Granddaughters Millie and Rosie with Carole at the Crooked Cottage in Manea.

I forgot I had this photo on my phone. It was taken back in August on a rather hot day. Carole and I took Granddaughters, Millie and Rosie to the bird hides. We passed the rickety old cottage along the way and I thought it a good excuse to take a photoshoot on the mobile.

The Rain is Coming in the Fenlands.

As I was driving out of the village of Benwick in the Fenlands of Cambridgeshire, I turned down this country lane and was struck by the clouds as I looked out across the Fens. I stopped the truck and took a quick photo. There were different layers of clouds moving swiftly across the sky. It lent a fierce look and was followed by a fierce downpour of torrential rain. You can certainly see the weather coming in the fens. 😀

A Glorious Sunny Winter Day.

I knew I would enjoy today at work. I got up at 4 am and went out the side door to the carport. I looked up, and although it was cold and frosty, the night sky was clear. The moon and the stars looked great. I knew it would be a clear blue yet chilly day. 

It was indeed. I spent the day driving around the Fenland, close to Chatteris. I went to a small village called Benwick. Here, I stopped and drank in the glorious sight of the crisp morning. It felt like Heaven on Earth. I got out my mobile and tried to capture the moments as I walked along the river bank. It felt wonderful to be alive and out on this smashing day. 

Armistice Day in Chatteris 2018.

On Sunday I went into a storeroom by Chatteris car park. The place was void of all people. I was in there about twenty minutes and when I came out the entire car park was full of people. Hundreds of them. There were various groups like Girl Guides, Majorettes, Scouts, Air Cadets, Army Cadets etc. Plus lots of people from all warps of life. It was November the 11th 2018. One Hundred Years to the day of the First World War Armistice. Every town in the Fenland had one. This was in Chatteris Cambridgeshire. Eventually, all the people left the car park and formed a line. Then they marched to the monument by the town's church. I had to wait for them to leave before I could drive my van away. It was a grand sight to watch.

Sunrise Over the Fenland.

It was a glorious sunrise over the Fen. We had got up before driving to King's Lynn on a shopping expedition. This is before coming back and finding a Soviet Tank in front of the drive - as you do. 

The kind morning moment allowed for reflection of a kind autumn day. We had a coffee and watched from the gate as the sun came up. A fine start to my four days off of work.

The Fenland Buzzard on the Telephone Pole.

I was driving along the country lane in the Fenland between Manea and Upwell. I turned onto the bridge over the Sixteen-foot river, where the sign said to March. I was returning to the work depot after finishing my day's work. As I trundled along the uneven tarmac of the lane towards March town, I was looking out over the fields. There is nothing but fields and criss-cross networks of canals that drain the Fens. It is peaceful, rural and I absolutely love it all. Especially when my work day is over and I can take a comfortable drive back to the council yard and clock off. 

It was then that I saw her on a telephone pole. I say 'her' but in truth, I was not sure of the buzzard's gender. The reason I decided the buzzard was 'her' as opposed to 'he' was because of the colouring. I had seen a Common Buzzard with a similarly mixed fleck at Sandringham a year before. On this occasion, a falconer was holding the wonderful creature and he told me the buzzard was female. Therefore my buzzard on the pole was a female too. Just a whim but there you have it.

My heart always leaps every time I see a bird of prey. The Fenlands is full of them and their numbers are increasing. This beautiful creature was staring at me from the telephone pole and did not move off as I drew nearer. It just looked at me as I drove past. Her plumage was lovey and I cursed to myself. 'Dam and blast! I never have the camera when driving.' 

I trundled on listening to the audio novel on my mobile that was placed on a charger stand. All of a sudden my mind clicked into gear. 

"Mobile!" I exclaimed to myself. 

Better than no camera at all. I pulled into a layby further down the road and checked no vehicle was coming along behind me as I turned around and went back to the buzzard's location. As I rounded the bend I could see the creature in the distance and slowed the van down. I knew she would get spoked as soon as I moved for the camera. They have spectacular eye-sight. I stopped the van picked up the mobile and put to camera settings just as she got spooked. I managed a couple of clicks but she took off as I was snapping away.

"Never mind," I told myself as I looked at two shots I thought I could put in the blog. I drove on passed to the next layby and turned around again to resume my journey back to the yard. As I passed the telephone pole again, the buzzard had returned and she was staring down at me as I passed. Just like the first time - almost déjà vu.

Another Dog Walk to the Fenland Bird Hides.

There were a large number of Buzzards flying about. Also many Kestrels too. In the distance was a Marsh Harrier. It looked good through the binoculars but was too far for a decent photograph.

The bull does not seem to mind us being there. Just so long as the river between is there too.

I always wonder how long the rickety old cottage will last. When will it fall down? It certainly looks as though it could do with some TLC. 

Our little dog, Darcey was full of spirit. Finally, she could leave the car and go for a run along the bridle path and up the scarp of the dyke.

Sometimes they go speeding along the river and you automatically click with the camera. It is more like a reflex action. I did not know what it was at first because its wings seemed to flap furiously. It would drop and rise, drop and rise. I caught it several times and when I got home and studied the photo shot, I realised it was a Woodpecker. 

Darcey always looks forward to a walk along the bird hides at Manea. The trouble is, she can't always contain her excitement while driving there. She whines and yelps all the way. Once we are there, she is fine and can run and let off some pent-up steam.

Another Dog Walk in the Fenland.

My wife, Carole, and I drove to Coates in the Fenland. There is a small road by the side of John Deer agriculture tractor plant. It goes down to a river. Here there is another dyke and a bridle path that stretches for miles in either direction. We took our little dog Darcey with us. She seemed excited by the new smells of a new place that she had not visited before. 

It was a blustery day and the first thing we see upon getting out of the car was a Hawk battling against the wind. I could not make out if it was a Marsh Harrier or a Red Kite. I managed to get a few photoshoots but it was far away. 

We went through a turnstile and Darcey shot off along the path. I heard a strange and unfamiliar bird call. My wife said it was a Kingfisher. She spotted it in a bush and kept trying to point it out amid this cluster of foliage that overhung a stream. For the life of me, I could not make the creature out. Carole kept trying to point to the bird so that I could get a photo shot. I think she was getting frustrated with me in the end. She grabbed the camera from me and took a few shots. I then see its turquoise blue plumage as it sped off along the stream.

The Kingfisher I could not see.

Where Do the Muntjac Deer Live?

There a so many of them. Often I have to pick up the dead ones when they have been hit by road vehicles. The whole area is surrounded by fields and I often see them in the distance. Obviously, they live in these fields, but they are exceptionally good at hiding. I'm writing about the Muntjac deer, like the one in the above photo. They are usually very skittish and zoom off at the merest sight of a human being. I suspect they like hedgerows or the ditches between the fields. For they seem quick to go to ground. Sometimes, I hear them outside of my house in the farm fields opposite. My wife has a telescope with night vision. We see them in abundance through the night vision scope because of the green glow of their body heat. They are always running about at night. I often see them very early in a morning, when going to work. But during the day, they go to ground.  

Then, the other afternoon, I parked the council van under a tree and on a bridle path just outside the town of Chatteris in the Fenland of England. I decided to have a few minutes break and a cup of tea. Then out of the hedge jumped the muntjac in the photo above. I was gobsmacked. The creature could not have realised I was so close and in the van because it would be off like lightning at the mere sight of me. Carefully, I pulled out my mobile and put it on the camera setting. I managed to get a few quick shots as the Muntjac walked along the verge. Then it sensed me and shot off into the thickets. Still, it was a little moment of delight during a minor working pit stop.

A Splendid English Sunny Afternoon for a Saint George's Day Fair.

My wife and I took a midday stroll along the river bank towards the town centre. The high road had been closed off and there were hundreds of stools selling all types of things. Everywhere were the English flags of Saint George. All the canal boats were adorned with them and the small town centre was buzzing with activity around the Saint George's Day fair. 

I always like the cheese stools and the bread stool. I bought a caramelised red onion 'Nibble Nose' cheddar. The 'Nibble Nose' was the brand name. Plus an Italian Tomato and Basil cheese. When I got home I was able to eat some with the special bread of melted cheese and pitted olives inside the dough. This was also Italian. After a little wander about the fair attractions, we bought a few other things including some salted caramel fudge. It was a bit too surgery for me, but my wife Carole loves it.  

Back home, we sat in the garden for the sunny afternoon eating our fairground market buys. I had a Guinness to help me wash down my bread and cheese.

Wildlife and the Fenland Garden

Wildlife and the Fenland Garden

Away from the smoke of the city. The countryside is ambient and calming.

I Love the Fenlands

The Fenland

The entire area is tranquil. There are a few old market towns but most of the Fenland is like the video below. Much of this is what I see every day. Coming from a big city, I found it hard to adjust at first. Then it gradually grew on me. When I visit my old abode, I can't wait to get back to this tranquil solitude. The way of life is different. No one is in a rush. It looks bleak in the winter but the Fenland is far from this. Things happen all of the time.

The Fenland Garden

An Ambient Little Pond Feature for the Fenland Garden

One of the sad and annoying things about my job is fly-tipping. I live in a very rural and beautiful part of England. Yet still, we have the odd few who spoil the countryside. They drive out into the isolated areas and get rid of their rubbish in a small layby or wooded area. Sometimes I find the odd thing of use. However, the vast amount is garbage.

A short time ago, I found the mould of a small garden pond. It was dumped along with fly-tipping down a country lane. It was brand new. Never used. There were no punctures and I was at a loss as to why it was cast away. I brought it home and left it in the garden before returning to work. When I returned home after work, my wife Carole had dug a hole and placed the pond within. We had a lot of loose stone and rock which she had placed around the pond. Filled with enthusiasm, we went for a drive to the village of Murrow. There is an aquatic pond life centre there. Here we purchased a water pump and waterfall. We also bought some oxygenating plants.

We were like a couple of excited school kids. In no time at all, the filter pump and waterfall were working. The pond plants were put in. Our next trip was to a huge garden centre where we bought rockery alpine plants and peat. We even stopped and picked up bags of horse manure. Carole and I were on a roll. Our garden pond would be a delightful addition to the already developing garden. A couple of days later we acquired some pond fish. Six in all. In no time, we were sitting on the decking and listening to the ambient sound of the water feature and the waterfall. The alpine plants took to the task of enhancing our wonderful pond feature. It all looked and sounded relaxing.

Marsh Harrier

The bird hides of Manea

Everything is wonderful in the Fenland when it is summer. The winter has its appeal too. However, the fields are no longer full of vibrant crops. Everything is back to the ploughed and furrowed earth. The birds of prey are always easier to spot in the leafless trees. Especially the Common Buzzards as they stand sentinel over the bleak rutted fields. Often we go out down the country lanes towards a village called Manea. There are bird hides here. These scattered hides command a view across a Fen that floods and turns into a lake from November to March. The River Delph bursts its banks and the marshy meadows become a natural floodplain. In the distance, and often through marshland mist, we can see the spire of Ely Cathedral.

The appearance of the lake attracts all sorts of waterfowl. They are bobbing about in their hundreds. Various breeds. Carole, and I sit in the hides for a few hours looking at the many birds. I’m just interested in the birds of prey. The marshy fen is a favourite haunt for the many Marsh Harriers that come across the lake. The waterfowl always give us a warning when such graceful predators are gliding by. The game birds all start squawking and scattering. Their wings flapping in panic as they try to make way for the raptor. The spot that is vacated by the flustered multitude is always where the more fearsome bird’s flight path will be. I home in with the camera and hope for the best. Through the melee of confusion comes the unwelcome guest. Usually, the Harrier is too far off to get a good photo shot, but sometimes the odd one comes out fine. There are also other birds of prey to see. We have seen Hobbys, Buzzards, Red Kites, Kestrels and a Short Eared Owl. These raptors are always about the isolated bird hides. Carole and I go here regularly through the year.

During this summer, the lake vanishes and one can see the River Delph. The fields are occupied by grazing cattle again. The whole scene looks fresh and new. The trees are full of lush green leaves when they were bleak and bare a few months earlier. The whole land has come to life. The spring and summer bring swallows and swifts. There is a Kingfisher that comes along the River on the hunting patrol. There are rivers and Kingfishers everywhere. Also Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers.

The Hobby.

Fenland Birds of Prey

Common Buzzards, Red Kites, Marsh Harriers, Sparrow Hawks, Hobbys, Kestrels and many types of Owl. I have seen them all in the bird hides of the Fenland.

The Garden is full of Growing Wildlife.

Carole and I have some fabulous days. Not just at the hides but at our home by the open Fenland. Our bungalow looks out across the meadows. She loves the garden and is always tending the flowers and lawn. We have a grand decking area where we sit. Here, we enjoy the summer evenings when I return home from work. Over a period of time, we have put up bird boxes to try and entice Finches and Sparrows etc. The bird boxes have not been taken yet, though we did have a Jenny Wren look one over. Carole says a Jenny Wren male will make several nests. The female will then inspect the various choices of home and choose where to lay her eggs. Sadly our bird box was rejected by the female Jenny Wren. Perhaps next year she might look more favourably on the bird box.

However, in our ceonosis bush, Carole came upon a small nest. The bush is inside the coop where our ducks are kept. Carole was collecting the morning eggs lay. She saw a small Dunnock (hedge sparrow) leave the bush from the top and over the fence. She peeked into the ceonosis bush and found a nest with tiny blue eggs inside. Also, our magnolia tree had a pair of Goldfinches build a nest close to the top of the tree. I took some photos of the Dunnock eggs and then left the tiny birds to do their thing.

We had bird feeding tables put up and we watched the various small Finches, Sparrows, Robins and a Pied Wagtail. A blackbird was using the pond waterfall as a shower each morning and in the afternoon. The whole garden was a hive of activity. We enjoyed watching the creatures of habit. Carole and I were feeling exceptionally pleased with ourselves. In a short time, we noticed the Goldfinches coming backwards and forwards to their nest. Their eggs had hatched and the male and female were taking it in turns to bring food for the young. The three Dunnock eggs hatched too. I managed to get another photo shot of the young.

The Dunnock's Eggs and Nest.

The Hatched Young of the Dunnock.

The Goldfinch Nest.

Then one morning as I was making a cup of tea, Carole came in from the garden. She was all flustered and said that the Goldfinches were jumping from the nest. One had fallen in front of our Ragdoll Cat, Bob. He is fat and very lazy and will not run after anything. But the helpless Goldfinch was right before him. Food from Heaven. He snatched it up, but Carole managed to get the poor thing from his jaws. I went into the garden and heard a fearful commotion from the top of the magnolia tree. The infant Goldfinches came fluttering down from the top of the nest. They were panicking because a group of sparrows were attacking them. They were just shy of fledging and in a terrible dilemma. Three of them landed on the lawn. I gathered the little creatures up and took them into Carole. The sparrows were still making a racket by the nest as I got my step ladders. As I placed them on the tree, the sparrows flew away. I climbed the ladder to the nest and saw the last baby Goldfinch. Sadly, it was blooded and dead.

The Goldfinch that our cat Bob had picked up died soon after. I think it was traumatised by the ordeal. The other three baby Goldfinches were also huddled and quite. Carole phoned the animal sanctuary and they gave us a number of a rescue centre close by. A lady answered and told us to try and keep them warm and in a dark place. We put them in a small hamster cage with some bedding and then in an airing cupboard. In a short time, a volunteer from the charity came up the drive. The lady was another helper from the rescue centre. She began to feed the chicks with a syringe and the little things responded well. One of them started hopping around the cage. The Volunteer seemed very confident that the birds would soon fledge. The woman took the Goldfinches away to nurse them through the final stages of their growing cycle to fledging successfully.

The Goldfinches were attacked by Sparrows.

The Goldfinches Deserted Their Nest

Of the five Goldfinch chicks, only three survived. I would not have realised sparrows could be so destructive. The parent Goldfinches came back and were stressed that their young were gone. They would not know that three of their chicks had survived. Eventually, they abandoned the nest and flew off.

Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow)

The Sparrow Hawk

Over the next few days, the Dunnock chicks left the nest and began to hop about the garden lawn. They always returned back to the Ceonosis bush where their nest was. One day when I was at work, I got a call on my mobile from Carole. She said she was sitting on the decking doing her Sudoku book. She was alerted by a commotion. A Sparrow Hawk had banged into the passionflower shrub growing up the side of the fence. The bird of prey’s high pitched screech filled the air. It was caught up in the vines, but got lose and flew off. It had one of the fledgeling Dunnocks in its talon. There were three of them. Now there were two. When I came home from work, Carole was telling me all about the Sparrow Hawk. We were sitting on the decking and the camera was on the table. Sometimes a Buzzard flew over and I was chancing for a photo shoot. Low and behold. As though on call. The very Sparrow Hawk, Carole spoke of, landed on the fence. It was looking for small birds that went to our bird table. I managed to take a few shots of the little raptor before it shot off. It was so quick. It dived low and then rose across our garden. Then swooped upwards and shot over the fence. Talons first it hit a huge bush in the garden next door. I don’t think it got anything, but it was an attempted strike at some small hedge bird. Carole or I could not see a catch as the Sparrow Hawk flew off.

This raptor passed by on a daily basis. Our garden was part of its hunting ground. The two remaining Dunnocks fledged and moved on. At least that is what we assumed. Also, the other smaller birds that visited the bird table seemed to continue. We never saw another Sparrow Hawk strike in the garden for the rest of the summer. It probably got results in other gardens.

Suddenly the Sparrow Hawk Appeared.

The Spider's Web.

The retro British way of life in the Fenland was a dreamy one today. We took our nutty little dog for a run along the bridle path between the two rivers. These rivers are separated by the bridle path and a dyke. At scattered intervals along the scarps of the dyke are bird hides that look out over the Fens towards the far-off spire of Ely Cathedral.

After a short stroll, we decided to go up into one of the bird hides. We saw a Marsh Harrier and some kestrels. Lots of waterfowl too, but they don’t interest me like the raptors. I suppose I like the predators better.

It was while looking over the Fens that I noticed a different type of predator whizz down the open window frame in front of me. It was a spider nimbly sliding down his web to secure a fly that was caught within the web strands.  It was savage. Nature with all it raw and morbid fascination. I had no feelings for the fly. None for the spider come to that, but I was fascinated by the skill with which the tiny creature moved.

It led me to think of instinct. The gene programme that the spider must have within its biological makeup. These tiny creatures don’t have the capacity to learn as we do, yet they know how to spin webs and catch food. They are born with the knowledge. We must learn as we go through life. Yet these tiny creatures don't have the compacity to learn or retain memories as we do. Their construction instincts, however, make us look primitive.

I wonder if they carry some inert memory of spider collectiveness. I mean deceased spiders knowledge implanted within. It sounds silly, I know, but I can’t help but marvel at the thought. These tiny little creatures know their ways by inert memory or instinct. It would be like us being born with the knowledge of an Oxford University degree in building. We would know such things instantly.

Once the fly was packaged with further webbing, the spider dragged the wretched creature up to the top of the window frame. Into the corner. No doubt marinated with venom for a later time.

Working Between Chatteris and Manea with Raptors Above.

I cursed my bad luck for not having my camera with me, but I was at work. The day before I was coming out of the village of Manea when I saw a Red Kite flying very low over the rooftops of two houses. I could make it out so clearly and was very excited to see a Red Kite in Manea. There are plenty of Buzzards and Marsh Harriers. But this was my first Red Kite in this particular vicinity. 

I got out my mobile phone and tried to get a photo shot, but the raptor caught the wind and was too far gone and could only be made out as a tiny dot.

The today, I was about five miles out on the other side of the village close to Chatteris when I saw another Red Kite. I can't say if it was the same one, but it may have been. I checked the van mirrors and nothing was coming along the country road. Once again, I tried my mobile and again the bird caught the wind and sped off. I managed to get this shot and one can tell the Red Kite by the shape of the tail.

When I talk to the Fenlanders, they are all adamant that they never used to see this many birds of prey and it is only over recent years that these Raptors have started to come back in numbers. There have been sighting of Sea Eagles in Norfolk - the next county that has a border is only six miles from this photo location. Perhaps Sea Eagles in a year or two?

I Love the Garden

 

I know I keep banging on about my garden of late. I can't help it and this is a scrapbook blog where anything goes. Therefore, while the heatwave continues, I thought I might as well take advantage of the kind and warm days sitting in my garden with some gorgeous chilled draught Guinness. 

Add to this, my laptop by the bedroom window where our garden decking is, then there is my garden table with shaded brolly etc. Oh, and my camera because of the various birds and flowers that are in abundance. Who could want more?

All in all, my little rural bungalow as got it all. Meadows out the front and a nice garden at the back with a stone drive to the side with car port and other areas.

My wife, Carole, and I enjoy the garden immensely and we chat about all sorts of trivia during the summer months while working on projects to do with the garden and the house. Then we will stop and enjoy the visits of our various natural friends. Even Buzzards and Red Kites that often fly above.  

Of course, I had to get a few shots of the little Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow) Who has made a nest that contains eggs in the bush to the back. I mentioned this in another blog. 

Dunnock

Robin

Greenfinch

Fledglings

Adult Greenfinches

Greenfinch & House Sparrow