May 17th – The rowan is blossoming at the moment, and I always neglect this beautiful, m creamy with flower, which is a shame, as when you look at it closely, it’s fascinating in it’s beautiful, geometric perfection.
Som many delights in the hedgerows right now.
May 16th – I noted the cuddle puddle of goslings as I came back into Brownhills at Catshill Junction – the large brood of Canada goose chicks were all huddled together on the canal bank under the watchful eye of mum and dad having a communal nap break.
Couldn’t resist taking some pictures of this lovely group.
The parents weren’t aggressive today, either – which shows they must be getting used to me. Or are lulling me into a sense of false security.
May16th – I note the annual appearance of lupins with interest; growing near Clayhanger Bridge on the canal bank, the purple always bloom before the pink and white; and I don’t suppose they are really but they seem very early this year.
Still, it’s lovely to have them back, and to note the start of the rash of purple flowers coming soon – vetch, marsh orchids and others.
There’s something new every day right now. I love summer’s first breath.
May 12th – Slowly recovering from my tribulations, I headed off to Birmingham along the canals and through Sandwell Valley Park for some light relief. It was a dreadfully dark, rain-spattered day but the birdlife I saw was incredible. From the bluetits near Park Hall to the young waterfowl all along the canals of the area, multiplication really is the name of the game.
Glad to see the six cygnets all present and correct at Catshill Junction, and who knew gulls could yawn?
May 11th – Less hard to spot is Mrs. Muscovy, the Newtown One. Now feral, the flock she should have been part of has moved on, and this uncaged canard who escaped and subsequently survived nearly 18 months of canalside freedom is now a permanent fixture of the canal between Middleton Bridge and the aqueduct over the railway at Newtown.
When I passed this rather unique duck today, she was preening and bathing determinedly in the water, and making quite a splash.
And long may she continue to do so…
May 11th – Still in recovery downtime, I pottered out around the canals and commons to try and find the cygnets and deer. I drew a complete blank on the Watermead swans – nothing unusual there, swans possess an almost unique ability to disappear when you’re looking for them – and the dear nearly defeated me too.
I say nearly, as we more or less bumped into each other unawares. I was poking around the scrub on the old rail line near Engine Lane looking for industrial remnants, and these two ladies were heading the other way. I’m not sure who was more surprised, me or them.
A real pick-me-up on an otherwise fruitless journey.
May 10th – Going stir crazy, I escaped again at sunset, and headed up to Chasewater, just for the hell of it. I was captivated by the colour of a late-spring sunset, by the huge, yellow moon over Sandhills and the mist rising off the surface of the canal due to an inversion.
It’s a long time since I caught a sunset and dusk as lovely as this. After a very trying few days, it was lovely to be out in the dead calm and still, to feel the night chill encroaching and hear the soft sounds of Chasewater at dusk – calling birds, lapping water and the chatter of ducks and geese.
Recovery needs many things, but one thing that really does help is peace and beauty when you least expect them.
May 10th – I pottered into Brownhills for a mid-afternoon recovery ride to do so errands, and with the warm afternoon sun, everything was beautiful and felt right: the canal at Silver Street is wearing it’s summer jacket of green and blue, the boats and waterfowl were quietly busying themselves and all was right with the world for a change.
Also busy, but probably busy doing nothing, a black and white resident of the canalside who took up a better vantage point to observe me, observing him.
The canal cats really are wonderful at the moment.
May 9th – A terrible, hurried phone photo, but I noticed that the Canada geese had hatched a new brood in the last 24 hours near Catshill Junction. In the dawn light they were resting, and dad was stood guard nearby, whilst mum had the rest of her clutch under her right wing.
Canada geese get such a hard time from wildlife purists but they’re fascinating creatures. With a very tough day ahead, the sight of this new family really brightened my day.
May 9th – I had to be out very early for something I couldn’t cycle to, so took in an early circuit of the canal at 5:30am. Not seeing a soul, I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Fascinated at the moment by the sheer quantity of organic flotsam and jetsam in the canal, with everything from blossom petals to dead reed foliage. I suppose it’s a feature of the season, but never really noticed it to this extent before.
There’s something very otherworldly about breaking out of your routine and just riding for the hell of it very early in the morning.
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