Volunteer Updates
This page has the latest news of the work carried out on our Reserves by local volunteers
Our fantastic volunteers are busy over the summer doing practical conservation tasks on our wildlife reserves. Tasks include tree tube maintenance, tree nursery construction, species surveys, invasive species removal, litter picking and numerous other essential tasks that keep our wildlife reserves looking great, which is to the benefit of both the wildlife within and our visitors who enjoy them.
Get in touch if you would like to help, we have weekly and monthly options.
Contact for more information of the weekly & monthly volunteer groups :
Harry Richards
Ayrshire Community Engagement Officer
Scottish Wildlife Trust
t: 01294 279376
m: 07785 468 601
Unit 6 Kyle Business Park Cunninghame Road Irvine Ayrshire KA12 8JJ
Scottish Wildlife Trust Ayrshire Weekend Volunteers
2019 Programme
January – Sourlie Wood: Put up bird and bat boxes.
February – Shewalton Wood: Weed and clear hedge tree tubes.
March - Garnock Floods: Aspen tree maintenance; willow pruning and planting.
April – Lawthorn Wood/Sourlie Woods: General survey and checking of bird boxes.
May – Shewalton Wood: Removal of redundant fencing.
June – Garnock Floods: Coppice willow, litter sweep and clearing Himalayan balsam.
July – Feoch Meadows: Wildlife monitoring and access route inspection.
August – Dalmellington Moss: Vegetation survey.
September – Ayr Gorge: Survey clearings for native saplings. Cut sapling beech and sycamore.
October – Oldhall Ponds: Sow native bluebells. Plant willows for pollinators.
November – Shewalton Wood: Plant trees in new burn meander.
The following are examples of our Volunteers work throughout the Reserves.
Our Volunteer groups have been busy with various tasks on our local reserves including invasive species removal, tree nursery construction, bird-box construction and some Nectar Network project days in Troon.
Please get in touch if you would like to join our volunteer teams, we have both weekly and monthly options.
June Joiners !
On Sunday the 4th of June, these clever volunteers made an exceptional job making 12 Bird Boxes.
These boxes will be put up in Oldhall Ponds at the end of August
Thanks to Finlay Dowell, local volunteer for update and photo
Into March and it's trees, trees and more trees
Over the past 3 weeks the weekly volunteers have planted 660 trees
and the monthly volunteers 330 in Shewalton Woods.
(this is in addition to the 200 planted in the felled area already noted on website).
These trees were planted adjacent to the 500 planted for Tree Week in December 2016.
Thanks to Finlay Dowell, local volunteer for update and photo
February Wednesday Weekday Volunteer Update
Our Wednesday Weekday Volunteers have emptied our old tree nursery and planted over 200 trees in an area of clear-fell in Shewalton Wood.
It is hoped this mixed broadleaf woodland will flourish and provide a natural habitat for wildlife. Species planted include Oak, Cherry, Hawthorn and Aspen. This will be supplemented with Willow cut from nearby Willow stands.
We have also sown Oak, Birch and Alder seed in the new wood.
We have also extended our Willow hedge and our Willow tunnel at Oldhall Ponds. This will allow visitors to view the birds on the pond, species seen recently include Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Teal, Grey Heron and Tufted Duck.
At Gailes Marsh, work has started on our new tree nursery. Straining corner posts made from old telegraph poles have been dug in to a depth of 4 feet. The next stage is attaching the wire along with the intermediate fence posts. This will provide a secure compound for the raised beds, safe from browsing deer.
January 2017
Volunteers spent the day planting willow from cuttings at Garnock Floods on Sunday .
The idea is to create a "barrier" between the reserve and the riverside path
to minimise disturbance to the birds in the central part of the reserve from walkers on the path.
Willow cuttings are readily available from various SWT Irvine reserves
and are easy to plant and will readily root by themselves from cuttings.
They will also grow quite quickly especially in wetter areas.
The photo below shows the result of some willow planting carried out a few years ago by volunteers.
Thanks to Finlay Dowell for submitting Photo and Update
