Updates

Even though as a Friends group we are thinking about what we'll be doing in 2016, the weather is still cold, and the pond is flooded, making getting round it difficult unless wearing gumboots.  Last weekend we had a bird walk let by Paul, where the highlight was seeing a sparrow hawk, perched high in … Continue reading Weekly Walk, March 18th 2016

It's still cold, and not that much evidence of Spring coming, except for the birdsong, which seems to be getting more urgent, as territories are being set up to be defended. And today, for the first time, I too saw the Goldcrests - attracted by Nicki's iPhone's recording of Goldcrest song.  With my camera I … Continue reading Weekly walk, March 8th 2016

Another cold day, and the paths round the pond are still flooded, and in places elsewhere they are slippery with mud, especially on the slopes - I can see that sometime this year we should try to replace the steps which were once there. Again I saw the mallard, and even got a photo of … Continue reading Weekly walk, 1st March 2016

Just a few photos today.  At least I got one of the mallards, but they obviously don't like having me walking around, and as in previous weeks, were soon off and away.  I'm worrying a bit that I might be putting them off nesting. I've also been looking out for frogspawn - as has Ema, … Continue reading Weekly walk, February 23rd

Another frosty day, with the sunlight on the ice over the pond quite beautiful.  At this time of year - bar the ice - the pond is quite clear, but the shoots of yellow flag are already sticking up through the surface.  In a few months they will have bloomed, and the sweet reed grass … Continue reading Weekly walk, February 16th 2016

The weather was cold and the paths by the pond flooded, but the reserve still looked pretty in the winter sunlight.  I'm not sure if thinking about what we as Friends should be doing in 2016 means I have less time to stop and stare - or maybe it's just that it's cold - but … Continue reading Weekly walk February 9th, 2016

A friend's email this week made me realise that hazel would be flowering, so I left the path to where our one hazel is - and indeed it too was in flower, with both the obvious yellow male catkins dangling down, but also the much smaller red female flowers, which might eventually become hazel nuts. … Continue reading Weekly walk, 3rd February, 2016

This week I had an idea about mapping the reserve, using a smartphone app Strava, designed for people wanting to track their runs.  I didn't suppose it would be that accurate, and it wasn't, as this shows but I've had some further thoughts about how it could still be used - posted here on a … Continue reading Weekly walk, January 27 2016

My walk this week was towards sunset, with the light fading.  It wasn't quite as cold as it had been on Tuesday, when Ema took some photos with the reserve all frosty, and loaded up to our Facebook page - so I have borrowed some of these here. Even so, it was cold, and I … Continue reading Weekly Walk, January 21 2016