April 10th – Nice to see a thriving bunny population around the dam and Anglesey Wharf and basin at Chasewater.
There were a large group cropping the turf at the back of the dam cottage, sadly they were skittish and I scared all but this pair away.
They look healthy though. Good to see them after the myxomatosis outbreak near Newtown ended the warren there.
March 27th – Despite the start of British summer time and the lighter nights, I still returned in darkness. Passing through Chasewater gave me chance for some classic local night shots – but best of all was the wee toad, sat on the canal towpath. I severed to avoid squishing it on the way back. Thankfully, I missed…
Spring is definitely here. Is it safe to take the winter tyres off the bike yet?
March 27th – Heading on an errand to Burntwood, I passed through Chasetown, past the Church Street open space, where the red deer seem to take refuge when Chasewater is busy. There were a small group of nine or ten animals, loafing and grazing contentedly, seemingly oblivious to a dog running around nearby. They were not bothered by my approach, either and were content to allow me to photograph them.
I adore the old lady with the wonky ear – I’ve seen her before and she’s quite the star. I also note the herd are going into moult, hence the patchiness of their coats.
Such a joy to see these wonderful creatures.
March 19th – Chasewater matched my mood, grey, flat and dull… But of course, it had a certain desolate charm. I noted the reservoir was still overflowing and the flowing water in the spillway was attracting a variety of wildlife – early bugs were circulating in the air, which in turn were catching the attention of wagtails and other small birds. As I took photos, a kestrel hovered, searching the wetland for anything small, squeaky and edible.
Oddly, while I was there, I didn’t see a solitary soul.
March 13th – Always nice to see the deer; this large herd were between Norton Bog and Cuckoo bank, and didn’t seem much bothered by me al all, eventually being scared off by a the noise of a siren on the nearby main road.
It was quite misty so the photos aren’t as clear as I’d like.
They look healthy and content.
March 10th – For the first time in what I think must be two years, Chasewater is overflowing into the spillway again. That means it’s as full as it can now possibly get. From an environmental point of view, this is interesting, as during the wet winter the lake has filled from it’s tributaries, and held back their flow from the rivers Trent and Tame where they would otherwise end up – now the overspill will got into the Crane Brook, and flow several miles downstream to the Tame at Tamworth.
At the moment, the flow is fairly slight, but it’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next few days.
It’s something to note that the water is overtopping the weir fairly evenly, which is quite a testament to the engineers who constructed it: the horizontal looks just about spot on!
March 10th – It had been a really grey, overcast, dull day – but briefly and tentatively, as I neared Brownhills the sun came out. Just for a short while. So I headed to Chasewater to catch it, and to check out the water level, which I’d heard was now overflowing as a result of the previous day’s rain.
What I found was life-asserting and beautiful; a mackerel sky over a soft, still reservoir, where the guys from the Wakeboard facility were setting up again for a new season. The swans, rather than being alarmed, seemed to be investigating the activity with interest.
The whole scene was suffused by a soft, slightly misty light. Utterly wonderful.
March 6th – Chasewater is very nearly, almost but not quite full now. I reckon another week to ten days if we have a mild spell of rain.
The authorities seem to let the reservoir overflow once every year or so. Perhaps they’re stress-testing the dam.
February 21st – Today, I saw an old familiar, I thought was lost – the white domestic goose from Chasewater with the bump it’s head. Originally part of a cohort of six kept as guards for the boatyard at Ogley Junction, they were cast into the wild when the yard closed. Living on the canal by the Chemical for a few years, two were lost, presumably to the local fox’s belly. When the Chemical was redeveloped, the geese moved to the main lake at Chasewater, where they lived seemingly contentedly amongst the Canada geese and swans.
One bird was lost to the cold in 2013, and another disappeared last year; for a couple of months now I’ve only seen the one, and assumed this bird was lost, but today I saw it preening by the waterspouts club.
The flock would be probably over ten years old now, and it shows in their eyes – these are venerable birds. Truculent, permanently cross and hostile to anything that didn’t give them food, they were hard to like. But I’ve always loved them. Such pure, white plumage, always tidy birds who knew their mind.
I hope they see another summer, and feel the warm sun on their backs once more.
February 21st – Another grim, grey and periodically wet day that had started reasonably well, but by the time I was able to escape, had descended into grey intemperance. I headed out to Chasewater and found the water level still rising, but the place was largely deserted and the lake very choppy indeed. This place was hostile today.
The only bright thing here was the gorse, which is strongly in flower all around the park. Such vivid, bright yellow. A real joy.
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