Page 23 - br-jan-2020

January 2020 January 2020

helping to conserve the best of what is already present along the riverside
walkway and is intended to make the area even more wildlife friendly.
Other upcoming work parties will be on the first Saturdays of February, March and
April – same place, same time.

Souls Moor Pond

There is always some left over chicken/turkey after Christmas. Not One of our working party tasks for 2020 will be fencing off part of the pond at
everyone likes a hot curry but this is very tasty and mild. I've served it to Souls Moor. The pond was dug for two reasons. One – to provide the ponies with a
friends not keen on curry and they have loved it as do children. constant source of water; Two – to establish a new wildlife habitat as the still water
of a pond is beneficial for plants and amphibians that cannot survive in the

moving waters of the river. The pond has been a success on both counts.
1lb 4oz cooked chicken/turkey However, the surrounds to the whole pond are being trampled by the ponies,
chopped
which means that marginal plants are having difficulty in establishing. To
1 tbsp oil overcome the problem we intend to fence off part of the pond and its
immediate margin to prevent trampling by the ponies when they return in the
1 onion chopped summer. Easy access will still be available to much of the pond to allow the
ponies to drink.
1 tbsp curry powder

1/4pt chicken stock
Starling Murmaration
1tsp tomato puree
You may well have seen
1/2 juice of a lemon reports and pictures on
Facebook about the starling
2 tbsp fruit chutney (I use mango)
murmaration at the Souls
1/2 pt Hellmans mayonnaise Moor end of the Watercress
Beds. Indeed, you may have
3 tbsp single cream or natural yogurt. seen it for yourself. If not, go
down and have a look. The

best viewing time at this time
Method of year is between 3.30 and
4pm – stand by the gate to
1. Heat the oil and fry the until soft and golden Souls Moor and look towards
the bamboo thicket at the
2. Stir in curry powder and cook for 2 mins
end of the watercress beds.
3. Stir in stock, tomato puree, lemon juice, chutney. Murmarations occur over the winter months and are an amazing sight. Some are
on a massive scale with many thousands of birds. Ours is rather more modest, but
4. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5mins
still incredibly impressive. It's basically a mass aerial display with the starlings
5. Allow to cool then stir in mayonnaise and cream or yogurt swooping and diving in unison forming constantly shifting clouds of birds (see
picture below). It is thought that starlings do it for many reasons. Grouping
6. Stir in cooked chopped meat and serve together offers safety in numbers – predators find it hard to target one bird in the
middle of a large moving flock. The birds also gather to keep warm at night and
This can be served in a jacket potato or with nan bread/ salad and rice.
to exchange information, such as good feeding areas. The birds gather over their
roosting site, and perform their wheeling stunts before they roost for the night.

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