My visit to Snipe Dales this month truly felt like a day in two halves. I knew as we got closer to the winter months that the weather would provide a new challenge on the reserve, but I was not quite prepared for the downpour we would have in the morning of my third visit. Luckily, the arrival of the sun in the afternoon helped us to dry out before it was time for me to go home.

When I had my usual briefing from James upon arrival about what jobs needed doing for the day, he mentioned the strong winds that were on their way from storm Agnes. There was a willow tree with a large crack in the trunk hanging over one of the paths and fences and that required immediate attention as it was likely the wind would manage to knock it down. There were also the usual jobs of checking on livestock across the reserves and clearing branches to improve accessibility with the tractor around the site. I was pleased to see Andy was volunteering again for the day, still committed to helping out despite the bleak clouds that were overhead.

Our first job had us heading in the truck to the reserve to build some railing around a stream, in order to stop the cows from churning the ground around it and blocking the flowing water. The water was from the water ram nearby, which is powered by the water from the numerous springs that rise in the Reserve. The water ram pumps one seventh of that water back up the hill to the nearby farm, with the rest joining the stream where we were working. It was important to make sure the railing was narrower near the ground, as I’m told the cows love to see if they can get their heads through the bottom.

Once the task was finished, we spent the next hour clearing back the footpath in the Nature Reserve to help with tractor access. It mainly involved cutting back oak trees and a few beech, and hawthorn towards the far end of the path. James mentioned how important it was to not cut too much, as the natural tunnel effect that the branches hanging over the fence created was rather beautiful to see. It was great to see once again how much a Warden valued their site, not just in a practical way but appreciating it as much as someone who was seeing it for the first time.

After a scare that we might not get the truck back up the steep tracks due to the rain ruining the paths, we had lunch back at James’ office and saw our first sign of sunshine for the day. It was lucky that the weather had improved as the job of cutting down the willow tree would have been extremely difficult in that amount of rain, but it was not something that could been left with the strong winds on their way.

It was another difficult cut for James, where he had to be very careful that the branch didn’t fall straight onto the fence and do the exact thing we were trying to avoid. It was all about doing it in stages and getting the balance right so that you could guide the branch where you wanted it to go rather than just a straight cut. I was amazed at how easy the willow snapped and it just showed how likely the wind would have knocked it over if it had been left. The branches were cut down and left away from the path, where they would make an excellent home for invertebrates as the cold weather arrived. The effect of cutting back the overhanging willow was to pollard the tree (a method of pruning that means removing the upper branches), allowing it to rejuvenate and continue growing; an old technique that enables wood to be regularly harvested above the browse line of livestock and deer – it can often prolong the life of a tree!

Our final jobs of the afternoon involved heading to Furze Hill and Sow Dale nature reserves to check on the livestock there and cut back some nettles around a stream for a school group that were visiting Furze Hill later in the week. Although our clothes were still drying and my boots were full of water, it was great to head out to the other reserves and just see how large the scale is that James has to manage.

There are lots of small repetitive jobs involved with managing a nature reserve, but the key is to making sure a reserve is helping itself to thrive. The knowledge that is needed of everything is immense even without having the practical skills to operate the various machinery needed. And the thing that is most amazing to me, is how when you walk through Snipe Dales nature reserve you would have no idea that all this work is going on. Every job either big or small, creates a beautiful place where we can go and appreciate wildlife and nature with ease. I look forward to my next visit in October where I expect the weather to turn even more, and present new challenges for managing the reserve.