Our Own Dramatic Rescue

I had a crack at a rather longer run today, resolving to run the Hawton-Farndon -Home by the river route today, the first time I'd set foot on these paths since my marathon. I also wanted to see how the flooding was, as we'd had flooding warnings overnight.

Transpired that although the trails were extremely muddy, the river hadn't misbehaved too badly. However, Willow Holt nature reserve, which is always very low lying and wet, had flooded, leaving the occupants stranded and in need of assistance.

I didn't realise this at the time, but as I turned onto Wyke Lane I was wondering why an animal transporter was blocking my path, and several very excited border collies were leaping about splashing in the mini lakes the excess water had created.

What had happened was that the rare breed sheep Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust graze on the reserve had gotten themselves stuck on a little island in the floods, and needed rescuing. A crack team of sheperdesses had been dispatched, and the impressively horned black sheep guided safely to dryish land and a little ride to Idle Valley nature reserve.

The sheep were already quietly sat aboard the vehicle when I came across them, but Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust put rescue shots up on their website, I believe. Hopefully they were given the ovine equivalent of a hot cup of tea and slice of cake when they got to their new home.

The one thing I did notice was how calm they were aboard the trailer. It seemed they knew they were off to a place of safety.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.01.15

The entrance to the Holt. 

Happy shepherd

A hint of horn

The rescued occupants

Willow Holt hut safely raised above the water.

Barge puffing away. A warm stove perhaps.

Farndon high water

Operation Egret

I started off the day with this militarily planned attempt to go and photograph some little egrets today, at a spot next to the River Trent near South Muskham where I often see them fishing from gravel spits at the edge of the water.

Unmilitarily, I had forgotten that the river is rather high at the moment; sure enough, when I cycled by, there was a whole lot of water and no egrets.

However, Operation Egret turned out not to be a washout, for as I passed the A1 Fishery between the two Muskhams, I noticed 3 little egret, and a greater black backed gull about the size of a car door sailing in front of them.

My first ever opportunity to photograph these snow white birds! Operation Egret was a success.

However, things got rather more exciting as I cycled on to the reserve at North Muskham lake, for among the usual tufted duck on the water, I noticed a rather similar looking, but smaller, bird energetically diving near a small reed bed.

At first I thought it might be a little grebe bobbing about, but when I got closer, I wondered what it was I was looking at, a smart looking black and white duck with a prominent yellow eye.

Revelation came when it joined up with the stunning male. It was a goldeneye, the James Bond duck, and for me, a so called "lifer".

I know. It's not much of a lifer, they are common in winter! But I've never seen one before for definite, let alone photographed one!

It was a great day's birdwatching, for there were fieldfares that might actually be mistle thrush, and a buzzard watching me from a haystack!

Hopefully this is a good omen for the year.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 01.01.16

Little egret

Two little egrets

Tufted duck flotilla

Pochard

More pochard!

Mrs goldeneye

The happy couple

Mr goldeneye

Heron

Not a fieldfare

Wondering if these birds wandering around a field were actually mistle thrush. They look a little large to be song thrushes

Buzzard

Watching from his haystack

Blues on the Bike

Yesterday seemed like an averagely nice sort of early autumn day, but now, as I look out upon the window upon nauseous grey skies and glistening rooftops, it seems like paradise.

I took myself out on the bike in the afternoon, after a morning chasing insects around the marigolds at Sconce Park, and headed out to North Muskham lake to see what might be there. Sheep was the answer, the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust bring in sheep and cattle to graze the site, which is certainly very lush with grass at the moment.

Tufted duck are out on the water too, the drakes now coming out of eclipse and their tidy model painted looks soon to be restored. Damsel and crane flies flew in their different ways around the undergrowth as I flushed them out. But there were no big migrant hawkers on patrol. The flag of summer was being flown by house martins feeding out over the water, and the swallows beginning to gather on telegraph poles and power lines.

September is an odd sort of time for a town like Newark to hold outdoor events, but the town's 5th Blues Festival was ongoing in the castle grounds so I dropped in to have a look. The music isn't massively to my taste, and the female vocalists were a bit too American sounding and strident, but then, can anyone sing the blues in an English accent?

What was good about it was the large number of people all sat out in the grounds watching, listening, and enjoying themselves. More use of free public space.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 14.09.15

I love how these marigolds remind me of the surface of stars

Hoverfly solar sailing

Common carder bee, the dominant autumn bumble

I miss cricket already

At North Muskham lake, no idea

Curious fluffy plant

The waters

Looking the other way

Blues

Castle crowds

Next act up

I didn't have a chair

The Perch and the Posh Houses

I had rather grandiose plans for today; after cricket yesterday, where I had been couped up at mid-off for 45 overs, I felt the need to really expand my horizons and go for a twenty mile job/hike, probably up the hill at Kelham to explore round there. But, I wasn't awake until 10am, and felt distinctly lethargic so I reluctantly (of course) decided to restrict myself to a run.

A very slow run.

I trotted round the Willow Holt meadows, scaring up clouds of meadow browns and ringlets, and loped past revellers on a busy riverbank around the marina. Tsk, drinking in pubs on a lovely day while I was running! Some people have no dedication.

It was a standard sort of summer run along the river, although the wind seemed to be keeping the damsels and dragons out of the sky. It wasn't deterring the fishermen however; both the avian kind in the form of elegantly statuesque herons on the river's edge and flying cormorants, and also the human sort, wielding their rods over the choppy waters.

It was when I finally found my way round to what I always think of the posh houses as the path re-enters Newark under the bypass, that I found the day's master angler. The houses aren't particularly expensive, but their river frontage makes them terribly desirable I suppose. Except when it floods, as it has done in 2001 and 2011, cataclysmic floods that caused thousands upon thousands of pounds of damage.

And it was at the back of one of these houses that another fisherman, a house owner using his private little stretch of river, was engaged in a rod bending struggle with a fish trying to tangle itself up in the reeds to avoid capture. The rod must have been a flimsy one, because when the fish appeared it was no Jeremy Wade type "River Monster"with man eating potential.

However, it was a very large perch, not far off a kilo in weight, and in beautiful condition with its striped body and orange fins shimmering in the afternoon sun.

I congratulated the angler, and made my way back into town.


Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.07.15

Meadow brown on Farndon Road

Yet another small skipper

The dreaded himalayan balsam now out in Willow Holt

Meadow cranes bill?

The yellow margin

Small tortoiseshell

Enjoying a thistle

Red admiral on the river bank

Wings closed

Mega perch!

Beautifully marked

Add a Crawler to the Busy Buzzy Buzzers

I'm resting my poor achey legs after an unusually busy running schedule due to TIME OFF WORK!!!! So this morning, with a bright sun occasionally poking out from behind hazy cloud, I took a short trip to Rumbles via the Grange Road farmland, which is now about "half-yellow" with flowering oilseed rape.

The cloyingly sweet odour is already well and truly on the breeze, on warm May days it actually makes breathing while running rather tricky.

Looking towards Hawton

A south westerly view

There were lots of butterflies having a bit of a flap as I ran along, mainly peacocks and small tortoiseshells as is the norm for the early part of the butterfly year. There were bees too, fast moving flower bees feeding off the white stinging nettle flowers. These nettles were also offering a home for large numbers of wolf spider too.

The females of this species will later on be carrying large egg sacs under their abdomens.

At the Devon Park entrance, the currant flowers are now fully in bloom, and their stunning colour makes me crave ice lollies. A common carder was happy enough with pollen.

Common carder bee

Getting stuck in

Onto the Sconce proper now, and as I hoped the sweet mahonias in the orchard would attract some customers. No butterflies, but numerous bee species having a good feed. A large red-tailed queen didn't want to pose, likewise a white tailed lady of distinction. But other bees were happier to perform for the camera.

The other entrance to the orchard

Honey bees at work

Much debate about this bee on twitter. Thought to be a vestal or bohemian cuckoo bee. Note no pollen sacs

The lemony patches on the white abdomen markings are also an indicator for vestalis or bohemicus

At greater distance

As is my usual, rather puzzling to the other customers, habit, I got my cup of tea at Rumbles, and inspected the flower. I was rewarded by a male and female pair of hairy footed flower bees, darting amongst the flowers in spiky bursts of flight. The male, with his spooky, skeletal white face, was far too fast for me, but his lady friend was more amenable.

Well, a bit more amenable

Hard to focus on er

Bottoms up!

So, even on a cooler day, plenty of life in the air, and I'm noticing so many solitary bee types!

My antennae must be getting more and more attuned!

Si