A rather brief post today as I somehow managed to take only a handful of pictures on my most recent outing with my brother.
The Little Church In The Forest - This tiny church with its unusual octagonal tower is in the non-existent village of Santon, alongside the Little Ouse river in the midst of Thetford Forest in Norfolk. It was built in 1628 but soon fell into decay, and was then resurrected as a sort of private chapel by the vicar of Brandon in the nineteenth century. It's open to the public now and is on my list of places to photograph one day.
Glorious Gorse - Common gorse flowers at any time from January through until June. What's more there are two other species which flower at other times, so you can find gorse in flower at pretty much any time of year - hence the well-known saying "When gorse is in flower then kissing's in season". It's already looking spectacular in Breckland though it won't reach its peak till April.
Catkins Over The Water - these are the catkins, as well as one or two tiny cones, of the Alder, a tree of damp places. It's the bird-watchers' friend as winter visitors like Siskins and Redpolls come to feed on it, though usually high up in the branches.
The Lonely Birch - although most of Thetford Forest is commercial forestry, based on armies of coniferous trees, there's room along the riverside for a more varied tree-scape. On spring days like this it's the place to watch out for Woodlarks, perched at the edge of clearings, singing their lilting song of love. We did see a couple of Woodlarks but ours were on the ground and squabbling!
The Dead Tree Appreciation Society - is a dogged band of enthusiasts who every year in mid-March tramp along this section of the river and stand admiring a small plantation of mostly dying trees. As you've probably guessed, they claim to be looking for a bird, the fabled Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, which is the smallest of our three species of Woodpecker. Many people think it may be an urban myth, a piece of fake news dreamed up by the marketing department of an optics manufacturer in order to sell more expensive and powerful binoculars. But I can tell you that the bird does exist, or at least it did a few years ago when I last set eyes on one.
And that explains what I was doing when I could have been taking more pictures for you.
Need cheering up?
Take care.
I think I could claim honorary membership in the Dead Tree Appreciation Society myself, John, and yes I do have those expensive binoculars. And I have never seen a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
ReplyDeleteMy husband saw a fabled male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker when we lived in Hertfordshire - something that he has never forgotten. The old lady at the back of us had an orchard with one or two rotten apple trees and that is where he saw it. It was quite chubby and not very big, slightly larger in size than a housesparrow.
ReplyDeleteLoved seeing the dead tree, as well as learning about the woodpecker. But the song and it's giggling audience was the best fun for today (so far)
ReplyDeleteAnother member of the DTASoc. lucky enough to have seen a LSW some years ago but still stand beneath the bare branches in hope of another.
ReplyDelete'When the gorse is out of bloom then kissing is out of tune' differently put, same meaning. Intoxicating is the coconut scent of gorse blossom on a hot sunny day.
Forgot to say - the funniful man and chortling children did a great job on the cheering up - not heard that song for many a year - thank you
DeleteThe video is perfect for this miserable morning. Thank you. Great photos as usual.
ReplyDeleteThe video was great, made me smile on this raining morning. Nice photos, I iked seeing the dead tree and learning about the woodpecker.
ReplyDeleteHi John - loved the post ... while The Old Sow song was fun to listen - great for kids ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI wonder what my granddaughter would think of The Old Sow...she is a teenager now, but a few years ago she would have giggled...and might still yet. She has a personality all her own. I look forward to seeing the Little Church in the Forest when you get back to it.
ReplyDeleteI had to google Lesser Spotted Woodpecker to see what the birders are looking for. What a little beauty that bird is. I hope they survive and thrive and increase their population. Lovely photos and sweet song.
ReplyDeleteAny excuse to be out in nature works for me. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI often think that in the U.K. the building material is stone so is very durable. So old churches stay there forever. Our main building material is wood so it does not last and many of our historical buildings are lost.
ReplyDeleteI love the scent of gorse. It was brought here by early settlers but got out of control and is now considered a noxious weed. Still plenty around though.
ReplyDeleteThe common gorse flowers were lovely against such a blue sky, John. I was thankful that you didn't make a connection to the fact that these are the Ukrainian colors. It seems that many others are posting the same colors and making similar connections in their blog posts. The stone church would be a great photo expedition in future.
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely shots, John.
ReplyDeleteGreat post--esp that song. Loved those giggling children. Reminded me so much of my storytelling days, what joy when the children were so engaged.
ReplyDeleteThe video is great, perfect end of the day!
ReplyDelete