May, how I love May when our senses are flooded with wondrous sights and sounds of the natural world.  The bluebells enchant us once again, interspersed with greater stitchwort their magical carpet stretches far and wide. Common blue butterflies are on the wing and can be spotted in the open areas of the wood, and the opera of birdsong is reaching a crescendo.

I took my parents on our annual pilgrimage to see Finemere Wood’s bluebells. As we sat quietly together, soaking up the tranquil beauty, a movement caught my eye upon the trunk of a standing dead tree, a treecreeper (Certhia familiaris).

Mottled brown, with white underparts, and a white stripe above the eye, this tiny bird will freeze if disturbed, rendering it difficult to spot, its camouflaged plumage mimicking that of the bark of a tree.

The treecreeper, supported by its long rigid tail, scurries vertically up trees, often spiralling around the trunk. When it reaches the top, it will fly back down to the bottom of another tree and start the process again. Its long, sharp beak is curved downwards at the end allowing it to pick out insects from crevices in the tree.

Its nest will be tucked into cracks behind loose bark. Certhia familiaris has a very small territory, often just one tree. We watched as it disappeared into a deep fissure, and thus the value of a standing dead tree is exemplified.

Over the winter, a large area of hazel was coppiced, underneath the canopy of oak trees. Normally, a number of the larger oak trees would be removed to allow plenty of light to hit the ground. But this is an important area of the wood for bats, and these oak trees provide many a valuable roosting site. Hence they will be left standing.

This area must be fenced to protect the new growth from the voracious appetites of deer, and so a new challenge is set for the volunteers. There is no need for fence posts this time. Rope can be tied between trees, and deer netting can be hung from this, secured to the ground with logs and stakes.

And so my requests for the day were knot-tiers, stake makers, log lifters, and the ability to think laterally. Heated debates and opposing opinions gradually abated as a plan was formulated and each volunteer found their niche.

I never imagined such a fencing task could be completed in a day, but once the wheels were set in motion, the volunteers were off and would not stop until it was done. Admittedly, I did feed them cake, fulfilling the request for a hybrid bake: ginger cake with lemon drizzle icing.

The ingenuity of the volunteers is second to none, the hybrid cake an inspired idea, and the fence a work of art.

More than 1,700 volunteers help us towards our vision of more nature everywhere, on our nature reserves, at our visitor and education centres, in our offices and more.

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