Dean Green Team

Wildlife Conservation Group in the

Forest of Dean

Gloucestershire

14 October 2008

The team are having a morning break and listening to the bellows of the rutting stags.

Crabtree Hill FC/GWT Reserve

Grid Ref SO626128

Crabtree Hill was our focus this week and we removed gorse, birch and laurel along various stretches beside the tarmac lane in the middle of the enclosure. There was a drive through the forest along the tracks for about a mile and, during the drive in to the site, numerous deer were spotted leaping across the track. As it is the rutting season for the stags, the deer are much livelier than usual and we could hear the stags calling all day.

This bird's nest was found in a gorse bush we were cutting and we think it is a Robin's nest. The egg must have been unfertilised and it is surprising that nothing had eaten it!