Freshney Birding

 Although still testing positive for Covid (faintly) but feeling much better I took the opportunity of a beautiful day to go for a self-isolating walk along the Freshney. Although lovely and very sunny weather it was definitely colder than of late and frost and snow are forecast for later in the week. I would doubt that we shall get snow, though. Things were very quiet on the bird front despite seeing 21 species and I was surprised to find a common darter still on the wing, obviously surviving due to the mild autumn. We met up with a photography friend, Alan Greensmith  and he agreed that things were very quiet here and also at Far Ings where he is a volunteer warden. It was good to catch up. The fallen tree that has completely blocked the path for the last few years has finally been cleared away, so it was pleasant to be able to complete a proper round walk.

Common darter

Common darter

Cormorant

Cormorant

Dunnock

Mute Swan

Mute Swan

Chiffchaff in the Freshney Valley

 It was a beautiful sunny morning, although with a chilly wind from the north as I parked up by Little Coates Church to walk along the Freshney Valley.  Almost the first bird I saw was noticeably different to the usual.  It reminded me of the quick furtive movements of the tiny goldcrest I have been seeing in the cemetery but when I finally picked it up with the binoculars I could see that it was a chiffchaff.  I was both surprised and delighted as it was either a very early summer migrant or, more likely, a bird that had overwintered.  Either way it eluded the camera and so I continued with my walk hoping that it would be there on my return.  I enjoyed a very pleasant hour or so of birding and especially enjoyed a glimpse of a kingfisher as it zipped along the river.

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Cherry plum

Cherry plum

Buzzard

Chiffchaff

Coot

Cormorant

Heron

Long-Tailed Tit

Mute Swan

Willow

Willow

Woodpigeon

A Freshney Exploration

 It was slightly cooler today at only 11C with a cool SE breeze.  It was, however, cloudless yet again.  We had to walk Jet, but today's visit was for a bit more of an exploration.  We walked along the Fresney as far as the fallen ash trees which still blocked the path.  We then returned past the Holt to where we could get on the tarmac path to go around the other side of the Holt.  We did find a short section of path that led into the reeds around the lakes.  This proved fruitful with singing chiffchaff and a comma.  Popping down here on the way back rewarded me with a fleeting glimpse of a cetti's warbler.  We met and had a long chat with a Twitter contact: Alan Greensmith, a Freshney local and a Lincs Trust volunteer warden at Far Ings.  It was good to meet and catch up.  It was a good day for butterflies with 10 small tortoiseshell and 1 comma.

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Comma

Mute swan

Mute swan

A short Walk along the Freshey

 A short walk along the River Freshney today for dog walking purposes.  It was unusually overcast but still mild as we set off from Little Coates Church with Jet.  It was good to see butterbur in flower as well as lesser celendine.  I noticed a tree I couldn't instantly recognise so photographed the bark and later narrowed it down to black poplar.  I was fascinated by the patterns on the bark.  Although it was only a quick half an hour out and then back I was pleased to see 16 bird species although no butterflies.  Our forward progress along the river bank was halted anyway by two huge ash trees that had been brought down in recent storms and not yet cleared away.

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Bluetit feeding on willow catkins

Butterbur on the bank of the Freshney.

Mallard

Mallard

Goat Willow

A Walk Along the Freshney Valley

 A very pleasant walk along the Freshney Valley today to exercise Jet.  It was a fairly mild afternoon at 11C and felt warm despite the brisk NW wind.  We walked through Town Holt and out into the open valley beyond where the river becomes Laceby Beck, one of Lincolnshire's precious chalk streams which rises in blow wells near Laceby village.  We made our way as far as the impressive lone surviving elm tree in the area.

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Kingfisher and Fox on the Parkway.

Easter Monday turned out to be a beautiful day and we chose to take Jet for a walk locally along the Freshney Parkway.  We had a short distance to cover along the pavement before we could get off road and into the Parkway along the banks of the sparkling River Freshney, a small chalk stream that rises as springs at Laceby and flows through Grimsby into the River Humber through the docks.  If that sounds grim at the end suffice it to say that otters have been seen in the river in recent months.  Today was very mild and springlike and it wasn't long before we saw the first of two kingfisher sightings and a fox which studied us from the far bank before moving off into the undergrowth.  Spring was coming on a pace with carpets of butterbur on the banks and as and pussy willow coming into flower.  I also heard my first summer visitor of the year: a chiff chaff calling from the trees.

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Ash coming into flower.

Butterbur

Butterbur

Daffodil

Daffodil

Daffodil

Pussy Willow

Violet