Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2015 / January 2016 | Page 77

COUNTRY LIFE

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Time to spare?

n the New Year we will be kicking off
some of our river projects. In particular
we are looking for volunteers to take
photographs of our beautiful rivers. In
addition the Footprint Trust are recruiting

Pond Wardens. Details of both projects
are on the Island Rivers website at www.
islandrivers.org.uk/love-your-river/getinvolved/

A countryman's diary
S

ome of you may have watched
Autumn Watch with Chris Packham,
to see that, the dormouse bridge
we erected at Briddlesford was an
immediate success, with not only
dormice but also red squirrels using it
to cross. We have now taken the bridge
down and stored it over winter, ready
to be re-erected in the spring when
the dormice will once again be moving
around looking for new breeding sites.
Autumn appeared to merge into
winter seamlessly this year and we
were once again treated to some
wonderful autumn colour. Field
maple and dogwood, especially
when together in a hedge never fail
to impress along with spindleberry
with its bright red leaves and colourful
orange and pink seed heads, always
give me inspiration just before our
planting season kicks off, which I
am pleased to say it has! With new
countryside hedges and a small hazel
copse already in the ground, it is a good
feeling to have, before Christmas and

The Red
Squirrel Trail
By Gift to Nature

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before we get to work in the woods,
felling and coppicing. Coupes have
already been marked in readiness for
our arrival, and although I wouldn’t
normally admit to writing a wish list
to Father Christmas, top of my list this
December will be, dry, cold weather.
When cutting we soon warm up and
just for a change it would be nice not
to spend each day squelching through
cold sticky mud…please Santa.

ooking for a new way to burn off
some Christmas dinner? Over the
summer we have had the pleasure
of working on a way to promote the
Red Squirrel Trail, a 23 mile cycling (and
if you like, walking) journey that takes
you through the heart of our beautiful
countryside. The route is named the
Red Squirrel Trail in celebration of one
of the Isle of Wight’s most iconic species,
the native Red Squirrel.
But squirrels aren’t all you’ll spot, the
route is teaming with wildlife and we
think getting on your bike is one of the
best