Natural Healing

When large charities such as the RSPB or the National Trust take over a site you can be sure they'll build a car park for visitors. The Wildlife Trusts, on the other hand, seem to have other priorities.

And so it is that those calling at Amwell Nature Reserve in the Lea Valley find themselves parking beside a narrow lane with disintegrating tarmac edges, alongside some of the scruffiest landscape imaginable.

As we cross the footbridge over the River Lea I try to imagine it as the working river it once was, carrying goods from the fertile fields of Hertfordshire to the insatiable appetite of the rapidly growing city of London. Since those grimy days the river has slowly healed, till now it must be approaching the wonderful fishing river that was praised by Izaak Walton in earlier times.

Here on the other side of the bridge we look out over the nature reserve, created from the flooded gravel pits that were once ruthlessly exploited for sand and aggregate to build the houses and factories of good old London town.

Conservationists might like to kid themselves that this is all their work, but the truth is that nature had already given them a head-start and wildlife had found these wetlands long before the area was declared a nature reserve.

Migrating birds are also attracted to this strip of reclaimed land, which is why we'd chosen to visit (though we were also on our way somewhere else in the afternoon - more of that next time). The only migrating bird spotted on the day was a single Little Ringed Plover, and we managed to miss it. Maybe you would like to see one, in which case I can oblige as I photographed one only last week as it toddled along the concrete dam at Grafham Water reservoir. Here it is....

Back to the present: rather disgusted with our lack of success in finding any migrants we decided to take a stroll along the Amwell Walkway.

This path follows the line of an old railway and so continues our theme of heavily used land being returned to a more natural state and being enjoyed for recreation.

And what could be more healing than the sight of trees springing into leaf, seen against the light of the early April sunshine. Walkers, bird-watchers, boat people, anglers, cyclists and joggers all come here these days, for some respite from the noise and chaos of the cities.

A man might stand for hours and search for songbirds perched high in the branches. We could certainly hear them. The unmistakable two-note song of the Chiffchaff. Robins seemed to be in almost every bush, There's the Wren, surprisingly loud for a tiny bird, with that characteristic trill in the middle of its brief song. The Blackbird, a musical maestro, tries a few notes. 

Willow Warblers have been heard already this spring, but not here, not now. We were however rewarded in our searches by some Blackcap, a fine, fine singer when in full flow. But this was not one Blackcap, but about a dozen of them, all in a small area of scrub. So, instead of having a single bird loudly proclaiming that this was his territory, we had the excitement of a few hastily sung notes before a rival chased the singer off on a mad race through the branches, till another bird started singing from elsewhere before the squabbling recommenced. There was one female Blackcap mixed up in all this and presumably adding to the battles among the boys.

Where the old railway travelled through a shallow cutting this gnarled tree clings on desperately. There are fiendish faces in there for the imaginative observer.

Other trees take on such vibrant colours at this time of year....

Winter strips off the leaves and storms break the branches, but every year fresh growth appears and heals the damage.

There's just the faintest tinge of green at the bottom of the reedbeds.

Yes, Mr Goose, you're looking splendid too!

Down beside the River Lea the Marsh Marigolds (or Kingcups) are lighting up the scene. I was asked in a comment on one of my posts to look out for some of these, so here they are, for everyone to enjoy. 

And now we're off to poke about in the woods and see what we can find there.

Take care.