{"id":4572,"date":"2019-10-28T09:21:43","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T09:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/?p=4572"},"modified":"2019-10-28T09:21:44","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T09:21:44","slug":"southcote-22-september-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rdnhs.org.uk\/blog\/southcote-22-september-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Southcote – 22 September 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Despite a forecast of heavy rain,\n12 members turned up on the morning of Sunday 22 September for a walk round\nSouthcote Meadows with Adrian Lawson and his young dog Luna. The walk started\nout south-westwards along a track which led through woodland to a bridge under\nthe Reading to Newbury railway line. Pink Himalayan Balsam and Orange Balsam\nwere in flower beside the track, while Green Spleenwort, Rustyback and\nHart\u2019s-tongue Ferns were all growing in the brickwork of the bridge. Looking\nover the meadow across the Holy Brook, a young Buzzard was perched on a cable\nand a Green Woodpecker was on a post beyond. The walk continued eastwards along\nthe bank of the Holy Brook, where there had been some recent tree-felling work.\nOn the other side of the channel, a large limb had split almost completely from\na big Crack Willow. After crossing the Holy Brook, the route led southwards\nacross a wet meadow towards Southcote Mill. The meadow was dotted with\nscattered Hawthorns, Buckthorns and willows. The track was built up higher than\nthe field, forming a barrier to drainage, so that the meadow was wetter on the\nupstream side than on the downstream side. Adrian explained that conservation\nvolunteers would be working on an almost dried out pond next to the track. They\nwould be clearing Bulrush plants from the middle of the pond and cutting back\nwillows from the edges. The walk continued to Southcote Mill, over the narrow Milkmaid\u2019s\nBridge across the mill stream, over the bridge across the Kennet and on\nupstream beside a side channel. Blue Water-forget-me-not was in flower at the\nwater\u2019s edge and a young Toad was spotted beside the path. Overhead, the sky\ndarkened. Adrian pointed out the mixed flock of House Martins and Sand Martins\nwhich was hunting in front of the approaching weather front. Next to the path\nwas an area of dense woodland which marked the site of a former gravel pit. It\nhad been filled with inert material and restored to meadow, but a dense growth\nof Alder had rapidly taken over. The path led through the wood to an open\nmeadow area next to the Reading to Southampton railway line. This was another\ngravel pit which had been restored to meadow and sown with a wildflower\nmixture. Many Ash seedlings were growing up through the grass. The field is cut\nannually to control woody growth, but the cuttings are left behind, vigorous grasses\nare taking over and the flowers are being overwhelmed. Common Fleabane and Common\nRagwort were still in flower and there were seed heads on the Teasels. The\nexplosive call of a Cetti\u2019s Warbler was heard and another Buzzard was perching\non an overhead wire.  The rain set in in\nearnest, and by common consent, everyone headed back to the cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n