An Excellent Walk along the Freshney and Town's Holt.

 Having picked up Jet we were soon parked in the layby next to Little Coates Church and walking along the River Freshney towards Town's Holt.  It was warm and pleasant in the sun with the temperature up to 16C. We were immediately aware of calling chiffchaffs of which there were many and a wren sang loudly from across the river. I was pleased to both hear and see blackcap and identified 4 males. The song of the regular cetti's warbler exploded from the reeds by the holt and I was pleased to hear a sedge warbler singing if loud, scratchy song.  There were plent of butterflies on the wing and we saw small white, small tortoiseshell, peacock, comma and the first holly blue and brimstone of the year.

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Chiffchaff

Comma

Coot

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

My First Peacock Photograph of the Year .

 It was warm and sunny as we pulled up in the car park by Littlecoates church  We had called in to pick Jet up and were soon walking alongside the River Freshney through Town Holt local nature reserve.  We soon spotted the water vole again but unfortunately didn't manage and pictures.  We actually saw it again on the way back and sat watching it for a while but I couldn't get a clear shot of it and eventually it disappeared into the undergrowth.  Disappointingly we didn't connect with any chiffchaffs or cetti's warblers today, in fact it was very quiet on the bird front, perhaps because it was quite late in the day for birdwatching.  There were plenty of butterflies, though, and I counted 10 small tortoiseshells and 6 peacocks and saw my first brimstone of the year.  Again we walked as far as the springs at Laceby and caught a fleeting glimpse of a kingfisher as it sped down the beck.

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Butterbur

Peacock

Peacock

Wandering Along the Freshney from Littlecoates Church.

 It was warm and pleasant as I parked up in the lay-by by Littlecoats church on the outskirts of Grimsby.  Today's walk took me along the River Freshney through the local nature reserve of Town Holt and on out of the built up area where it becomes Laceby Beck.  I continued along the beck as far as the ponds and springs by Laceby village and then returned the same way.  Laceby Beck (and the Freshney) is a superb chalk stream rising beyond Laceby on the edge of the Wolds.  Kingfishers breed along here and it holds a population of water voles.  Otters have also been seen in the Freshney and have been filmed raiding garden ponds! Town Holt is a flooded area rich in reed beds which boasts several cetti's warblers holding territory.  Beyond the edge of Wybers Wood and Laceby Acres estates there is a fishing pond and then another flooded woodland which the beck flows around.  This woodland is an excellent spot for buzzard.

Today's walk rewarded me with 6 singing chiffchaffs, 5 small tortoiseshells and 1 singing cetti's.  None of the chiffchaffs gave me an opportunity for a photograph but I did manage a flight shot of a very pale buzzard over the flooded wood and a distant shot of a stock dove in Town Holt on the return walk.  A water vole showed itself again, perhaps the same one, but again I didn't manage any photos.  

Willow catkins are in full flower now and it was good to see butterbur in flower as well as lesser celendine.  One of my favourite nuggets of information about butterbur involves the leaves.  The flowers appear before the leaves which grow very large and in days gone by used to be used to wrap butter to keep it cool.

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Blue tit

Butterbur

Buzzard

A rare lone elm

Mallard close-up

Mallard close-up

Small Tortoiseshell

Stock Dove

Willow

Dog Walking Along the Fresheney

 Jet duly picked up, we parked the car by Littlecoates Church and headed off down the Freshney with hopes of kingfisher and chiffchaff.  I was to be disappointed with the lack of kingfisher but a chiffchaff turned up trumps, although it was not in the mood for singing.  I am sure as well that, out beyond, the fishing pond I heard a snatch of cetti's warbler singing.  I do know that there are several singing males along here.  There was plenty of bird life; water is always a draw for wildlife.  Several little egrets were seen and a buzzard, perched majestically high in a tree and later soaring over the golf course.  Perhaps the highlight of the day, though was the excellent views we had of a water vole just before getting back to the car.  This is a walk I must do again.

Crow

Crow

House Sparrow

Little Egret

Water Vole

Water Vole