Sarah Hickey
@sarahehickey.bsky.social
Love all things peat, mountains, sea swimming, surfing, mum of twins. Peatland and upland carbon officer IOM government, views my own 😊
A spot of night fishing last night at Peel #isleofman 😊
November 13, 2025 at 8:07 AM
A spot of night fishing last night at Peel #isleofman 😊
Looking 👀for advice on #peat pipes🙏
Pipe flow approx. 1.5m below surface, several roof collapses, one large (see photo). The source of water is from a fairly steep slope.
Is there anything that can be done to reduce erosion and bring the water to the surface? Any ideas greatly appreciated 😊
Pipe flow approx. 1.5m below surface, several roof collapses, one large (see photo). The source of water is from a fairly steep slope.
Is there anything that can be done to reduce erosion and bring the water to the surface? Any ideas greatly appreciated 😊
November 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Looking 👀for advice on #peat pipes🙏
Pipe flow approx. 1.5m below surface, several roof collapses, one large (see photo). The source of water is from a fairly steep slope.
Is there anything that can be done to reduce erosion and bring the water to the surface? Any ideas greatly appreciated 😊
Pipe flow approx. 1.5m below surface, several roof collapses, one large (see photo). The source of water is from a fairly steep slope.
Is there anything that can be done to reduce erosion and bring the water to the surface? Any ideas greatly appreciated 😊
Great to see interventions working😊 #peatland #restoration
We love before and after pictures😃Before work started, this eroding area fed water into a narrow but deep channel, causing further erosion downslope.
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
After such a wet week, the impact of the work is clear to see! The large volumes of water are being slowed down, reducing the likelihood of erosion💦
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Great to see interventions working😊 #peatland #restoration
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
Today is all about water 💦 Visiting our restoration sites after rain shows us how the ground is responding and can highlight any additional work needed.
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
November 3, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Today is all about water 💦 Visiting our restoration sites after rain shows us how the ground is responding and can highlight any additional work needed.
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
This small ditch was dammed to raise the water table in the surrounding peat. It's great to see how much the sphagnum moss is thriving🌿😁
So many reasons to love #sphagnum moss 😀
Look at these little pompoms of #sphagnum moss 😍
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
As well as being great for peatlands, sphagnum mosses were historically used for wound dressings due to their absorbent, anti-bacterial properties 💦
For more info ⬇️ www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/wp-content/u...
October 30, 2025 at 2:02 PM
So many reasons to love #sphagnum moss 😀
The importance of wet #peatland 💦
Check out 👀 the latest blog on our website, where we delve into peaty pools 💦 and their importance for people, wildlife 🐦 and the planet 🌍 www.manxpeat.org/blog/wetter-is-better
October 24, 2025 at 12:26 PM
The importance of wet #peatland 💦
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
This wet area of #sphagnum moss has formed where water seeps out of the hillside 💦 The last two photos show the same feature after a week of no rain.
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
October 21, 2025 at 11:13 AM
This wet area of #sphagnum moss has formed where water seeps out of the hillside 💦 The last two photos show the same feature after a week of no rain.
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
In flatter places these sphagnum carpets sometimes hide a deeper pool of water, so if you like to keep your legs dry it's best to avoid them 😬
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
Meet our contractors 🐶🐾 These two corgis are very experienced at #peatland restoration work and are highly skilled digger operators. They have the added advantage of having nice warm coats, ready for when the weather turns cold ❄️😊
October 1, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Meet our contractors 🐶🐾 These two corgis are very experienced at #peatland restoration work and are highly skilled digger operators. They have the added advantage of having nice warm coats, ready for when the weather turns cold ❄️😊
Peat and whisky have a long association🥃
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
As the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands is now recognised 💚 the Manx Whisky Company create their delicious whisky without the use of peat, using other ways of creating flavours 😋 It was great to show them around one of our sites!
September 29, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
One of the best things about Autumn is the gorgeous colours 😍 This is the time of year where #sphagnum mosses become more vibrant and really stand out amongst other #peatland vegetation 💚 Cotton grass turns autumnal red and cladonia lichen (aka reindeer moss 🦌) adds a splash of white 😁
September 26, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Sometimes simple interventions are all that are needed 😊 #peatland
What was once an eroding water channel is now a series of small pools 😀 Simple measures like installing these coir logs can slow the flow of water, reduce erosion and create small pools to benefit wildlife 🐦🦋
September 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Sometimes simple interventions are all that are needed 😊 #peatland
September 22, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Any suggestions for this interesting #fungi found on a #peatland restoration site 🤔 It caught my attention as it looks like it has the '3 legs of Mann' 🇮🇲 on it ☺️ #isleofman
September 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Any suggestions for this interesting #fungi found on a #peatland restoration site 🤔 It caught my attention as it looks like it has the '3 legs of Mann' 🇮🇲 on it ☺️ #isleofman
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
Peat pipes can be really difficult to deal with, especially on steep, degraded #peatland 🤔
Peat pipes can sometimes be seen emerging from #peat hags, like this one on Snaefell. These underground channels form as water 💦 passes through cracks in the peat, slowly eroding the peat around it.
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
Sometimes the roof collapses to form a hole 😱 This one (photo 3) was nearly a metre deep!
September 15, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Peat pipes can be really difficult to deal with, especially on steep, degraded #peatland 🤔
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
This piece of wood, likely hawthorn🌳 was found at the base of a #peat hag on Snaefell. Wet, acidic peat can preserve materials for a very long time. Without carbon-dating, it's impossible to tell exactly how long this wood has been buried, but it's likely to be THOUSANDS of years old 😮
September 11, 2025 at 1:08 PM
This piece of wood, likely hawthorn🌳 was found at the base of a #peat hag on Snaefell. Wet, acidic peat can preserve materials for a very long time. Without carbon-dating, it's impossible to tell exactly how long this wood has been buried, but it's likely to be THOUSANDS of years old 😮
Best thing about a rainy day...wizard chess in front of the fire 😊
September 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Best thing about a rainy day...wizard chess in front of the fire 😊
Perfect weather to look around a #peatland restoration site 🤣
Yesterday we made the most of the beautiful weather 😆 to show #Tynwald members around our Beinn-y-Phott site.
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
Despite the typical 'bog' conditions 💨💦 we were able to look at the work that's been done to reprofile and revegetate eroding peat hags and slow the flow of water 😊
September 10, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Perfect weather to look around a #peatland restoration site 🤣
Reposted by Sarah Hickey
It was great to be joined on Friday by Gareth from www.conservefor.co.uk 😊 We had a look at some of our #peatland sites and discussed different restoration methods. Gareth has many years of experience in this type of work and was happy to share his ideas while on the Island 👍
September 8, 2025 at 6:44 AM
It was great to be joined on Friday by Gareth from www.conservefor.co.uk 😊 We had a look at some of our #peatland sites and discussed different restoration methods. Gareth has many years of experience in this type of work and was happy to share his ideas while on the Island 👍
Today has been a sheep rescue kind of a day 🐑 (and yes, I did brave the crocodile infested #peaty swamp to pull it out🐊🤣) It turns out that coir logs on a sledge make quite a good floating rescue platform 😀
September 5, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Today has been a sheep rescue kind of a day 🐑 (and yes, I did brave the crocodile infested #peaty swamp to pull it out🐊🤣) It turns out that coir logs on a sledge make quite a good floating rescue platform 😀
Clinging precariously to a #peat hag 😊
Beinn-y-Phott is one of the few places on the Island where fir clubmoss can be easily found🧐 Here it was found clinging to the overhanging edge of a peat hag💪These primitive, ancient plants reproduce by spores, like mosses, but are part of a group of vascular plants that are 400 million years old💚
September 5, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Clinging precariously to a #peat hag 😊
Have a go at our interactive #peat map 😊
Find out about the depth and extent of upland #peat on the Isle of Man by viewing our new interactive peatland map 😁 You can also view photographs 📸 of restoration areas, at fixed points, which will show changes over time. Visit our website to find out more www.manxpeat.org/map
September 3, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Have a go at our interactive #peat map 😊