Catton Park is having a Hayday!

                                                                                

Above: The fields have now been cut.

Right: The bales will probably be used as haylage.

There is less yield this year due to the long dry spells.

Meanwhile, back in May this year, we cleaned and oiled all of the wooden sculptures. It was now time for their second coating of the year. 

Whilst Tabby was adding the final touches to the main gates by the car park (which had been previously wire brushed and primed), Chris and I set about preparing the sculptures for another glossy coating.

The Tawny Owl; one of twelve which make up our sculpture trail. 

We need to keep them looking at their best!

The recent rains have woken up a multitude of fungi in the park....

....this is Chicken of the Woods (a type of bracket fungus), looking rather resplendent.

September 2025. Following the 'summer branch drop', our next task involved wood chipping some of the downed branches that had been chopped up for clearing.

I joined Tabby (once Matt had positioned the 'ravenous machine') to turn the branches into piles of wood chip.

'Feed me now!'   ♫

Dodging showers, we also managed to clear a section of fence-line from the top of Oak Lane along the 'buttercup meadow' pastures, whilst being provided with a splendid show of two juvenile Buzzards? 

I'd been hearing an unusual bird call over the last couple of weeks, and thought that it could have been a Red Kite (having googled for the sound). However, the only birds that I could see were the Buzzards. 

Has anyone seen a Red Kite nearby recently?

Meanwhile, the woodchip bay has been filling up fast (we regularly receive loads of woodchip from local tree surgeons).

However, we've removed quite a few trailer loads of the chippings to mulch the 'metal guarded' parkland trees.... 

....each tree needs at least 10 bucket loads of woodchip, that is, after it has been cleared of surrounding grass and weeds and the old woodchip raked out. 

A new group of city college volunteers have been introduced to the park. They made a good start by collecting 10 bags of litter, including various areas of undergrowth!

We continued the good work by filling 2 more bags of rubbish along the St Faiths Road fence-line, as well as cutting back the outgrowth of low branches, bramble etc.

If only people would take home their litter 😠

Back in May 2024, Chris and I trimmed the blackthorn hedge running along the drive from the lodge car park.

 

It was now time for another haircut (short top & sides)!

Strangely enough, it was Chris and I in attendance once more.

I love that it opens the view across the park.

Next, was a short trip to Victoria pond for a bit of 'surface skimming'. All too often the pond becomes littered with cans, bottles, wood, pond weed etc. 

Matt loaded up the jeep with all the usual paraphernalia and off we set. An old 'tennis court' net was weighted down and long lengths of rope were tied to either end. This was then stretched across the pond and dragged like a 'trawler net'. We managed to scoop up most of the floating menace. Quite effective!

October 2025. The farmer has arrived! As shown by the photos above.

After yet another litter pick, I accompanied Matt to cut back a section of overgrown branches, bramble and weeds by the back gate of the Hall school, dragging all of the cuttings into the undergrowth to rot down. Matt followed up with the mower for good measure.

 

This has really opened up the path.

A nearby willow was our last target of the day. Not far from another willow which had split its trunk and consequently got chopped up earlier this year. Similarly, the branches had grown outward but were very low to the ground. We dealt with this in similar fashion and opened up the area once more. 

This brings to an end another full and satisfying episode from my volunteers journal. Long may it continue!