Matters Of Opinion

As I've noted before on this blog, humans and birds don't always agree on what constitutes attractive scenery. Nowhere is this more in evidence than at the RSPB's Minsmere reserve down on the Suffolk coast.

While there are trails leading through dappled woodland, the birds here tend to be the same ones we see close to home and, having spent a couple of hours driving here, it's natural to concentrate more on the habitats we don't see every day.

But first lets stop for a few moments and watch the Sand Martins as they scythe through the air and home in on their nesting burrows. Good luck with trying to photograph them!

Here's what we came to see - the Scrapes, with Sizewell Nuclear Power Station looming in the background. It won't win any prizes in a Beautiful Britain competition, but to many species of birds this place is irresistible. 

It doesn't even look natural, but to the birds it matters not a jot. At any season you'll always find something here worth training the binoculars on. Unless the birds decide to come close, as they sometimes do, you'll not use the camera much, but who cares?

OK, I'll take a picture of a Canada Goose and three rapidly growing goslings - just so I've got something to put on my blog!

Before WWII this land was drained for agriculture. Then threats of an invasion persuaded the government to have it flooded again - it's not easy to land men and equipment on marshy ground. Concrete anti-tank cubes were also placed along the shoreline, where they remain to this day. But what's that I spy out to sea?

And with that curious eyesore we'll head for the kind of habitat that my brother and I love to frequent during the middle part of the day. No two opinions about it!

A short journey along narrow roads brings us to the hamlet of Eastbridge and its quaintly named pub, The Eel's Foot. (I explained its odd name at the end of an earlier post). It's clearly gone up-market since last time we were here....

It's hardly a Michelin star, but since last time we visited it's gained an apostrophe! Inside everything was as cosy and welcoming as ever. 

Now, in the days before every home had a TV, this was one of Suffolk's singing pubs. Farmworkers and other menfolk from the village would gather on Friday nights to "sing, say or pay". In other words they would take it in turns to sing a song, say a joke or rhyme or, if they preferred, pay a small amount into the kitty to help pay for the beer.

One of their number, Jumbo Brightwell, even had an LP of his unaccompanied singing released on the Topic label, "Songs From The Eel's Foot". It revealed him as a straightforward, uncomplicated singer of traditional songs. If you're wondering where the barman is in the last picture he's gone to place our food order while we take our beers to a table beneath a famous ceiling.

For a few years the BBC's "Springwatch" nature programmes were based at Minsmere reserve and the crew, very sensibly, made frequent visits to the Eastbridge pub, where they left their mark on the ceiling. Ah, here comes our food.

Feeling much fuller, we decided to have a stroll around the vicinity. Not very many buildings to view but all very peaceful.

And I mustn't forget the farm, of course.

Rural England is putting up a small, though valiant, resistance to the might of the nuclear industry, though I rather suspect that the decision has already been made, with money tipping the balance.

In a few moments our SatNav will have us travelling down this meagre byway to our next destination.

But first.....

....our mystery item. It's all to do with the Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm - but probably not in the way you imagine. As part of an ecological compensation scheme Ørsted are building several of these structures. The plan is that Kittiwakes (a kind of gull) will build their nests upon them. It's not quite as daft as it sounds. Although Kittiwakes usually nest on tiny ledges on vertical cliffs they have been unexpectedly creative in recent decades, nesting on buildings and bridges in the city of Newcastle as well as offshore oil platforms. Like I said birds have different ideas to us when it comes to ideal locations.

Take care