Wild Derbyshire - Naturally

Chief Inspector Glen Wicks of the Yard (back-yard that is), Andy Lindsay and I enjoyed a couple of pints at the Bull's Head, Repton last evening, but not a sign of Roy Wood. However, it was great to hear how well respected he is hereabouts.

Today we decide to do a little wandering around just a couple of the many Nature Reserves close to Andy's home.

First we visited the Lime Kilns and Lime Yards at Ticknell just a couple of miles away. Active mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries, there is evidence of activity here stretching back as far as the 1400's

There were quite a few Coots feeding

young, while one pair were still nest building,

with lots of Roach showing from time to time.

We found 2 varieties of fungi but

I don't know the name of either.

Once the lime had been burnt, it was transported by narrow gauge 'tram' to be used in both agriculture and building industries. This is just one of a series of arched bridges that the vehicles would pass over.

There were a number of Woodpeckers too, with this Great Spotted being the closed one we could find. We hear several Green Woodpeckers but didn't see one of them.

The were quite a few Willow Warblers as well but

we only managed to catch up with a single Marsh Tit.

At the Four Mark Reservoir we captured this shot of a

Cormorant 'drying out',

these Mallard in flight

plus a family party of Great Crested Grebes, and a

juvenile on its own.

Before we left we also recorded one of 2 Kingfisher which was a 'first of the year' for me, but both escaped the lens.

Scaddows Oaks is part of the Severn & Trent Water Boards efforts to create a Nature Reserve and join it up as part of the National Forest.

The enlarged sign tells all.

Four Mark Reservoir somewhat low in water.

An overflying Sparrowhawk.

Not a great shot of this Treecreeper but opportunist.

A view from the top of the hill across Four Mark Reservoir to the Toyota factory, left above the trees, the Willington Power Station centre and the hills above Matlock distant right.

Yorkshire to Derbyshire

Before dinner yesterday evening, there was time to visit the North Cave Wetland Reserve a series of small flooded gravel pits not far from Jim & Liz's home. The area has been sympathetically rejuvenated for all manner of wildlife, but with birds in particular in mind. The walkways, paths, hedges and wooded areas are maturing very nicely, but it's the 'hides' that steel the show with a host of bird identification plate, comfortable seating and all round panoramas. There was nothing considered rare here but a Little Ringed Plover was the highlight, while

several dozen Rooks perched in a nearby tree,

this male Ruddy Duck cut across one of the lakes at a distance

as this Little Grebe found good pickings

directly below the hide window.

Back home Jim had made a delicious Spanish Chicken dish and produced 2 bottles of wine that I should pass on to the readership. One is simply named Black Label and produced from a blend of grapes by Australia's McGuigan family (retail £6), while the other named Charlie Herring is a Western Cape South African Tau Syrah, vintage 2007 and sells for £20 per bottle. These are strongly recommended if you can find a source. The sing song that followed, accompanied by Jim on his ukulele lasted until the early hours.

All there is to report today, is a drive of some 90 miles from Humberside back to Derbyshire, where I will be spending 3 days with oil rig mate Andy Lindsay in the village of Melbourne. It is planned to go for a pint late in the Bull's Head at Repton, so who knows we may well bump into Roy Wood again (that wood be Wizzard - get it?).

A Day on Humberside

After a breakfast of the finest 'pair of kippers' I've had for many a day, Jim and I once again set off for the East Coast under a leaden sky and a 25 knots wind.

We first passed under the Humber bridge, looking south, before arrival at one of Great Britain's birding Mecca's

Spurn Point. Having never ventured this far before it was good to see the area where so many 'rarities' have been found over the years, not to mention the last couple of days.

There was a £3.00 toll at the Information Centre which the young 'birder' within was extremely quick to relieve us of. However, he was not so generous with the 'information' as it was some while later when we met another 'birder' that we were told of a Citrine Wagtail, c2 Red-backed Shrike, the same number of Icterine Warbler and a possible Booted Warbler. Perhaps needless to say they were all seen 'yesterday'!

I am told by Jim that this 'Jack-Up Oil Rig' has now been 'stacked' here for a number of years.

Our first encounter with birds, was a reasonable large flock of mixed Waders which soon took to the air when we arrived.

Spurn Lighthouse, looking in need of a little TLC, is the third such to be featured in 2 days, Paul & Tess will be loving it!

There were only a few Ringed Plover, mixed with a similar number of Dunlin that we could get nowhere near,

but one of the local Pilot Cutters was far easier to capture as it returned to berth.

A seal pup obliged by staying put

as we walked by,
and as the Lifeboat 'Pride of the Humber was secured to a buoy that too was easy to photograph.

There were also quite a few Whimbrel,

with this small bushy plant (which I need to look up) being prolific too

while what had to be 'dozens' of Yellow Wagtail stopped to feed, briefly, on the foreshore.

We then returned to Hull City Centre only to find

the William Wilberforce (1759 - 1833) Museum closed by 'unforeseen circumstances'. A British Politician, Philanthropist and leader of the Movement to abolish the Slave Trade, it would have been good to look around.

However, there are 2 other museums, both recently refurbished, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Not least for this 'Laughing Policeman' which I don't think I've encountered since childhood, but found for 20p it still made us laugh.

Mainly a museum of Hull, there were a couple of shops reconstructed here, such as the Co-op

and the chemist of bygone days.

Transport was represented by this 'single deck bus'

and a tram,

while outside we found this bronze bust of Mahatma Gandhi (I knew his brother the 'cloakroom attendant' Mahatma Coat).

while in the Historical section

this Woolly Mammoth was happily chewing straw

and these 2 could have done with a pair of Y-fronts each.

Along the strangely named street Land of Green Ginger is the smallest window in England.

This is the accompanying plaque.

and finally Hull City Hall with famous forefather William Wilberforce atop the column in the background.

and along the side.