A Wolds Walk and Topping Up the Feeding Station

 It was a sunny morning as Heather and I set off on our walk around Cadeby in the Lincolnshire Wolds. It is only a short walk and one that we have done before but it was on the way to the feeding station wood so was convenient on two fronts. Although sunny, it was still only 9C and the brisk south-easterly wind made it feel chilly. It was feeling more spring-like, however, and we found our first celendines and violets in flower and hawthorn was beginning to come into leaf. As we approached our starting point we first heard and then saw a good sized flock of fieldfares; my first this year. These large, colourful winter thrushes will be leaving us soon to head to their breeding territories further north.

In the feeding station wood dog's mercury was in flower and the wild garlic or ramsons was coming into leaf. After topping up the feeding station we collected a bag of wild garlic to be made into wild garlic soup and pesto.

The Valley Wood

On the Cadeby Circuit

First violets

First Celendines

Fieldfare, Immingham

Fieldfare, Immingham

Walking the Cadeby Round and Scallows Foraging

 Driving into the Wolds we couldn't help but notice the large numbers of cars parking in the walking hot spots.  We had opted for the Cadeby Round again for that very reason.  We were fairly sure that it would be quiet and, in fact, we were the only people parked here.  It was a shame to not, however, that a short way up the track a very aggressive security gate was being installed.  As this must be an incredibly expensive move, we could only conclude that the land owner had been having problems with people driving down the track.  We had hoped that at Wyham it would be warm and sheltered for our flask and cake but annoyingly a nagging northerly wind had other ideas.  We thought that spring may have moved on apace since we last walked this route but it is easy to forget that it is high up on the Wolds and it is still quite wintry.

It was time to move on to drop some chairs off to be renovated at friends and spend some time in my feeding station wood.  One sign of spring here was the wild garlic coming through so we collected a bag for making wild garlic soup and pesto.  Both turned out to be excellent although there is a tendency for 'badger breath' afterwards; good for social distancing.

I enjoyed photographing some delicate moss which was colonizing a dead tree and found a clump of oyster mushrooms.It was good to hear the rooks at their nests and to listen to the buzzards calling as they floated above the wood.

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Spring Arrives to the Wolds.

Another weekly escape from Grimsby to give the car a run and for some different scenery.  And what a beautiful day it turned out to be: warm and spring-like, although the very high pressure air made for somewhat hazy conditions.  The chill easterly wind made it cool in the shade but we were nearly sunbathing in the shelter from the breeze.  Walking up from our parking spot past Cadeby Farm we were delighted again to both hear and see the raven that seems to have set up territory over the Valley Wood.  Their call is a joyous cronking and they reall do seem to play as they tumble in the sky above the wood.  We were pleased as well to hear the yaffle of a green woodpecker.  Lesser celandine was in flower and wild arum leaves were poking through.  Hawthorn buds are swelling and they will soon be in leaf.  Bumble bees and ladybirds were also on the wing.

After our walk we went on to Scallows to deliver a framed picture and to admire the wonderful display of snowdrops and aconites.  Bird life was busy in the wood; we heard a greater spotted woodpecker drumming and a buzzard was perched in a tree close to the hide.

• Raven
• Linnet
• meadow pipit
• yellowhammer
• skylark
• wood pigeon
• blackbird
• green woodpecker
• jackdaw
• crow
• greater spotted woodpecker
• buzzard
• black headed gull
• dunnock
• blue tit 
• great tit 
• nuthatch

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