Tag: white

March 6th – On roads across Cannock Chase, an experiment is underway. These wooden staves with white bags on top are a trial to see if they reduce vehicle-deer road collisions in the area.

It was discovered accidentally in the US that deer were apparently deterred by the sight of a white bag on a post, although nobody knows why, deer experts who’ve tried this have found it appears to work – it will be very interesting to see if the tactic works here, too.

My overriding feeling is the deer will probably get used to it, and they have to cross the roads somewhere, so I can’t see much long term benefit, but it’s a very interesting experiment and I salute the rangers for trying it out.

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.

January 6th – Then there was this fellow. Just look at the unbridled smugness.This is a cat whose self-belief defies his probable hatred of water.

Perched casually on a tree trunk sticking out of the canal bank in Pleck, puss is about 2-3 feet over the water. If he fell off, he’d be very wet and there’s no easy escape; but this cat is unconcerned. 

He just sat there, looking pleased with himself. 

October 10th – I suspect this chap, getting some compact and much needed shut-eye on a waterside jetty at Newtown, Brownhills is the same smug cat I spotted a couple of weeks ago.

He was lazing in the mild afternoon, and with tail as draught excluder and warm on a plastic tarp, I suspect he could have been in heaven.

You have to admire the propensity of the everyday omg to nap just about anywhere.

September 27th – On the canal near Newtown, Brownhills, waterside pets. That wonderful dog… possibly a husky, whom I’m told is female, lying imperiously in the weak sun. Such a gorgeous, lupine creature. Her owners must be very proud.

Not far away, on an abandoned fishing peg, possibly the world’s smuggest cat. What a splendid fellow.

I can’t help wondering if the cat teases the dog…

August 5th – Spinning home through Shelfield I spotted this guy staring intently at something in the hedge. I’ve no idea what small, squeaky thing he spotted, but it kept him transfixed for a while.

Then he heard me, and gave me one of those evil, fixed stares that all the best cats master at an early age.

‘Who dares disturb my activities?’

I love cats.

July 11th – A bad day. Technical problems, IBS playing up and nothing going well, I finally made it out late in the afternoon and headed to Aldridge to get some shopping in. On the way, I spotted this superior looking fellow glaring at me from the opposite bank.

I often wonder what cats think must be going on over the water, in the place they can’t reach…

June 18th – One sunny morning ride to work along the canal; a short stretch through Bentley Bridge and it’s teeming with wildlife.

The white water lilies are out, competing with themore profuse yellows. The Pleck swan family – now down to two cygnets from four initially, are clearly doing fine. And always, the ever present heron.

We’re so lucky to have all this on the doorstep.