Bird Box Successes!

It was a beautiful sunny, cloudless morning for the half term Bird Box Building event. Having had the chance to practice putting a box together with the first visitor, we were then suddenly swamped with people wanting to come and build a bird box.



We had to keep getting out more tables to accommodate everyone, yet there was still barely enough space! At one point it seemed that we might run out of bird box kits as it was so popular. However, we had 5 to spare at the end.

We had not anticipated so many people coming, so it was a good thing that the youth offenders were so productive cutting up the wood for the kits! It was a very successful event, and hopefully there will now be many more happy birds around Marsden with a new home to live in.

Fencing in the Snow

The Oldham Youth Offending Team had their first visit to Marsden Moor, and were able to experience it in it's full winter glory! The task was to repair the fence around White Moss. We did manage to do a fair few repairs, but there will be plenty more to do once the snow was melted.

There were plenty of grouse about to see, and evidence of other wildlife too. Doing fence repairs in the middle of nowhere (and as there was such poor visibility it could have been anywhere) seemed to be not quite what the group were expecting, but it was enjoyable. Definitely better than delivering leaflets, we were told!

Bird Box Bonanza!

Last Saturday the workshop was a busy place, with the Kirklees Youth Offenders busy cutting up wood for bird boxes. The session was spent sawing up numerous planks of wood and making stacks of bird box packs, ready for the half term bird box making session of Friday.

To break up the day, we each made a box, and as the wood had been cut so expertly, each box that was made looked totally fabulous!

Don't miss your chance to put one of these designer packs together between 11am and 2pm this Friday!

Foggy Scenes from Buckstones

Some pictures of views from Buckstones, looking down towards Marsden with the cloud in the valley, on the first Thursday of February.

It was very foggy with poor visibility in Marsden, but once we go out it was a much nicer day and we could see these lovely views.

The pictures look across March Haigh reservoir and across to Pule Hill.

Cotton Grass in the Cold

The Kirklees Youth Offending Team were out again on Saturday, planting the last of the cotton grass plugs on murky Buckstones. Another chilly day, and most of the gullies were still full to the top with snow.

The clouds did eventually clear, and it turned into a rather nice day. With the last of the cotton grass in the ground, the bare patches on Buckstones now look rather more healthy.

Another enjoyable day on the moors!

The White Moors of Marsden

Here are a few pictures to show what parts of the Wessenden Valley looked like covered in Snow. It was incredibly deep, and very hard to walk through, but there were some very impressive sights.

Fixed Point Photography

On a cold Saturday in December, a group of young people from the Kirklees Youth Offending Team came out on to Buckstones to do some fixed point photography. Splitting into 2 groups, we walked about the moors in the partial sunshine taking photos from particular spots.

These photos all help to make up a portfolio of images of the same spots so that we can monitor how the moors are changing, and particularly on Buckstones, so that we can see how quickly plants are starting to grow again after the fire a couple of years ago.

After stopping for a breezy lunch, we then went off looking for potential spots for gully blocking, following our noses that were following the GPS.After a few windy hours on the moors, we then headed back to Marsden.

Insect Homes For Sale!

Do you want to encourage more wildlife into your garden? If so, then we have just what you need.

We have luxury bird tables, hedgehog hotels and insect homes for sale, all handmade by Marsden Moor volunteers.

Bird tables cost £40, Hedgehog hotels cost £15 and Insect homes cost just £7, as pictured.

If you would like to purchase any of these, please contact the estate office to place your order on 01484 847016.

Flagging in the Snow

On the last Saturday in November, the weekend work party volunteers arrived in Marsden and found it looking very wintry. Snow was falling and the ground was white. A lovely day to be on the moors!

The work was doing more flag laying on the old Pennine Way and despite the path being nearly finished, there was still more than a mile walk to start our labouring. Once at the area of path we were working on, it took just one flag to be placed for everyone to be looking very dirty.

The snow stopped falling on us and we continued working hard to attempt to stay warm enough, only stopping for a cup of tea or pork pie for extra energy. By the end of the day, we had finished the section, and we trudged back to the vehicles looking like we had done a hard days' work.

Deerhill and Blackmoorfoot Walk

After 2 days of torrential rain, we all set off wrapped up to the hilt fearing the worst! However the sun was soon out and remained out for most of the 9.5 mile circular walk from Marsden around Deer Hill and Blackmoorfoot Reservoir and back through Linthwaite and Slaithwaite back along the canal to Marsden.

Andrew set a good pace and we completed the walk in 4.5 hrs with a lunch stop. Fantastic views all the way round with sunny blue skies and a stunning rainbow stretching across the valley.

A little muddy in parts, after a few hysterical screams and screeches we managed to pull ourselves out and keep the pace up. Passing through some lovely farm areas there was lots to see including young highland cattle, donkies, horses and lots of cows looking slightly bemused at our antics in the mud!

All in all a lovely day out enjoyed by all and certainly a walk I’ll being doing again!

Emma Murray.