To increase the range of biodiversity of birds, animals and plants, a small working party of local volunteers have been working together with the aim of increasing the bio-diversity in St Michael’s churchyard.
Much of the bramble overgrowth has been removed revealing long lost gravestones, other plants have been cut back exposing dormant plants such as primroses.
Bird boxes have been added along with compost and recycling bins. Some of the grass will be left long, with cut pathways through to the graves, to create a more diverse habitat whilst other areas will be planted and the remaining grass cut as normal. You are very welcome to view progress or if you want to know more, you will often find one or two of us doing a bit of work in the churchyard and always happy to talk about the project.
The group is next meeting on 18th May in the Fox and Hounds pub at 3.00pm to discuss next steps. For more information contact Mary Read on fmary.read@gmail.com
Plans and associated documents can be viewed in advance of the meeting on North Northamptonshire’s website, this is a Waste and Minerals Application:
NN/23/00026/WASFUL – Proposed Anaerobic Digestion Plant, Associated Infrastructure, Lagoons and Feedstock Clamps at Rectory Farm, Gypsy Lane, Luddington In The Brook, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, PE8 5QS
(Whilst the site is in Northamptonshire, travel to the site will be through local villages along the B660.)
This is a meeting where all interested parties are invited to come along and hear the presentation of the applicants for this unit, to view the associated documents and plans. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.
When – Wednesday 4th October (there is a limited time to respond to North Northamptonshire Council)
Time – 7PM prompt, arrival from 6.45PM – Finish 9PM
Where – Great Gidding Village Hall (large car park)
A case of avian flu has been confirmed at Hemington. As a result Huntingdonshire District Council have advised that Great Gidding is in the 3km protection zone. See the DEFRA website for information and advice, also check the Avian Flu Guidance on Huntingdonshire.gov.uk
Two caring Great Gidding residents have been supporting the local hedgehog hospital and have just released two hedgehogs into one of their gardens.
Sue Hebb and Val Warner collected Lottie & Pixie from Peterborough Hedgehog Hospital and are making sure that they have the right food and housing to keep them well looked after as the colder weather approaches.
Sue has kindly offered some hedgehog tips:
“There is so much happening at the moment that could affect hedgehogs – e.g. don’t leave pumpkins out for too many days after Halloween as it will give them upset tummies; if you’re having a bonfire, check underneath for any hedgehogs before lighting it and If you’re tidying up the garden be aware that hedgehogs might be sleeping in messy overgrown corners, under compact bushes or hedges, so be careful when you are digging in the spade or fork.”
And this link is a great source of information too:
Look out for Sue & Val’s hedgehog updates on the Giddings website!
Hedgehog Highway
A group of Oxfordshire villagers have devised a novel way of helping hedgehogs to move around freely away from the main road as they have created holes in their fences and walls so that hedgehogs can wander from garden to garden. Full article from the Observer dated 18th October:
It’s been the driest, hottest April on record which has been good news in some ways as we struggle to cope with the social restrictions and distancing that is required during the Covid 19 pandemic. Those of us who are lucky enough to have a garden have been able to watch it grow as the days lengthen and the temperatures rise, and the Jubilee Wood has been literally blossoming as the fruit trees flower and the heavy, sweet scent of the hawthorn bushes fills the warm air. The early balmy weather has really speeded up the opening of young green leaves on the different species of trees found in the wood and the sight of Spring migrants in the skies has made many of us smile. Let’s hope the last few days of cold and wet weather in April haven’t made them regret their decision to come back.
Half year birds
I was reading about the seventeenth century author of The Complete Angler, Isaac Walton, who called swallows ‘half year birds’ as they only tend to be with us for six months of the year before travelling back to Africa, and thought it a really appropriate nick name. It’s surprising to realise that very little was really known about the migration of birds until relatively recently (at least it seems recent for some of us!). In 1937,the British Trust for Ornithology took over the ringing of around three quarters of a million birds a year in Britain and Ireland to help improve our understanding of the movement and behaviour of many species of birds. House martins also make the incredible journey to and from sub-Saharan Africa, returning to their old mud nests under the eaves of houses. As the edges of the pond in the wood are now softening up nicely after all the rain in the last couple of days, they’ll hopefully be able to find plenty of wet mud for any repairs they have to make.
The Black Cap
Another summer visitor to our shores is the greyish warbler, the Blackcap. Although our cold winters are not usually favoured by these sun loving birds, the bird food we provide in our gardens is making it a viable option for them, especially the ones who originated from Germany and North Eastern Europe. Its lovely song has earned it the name of ‘northern nightingale, and although not experts, we think we were lucky enough to record it in the wood during a recent dawn chorus. There is a video at the end of the blog and it would be good to hear from more knowledgeable ornithologists out there if we’ve got it wrong and what other birds they can recognise from their song.
The dark headed male Blackcap with the lighter coloured female Blackcap
Dawn Chorus
At this time of year, one of the most uplifting sounds has to be the wonderful dawn chorus and with the recent reduction of traffic noise both day and night this has to be the best opportunity of hearing it in many decades. It may also be having a beneficial effect on those birds trying to find a mate, especially those in the cities, as they can now actually hear each other! It’s interesting to think that here in the East the birds will start singing at least half an hour before those in the South West but what is the purpose of such an early daily expenditure of avian energy throughout the land? There are lots of theories, and territory marking and mate finding seem to be two reasonable front runners as some species such as the sedge warbler and the pied flycatcher stop singing after pairing. However, why sing at dawn? It’s nice to think that it’s a gift for those of us who suffer from insomnia, to chase away the worries of the sleepless night although it’s probably much more likely that it’s of social use to the birds themselves.
This is a difficult time for us all, whether as busy front line workers, having to stay indoors or limit ourselves to half an hour’s exercise outside a day, or sadly losing loved ones to the Corvid 19 virus, but nature still rises above it all and ironically is benefitting from the reduced amounts of pollution and noise in their environment. Hopefully you can spend some of your limited exercise time in the Wood enjoying this wonderful window on the natural world, but if not, I hope the following images and videos will help a little.
Dawn Chorus videos
Bumble bee flying around cherry blossom in the WoodEarly April blossom in Jubilee WoodThe Greast Crested newts are back……… That is one, honest!
Over the last few days several village residents have come together to facilitate the parish wide litter pick. Its disapointing to have to resort to these activities but its the price we pay for a consumer society that has poor environmental credentials especially the redbullswillingcostacoffeelobbingmcdonaldsthrowingheinekensboozingcoladrinkingsandwichpackmunchingcrisppackettossing clients who think the highways and byways are perfect receptacles for their (multiple choice answer here)
“muck” “detritus” “crap” “rubbish” “stuff”
Thanks to all who joined the effort, we had a great age spread of pickers but our work is not quite complete. A special task force will tackle the worst offending stretch of road from the Horse pond to Lutton cross roads, and to be truly parish wide we need to pick the road to Lutton as far as Gypsy Lane so look out for another call to arms.The Gidding Environmental squad also took the opportunity to don waders and tidy the inside of Chapel End pond following the recent Ash tree felling. The overflow is working correctly and I would like to encourage anyone walking past the pond to keep the road drains clear . There are three grates that allow surface road water to flow into the pond but they get clogged up. A simple job with a stick will lessen the flow of surface water flowing down Chapel End in times of heavy rain (self help)
Another occassional problem is fly tipping. Hunts District Council operate an online reporting service and in my recent experience are very responsive to problems. They need an accurate location and a photo helps especially if its a big heap. They can judge what size vehicle to send out. What 3words is a very useful location app and is worth space on your mobile device.
If you can just run a stick throughthese grates to allow surface road water into the Chapel End pond.
Pond maintenance including checking the overflow outlet.
Pond dipping for floating sticks following the recent Ash tree felling
Chapel End pond clearing work.
Close to home, the playing field litter bin shouldnt get to this state, if its full empty it and put the contents in your Monday general rubbish bin,. Job sorted.
A load of bull really, this brand is vying with Costa as the most dumped item in our parish.
Whats a litter pick without the yellow arch brand
Big brand shout out for Strongbow Dark Fruit cider, obviously the consumer was befuddled after downing the contents as to how to recycle the empty can.
Fly tipped tyres speedily removed by HDC once reported.
The July Knowledge Share – Sunday 14th from 2.30pm
‘Nature & Well Being’ – “A Journey through the senses” With an opportunity to do some practical exercises in and around the wood. This event is kindly being hosted by Rachel Giddens.
Following on straight after, the Jubilee Wood Summer Picnic is back on the Great Gidding social calendar from 4pm. The weather is always memorable at this event mostly for north easterly winds or the european monsoon but photographic evidence below does show some sunny picnics. Bring your picnic hampers and celebrate a traditional English summers pastime. To help select the right dress code please refer to the pictures below.
Spring Dragonflies & Damselflies at Jubilee Wood in 2018
During a couple of visits to the Jubilee Wood pond in May 2018, five Odonata species were seen.
The first species normally to appear in the year is the Large Red Damselfly. The immature insects venture further afield but when they are mature they visit the pond to pair up and lay their eggs.
Another early species is the beautiful Broad-bodied Chaser. May is a good time to see them on sunny days as the blue males aggressively patrol their territories around the pond .The brown and yellow females are no less spectacular but spend a lot of time feeding away from the pond only appearing to mate and egg-lay. This species favour small ponds and do not seem to be in large numbers.
The Four-spotted Chaser however, can appear in large numbers and was very common at this pond in May. The males and females look the same as each other with four distinctive dark wing spots. On vegetation around the pond exuvia could be found – this is the empty skin that is left behind when the adult dragonfly emerges after the larvae has climbed up a stem from the pond.
The other 2 species seen were the Azure Damselfly and the Blue-tailed Damselfly, both were very common here.
As the Spring turns into the Summer there could be up to 17 species seen around this pond and woodland so plenty to look forward to in 2019.
Fly tipping, one of the scourges of modern day rural living where the less gifted feel a need to off load their junk or somebody else’s building waste on public highways,
Fly tipping is becoming a big problem not just the cowboy builder chucking stuff out on the road but also lorry loads dumped in gateways, old articulated trailers stuffed full of rubbish and abandoned in laybys and country roads.
What to do
If you witness fly tipping or come across the result of…………. call it in. Huntingdon District Council have an online reporting system, its easy to use and takes a few minutes. You can have it as an app on your smart phone, be clever report it straight away. Don’t wait for someone else to do it.
For the record this was reported by using the HDC app this morning.
