May 3rd – Spotted in the dusk, swans nesting. Frantically busy in the dusk, they’re on a mission to obey their biological imperative. Their nest is just in front of the Watermead estate in Brownhills, 20 yards of so from the canoe centre.
That’ll make for an interesting introduction to birdlife for some young canoeist…
April 14th – I was in the house all morning, listening to the rain and wind, dreading the afternoon ride I was planning on taking. Slipping out mid afternoon, what I actually found was way different to that which I expected. Yes, it was raining with a gusty wind. But the warmth was welcome and lovely. The landscape was grey and the sky dull, but as I zipped up to the new pool at Clayhanger, there were signs all around of spring kicking off; birds buzzed about with nest building materials in their beaks, swans sat on nests at Clayhanger and Catshill. I saw the first Heron on the new pool I’d ever seen there. Green shoots of lupin glistened along the canal banks. At Chasewater, the reservoir was still in overflow and the marsh formed by the overspill seems to be growing marsh grasses. Tits, wagtails and pipits flitted about. There were distinct splashes of emerald green on the commons and heaths.
I think that’s it, finally. The end of the 7 month winter is at hand.
BrownhillsBob's #365daysofbiking 