Inlet and Finch pond (east) filled in. Landscaping starts? 22nd Sept 2019

First a plug for the Moor Green Lakes open day, on Sunday 29th Sept i.e. next week. There will be guided tours around parts of the reserve not normally open to the public. I might be leading some of the tours (depending on how many volunteers and visitors we get), but should be manning Colebrook hide and the 'new workings' (aka Manor farm) during the afternoon.

Yesterday's mammal walk/talk went well, and I managed not to throw any naughty children into Colebrook lake; though one precocious tyke (not used to sharing) did deserve it. More details (including short video clips) to be found here https://www.facebook.com/pg/MoorGreenLakes/community/?ref=page_internal

Returning to our scheduled report: Once again, on my Wednesday walk, all that was apparent on Manor farm were piles of spoil and lorries trundling to and from dropping them. Our bulldozer was working away on Chandlers farm.  On my return from MGL, the bulldozer was busily at work on to the north of the copse.  Seems a sensible strategy to me, if indeed this is the modus operandi: the bulldozer works on Chandlers farm while the small number of lorries available build up the spoil on Manor farm; when there is sufficient spoil to work on, the bulldozer returns to Manor farm.

Much progress has been accomplished this week. Finch pond, for all intents and purposes, is gone; completely filled in.  The structure I called the 'inlet' (a narrow strip of water running parallel to the ridge) is almost completely filled in. I would expect the tiny remaining remnant to be filled in this coming week: though Inert have caught me out before by flitting over to another part of the site.

In addition to filling in the 'inlet' our bulldozer driver appears to have worked all over Manor farm, smoothing and grading the surface.  Piles of spoil have been dropped near the north embankment. I am going to stick my neck out and say this stuff is going to be used to build up and contour the land to the required finish level - some 5' (1.5m) in places.

I couldn't be entirely sure (I paid a quick visit on Friday evening, as I was helping with the mammal walk/talk on Saturday morning) but further infill has occurred along the gravel bank which separates Cormorant lakes north and south.

For those interested. The Black-winged Stilt is still hanging around East Fen (aka Manor lake north) on Manor farm. Plenty of bird watchers in attendance.  Quite a few other species on offer e.g. Ruff, Green and Common Sandpiper, Sparrow hawk, numerous Lapwing etc, etc, etc.

First an updated infill map. Although the change from last week's map looks miniscule, an awful amount of work has been done. The depth of infill is over six feet (1.8'), which is a substantial amount of stuff to cart around.