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News Archive 2011

Nest Boxes (2011)

The 2011 nest box clearance was carried out by John, Sue,
Jean and Malcolm on 7th and 9th December. Along Emmbrook Walk, 11 out of
12 boxes had been used, mainly by Tits but there was also evidence of
Wren occupation and probably a Grey wagtail (one egg to be identified).
Along Riverside Walk, 7 had been used, 5 unused (plus one still occupied
by our resident mouse, who had now been caught on camera ! ). Again,
Tits were the predominant users, while one Owl box had been occupied as
well as one of the 4 special-to-type Tree-creeper boxes. Evidence added
up to 72% occupancy overall.

09/11/11

EA CLEARS THE BROOK

Following the heavy rain overnight on Friday 04/11/11 a
large amount of debris gathered on a discarded Morrissons shopping
trolley upstream of Ripple Stream Bridge. This debris consisted of
several large logs and has subsequently been removed from the brook by
the Environment Agency (EA). Any blockages or pollution incidents should
be reported to the EA on 0800 807 060

02/10/11

ROYALTY VISITS THE EMM BROOK

This De Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth II
Registration G-AN FM flew over Area 5
today. This Tiger Moth featured in the film The
Kings Speech with Colin Firth.

ARSON ATTACK ON OAK TREE

An old Oak tree near Dragonfly Bridge to the rear of
Morrissons was recently the victim of an arson attack. The tree appears
to have survived so far and although it is hollow (not unusual for an
oak of this age) Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) would like to keep the
tree whilst it remains viable and safe to park users. To this end we
intend to attempt to cover the cavity entrance with a permeable mesh, in
a bid to prevent another attempt to set fire to debris which would
otherwise be placed inside the tree. WBC will continue to monitor the
oak for the usual life-signs in a phased and timed manner. This oak is
mentioned on the Wokingham District Vetran Tree Association database.
More information can be found by clicking on this link WDVTA The tree number
to be enteredi nto the database is 254

21/08/11

BROOK CLEARANCE

Following the storms on Thursday 18th August 2011 a quick
visual inspection of the Brook revealed several areas where detritus had
gathered on obstructions in Riverside Walk. It was decided to don the
waders and remove the offending blockages. This was completed on Sunday
21st.

06/07/11

IT’S ALL HAPPENING

On Wed 6th July Jean Vaughan and Sue Farrington (Chair and
Vice Chair of Friends of the Emm Brook) visited the Cala Development
site (Emm Court) in Ashville Way off Molly Millar’s Lane, Wokingham, to
see how work was progressing. We met with Jon Channon, the Project
Manager, who gave us an excellent overview with detailed maps of the
work going on to de-culvert the Emm and landscape the banks and
surrounding area. This included suggested planting of native species
along the banks, three ‘ponds’ (quite small) along the course to
alleviate flood water and some very impressive bank strengthening to
minimise flood damage. We were given an overview of the site from a
platform near the office and then walked part of the area where work is
going on (helpfully during the morning break so we weren’t a liability
to the earth moving teams!). Huge amounts of earth, concrete and debris
are being shifted with the Emm still invisible in its culvert. Once the
banks are stabilised the culvert will be removed and the area
landscaped. One section of culvert near Ashville Way will remain but
hopefully that and the section under the road will not prove a barrier
to wildlife. It is very exciting to see all this happening; to know that
Japanese knotweed at the east end has been removed, that such an
expensive project is underway, that our wish-list from 2005 is being
realised and our little Brook will be such a feature of this whole
housing development. We look forward to the moment when the Emm
resurfaces from its subterranean sojourn. Thank you, Cala.

17/05/11

More bridge naming along the Brook

2 more bridges have now been named along the Emm in Area's
4 & 5 (Riverside Walk ). This was a joint venture between FOTEB and
the Woodcraft Folk

The bridge names, Kingfisher & Ripple Stream
were chosen by the Woodcraft Folk. The official opening/naming
ceremony took place on Tuesday 17th May.

30/03/11

A new Bumblebee species for FOTEB

The Tree Bee Bombus hypnorum has been found in Area 5. Click on the
link for more detailsTree
Bee