Gone all Pre-Raphaelite ?

Coundmoor Valley with Cound in the distance



 Perhaps. Well, the unofficial, and glorious, first day of Spring prompted a visit to Cound and a  beautiful walk along Coundmoor Brook. The sun shone, the sky was blue, the buzzards displayed, the lambs beguiled and the Snowdrops were at their ecstatic best. I imagined       members of that Victorian brotherhood ambling along and recording, in fine detail, the natural beauty of this place. To go there on such a day is to have one's senses assaulted by a quintessentially English scene. This place is easy to find and there are several approaches from the north and east accessed by parking at Cound Church, down the road at Harnage House or further along at the The Green. If you need to refresh the spirit then go there now !

A garden by the Green

Sunbathers on The Green

Snowdrop woodland near the Dingle

Peregrine and Snowdrops

No, this is not the title of my new album though I know that this will be disappointing for many fans. I digress. We went to Attingham Park today to experience the famed Snowdrop Walk. As we approached the car park we happened upon a Peregrine Falcon that was busy dining on what turned out to be a Jackdaw - of which there is a large colony in the grounds of the stately home. The raptor took off once it had been rumbled and flew into a tree some two hundred yards from the roadside and I hid behind a small tree hoping that dinner had been left behind and that the king of the falcons would return. No chance. The Peregrine scrutinised me from a safe distance perched in an Oak tree and then flew off. I wondered whether it was one of the pair which nested on the cliff face at Forest Glen car park or a vagrant just passing through ? Anyway, the evidence is below with the plucking area and a massively cropped photo of the raptor.

The Snowdrops at Attingham are always spectacular but the lack of any winter rainfall has affected the numbers. However they are always a delight and the first sign that winter is in retreat and that life is returning to the countryside.

Lodge Field Buzzards

During the night there had been a dusting of snow in Ironbridge which was rapidly thawing as I emerged from my house and did my usual trek up the hill to Lodge Field. Lodge Field is a historic open area of meadow, woodland, scrub and bog which is maintained and managed by the Lodge Field Group. The Group have developed the field to encourage more varied flora and fauna, a notable success being an increase in the numbers of Common Spotted Orchid plants. There is a decent range of birds to be observed including all the usual Tits, Finches and Thrushes together with Great Spotted and Green Woodpecker, and two raptors - Kestrel and Buzzard. This morning the sky was cloudless, the sun shone brightly, the birds were singing and it really did feel like the first day of Spring. Buzzards were displaying high above the field in the clear skies and I managed a photo of one - albeit heavily cropped.  

Venus Pool Winter Oak

My wife has an iPad which has any number of "apps" including one known as "Brushes". This application has been made famous by David Hockney who has produced some East Yorkshire landscapes using Brushes and, in my humble opinion, they are very exciting. Whilst walking from the Fen Hide at Venus Pool Reserve I was struck by the mighty Oak at the top of the path set in silhouette against a very wintery sky. I understand that Barn Owls roost there and, hopefully, might nest . So, in the spirit of Hockney, but with a very small percentage of his skill and imagination, I used the iPad ( and my finger ) to produce the picture below. 

Over-wintering Chiffchaff at Venus Pool

Springlike conditions in the Gorge turned out to be a gloomy and cool day up the road at Venus Pool Reserve. I arrived to be told that there was "not much about" but actually I counted 32 species, albeit many would be seen in the average garden. I've just joined the Shropshire Ornithological Society and this allowed me entrance to the "members only" hide which is heated and where they serve canapés and champagne - a little like the members enclosure at Royal Ascot but with a different dress code. I jest - of course. A single Oystercatcher had found itself on the scrape and the Green Sandpiper was still present. I walked to the Fen Hide and en route an over-wintering Chiffchaff was pointed out to me by a helpful chap who is a bird recorder for Shropshire. The Fen Hide seems to be a good place for small birds and I saw Bullfinch and Reed Bunting amongst others.

Wrekin Peregrines

Last summer a pair of Peregrine Falcon built an eyrie on the "cliff" face above the Forest Glen car park. They raised three young which all fledged and were a constant attraction for birders and the general public. Typically I found out about this very late in the proverbial day and only just managed to catch the young before they fledged. At the time these photos were taken they were  exploring their immediate environment and constantly calling whilst exercising their wing muscles. I was struck by the interest being shown by non-birders as mum, dad and children would arrive in their cars with the sole intention of seeing these celebrity birds. Perhaps Britain still remains a society which maintains a sense of what is valuable ?

A bit of Summer colour

I dislike gloomy February especially as a retired and slightly jading gentleman. Greyness predominates and the Gorge is a damp place in the winter - danger from the dreaded "Jackfield Lung". They - the forces of evil - are using pneumatic drills outside on New Road as they repair the damage done to walls and the road surface by time and the contractors. Must get a grip and do something useful - whatever that means. So I thought I would "produce a new post" and include some bright pictures taken last summer. This time a variety of butterflies and moths taken in Lodge Field and Rough Park area - Clockwise from top left : Burnett Companion, Large Skipper, Ringlet and Six-spot Burnett.

Venus Pool Reserve in February

February is usually considered to be a fallow month for birdwatchers but there were several interesting species to be seen at Venus Pool Reserve . The Tit family were well represented by Blue, Coal, Great, Marsh and Long-tailed. The most common species on the feeders were Greenfinch together with smaller numbers of Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Bullfinch and Linnet, the latter three were to be seen around the woodland which fringes the pools. Ducks included Mallard, Teal, Widgeon, Shelduck and Shoveler. Other water birds : Coot, Moorhen, Tundra ( Bewick's ) and Mute Swans and a pair of Green Sandpiper. Great-spotted Woodpecker are common and often seen from the "feeder hide". In addition were the usual Blackbirds, Dunnocks and a couple of Reed Buntings foraging, predictably in the reedbed.

Introduction

I've lived in Ironbridge, Shropshire since 1996 and have always maintained an interest in wildlife. One of my ambitions has been to get into wildlife photography but it is only recently that a combination of retirement and resources has enabled me to start doing this to any sort of satisfactory level. I thought that it would be a good idea to supplement my journal activities and posts on Flickr with a blog and these are my first thoughts.


I'm currently involved in a local project which aims to develop an area at the top of Ironbridge known as Lodge Field. This mixed meadow, bog and woodland space is managed by the Lodge Field Group which comprises local people with an interest in maintaining and developing the flora and fauna of this place as well as providing a living and breathing area for local people who need "time out" from the world of Facebook, technology and work. From time to time I'll report on the progress of this project and, hopefully, present some photographs.


In late January I discovered the Venus Pool Reserve which is managed by the Shropshire Ornithological Society ( SOS ) and have started to visit on a regular basis. Heaven knows why I haven't been to this reserve before 2012 - given that it so close to Ironbridge being located between Cressage and Cross House on the Shrewsbury to Much Wenlock road - but I hope to make up for lost time and have enjoyed all my visits. This blog will be a record of these trips.