Sunday 17 February 2019

Along The Washes

Off to the Fens today in search of some very special birds. We'll start off at a place called Welches Dam on the Old Bedford River.


The Old Bedford River isn't really a river and it's nowhere near Bedford! It's actually a dead-straight drainage channel which dates from the early seventeenth century and was named after the Duke of Bedford, who was one of those who backed the scheme. It was an attempt to drain part of the Fens by getting the waters of the River Ouse more rapidly to the sea by straightening its course.


Like every earlier attempt to drain this flat landscape it was partly successful, but then led to flooding elsewhere. Another channel, parallel to the first and imaginatively named the New Bedford River, was built a few decades later with the land between the two, half-a-mile wide and twenty-two miles long (0.8 Km x 35 Km), being allowed to flood in periods of high rainfall.


It still serves this vital role today, and also provides a home for thousands of wintering, migrating and nesting wildfowl and waders. However when water levels are as high as this the birds are often very distant from the RSPB's hides. Time to get in the car and head a little further north.


The roads around here can be "interesting". Despite the flatness of the landscape the roads are often wildly uneven. They travel in ruler straight lines, frequently alongside unfenced drainage channels, but then make unexpected right-angle turns, for no obvious reason, in the middle of nowhere. Slow, careful progress is the order of the day, which means that the passenger can lean out of the open window and take photos of the overflying Whooper Swans.

                                              

You might even spot an early Barn Owl at the side of the road. As you get close it languidly takes to the air and settles a hundred yards or so further on, without apparently realising that this just means it's going to have to move on again a few seconds later. On one of these short hops our owl spotted a mouse or vole in the grass and swooped down. But no sooner had it made its catch than a Sparrowhawk sped in from stage left, grabbed the prey and, after a short tussle, left the owl supperless. This is behaviour I've never witnessed before.


We crossed the floodplain on the Wash Road and stopped to photograph a blazing Fenland sunset. I love these flat horizons and huge skies, but there are those who find them depressing and disorienting - a correspondent of the writer Robert Macfarlane has coined the marvellous term "horizontigo" to describe this distressing condition!


You might expect photos of the sunset to signal an end to the bird-watching day, but we're heading to the Wildfowl And Wetland Trust's centre near Welney where there's a pleasant café. The only other customers when we arrived were two policemen who may have been expecting a sudden crime wave or were more likely just availing themselves of a cup of tea and a large slice of chocolate cake - just like us!


Suitably fortified we made our way across to the luxurious heated bird observatory to enjoy the last lingering glow of twilight.


Here at last we could enjoy close views of the Whooper Swans. These are migratory birds that nest in remote parts of Iceland then fly over a thousand miles, much of it over the North Atlantic, to spend their winters here on the East Anglian Fens. 

               

As darkness falls the swans gather expectantly in front of the Observatory. As they mill about you can spot family groups and watch the birds' behaviour - mostly misbehaviour, I suppose - as they squabble and honk at each other.

                         

What they are waiting for is the warden to feed them grain from his wheelbarrow. This supplementary feeding is not really necessary for the birds' well-being - they find plenty to eat out on the fields - but these floodlit swan feeds are a popular attraction, raising money for the Trust's work and giving us the chance to see these beautiful birds.

                                    

Bottoms up!


Take care.





20 comments:

  1. What a great day! Love seeing those whooping swans. I come from the east Tennessee mountain region, and ut took me a whileto love the flat lands of Indiana and Illinois. I still miss the mountains, but I would miss the bug sky feeling we get here.

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  2. Lovely captures of these swans. Sorry to hear about Mr. Owl missing his supper, but I dare say another morsel will come by. He looks well fed. I am the opposite of Rose, having lived where the skies were big in Texas and Missouri and Florida..but now love the cozy feeling of mountains around a sky, not to far from where she is, I'm in western NC - same mountains!

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  3. Lovely scenic sunsets John.
    Yes, they serve nice sponge cake at Welney.

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  4. What an interesting place to drive through and explore. Love that stunning sunset. Really quite beautiful. Must have been quite a sight to see that hawk take the owl's catch. Perfect timing. And, beautiful swans.

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  5. Beautiful sunsets, John. I love that house in the first photo, it has some nice light highlighting the roof. The swans are very nice to see, lovely photos you captured.

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  6. The swans are so beautiful! It's been a while since I've seen any "wild" ones.

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  7. Beautiful sunsets, flat lands and wide,open skies. I remember visiting Welney years ago to see the swans, there was also a place near Peterborough called Peakirk we used to visit too. The swans over the fenland washes were wonderful:)

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    1. We used to go to Peakirk when we were children. Sadly it closed down some years ago.

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  8. I am never too sure what the difference is between a Whooper swan and a Berwick's swan, is it mainly a size difference? You have captured some lovely photos of the Whoopers feeding at the WWT, near Welney just as the sun sinks in the sky. How extra special also to have witnessed that lovely Barn Owl, and then see the Sparrowhawk swoop in and capture it's supper.

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    1. Yes, Bewicks are smaller, daintier and more wary than Whoopers. They also have less yellow on their bills and a higher-pitched yelping call.

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  9. Once again wonderful photos - thank you.

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  10. The fens seem to have been subjected to an inordinate amount of human tinkering. It is great to see those Whooper Swans. Well worth the trip.

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  11. Ah, I must go to Welney again one day. How amazing to see the tussle between the barn owl and the sparrowhawk too.

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  12. What an enjoyable day you had! Your photos are wonderful, and the story of the hawk and owl is a great one. Lovely to see the sights through your eyes.

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  13. Gosh talk about stealing the food right out of the owl's mouth, that's a wee bit cheeky.. it's tough out there in the wild! Gorgeous shots of the Whooper swans John, I've never seen them before. Excellent walk, enjoyed a lot!

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  14. What a great day that was, I enjoyed the photos, especially those around sunset and you saw a great variety too.

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  15. Hi John - gorgeous place to visit ... I really must get up to that part of the world sometime. Love seeing the owl - cheers Hilary

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