Astonbury really came into bloom in the past couple of weeks and the woodland was full of flowers when I had a walk around with the old Astonbury Wood Management Group on the 25th April. It was great to learn from them about the management they had carried out in the past, and equally nice to hear how positive they were about the work the Trust has carried out over the past six months. We saw the glades we cut now filling with the blue flowers of Bugle and a lot of the locally scarce Small Teasel. We once again saw Orange-tip butterflies around their Garlic Mustard food plant, and we appropriately found ourselves surrounded by St Mark’s Flies, on St Mark’s Day.

On Sunday 28th of April we held a Bluebell walk at Astonbury. I was considering cancelling this walk on Sunday morning as it had rained all night, and was still raining heavily at 8am. I knew the woods were going to be very wet and slippery! I phoned a few of the people who had registered to gauge enthusiasm and the people I spoke to were nothing but enthusiastic! So, the walk went ahead. By the time we met at 9:30am the rain was much lighter and it actually stopped raining for the duration of the walk, with the sun, at times, poking through. There was a group of 11 of us in the end, with nine that didn't make it. I can't blame them as the weather and the forecast for the day were pretty awful. The Bluebells were past their best but there was plenty more to look at! I thoroughly enjoyed showing this very enthusiastic group around Astonbury with the help of Anna - Reserves Officer for Trust - as the back marker, and there were smiles all around! Only two members of the group had been to Astonbury before, so it was nice to be introducing the site to a new group of people. We finished at The Three Horseshoes pub for complementary teas and coffees, where it was great to see conversations about the visit to the wood continue among the group.

On Saturday 4^th May, 10 people made the early start for the Dawn Chorus Walk, which was led by Richard, Astonbury's volunteer bird surveyor. We first stopped by the Stevenage Brook at the southern entrance to the wood to listen for the Kingfisher that often flies up and down there, but no luck on the day. It was still twilight as we entered the wood with a Robin, Great Tit and Song Thrush calling. Next stop along the western path we heard Blackcap followed by Chiffchaff and a Green Woodpecker. Richard told the group he had seen one pair of Blackcaps looking to nest in the wood and three separate males singing. As we got away from the traffic noise - even at 5am! - we heard Wren, Mistle Thrush and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Again, Richard was able to tell the group he had seen three pairs of Wrens nesting in the wood. Arriving at the Hazel coppice clearing we were greeted with Nuthatch, and had Wren and Song Thrush always calling in the background. Back down to the southern end of the wood via the central ride, we finished with Goldcrest in the Thujas. A lovely early morning amble round the wood, with those who came expressing how nice it had been to learn some birdsong they could now recognise. Anna had been a great backmarker and stayed behind with me to take down the bat recorder and count Early Purple Orchids. We counted 69!

Finally, why not book yourself a place on the Summer Tree Identification Workshop we are holding at Astonbury on the 31^st July? You can find out more information here: www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/events/summer-tree-identification-workshop-31jul24

I hadn't been to Astonbury for a couple of weeks due to a period of annual leave, followed by a catch up on admin work upon my return, and involvement in several work parties at other Trust reserves.

I received an email at the beginning of the month from Richard, our bird surveyor at Astonbury, saying he felt the access track at the northern end of the wood was becoming tight with growth from the hedges, and the footpath down into the wood was also closing up with vegetation. We were still about three weeks from our next work party and I had largely caught up on admin, but with no one else available I opted for a solo site visit. Upon arrival I was greeted with several Bee Orchids in flower in the old field centre car park and the sound of the first Cuckoo I'd heard in Hertfordshire this year! As I was lone working, I opted for hand tools, so did the cutting back largely with a scythe. Such a pleasant way to work! It was so refreshing to cut to the sounds of birdsong and without constant two-stroke fumes! After spending the morning cutting and raking the access track and footpath that leads into the wood past the old field centre, I carried out a bit of a site check.

Foxgloves were in flower, Hazel regrowth was coming through in the areas we had coppiced during the winter, and a lot of Small Teasel was coming up in the glades we are restoring. When I got down to the southern end though I was shocked to see how much Himalayan Balsam there was growing along the bank of the Stevenage Brook, and Giant Hogweed too! These are two non-native invasive species or INNS that outcompete our native flora. Unfortunately, this is an ongoing issue, with seed sources further up the Stevenage Brook. Luckily the River Beane Restoration Association are doing a great job on eradicating these, so hopefully we can clear the banks of the Brook adjacent to Astonbury in the near future. The Trust is also trialling an innovative biological approach to the problem of Himalayan Balsam and you can read more about that here: https://www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk/news/tackling-himalayan-balsam-our-rivers-beautiful-enemy

We have a work party in the last week of June to cut back some of the paths around Astonbury, so hopefully by the time you’re reading this, you will have found it slightly easier to walk around!

If you would like to join one of our work parties at Astonbury Wood in future, please register your interest at https://hertswildlifetrust.formstack.com/forms/hmwt_volunteer_enquiry_form