Christmas and the New Year celebrations are now a distant memory, except perhaps that little extra around the tummy, well me anyway!

That is not true though for a group of local volunteers who turned up on Sunday January 4^th. Thirteen people from Elstead, Thursley and further a field braved the chill weather and gave up a valuable day of their weekend to help with some conservation scrub management. We spent the day cutting some of the old fire damaged gorse sticks from behind Thursley village, this was also burned up on a very welcome and very hot bonfire (as a point of interest, gorse wood produces the hottest burn of any of the UK's trees or scrub in terms of calorific values). So my thanks go to those who helped.

The work of removing the dead gorse stems has many beneficial effects.  Initially, it means I can get at the encroaching bracken to spray it off, it also clears the way for ground nesting birds such as the wood lark, and in terms of aesthetics the site looks well managed and also opens up the spectacular views to the Hogs Back, Crooksbury hill and the rest of Thursley Common, just close your eyes and imagine this view in summer with the beautiful purple haze of the flowering heather.

Out on the reserve now, as we enter February listen out for the returning Curlews, as they spend spring and early summer with us to breed. Indeed we are truly privileged, for this is the only site in Surrey to have breeding Curley, and we usually have 2 pairs, that's something to be proud of.

Just before the Christmas break we had some interesting works taking place on the reserve. Two different organisations have been turf cutting. One a golf course and the highways agency. Both of them needed heather turfs for heathland creation areas, and we were happy for them to take the cut turfs as it gives us some bare exposed sandy patches. These provide a very important habitat for certain insects, who need the firm sand to dig nesting burrows, such as the Aculeates I mentioned in the last article I wrote. These are better than the exposed sandy tracks as the receive no disturbance from foot,  horse or vehicle movements, therefore the nest holes aren't destroyed.

Off the reserve the good folk of Thursley and Elstead villages can do their bit for wildlife during the cold months. Bird feeders are of particular importance this time of year to see them through tough times, but often over looked is the provision of fresh drinking water, with the bitterly cold weather of January, and maybe this month, much of the normal drinking and indeed bathing areas have been frozen solid, so a dish of water replenished each cold day is very welcome to them.

Finally. To those who missed the fantastic volunteer day, and to those who helped, I am organising another day on the reserve, Sunday 1^st March. Hopefully should be more than a touch warmer, but you never know with March?  Please see page 13 for more details.

As ever if you want more information or would like to volunteer your time in helping us, don't hesitate to contact us at the office, or grab me when I am on site, always enjoy a chat.

Cheers.

Olive May McKerlie of Foxwood, Hookly Lane died in the Royal Surrey County Hospital on the 18^th of December 2008.

The funeral took place on the 29^th of December 2008