a lot of bramble and clear a large area around the Hawthorns whilst using the Brambles / brash for barriers; The feeding station hide roof was also repaired; new signage made by the volunteers were also erected; a Nest box survey was completed (19 boxes in total) and details will be posted on the FoMM Facebook page which can be found here
