Tag: wildlife

July 14th – Called to Telford mid morning in soft rain, I was struck by how green and tunnel-like the cycleways to Hortonwood have become. The council here cut so far up the hedges, but the upper boroughs overhang and form an almost complete arch. Riding down them in even this grey daylight makes them an emerald delight, but in sunlight, they are magical green pathways, lined with foliage, fruits and flowers.

Beauty in the everyday.

July 13th – I haven’t seen these guys for a while , and my goodness, they’ve grown! These are the Watermead swan family from Brownhills, and they came over to see if I had any food as I passed Clayhanger Bridge.

I was glad to see they still number five, and interesting to see the very beginnings of adult plumage forming on the growing cygnets.

Here’s to another successful year!

July 5th – From Ogley Junction footbridge, long range shots of rabbits in the rain, grazing on the long grass beside the canal basin and just doing their thing.They look healthy and no sign of the Myxomatosis that ravaged the warren at the back of the Terrace last year. The scruffiness in their coats appears to be just where they’re wet from the rain.

A pleasure to watch, and so enthralling I completely forgot it was raining.

July 4th – Fully loaded with shopping, I pottered back, becoming slower and slower as my energy dropped. I was pleased to note, however, lots of new duckling families on the canal at Brownhills. There are mallard chicks from newly hatched to a week or so old, clearly all second clutches.

This summer seems to be favouring the wildlife, which is nice to see.

June 24th – And by the canal in Leamore, just near Pratts Mill Bridge, a clump of purple vetch was proving irresistible to the bees, who buzzed around it with an air of frantic, but random purpose.

The vetch, like many other flowers is profuse this year. I hope the bees prosper from it. They need our support…

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.

June 15th – Here’s something that’s got me wondering: the Pleck swan family are back to their nest. These are the group I saw, who after hatching their eggs in the disused canal arm found themselves being intimidated by the heron. Next day, they’d gone. I never saw them again, but heard they’d scooted off to Moxley, a few miles up the canal.

Well, this morning, they were back: I was alerted by the dad patrolling the open water outside the arm, while mum was nest rebuilding with at least two little ones. When I last saw them, I counted four cygnets; if they’ve lost two, that’s sad, but no so bad.

I have no idea what they’re doing back at the nest and invite comments. Good to see them getting on, though.

June 13th – So, the Watermead cygnets are down to five – this is definitely the family, spotted today near their nest. They started with seven and have lost two, which isn’t too bad – most likely to predators of some sort. The youngsters are growing well and seemed happy and healthy (as far as I could tell, anyway).

It’s so good to watch the local wildlife mature like this. You almost develop an attachment to the birds as they get older.