Wanderings

At this present moment rain is being lashed against my window by a cold, gusty wind and my usual wanderings have been put on hold, at least till tomorrow. I've been looking at some of the places I've roamed (and taken a few photos) in the last few weeks.

Often I'm on the lookout for our feathered friends, but sadly the skies are not usually as busy as this. These are Lapwings, which get their name from their floppy flight and could equally well be called "flapwings", as I used to insist on when I was little. They were a lot more common then and there seemed to be a flock on every ploughed field. These were on a wetland in the Lea Valley in Hertfordshire. They are always "in a flap" too and take to the air at the least suspicion of danger while other less panicky species continue feeding.

I love the subtle shades and soft, delicate featheriness of reedbeds, but their beauty is elusive and tricky to capture on film - or should that be "in pixels". I like this image as well as any I've taken of reedbeds. It shows a small but delectable part of my local reserve at Fowlmere.

The River Little Ouse forms part of the boundary between the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk; the left bank is Suffolk, the north is Norfolk. On summer weekends this can be a busy place, but not on a cold February morning.

"Hairy coos" like this are more at home in the Highlands of Scotland than in a field in Norfolk. They are often found grazing on nature reserves though, keeping the wild vegetation from becoming too wild!

No, not an equatorial rain forest but a small patch of weed on the tiny River Shep not far from home.

The margins of one of the two ornamental lakes at Wimpole Hall which were created in the early eighteenth century. Nowadays they look very natural and are home to some varied wildlife.

There aren't enough battered old tree stumps left standing these days, even those who should know better can't resist the urge to tidy things up. But they make cosy homes for all kinds of insects, which in turn attract the attentions of birds. Woodpeckers excavate nest holes, owls occupy hollow stumps and small birds like Treecreepers construct their homes behind peeling bark. Also they make nice perches for birds of prey. There's a well-camouflaged Kestrel smack-dab in the middle of the above photo.

And rotting wood is home to many kinds of fungus.

Mr Swan patrols his home patch at Paxton Pits. Like many bird-watchers I'm often guilty of not taking enough notice of these extraordinary, interesting and beautiful birds.

Could you imagine a more peaceful scene? Well, it might surprise you to learn that this is part of Needingworth Quarry, the largest sand and gravel extraction site in the east of England. As old pits are abandoned they are allowed to return to a more natural state where they are a magnet for all kinds of wildlife. The operators, Hanson, in conjunction with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) are currently transforming part of the huge site into the largest reedbed in the UK.


Take care.