Stephen Longster, Site Management Officer at Flanders Moss reports - "Spring has finally begun on the Moss, this is one of the best times on the Moss, no longer cut in half by the brisk northerly winds; the plants are growing, insects and lizards on the move. During the weekly visitor checks I took a couple of minutes on my favourite spots on the boardwalk, to see what the regulars were up to. The pond skaters were busy disputing (some times violently) their little patches of aquatic territory, there were recent signs of construction by the potter wasp, adding to her multi storey property and the reed bunting singing away on a stunted birch, clearly in the market for female company.
The summer migrants are returning. The willow warblers are warbling and the cuckoos are erm, cuckooing? Meadow pipits beware, if you end up with one massive offspring that bears an uncanny resemblance to a cuckoo, the chances are, you’ve been had.
The anti social elements are emerging from their all too short winter hibernation, and signs of there seasonal migrations are appearing at Flanders Moss. The telltale tracks of cheap cider cans and buckfast bottles are just one of the indications that a temporary nest site has been established on Flanders Moss.
The summer migrants are returning. The willow warblers are warbling and the cuckoos are erm, cuckooing? Meadow pipits beware, if you end up with one massive offspring that bears an uncanny resemblance to a cuckoo, the chances are, you’ve been had.
The anti social elements are emerging from their all too short winter hibernation, and signs of there seasonal migrations are appearing at Flanders Moss. The telltale tracks of cheap cider cans and buckfast bottles are just one of the indications that a temporary nest site has been established on Flanders Moss.
The sporadic infestations of this life form are also evident from broken information panels and scattered glass. Largely nocturnal beasts, they can be occasionally be observed indulging in display rituals, which seem to involve shouting at each other and throwing bottles. Those of a more artistic nature may have noticed the subtle lines of a boot print where an attempt was made to kick out a glass panel.
It is unfortunate that nature reserves (not just Flanders Moss) can attract the attentions of people who regard such areas as an opportunity to get drunk and break things. Flanders Moss suffers relatively little which in makes it more of a shock when it does happen. Luckily nearly all of the visitors who come to Flanders Moss enjoy the experience and appreciate this 8000 year old habitat. Some take a real pride in the place so many thanks to the visitor who alerted us to the damage and had done quite a lot of the tidying up before I got there. We will have to get a few new bits and bobs such as leaflets dispensers and an information panel so please bear with us until we have them in place. Of course if anyone sees anti-social behaviour at Flandfers the best thing to do is either report it to us or the Police but hopefully this won't be happening enough to spoil other users of the site ."
