NATURE TABLE EXPLORER

A lone coot moved across the lake this evening making a perfect v behind it as it glides across the water. Coots aren’t normally the bird you would pair up with the word graceful but this was certainly a smooth move by this one.

The lake was perfectly mirror like and reflections were at their best even on a cold January day.

The coot (Fulica atra) has a distinctive white shield above their white beaks. This has given rise to the term ‘as bald as a coot’ Coots have interesting feet that have lobed flaps of skin which act in the same way as webbed feet.

To take off it noisily patters across the surface of the water. Coots eat vegetation , seeds ,snails and insect larvae.

Coots are commonly found in rivers, lakes and ponds and are often seen busy along the edges of water eating and in the spring building untidy nests.

I’m excited to start keeping a written field notebook as well as this digital record of exploring and discoveries.

I found a fantastic field notebook perfect for the job which even has a ruler scale in the inside cover …. perfect 😀

I have enjoyed making notes on the trip to Anglesey Abbey . I will sometimes post a notebook page in the same way I sometimes post a nature table.

Looking forward to a new year of exploring !

Wandering through a wood after climbing a style ( not very elegantly) a small movement caught my eye. It was a tiny muntjac deer not much bigger than a hare.

We watched this deer for quite some time as it foraged through the undergrowth.

It was very difficult to get a good photo we were just too far away.

Muntjac deer were brought from China to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in the early 20th century . They are now widespread, patchy north of the Humber.

Muntjac deer do not cause damage to agricultural and timber crops. They are found in woodlands and scrub land. I once saw one walk across the road in town from behind Asda and they have visited neighbours gardens.

They do not have a defined breeding season, they breed all year round. They are usually solitary animals or found in pairs . Bucks defend small territories against other bucks. Their lifespan is up to 16 years for bucks and 19 years for does.

They are known as barking deer, an alarmed deer may scream , the maternal does and kids squeak.

Also on this walk we encountered some very characterful sheep!

The trees and plants still interesting at this cold part of the year.

Today we had a late afternoon walk at the lakes in Rushden, where we walk often . Last year we saw some amazing wildlife at these local lakes. There are always swans to be seen, swimming, moulting, eating , nesting and lots more interesting behaviours including fighting between themselves.

As we came around a corner this Swan was out on the bank preening. It gave us a hiss and stare as we walked passed . I filmed it’s feather maintenance as it was super to watch.

Swans preen twice a day to keep their feathers waterproof and in good condition.They have a preen gland ( uropygial gland) at the base of their tail which produces an oil to use on the fathers. This is applied with the head, the short feathers on the head can become worn and if there is iron in the water the head can develop a rusty coloured cap. This disappears with moulting.

Standing out of the water the swan shows its impressive size. Watching the preening highlights how flexible the neck is .

Swans can weigh between 22-33 lbs only a few pounds less than the largest bird capable of flight: the Kori Bustard.The swans wing span ranges from 79-138 inches. This large bird uses its web feet as paddles to launch off the water and as water skis to land !

A great stroll around swan lake .

A great walk at Anglesey Abbey near Cambridge through the winter garden. This garden was created 21 years ago and is full of interest and colour even in January.

Anglesey Abbey is known for its snowdrop display , there are 30 varieties . They are beginning to flower now along with some daffodils !!

Fantastic stems and trunks are the stars of the show .

The moles are really busy making hills everywhere even in the middle of paths.

Along with the daffodils there were lots of fantastic statues looking on.

This is a great place to visit , it’s national trust so there is a great cup of tea and cake to be had as well !!

New Years eve walk in Ashdown Forest today was a little chilly and muddy underfoot but full of golden gorse flowers.

A funny story about these beautiful blooms… when I was about maybe five or six and out for a Sunday afternoon walk with my grandparents I clearly remember being full of wonder for them, So much so I wanted to pick them to take home ….for the nature table !

Grandad said time and again, that’s not a good idea they are prickly. Ignoring this advice I grabbed a big branch to take home…. as you can imagine it did not end well .. they did not make it to the nature table and I listened more carefully to Grandad in future. These Sunday walks were a highlight of every week and were full of discoveries and fun. Nanny and Grandad knew about the plants and animals and always had a brilliant story , a paper bag for collecting and a piece of chewing gum or acid drop to keep you going until tea. Those were the days !!

The views across the heath and open forest are great even on a dull day.

Once again the lichens and mosses brighten up the walk along with the gorse.

There was a lot of gorgeous greens on the Christmas walk today. The lichens and mosses were glowing.

There was a sighting of mistletoe and a puffed up robin to make the walk festive. All branches were bedecked with droplets of moisture , decorated for the holidays 😀

These droplets were covering every plant, they really looked like a Christmas ornament.

The lichen are very varied , this one caught my eye.

Merry Christmas and happy exploring.

It’s been busy and the weather very dull so haven’t been out exploring very much. Hopefully this will change over the Christmas holiday, I’m planning some winter walks.

Two photos to remind us of summer and warm days.

Looking forward to getting out in the woods and fields exploring again .

Merry Christmas 🎄

There have only been a couple of days so far this year when there has been a frost and car scraping has been needed.

One morning last week it was real December chilly . The water on the boat cover created amazing landscapes in ice.

I love these ice works of art.

We have travelled over the Cotswolds, at the high point the fields were full of partridges but not a pear tree in sight.

It was a drive full of birds, Red Kites, Buzzards , flocks of birds high up floating over fields and plenty of bumbling wood pigeons feasting as they bumbled.

We have been staying just the other side of Cheltenham under a tree covered ridge.

The organised moles Caught my eye with their very straight roadway of hills across the ridge and furrowed field.

The field has two fantastic trees, an Oak with lightning damage and a completely dead tree which was slowly being broken down by beetles, fungi et al.

inside the tree there were tiny colonies of fungi making a landscape of their own.

The tree was disintegrating , the closer you looked the more it was breaking down.

The statues in the garden were rather good

the lichens on this stone ammonite caught my eye.

Driving home, the fields were full of fat pheasants, lapwings and big groups of crows. The temperature on both days was a rather damp balmy 12 degrees centigrade, certainly did not feel like a December day.