Mike's Natural Musings: Go West Young Man

Monday 20 April 2020

Go West Young Man

We decided to have a change today and head west over to Bradley and Dixon't Woods rather than the usual Horsefield walk. It was again a cloudless morning as I walked down to the doctor's for my warfarin blood test, Heather joining me when I had finished my appointment. We continued to the edge of the village before setting out over the fields to Bradley Gairs wood. I was looking forward to this excursion as I knew that the wood anemones had been out for a couple of weeks, bluebells were appearing and I also hoped for more early purple orchids. From this side of the village we were able to look out over the coastal marsh to the Lincolnshire Wolds. We commented that we could see a wood on one of our favourite walks in the Wolds: Stock Furlong. We love the way that we can pick this wood out from many places, including the P&O ferry when we are sailing over to Zeebrugge or Rotterdam. The bright, vivid yellow of the fields of oilseed rape could be seen dotted all the way to the Wolds.

As soon as we entered Bradley Gairs we found violets, stitchwort and swathes of bluebells; thankfully English and not Spanish. As we left the wood we were pleased to find plenty of early purple orchids. We crossed Bradley Road and wandered down the farm track for a quarter of a mile before turning right and heading towards Bradley Woods themselves. Once in Bradley we followed the perimeter path enjoying the spectacle of wood anemones, violets, stitchwort, bluebells and orchids carpeting the woodland floor.

Stopping to photograph the wood anemones we then crossed the road and continued on the perimeter path around Dixon's wood, floristically just as spectacular. I was highly delighted to come across a common male fern (Dryopteris felix-mas), having burst out of it's knuckle and the fronds beautifully unfurling. This is one of my favourite wild life photography subjects - I just think that it so beautiful. I am also fascinated by the knuckle of the fern, looking like a closed fist just before the fronds beginning to uncurl. Interestingly I wrote down relatively few birds; I think with it being so windy bird song was not so noticeable.

All too soon it was time to leave the wood and head back across the fields and home for lunch. All told we had walked 6 miles and were ready for a sit down.