Tag: 365daysofbiking

May 13th – The Walsall Canal swans at Pleck had hatchlings when I passed them midday; I was very pleased to count four, and I suspected she was hatching more. The cob patrolled on the open water, and the scene was tranquil.

I returned the same way that evening on my way home, to find a drama unfolding. An elderly heron was perched on the rear rail, his beady eye making unfailing eye contact with the cob, who was perched on the nest with his mate. There was clearly deadlock – the heron obviously had spotted an opportunity, but the swans were having none of it.

In a couple of days when grown, they’ll be safe from the herons and other predators, but it’ll be a tense few days for mum and dad as they guard their precious charges.

Nature, red in tooth and claw.

May 12th – He was hiding in the long grass near James Bridge Aqueduct. I decided to blow his cover.

This lovely chap – who had a white tip to hist tail, as if it had been dipped in a paint pot – must have been a long way from home. There aren’t many houses nearby. 

Lovely chap though in excellent condition.

May 12th – A great morning ride, although the wind was against me, again another wolfish May day. I hopped onto the canal at Pleck, hoping to see swan hatchlings, but mum was still sitting. Her partner was attentively maintaining the nest – packing a bit more reed here, throwing away some debris there. 

The wait goes on…

I noticed near the Scarborough Road bridge in Pleck the huge Lilac shrubs wonderfully in flower, and just a bit further along, an elderly heron watched me carefully.

So much wildlife to see on the canal in central Walsall, there really is.

May 11th – Cowslips are my favourite flowers. When I was a kid, these dainty little primroses were rarely seen in the area, yet thanks to wildflower planting campaigns, they’ve really got a strong foothold back in the local ecosystem. 

I love to see them, and this year they’ve lasted for weeks in the mild, dry spring; only now are they starting to go over; and even in that, they’re beautiful.

There may be bolder, bigger flowers – but you can’t match the cowslip for effort.

May 11th – This evening when I passed Jockey Meadows, the cattle were obligingly close to the field gate – and what handsome fellows they are. I think there are ten in total, and it looks like they’e been having a paddle in the mud. The work they do is essential – cropping fast growing species, churning the ground up and spreading the poo love. 

They are collected in the evening, and I wondered if they were waiting for their lift, which raises again my occasionally mused question that they must regard this as work, and knock off at a set time. 

Coos are more intelligent than we give them credit for, I feel.

Meanwhile, at the far side of the meadow, a small group of deer were loafing in the reeds. This place really is alive right now.

May 10th – Just in the Walsall Wood border country, a new leisure centre is being built at Oak Park, on the playing field of the earlier 1970s one. 

In the middle of a huge building site, I realise that now the election is over, that must be what they did with Ed Miliband’s block of stone.

Curious, but nice to know it’s not going to waste…

May 10th – On the canal in Walsall Wood, the obligatory heron was sourcing supper. Intently focussed on the water, it took no notice of me whatsoever. Such was the determination, I wondered if it had a young mouth or two to feed.

Despite waiting an age, the bird never struck, just kept on mesmerising it’s prey.

I hope it bagged some supper in the end.

May 10th – Nipping into Aldridge on a Sunday afternoon on another wolfish day.

For the past few years I thought one of the major qualifications required to run a bar or cafe was to be a great chalkboard artist and songwriter – often in preference to keeping good beer or making decent coffee.

They probably missed the memo. Unfortunate.

May 9th – A big welcome, if you please, to the newest residents of Brownhills, seven swan chicks newly hatched in the last 24 hours or so to the swan couple who have been nesting at the Watermead, just near the Canoe Centre in Brownhills.

The 7 fluffy hatchlings were active, and seemed fit, although I think there may have originally been eight, as I think in some photos there appears to be a lifeless one in the nest. But seven survivors is a good number, and if they can get through the next week or so without being lunch for predators, they’ll be just fine.

Mum and dad were showing their brood off beautifully, and the Canoe people are avoiding them – out of respect for wildlife and also out of pecking distance of the Cob! 

We can expect to lose a few of these fluffy chaps – we lost one of the eight at Catshill last year – as at this stage, they’re vulnerable to mustelids, foxes, rats and even herons – which is just natural.

So if you can, get down and have a look at these delightful birds. Please don’t feed them bread, however, as it’s bad for them. There’s plenty of natural food and they’re foraging well.

May 9th – A ride up to Chasewater, and back to Brownhills along the canal. It was a dull, overcast day that seemed to permanently threaten rain. However, the sheer beauty of the newly green landscape was a joy to the heart. 

At Newtown, a rabbit in the pasture near the mobile home park; the warren by Newtown Bridge seems to have been wiped out by myxie, and only this burrow remains. The bunny looked healthy enough, though.

The sallow is coming into bloom, and the weeping willows over the canal look majestic, as do some of the canalside gardens. 

Even when the sun is elusive, this time of year is beautiful.