Czech Republic

August 2009 Ždánice

For this placement we stayed in the recently re-opened hotel in Ždánice and ate most of our meals there or in the Musketeer restaurant down the road. Our work involved the continuation of last year’s tasks and also brushcutting the Canadian Golden Rod that threatens to overrun the formerly arable lands in the valley bottom, and the young ash trees that were rapidly turning the fields into woodland. An enormous amount of work was achieved with the help of several Czech students and locals, and a group of 22 employees from the Kooperativ insurance co. doing a day’s volunteering. Huge amounts of Robinia was cut and the logs stacked for the Town Council to sell.

An additional dimension was added this year by the small group of goats which were tethered in the valley during our stay as the beginnings of the grazing scheme which the Town Council hopes to get off the ground. Our group took it in turns to be the goat watchers which involved camping out and cooking under the stars!

Memorable moments include meeting Karel’s bird-ringer friend who had caught a Little Bittern (and many other good species) at the Mutenice Fishponds ; also Karel’s visit to the area known as the Moravian Sahara an area of dunes close to the river Morava; the visit to the very rich grassland reserve of Na Adamcich, particularly interesting as it is thought to have never been forested. Not forgetting the Histopedal festival and knees-up in the rain, and the party with local folk music and dancing and delicious food, held for us by the Mayor in his wine-cellar on the last night.

Reports

Butterfly List