The first job was to transfer the seeds into the new feed bin in Immac, it looks like it will do the job and actually is bigger capacity than it looks. I had intended to use the freed up ammo box to replace the last plastic container in the Hive but there was no sign of any mouse activity in there (yet) and the box of seed in Immac was covered in mouse droppings, even though the plastic had not yet been attacked so I decided to keep the metal box down there, at least until that seed is used up.
It was a bit cool so to get warmed up I spent the next hour digging roots in the gully behind the yardarm. The weedkiller I put on two weeks ago has made them look a bit sad, but they are definitely not dead yet so it is a bit disappointing, I think there is a lesson to make sure I buy the expensive stuff next time!
I only managed to get two stumps out in an hour! but the first one was pretty big so progress back there continues slowly but surely. The next step will be to sort out the log pile that was buried back there with rohdies growing all through it but a bit of rain came in just as I got to that, so I moved to a job in the dry and added chicken wire to the next board in the yardarm.
There are 8 boards done now and that was where I had intended to stop, based on my memory of where the slippery parts were last year but after Sundays rain I can see that in fact the next two boards also get wet. I think I will leave them for now and see how it is in the winter, we can always add more later!
Once the chicken wire was done I had a short rest and the birds were out in force for a while. There was a young Robin who was actually coming down to the seeds, I don't think I have ever seen a Robin on the seeds or nuts before, and he was making quite a distinctive call. Unfortunately it was a totally different one to the ones I've been trying to learn. Typical!
I had my camera and despite a low battery (and a dirty lens) I did get what I thought was the Dunnock on the ground by the log store, but now that I have checked I'm pretty sure it is actually a Wren, which I don't think I have seen before.
Up by the Hive I disturbed the Doves from the owl box, so it looks like that may well be occupied again but in the Hive itself there was no new mouse evidence so he has either been put off by the nibs now being in a metal box, or all the plastic he had eaten has done him in! There are still peanuts up there in a plastic crate so it will be interesting to see if they are the next target.
After some lunch I did some more work on the wood store, adding more of the crate sides to make stacking easier. They are definitely working, if not very attractive, but they will be easy to remove when we need to so, so far, I'm quite pleased with how that has gone. Now we just need to fill them up a bit more!
Ant has obviously been at Rais since I last saw him as one of the steps between the Yardarm and towards my tent has been fixed, but unfortunately he hadn't fixed the one a few steps down from it which broke as soon as I went down them. I was quite surprised as the log was a good 4 inches in diameter and looked mostly fine, but the middle had rotted completely. So I found a suitable replacement and quickly fixed that one too. It may need a bit of fettling next week to tidy it up a bit though.
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| Ants Step |
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| My Step |
After the very hot weather the first hints of Autumn are now arriving and some of the greenery is drawing back. The grass in the wayleave and around the Yardarm definitely looks less and I think it will not be long before it is time to cut it back for the Autumn. But over by Toad bridge it's still in full swing. I went over to the glove tree and had to look quite hard to even find the bridge!
