This month carried on where June left off with very mixed weather. The level of the river has been very erratic and the water was heavily coloured at times, with more spate coming down the system.
More work continued cutting and trying to take control of invasive species along the banks of the estuary.We spent a lot of time on the patches of Himalayan Balsam along the riverside beside the footpath at Newburgh, strimmers and a banksman cutter were used to good effect getting the bulk of it cut before it was ready to seed.
On the same topic BBC cameraman Ken Gow was back on the estuary, filming a piece for Landward on Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed with Sam Galbraithe of SNH being interviewed.
Wet day jobs included maintenance work on the cutters, painting and replacing of floorboards on the cobbles. As the season moves on, the tadpoles from round about have grown, and now as small frogs are moving out of the water and into the surrounding undergrowth.
We are seeing a bit more of the kingfisher again and there are a lot of young swallows about. They seem quite happy sitting on the railings at the bothy and letting their parents do all the work bringing in feed to them.
More flowers are appearing at places along the water’s edge, and some of the less common ones to be see are the Martagon Lily, Marsh Mallow and Tubular Water Dropwort.
There is an abundance of fungi this year and the aptly named Stink Horn is living up to its name.
On the good weather days the butterflies have been out making the most of it.
Maybe August will bring the good weather with it.
Dago.
