At work planting

Thanks to Ana Melendez for these photos

Siting of nestboxes

On a somewhat chilly Thursday morning a group of intrepid volunteers ably assisted by the staff of Parque La Mata set out to site the nestboxes which had been restored over the preceding few months by other members of the volunteers.

First there was a preliminary talk by Justo explaining how the aim of the project is to encourage Carbonero común (Parus major, Great tit), a natural predator of the procesionario caterpillar, to nest among the pine trees in the Parque and then we set off into the Parque.

With the aid of members of the Parque work force to clear any obstructing branches from the selected sites, all twelve nest boxes were successfully sited. The position of each box was recorded using GPS.

Over the breeding season the volunteers will monitor the nestboxes for signs of nesting activity.

More photos are available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Lagunas-de-Torrevieja-y-La-MataVoluntarios-368312283377134/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED)

Stephen

The Day of the Wetlands

As a celebration of the Day of the Wetlands a guided walk in  the Parque Natural of La Mata attracted a group of 40 people, which included 5 of the Volunteers of La Mata, and several children.  We set off along the official route and the guide explained to us what the signs on the side of the path indicate.  We are asked to stay on the official route, not to pick the plants, and above all to keep dogs on leads as there are nesting birds on the ground at present.

The lake water is particularly high at present due to the exceptional rain which has fallen recently and it is hoped the nesting birds were able to move further up the banks and not be washed away.

We saw how new vines are propagated by using a cutting from an old vine which is then dug deep into a hole so as to put out new roots.  At one time all the land from the Park down to the sea was vines until buildings took over.

Our guide explained the different plants and birds and at the end of the walk we had all learned things we had not previously realized.   A most interesting morning in spite of the fierce wind and one we all enjoyed.

Jenny Dodd, Press Secretary

Nesting boxes

An important event was held on the 9th of February when new nest boxes were installed in trees in the Natural Park of La Mata.  These nest boxes are intended to encourage the Great Tit to nest and breed in the future.  These little birds like to eat the grubs of processionary caterpillars which are such a danger to animals and humans alike.  This year they have started moving early and their nests can be seen in the pine trees. They look like a loose ball of cotton wool. When they come down from the trees they line up nose to tail and process, hence the name.  A small group of the Volunteers of La Mata has been busy renovating old nest boxes and making new ones which were ready to be installed.  A crowd of 14 of the volunteers followed the Park employees into the woods where the nest boxes had to be hung in a specific way.  First of all they had to be quite high up.  Secondly surrounding branches had to be cut away so that rats cannot get into the nest boxes.  To further stop rats gnawing away the wood round the small opening where the birds will enter, a metal plate has been fixed.

The Volunteers will have the task of monitoring the success of this project and GPS positions have been noted so as to locate them all.  A most successful project; now we await the birds.

Thanks to Jenny Dodd for the article and photos