A weekend of Nature

 Both of my cricket matches were cancelled this weekend, which is a relief as I seem to have gone down with sciatica in the back of my thigh after practice on Thursday and have thus been doing a lot of hobbling around and gobbling Ibuprofen.

However, I'm not too bad once I actually get moving, and so have been able to get in a couple of lovely walks, one in rather better weather than the other. 

Saturday was hot and cloudless, and the path along the River Devon had burst into life. As well as the orange tips, holly blues, brimstones and other butterfly species patrolling the meadow areas, and the very early appearance of damselflies.

There were banded demoiselles, males and females, out and about, but there was also a large red damselfly by the river in the old oak wood, a species I've never seen before. Throw in the appearance of a grey wagtail and a blackcap, and it felt like a pretty special morning. 

Later on, as I watched the second team cricket match I was in no way good enough to take part in, I saw a beautiful small copper in the long grass, absolutely fresh out of the packet and very very vivid. It was a better result than that of the match.

Tonight, I had a cup of tea with my stepfather, then carried on with an evening walk around the Blue Lake on a grey evening with rain in the air. Radio 6 had Stuart Maconie playing music inspired by the ambient sounds of nature, and the  slowed down song of a blackbird on one track merged in with the real life evening chorus around me beautifully. 

The appearance of a fox watching me at a distance on the cycle path put the proverbial cherry on it, even as the rain began to fall harder.

Si

All text and photos copyright CreamCrackeredNature 15.05.22

Bike Shop Cat is Happy

A 90 minute Boris walk today, via Asda, on a chilly old day after all the heat. Fresh wind blowing, but still pleasant enough in the sun although not many insects about.

I walked past the bafflingly still open bike shop in town today, which doesn't appear to have got any actual way of getting through all the junk when you open the door. This is of no concern to Bike Shop Cat, who on any sunny day is guaranteed to be sat in a sunny spot in the window, or even on the door step.

If there are no customers, Bike Shop Cat gets to sleep undisturbed, and as such is happy.

It took me for a long time to realise that Bike Shop Cat has a very similar friend or sibling, known as The Other Bike Shop Cat, because I've only ever seen the two of them in the shop at the same time once.

Whatever cat is was, the current crisis is not bothering them.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 13.04.20

A Walk with Work

So, today was the day I took some of my colleagues out for a nature stroll around Newark and Farndon that took in three nature reserves, and a long attractive stretch of the River Trent.

Luckily there was much to see, kestrels, buzzards, reed bunting, goldfinch, cormorants, herons, swans grazing on the land, a few butterflies and bees, and most importantly a pub!

I hope they enjoyed it. It was a different sort of day for me!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 02.04.17

Devon Pastures, Newark

I thought I’d give a little shout out for our town park, which probably doesn’t get much of a look in for nature afficianados round here, but is a fantastic little site. Perhaps you aren’t going to see anything super exotic, but as a place to perhaps take less outdoorsy folk to hear a chiff chaff for the first time, or see huge numbers of banded demoiselle damselflies, or take in the lovely water irises or see a charming little fleet of Moorhen chicks, it’s great.

I’ve taken to visiting any sunny day I can, perhaps en route of one of my long ten mile runs, or specifically on my bicycle to see what I can see and get a cup of tea at Rumbles café afterwards. Very soon now, I will be able to see the pretty small copper and common blue butterflies feeding and mating on the Devon-side flowers, and the big hawker dragonflies will emerge to rule like mini steampunk spaceships their patches of sky.

In the oak woods a treecreeper, with its broad clawed tail, is nesting, but I haven’t seen it yet. Orange tip and small white butterflies make their way along the flowered margins, teasing would be photographers by settling on a plant for a second before heading out of your just focussed camera frame before you hit the shutter. Try and spy how many different species of bumblebee you can see.

What has been done with the park, and what is still being done as Hawton Holt develops further, is fantastic, and it is so worth a visit from anyone.

 

Copyright Simon Hodgson / Cream Crackered Nature 22.05.14