back from Israel... and "Hedgery Hive" is born!

Strimming the camping area

Crikey it's been a bit whirlwind lately, but we are back with a vengeance...
We have decided a much-needed investment for Rais would be a good quality petrol-powered clearance tool. So after a play with a borrowed Stihl one, we will be going for a fairly lightweight, interchangeable head job, starting with the brush-cutter and strimmer attachments only and deciding on the hedge trimmer and long-reach chainsaw as needed. It will at least help us keep the paths clear and should make light work of clearing the brambles in the southern way-leave section so we can at least reach the Rhodies there this Autumn. I can't believe I am actually looking forward to Rhodie clearance this year! Possibly because it's not clay-related and it makes such a difference in a short space of time.

Giving the Hive a woodland green camo coat

A few weeks ago Rais new Tiger shed arrived and we lugged it down into the new clearing, where it's been stacked waiting for a free weekend.  This one will be the bird of prey hide, situated on the edge of a clearing beside twin oaks, which we will eventually put a tawny owl box in. We have resident Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk has recently been spotted zooming through the trees at low level, so I have high hopes. It's going to take some time and the right feeding station, but the site seems perfect for birds, deer and rabbits, so I'm super excited about it.
This weekend, (with 40th birthday party hangovers), came the big dig to sink it into position on yet another slope on the northern boundary of the wood. A dig of about 2 feet!
The plan for Sunday was just to dig the base out, but of course with some awesome volunteers and a lot of sweating, we managed to get the base dug, the shed erected, painted and the roof felted in a matter of hours.

"waiting"

We started by raking the area clear of dead bracken and debris, which was going well until I raked away a bee's nest. A little unsure what to do, and not sure whether the nest had been built completely in the debris or in the ground, we left the area for a bit while we had a brew and a think. I didn't feel too happy about making a colony of much-needed bees homeless, and worried for the rest of the workers who were out foraging and would return home to their hive to find it decimated or worse ...buried. But after half hour, we decided we had no choice but to press on, the damage was sadly already done - they would have died off at the end of August anyway as apparently the colony only lasts 2 seasons. Still, I feel bad.
The digging took a little over two hours with four of us working at in and of course Flee is the equivalent of three people so in reality it was a fair amount of work to do. But we got there and laid down some solid wooden planks to keep the shed off the ground which was clay, bordering on sandstone.
The shed went up in no time and looks fantastic I now need to plan the inside and how the windows will need to be adapted for ease of photographic work. The bird perches and feed need to be thought out as well as their distance from the front of the hive itself. Lots to do and lots to get excited about. For the first few weeks though, I will not attempt to shoot, but bait and wait, then set the camera trap and watch.
Once again I can't thank the team enough - they never fail - and we always have a laugh doing it. So proud of all of us.