We'd not been to Dunham for a while but it's always a popular venue, and sure enough a baker's dozen turned out from MNTV, joining forces with Merseyside and Chester volunteers to make a 23-strong army to tackle Himalayan Balsam in the woods to the north of the main park.
The deer were out in force in front of the house on a gloriously sunny and hot day with temperatures in the mid- 20s. Thankfully the woods gave us some shade to work under.
The balsam was easy to pull, but was growing among nettles in many places, so stings aplenty were incurred along the way.
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| With balsam |
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| Without balsam |
Cake aplenty was also incurred, as Lisa's brownies and shortbread (shop-bought this week due to her oven having exploded!) were supplemented by others that Adrian bought, plus two lemon drizzle cakes provided by ranger Natalie and Anne Yates MBE.
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| Five tiny chicks we uncovered |
As the afternoon wore on, the day was ended 15 mins early when we suddenly came across a nest in the middle of the patch we were clearing, with five newborn chicks that promptly starting begging to be fed! We piled up some cut balsam to replace the cover that we had just cut down, and left the chicks in peace before enjoying very close views of the deer on our return through the park.
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| Deer in the park |
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| Happy people |
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