Monitoring of our #peatland restoration sites is required every couple of years, to check if any maintenance is needed, and it was great to see that much of the work at Mullagh Ouyr was hardly visible 😊

Just look at how much this sphagnum has grown 😍 These small clumps of #sphagnum moss were planted by a hardy group of volunteers in November last year and have increased to around six times their size in about eight months! #peatland

To follow on from the previous post, this is what can happen once eroding ditches are 'zipped' shut. Instead of a deep eroding ditch, we have a damp area of hillside with sphagnum moss blooming 😊 These damp areas are important for wildlife, especially during prolonged dry weather.

Why do we need to do restoration work on the hills? This drainage ditch has continued to erode many years after it was dug, leaving it very deep and very hidden - a hazard for livestock and any unsuspecting walkers or runners!

We definitely need more rain 🙏🏻💦 however it is good to see that our work is helping to keep the hills wet. Slowing the flow of water is especially important in prolonged dry weather, but is also important after heavy rain as it can reduce erosion 😊 #peatland

Most of our work is focussed on upland peat sites, so it was a nice change to visit this lowland site this morning. Areas of open water are fringed with aromatic bog myrtle and full of bullrush and water mint. Add the hum of insects and it was a real feast for the senses 😊

A quick visit to this site today showed how much the vegetation has enjoyed the sunshine and showers 😊Restoration work has transformed this site from an eroding #peat pipe to a shallow pool, which looks much nicer and is better for wildlife 🦋🐦

Yesterday we were lucky enough to be joined by fabulous singer songwriter David Gray for a tour of some of the Island's curlew breeding sites. David is a patron of Curlew Action and 'The Curlew' perfectly captures the magic of these birds: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKfy...

Have you ever wondered where our restoration sites are and what we've been doing? Wonder no more! We now have a page on our website showing where we've been working, what we've been doing and why 😊 www.manxpeat.org/sites

Bog beacons brightening up the bog 😍 This #fungus is only found in really wet areas and is scarce 💦 It feeds on rotting leaves, mosses and algae, breaking them into compounds that provide nutrients for other plants 🌿 They have a whitish stem, which is hidden under the water in this photo.

Some lovely finds today while surveying a site 😊 This unassuming hummock of sphagnum moss was home to carnivorous sundews, several orchids and a tiny lesser twayblade 😍 It's amazing what you can find when you look closely! 🌿

Nice to see this fungi growing on an area of bare #peat on Beinn-y-Phott 😀 Not sure what it is though, so if anyone has any ideas please let us know! 🍄

Today is hot hot hot 🥵 Luckily most of our shallow #peatland pools are still wet 💦 which is great news for invertebrates and birds 😊

The weather is looking lovely this weekend, so if you're heading for the hills, or just fancy finding out about #peatland wildlife, have a listen to the Wild Thing podcast from Manx Radio 😊 We've also included a link on our website 👇 www.manxpeat.org/media

Not long now until the hills turn white with fluffy cottongrass seed heads 😍 Cottongrass loves wet, peaty habitats and spreads by seed and by underground rhizomes. It is particularly good for covering areas of bare peat and providing shelter for sphagnum moss to become established 🌿

Thanks to the lovely people who joined us for a guided walk around one of our peatland restoration sites on Wednesday 😍 We discussed #peatlands, their #wildlife, their historical and cultural importance, and were treated to a visit by a male hen harrier 😊 The weather wasn't too bad either😉

The marsh violets are flowering among the Sphagnum moss 🌸😍 These flowers arise from creeping underground runners and typically bloom from April to July. Like us, they love #bogs, #peat and marshy ground 😁 💦

To wear a winter coat or not 🤔 is one of the difficult decisions you might have to make at this time of year 😉 Don't worry, you're not alone! This mountain hare has gone for the 'half on, half off' approach, which seems very sensible given the changing weather and temperatures 😎🥶

It's that time of year when the hills are alive with new growth 😍 This moss, known as 'bog haircap moss', is glowing with capsules held on slender red stems, called 'seta'. Once the capsules mature, they will release their spores to the wind, allowing the moss to disperse 💨🌿

Trapping sediment and water on damaged #peatland has multiple benefits 👍 The slower movement of water creates shallow pools which benefit invertebrates and ground nesting birds 🌿🐦 Peaty sediment is deposited behind the bunds, preventing it from reaching water courses and reservoirs 😊

After some heavy lifting we've started to install wool rolls from Sustainable Rope 🐏 These are 100% wool rolls which we are trialling to see how they work compared with the coir rolls we've used so far🤔 We hope they work well, as it would be great to use local wool to help restore our #peatlands 😀

The misty stillness amplifies the song of the skylarks on Snaefell 🐦🎶 It'll soon be time to finish work for the season and let the birds enjoy all the lovely shallow pools we've created ☺️

Spring is an exciting time on the hills, as we get to see how the vegetation is responding to our work 😀 Last year's beige spikes of bog asphodel will soon be replaced by vibrant yellow flowers 🌸🌿 and cottongrass flowers were spotted on Beinn-y-Phott yesterday 😍 #peatland

The sunny weather has brought the mountain hares out to play 😎 Our #peatland contractor spotted four on his walk to work - they still have their white winter coats, so they're easy to see 🐰 This video is from last spring, but it's worth another watch 😊

The bunds are doing their thing during this wet weather 😀 Bunds can be placed across eroding water channels to slow the flow of water, trap sediment and create shallow pools 💦 We currently use heather bales and coir logs, but are planning to trial wool logs shortly 🐑 Watch this space 👀 #peatland

Ravens (Corvus corax) can often been seen in upland areas and the local Snaefell pair are particularly friendly. They regularly greet contractors with a 'cronk cronk' call, and occasionally engage in 'conversation' with a particular contractor 😊 The #Manx for raven is 'feeagh'.

Even on wet and misty days, the hills are full of colour if you look closely 😍 The lichen Cladonia floerkeana is common on heathland and drier areas of #peat 💚 Sphagnum mosses always add vibrant colour to peatland areas. Occasionally, we find 'gifts' left on sphagnum hummocks from a bird of prey 🦅

We have started growing locally sourced sphagnum moss for our #peatland restoration work 🌿 😀 This follows a small trial at the end of last summer and subsequent advice from Gill at the Calderdale Sphagnum Project 💦 To find out how it grows, watch this space 👀

On a cold and very windy day we were joined by Andy and Ann from www.ffpolymers.com 😊 They are the manufacturers of the low ground pressure digger tracks used for our restoration work, and were keen to see the tracks in action while they were visiting the #IsleOfMan

Despite the recent cold weather, we've been hard at work on Snaefell 🥶 The #diggers have been reprofiling the #peat hags 🌿 and ground workers have been installing coir materials to reduce erosion 💦 It's challenging to get these materials to the site, with much of the movement done by hand 💪