I've moved

I've been tinkering with a new blog which can now be found here:

woodlandjourney.co.uk

Milling Time

I recently bought an Alaskan Mill, which gives me some new options for converting wood into more usable timber. This attachment fits to a chainsaw and let's you rip lengthways through a piece of wood using a flat guide edge coupled with an adjustable height.

Camping In The Cold

The weekend was a camping trip with my brother and nephew in the wood. We had already tried it in the summer so we thought we should give it a go in winter too. We each had our own tent too with my nephew camping out solo in his own 1-man tent for the first time.

Owl Box Refurbishment

I thought I should clear out the owl boxes before the spring, after discovering last years residents were hornets or possibly just common wasps, I'm still not totally sure. Not that I really object to them using the boxes but it would be great to see if an owl would nest in one at least. It's possible it's a hornets nest as they are common in the south and prefer wooded habitats. I should have taken a photo of them when I discovered them initially a few months ago but I was somewhat surprised to find them and being up a ladder it was not really my top priority to stop to take snaps!

Apparently they are docile creatures despite their reputation but might become aggressive if you disturb their nests and have a nasty sting. Hornets are brown and yellow rather than the black/yellow wasps that can be annoying in the garden in summer. Particularly pub gardens!

Bough Down

What with the snowy weather and end of year festivities I haven't been down to the wood for a while. Happily it seemed to get through the recent snow without any noticeable damage. There was a large oak bough that had come down before the cold weather set in, which needed sorting out so I set it about it with the chainsaw.

Buzzzzz

I thought it was time I had a look at the two owl boxes, that put up last winter, to see if there was any evidence of residents.  Here's a photo of the more elaborate version with a perch. There was definitely sign of occupancy but not what I had hoped for.

Winch Work

My wood contained a particularly tricky tree that I hadn't felt equipped to deal with until now. It was a wind thrown pine that was firmly stuck in a nearby oak and I knew I'd need the right kit before I could tackle it. Apologies for the terrible photo, my phone camera didn't do a great job with the light but here it is!

First up was a slightly longer bar for my chainsaw to help cut the butt from the root base more easily. This worked out but the tree was still firmly stuck. I tried edging the butt backwards using a felling lever but it wasn't going anywhere without a bit more persuasion. I'd recently purchased some rope, pulley and hand winch and was time to put it all to the test. First off I tried roping the base to the winch in a direct line but found that the butt was simply getting pulled into the soft ground as I tried to drag it backwards. I thought this might happen and already had another plan up my sleeve.

Sussex Fungi Group

Jon Need paid us a visit from the Sussex Fungi Group. I had got in touch and suggested they might like to nose around a private woodland. In return I hoped to learn a little more after my recent amateurish efforts. It turned out to be a very worthwhile experience.

Work must begin

I don't remember noticing so many different mushrooms last Autumn but maybe I just wasn't really looking. It's astonishing how many one small patch of woodland can contain. I think this one is Russula ochroleuca or the 'Yellow Brittlegill'.

More Mushrooms

I noticed a few more mushrooms when at the wood. The most striking find was this brightly coloured example.

I believe it is Russula Emetica or it's common name of 'The Sickener' gives you a rather strong clue about its edibility. Eating some of this will likely get you very well acquainted with the toilet bowl.

Mushrooms Are Back

It seems the recent wet weather has spurred the mushrooms to pop up. I'm trying to learn the varieties that are in my wood with the aid of a couple of books. It's a tricky business for sure. This one I think is a Larch Bolete.

Secret Squirrel

When I went camping at the wood recently my nephew spotted a hole in the base of a tree right by the log store. It was small and showed signs of animal activity so I set up the nature camera nearby to see if I could snap a photo of it's resident. To be honest I was expecting it to be a mouse given it's size. I wasn't expecting this.

Camping At The Woods

Myself, brother and nephew spent a night at the woods. After first brewing a cup of tea on my wood stove, we took a tour around wildlife spotting. Reaching the end of the wood we heard a screeching from above to then see a buzzard circling. That screech is an eerie sound, almost like something from Jurassic Park. I guess it is a raptor after all and probably shares some genetics. I'd imagine being small, fluffy and on its menu would be pretty terrifying.

I Spy

I retrieved the wildlife camera from the wood which was revealing in many ways. It was interesting to find out what goes bump in the night........

Pieces Of Eight

Yarr. I found me a couple of likely shipmates to seek ol' Blackbeards treasure. We set out with a map on the high seas in search of dubloons and pieces of eight.

Stove To Go

One simple pleasure owning owning a woodland is creating a little camp and having a spot of lunch in the outdoors. If you want something hot then I expect people either create an open fire or use a camping stove.

I stumbled across a portable wood stove and it's really rather neat. The legs fold under the stove box and the flue pipe comes apart into four sections that also fit inside the stove box. So it all packs down into a very portable unit with carry handle too.

I Spy With My Little Eye

We're a nosy bunch us humans. I'm no different but face a bit of a problem. I don't live in my wood so naturally I don't have much time to keep an eye on the comings and goings. I'm hoping that they are mainly non-human but you never know. I'm more keen on the feathered activity and want to keep an eye on the owl boxes for any sign of activity. But I can't lurk in the dark all night in the hope of seeing something. The deer are but a fleeting glance too so it would be good to see a little more of them.

So I scoured the web for a technical solution (well google did all the work to be fair). Wildlife cameramen employ motion sensitive cameras to take the pain out of watching a specific spot so why not me?! I discovered there are some off the shelf solutions without getting too technical either. So I bought this to try and capture some of the comings and goings.

Chainsaws-grrrrrr

I've just acquired a shiny new chainsaw, a Husqvarna 346xp. It's a neat bit of kit. I've hopefully struck a nice balance between a quality saw yet not some oversized beast way too large for my needs.

When I bought the woodland I had this quaint notion that I would be managing it just with hand tools. Me, an axe, a saw and the trees. All very frontier like and only missing a raccoon hat. My first winter soon taught me a valuable lesson - it's hard work! It's not the felling. I've only tackled small stuff which is doable with just a bow saw. It's the logging up that is the real drag. It became apparent that if I was going to fit this around work and life that I'd better employ some petrol powered help.
 

Twit Twoo

One of the most majestic creatures in a woodland must be the owl. It'a got the lot. Cute fluffy chicks, a stealthy killer and swivelling head to keep it's oh so good eyes trained on it's next victim. Good hearing apparently too despite not having much visible in the way of ear lugs like us humans. It's hard not to admire any top predator. Unless you happen to be fluffy and snack sized.

Food for thought

We grow some fruit and veg and have a small allotment plot. We've not been doing it too long and still have a lot to learn but our modest successes are worthwhile when you cook a meal using your own produce.Because of our limited space I've pondered about how to use the wood to increase the range we grow. Obviously there are a few limitations, light being the main one. After spring when the canopy has closed it becomes very dark on the forest floor

As an experiment I've planted gooseberries, blackberries and raspberries, all of which have a woodland heritage and should tolerate some shade.