July 20th – I met the. Walsall Wood swans near Clayhanger bridge. Woody, their single cygnet this year, is growing and developing very well indeed, and the family are confident, wary of humans, but relaxed.
Woody posed happily for the camera, which was lovely.
But I still can’t get used to how alien swan feet are…
July 19th – Spotted by the canal near Clayhanger, on a ragwort plant – their favourite food – a yellow and black striped cinnabar moth caterpillar, which seem to be having a good year this year.
These stripes fellows turn into beautiful black and red moths later in the season and are fascinating.
A nice find on a hot day.
July 19th – Following the canal breach a few weeks ago, that saw the local canals lose nearly a foot in level following a breach into a culvert beneath the waterway at Little Bloxwich, the repair has been effected and levels are back up to a healthy level now.
At Clayhanger, the low end of the overflow is now running well and it’s a fine sight and sound once more.
July 15th – It was a gorgeous, mellow golden hour that caught the dry grass, hedgerows and crops safely afire. I was interested to see the sun rays from behind the clouds as I laboured back up over Barracks Lane. They put one in mind of a child’s drawing of the sun. I’ve never seen that before.
We’re having some remarkable weather lately.
July 15th – An evening spin out after a day doing bike maintenance. It was warm and sunny and I did a lazy loop around Shenstone with the Nikon P900. It was a little too hazy but the Cathedral and Little Aston church came out well.
Sad to see so much building waste – clearly all from the same source – flytipped around Bullmoor and other local lanes. It has been reported.
July 14th – Another long ride in the afternoon up to the Cloud Trail past Cloud Quarry and into Derby City Centre. The route was pretty much the same as the week before, but more relaxed. It was a gorgeous day, and it was interesting to see the blasting progress in the quarry from the week before – and also, the bees pollinating teasels clinging the to the cliff edge near the viewpoint.
Derby remains a beautiful city with much history – but I also enjoyed the canal at Stretton, which in the still evening with darkness coming on was serene and beautiful.
Another great ride in a continuing, brilliant summer.
July 13th – In Telford for the morning, I crossed the footbridge over the motorway to Priorslee and noticed that despite the dry spell, the embankments, a real haven for local wildlife were still very green and alive with wildflowers.
It always interests me how the motorways of the UK – undoubtedly polluting and hostile to the environment – have formed green ribbons of land that protect so much wildlife and provide an undisturbed haven.
Of course, this is one of the quieter UK motorways.
July 12th – One indicator of an advancing summer I always have mixed feelings about is buddleia. This purple-flowering, profuse shrub, sometimes known as the butterfly bush is great for bugs and bees and lepidoptera of all kinds – but the one issue I have is it’s the shrub of urban decay.
This versatile plant will grow anywhere it can find – gutters, chimneys, soot-filled fissures in brickwork, and once it takes hold it will destroy masonry as it grows. It’s the sign of dereliction in summer, growing old disused rail lines, factory yards and edgelands of all types.
A fascinating, but destructive plant.
July 11th – I haven’t seen much of Old Sam, the King of kings Hill lately. He had taken to sleeping on the grass in in the gardens around the old folks flats where he lives, but the gardeners came one day with their mowers and blowers and I only saw him a couple of times after that.
I needn’t have worried. He’s found a shadier spot, just out of my normal sight for the really hot days.
I notice someone had given him a bowl of water, and he was concentrating on washing, and despite my calls and invitations for strokes he studiously ignored me and got on with the important business of fur maintenance.
I adore this crotchety old lad.
July 10th – This one has puzzled me. An unknown family of swans has appeared in Pleck, Walsall on the canal near the Rollingmill Industrial Estate.
Mum, Dad and six cygnets (a smaller, slightly runty looking one was hiding behind the weed on the right) were sunning themselves and preening at the back of a factory, while a man worked noisily through the door in the workshop behind.
I don’t know this year of any local family with six surviving chicks, and the adults don’t seem to be ringed.
They look in rude health though, and weren’t at all skittish.
Wonder if they’re now resident or just passing through? Where are they from, any ideas people?
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