Things to look out for in December

We have a few visitors on the campus west lake from late November onwards, The Goosander the Cormorant and harder to spot the Little Egret.  All are rather shy and tend to stick to the middle of the lake or the islands for the first couple of weeks before they start to venture closer to land.  They have a diet of small fish which although it reduces the numbers overall has a positive impact on the lake and helps to improve water quality and the health of the remaining fish.

The Goosander is a medium-sized duck and a member of a group called the 'sawbills' they have long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. They are quite a long, streamlined bird, perfectly shaped for swimming after fish. Goosanders can form flocks of thousands in some parts of Europe.

The male goosander is predominantly white with a dark green head, a black back and a long hooked red beak.

The females are mostly grey bodied with a brown head.

The Cormorant is mostly found around the UK coastline on rocky shores, coastal lagoons and estuaries, but it is increasingly being seen inland at reservoirs and lakes.

Cormorants are a big bird with a wingspan up to 160cm, they are built to catch fish which can bring them into conflict with anglers and they have been persecuted in the past. The UK holds internationally important wintering numbers approximately 41,000 and 9,000 breeding pairs.

The Little Egret is a small white heron with attractive white plumes on its crest, back and chest. It first appeared in the UK in significant numbers in 1989 and first bred in Dorset in 1996.  It can now be seen at numerous south coast sites, both as a breeding species and as a winter visitor and is expanding northwards. It is included on the Amber List as a rare breeding species.

Winter is coming

Key Document

• Estates Snow Clearing and Gritting Policy (Word)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Hes West (pdf)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Hes East (pdf)
• Severe Weather Site Plan - Kings Manor (pdf)
• Snow clearing & gritting policy

Over the winter, between November and March inclusive, the Grounds Section operates a snow clearing and gritting service on University grounds. The operation consists of an early planned-attendance system whereby weather forecasts are checked on a daily basis and a decision is made the previous day as to whether staff need to be at work early to clear and treat roads and paths. The system utilises the Met Office Open Road forecast which is emailed to the Grounds Maintenance Manager and his assistants by 11.00am each day. This is considered to be the most accurate forecast information available. Grounds staff are organised on a rota basis and attend at 6.00am on days when snow clearing or gritting is required. Over the past couple of years the section has taken several additional measures to improve the service it offers:

• Adopted the Open Road weather forecast from the Met Office.
• Engaged outside contractors to treat roads and car parks.
• Increased rock salt storage capacity on campus.
• Invested in more snow clearing and gritting equipment.
• Increased staff and frequency of gritting rota.

Over the 2017/18 winter we had 42 call outs, used 120 tons of salt, in 1,075 person hours


Tips for safe travel around campus

Choose your route around campus to take advantage of a combination of covered walkways and salt treated paths. It would not be possible for the team to ensure that every path to every door is treated, we do try to keep access to all areas open if possible, however it might result in a slightly longer walk than normal. 

Wear the right footwear, this is key in winter conditions and can make all the difference if you are faced with a particularly icy patch of road. Choose shoes that are made of rubber and neoprene composite over plastic and leather soles as they will provide better traction. Avoid shoes with heels too as you are more likely to slip. You can always change into them when you have reached your destination.

Untreated pavements and roads will be extremely slippery so move slowly when getting in and out of cars and up and down stairs. Use handrails for support and try to remove any snow or water from shoes when entering buildings.

Don’t text while walking, this is an obvious one but you would be surprised by how many people do this (at any time of year). If your eyes are on your phone, you might miss an extremely icy patch and slip and fall. It also helps to keep your hands out of your pockets, so if you do slip, there will be more chance at you saving yourself. 

Minimise what you carry, walking on ice is all about balance, so holding lots of bags will change your centre of gravity and will affect the way you walk. If your hands are filled with bags, they’re not free to help you if you do slip and fall.

Lastly plan ahead and give yourself enough time, snow and ice makes everyone more cautious and therefore slower so give yourself extra time when setting off.

There may also be more people on the streets due to disruptions to public transport.