Sunday Ramble

Back in September we paid another visit to Treswell Woods, which is only a short distance away from where we live. What I like about the woods is that other than an occasional dog walker the place is deserted.  This time around with better weather the proceeding week the paths that were always water logged and muddy on previous visits had dried out so we where able to take a more meandering route than normal.

On a clear day, you can see for miles.  Below, in the distance is Lincoln Cathedral.

And the not so far away Cottam power station.

A Comma Butterfly.

The trail we followed skirted around the edge of the wood, giving us decent views of the rolling fields and countryside beyond.

Strolling and Sailing

Apologies for the lack of updates.  Shortage of time, a housewarming and a myriad of other tasks has meant that the blog has had to take a bit of a back seat.  I also like to try, whenever possible to post photos from recent history and not rely on the back catalogue.  I'll endeavour to try and update every two weeks.

At the weekend we made a concious effort to get out for a couple of hours and enjoy a warm August afternoon,  A few miles out of Retford are Daneshill Lakes which had been recommended by a colleague of mine.

The site used to be used for gravel extraction, but it has been turned into a wildlife reserve under the watchful eye of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.  It was a surprise to see small sail boats on the calm waters. The Daneshill Sailing Club is based here.  The peace and quiet is frequently punctuated by the sound of trains on the nearby East Coast mainline but you quickly learn to ignore it.

There are the usual suspects of water fowl, with Canada Goose seemingly the dominant species.  They will quickly head for the shore if it looks as though bread is being thrown.

I was pleased to see a small family of Grebes, that did of good job of being as far away as possible from my camera, but I've managed to get a shot of them.

Wood Chill

One frosty Sunday morning in late January we decided to check out Gamston and Upton Woods,another site managed by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. The woods are located close to Retford.  We were surprised by how quiet both sites were.  Not just in terms of people but in the actual wildlife itself.  There was hardly a bird to be heard or seen.  It made the woods seem oddly eerie.  

I've experimented with converting a couple of shots to black and white, and I think they've turned out pretty well.

I've also resisted the temptation to call this post Morning Wood...

Toad Chorus

This post was originally going to be a bit on the cute side.  With it being Easter weekend I thought I would post some pictures of baby rabbits in the garden (a little on the nose I admit but there were a couple of good pictures).  I was working on the photos on the computer this morning when I heard an awful squealing noise.  I looked out of the window to see one of the local cats (the same cat that took out a grey squirrel a month or so ago) trotting off with said cute bunny in it's jaws.

I didn't really have the heart to carry on working on the photos after that.

With it being a splendidly sunny and warm Bank Holiday Monday we opted to go for a walk and headed to Idle Valley.  I thought I would get some snaps from different locations around the reserve.
We also found dozens if not hundreds of toads (I did originally think they were frogs but checking on-line toads have a more "warty " skin and golden eyes and they seemed to fit the bill) filling the numerous ponds around the reserve.

Breeding season it seemed was in full swing.

Idle Weekend

Over the past two weekends we've visited the Idle Valley Wildlife Reserve in Retford.  The reserve is looked after by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and a small army of volunteers who maintain the various habitats on the site. The main area is a large lake that is a haven for waterfowl and is an important stopping point for wintering birds (although we never really saw anything more exotic than seagulls and swans on our visits).

There are several different walks of various lengths around the reserve.  We opted for the one of the shorter walks around the main lake that took us alongside Idle river.  It's not a big river by any stretch of the imagination but when it bursts its banks it can cause flooding for the locals.

"White water" on the Idle

While walking around the lake we spotted a hovering Kestrel and were able to get close enough to get some photographs of it.

North Notts College also have a facility at the reserve which they share with the wildlife trust and a small cafe.  There are regular events at Idle Valley throughout the year ranging from stargazing evenings to nature walks.  It's worth checking out the website to see what's on.

Treswell Woods

Two years ago we were at a summer fair and ended up talking with a warden from the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.  He spoke to us about the various sites in the county and how the "Cinderella" sites tended not to get as much attention from the public as the large more well known locations (Sherwood Forest for instance).

He pointed us in the direction of Treswell Woods, which was only a couple of miles away from where we live so the following Sunday morning we decided to pay it a visit.

I can understand why the warden referred to it as a Cinderella site.  We saw a few volunteers who come down most weeks to catch and ring birds in the woods so they can track populations.  This census has been going on since the 1970s. We saw two people walking dogs, but that was about it.

The majority of the trees in the forest are Ash, Oak and Maple.  There is a large pond and is home to a variety of British wildlife.  You can also see various nest boxes around the woods.

There is also a workshop, which uses traditional methods utilising coppiced trees to ensure the health of this ancient woodland area.

A month or so later, we again paid a visit on a Sunday morning.  There had been a thick fog and when we arrived and it was  in the process of being burned away by the sun.  It was one of those right place, right time moments as I was able to take some atmospheric shots of the woods.

We also came across something that was rather creepy that reminded me of Mirkwood in The Hobbit.  Every single weed and plant in this area was covered in spider webs and I mean everything!

If it's a nice weekend walk without the crowds, then you can't go far wrong if a walk though Treswell Woods.