SUSTAINABILITY

North Yorkshire
Catterick Training Area
Afterwards, Tony and the film crew
spent some time identifying moths
with some of our reserve volunteer
moth recorders. He then proceeded to
the ringing room, to learn about the
process of bird ringing and its value in
nature conservation. Every year at
Foxglove for the last 24 years licensed
and trainee bird ringers have been
putting individual rings onto thousands
of birds as part of the British Trust for
Ornithology’s Constant Effort Site
scheme, helping to keep track of local
bird populations and increase our
understanding of their distribution
and movements.
The newly installed stone circle on the edge of the bluebell bank © Crown
Foxglove Covert Local Nature Reserve
is a hidden gem, lying on MOD land at
Catterick Garrison. Open daily to the
public, visitors can wander across the
purple heather-covered heath, pass
through the colourful wildflower
meadows, follow the winding stream
that meanders through shady
woodland, or simply sit and enjoy the
view out over the lake and wetland
ponds from one of the bird hides.
There have been a number of other
developments on the reserve. In the
springtime we received a donation of
some large stones by a local quarry.
These were installed as a stone circle
out on the moorland. They are situated
on the edge of our bluebell bank and in
the spring it is quite a spectacle, with
the stones standing proud, silhouetted
against the skyline in a field of bluebells
and yellow gorse.
We have installed water vole feeding
platforms in some of our ponds in
recent months. When baited with
apples visitors have a good chance of
spotting these seldom seen creatures
as they come to the platforms quite
readily to sit and munch.
In August, Channel 5 Television came
to Foxglove. With them came Tony
Robinson, filming part of his latest
television series, Coast to Coast which is
to be broadcast in the autumn. Tony
spent a day at the reserve, getting stuck
in with the Foxglove Volunteers for a
variety of activities. The main task of the
day was to create a new floating island,
as a perch and safe haven for the
various waterfowl that use the lake,
whilst giving viewers in the bird hide a
better chance to see them.
To achieve this, a large ash tree, hanging
over the lake, was felled into the water,
then winched out into position in the
centre of the lake and anchored. The
tree came down in the lake with an
almighty splash, but once everything
had settled, the waterfowl seemed very
pleased with their new home!
Ringing a barn owl chick © Crown
Elsewhere on the reserve, our team of
dedicated volunteers with their
extensive knowledge of flora and fauna
continue working away behind the
scenes. Whether their interest is bird
ringing or moth trapping, flower
identification or helping out with a
school visit, planting trees or cutting
them down, there is always something
happening at Foxglove.
Stacey Adlard
Foxglove Summer Manager
Catterick Conservation Group
SANCTUARY 45 2016
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