Things are coming together

A group from Aylmerton Field Study Centre using Sustead Common to learn about nature

Yesterday morning our group of loyal volunteers did a great job in preparing Spurrell's Wood for the Open Day on Sunday. Before finishing up we walked along the extended Roadside Nature Reserve to look at the recently rediscovered colony of Common Spotted Orchid, which have sprung-up since we did some management work on the grass verge last autumn. In the afternoon we met with colleagues from Norfolk Wildlife Trust to discuss how we might work together on their HLF funded project 'Wildlife in Common', with an overall objective for us of achieving County Wildlife Site status for the Common. This morning I met with our team of habitat management advisors to put together a strategic plan for managing the willows in the woods, with sustainability and biodiversity at the centre of our thinking. This afternoon, whilst doing a bit of path strimming I bumped into Mary, one of our expert species surveyors - she'd just added another dozen to the growing plant list for Spurrell's Wood. As I walked around the Common, enjoying the sunshine and the buzz of insects, I came across Mark and his instructors with a group of youngsters from Aylmerton Field Study Centre, busy learning about the countryside and it's wildlife. They were just on their way to our bird-hide / 'outdoor classroom', to watch the birds busy on the feeders. It does feel like this project is really beginning to come together! Well-done AFSC for introducing the next generation to the wonders of nature - who knows they may be sparking an interest in the young mind of the next David Attenborough. Fantastic!