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Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Before and after renovations

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Sunday saw the park full of bike of every size age and type from penny farthings to modern bikes, Dr bike was there doing free repairs for all bikes

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After over 5 years and 7 million pounds of renovation parts of the park are still a tip. Its been that long people wont remember what it used to be like above is Coronation Walk today un kept and full of weeds and no water fall. Below is how nice it used to look before they started renovating it which is better? The park is being destroyed and made worse than ever

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Monday, September 15, 2014

Wildlife habitat destroyed by the ANTS

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A new ram has gone in on the island at the bottom of the lake so the moorhen's can get on to the island with their young. For  along time they nest by the little bridge in the bamboo along with rabbits but this has all been destroyed by the ANTS cleaning it up. Its in borders so cant go far and it doesnt grow to big but they saw fit to totally destroy it. in the same area there are 10 self seeded trees that want pulling out and the borders with bushes are full of weeds but they have left them. The whole problem is people come into the park think they are doing good but in fact they are destroying it. They removed very old plants form the lodge garden that were rare totally wiping them out. The groups in the park dont have a master plan to work to and just step on others toes due to lack of communication.  The ANTS put up bird boxes many in the wrong place facing the wrong way as they dont know what birds go into which area they dont know what box to put were and put them facing to wrong way the chicks can get to hot if in direct sunlight.

Would you take your car to a garage that let untrained volunteers repair it no you wouldnt as they could wreck the car in the same way these people know very little about gardening and wildlife and just destroy everything. What is needed is groups to work together and to get trained supervision of these events. In the same way the wildlife group are feeding the swans in the wrong way and they could suffer as they are now to use to humans and when they leave they may well suffer as they seek out humans all of which arnt nice people  

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Monday, September 8, 2014

Autumn is on its way

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One of the first trees to change with the onset of Autumn is this one in the park and its started changing colour and dropping leave so its on its way you do get some nice colours over the next few week as the trees change

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Two new power box have gone in this week by the lake ready for the new aeration scheme to  pump oxygen into the water as the fish were dying due to lake of oxygen they will float on the surface and be like mini fountains and have to be anchored down or the spin out of control. This should have been done as part of the restoration but wasnt done

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A few Robins are collecting in the park just like Xmas. The cygnet no3 has been returned this week from the RSPCA after it had the fishing line in its mouth. The swans are now learning to flap their wings and normally the parents will chase them off but as dad is alone its more likely they will stay and dad will go and find a new mate return and then drive them off

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Monday, September 1, 2014

More Cygnets hooked in fishing line

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Last week saw 2 cygnets and a duck caught in fishing line the picture above show what came from one cygnets mouth and the duck is now in Stapley. So despite everyone best efforts this is not working. The problem is that people are going down all day feeding the swans which is good but its how you feed them that is causing the problems. They are now so tame they eat out of anyone's hand and this how they are being fed. People are doing this out of ignorance and think its very good but swans are wild life not pets. As they are so used to humans they think this is how they get food so they see fishermen and head over for food and as a result get caught in line. No Canada gees have been hooked as they are not hand fed.

This presents another problem its ok for the duck, squirrels etc to get very used to humans as they often stay in the park for life  but swans the father will sooner or later drive them away and they will leave and find new homes but believing food will come from humans so they will go to any one and of coarse some people arnt nice and may catch them for dinner or get hooked in more fishing line.

The problem is the hand feeding this must now stop they can be fed from the bridge or have food placed on the ground for them but humans must back off so they find food by natural foraging if this doesn't happen they will leave and be unable to survive in the wild. Problem is people now wont see that and they will eventually suffer as a result. All wildlife sanctuaries try to keep human contact to the minimum if creature are to return to the wild

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above the power supply for the lake aeration is now in and this will bring more oxygen to the lake for fish wildlife etc  as fish have been dying due to lack of oxygen it was part of the original plan along with plants to help but never got done