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Showing posts with label wicken fen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wicken fen. Show all posts

Sunday 8 October 2017

Wicken Fen

Today we did a 2.4 mile walk at Wicken Fen. For me, this is a long walk these days!   Sadly, since my stroke, I find long walks tiring these days.   Wicken feels wild.

This windmill used to pump water.

I was hoping to catch some very late swallows, but saw none. A few little egrets, but no swallows. Most swallows have now flown to warmer weather in Africa - what a good idea.

Monday 23 January 2017

Wicken Fen in January

As I said yesterday, we went for a walk at Wicken Fen in beautiful January weather. It is dull and cloudy here today! The photo shows the windmill used to pump water and the frozen lode. Yes, it was cold.

Sunday 22 January 2017

Fen Skies

This morning we went for a walk at Wicken Fen (National Trust). It was cold and very frosty with a bright blue sky. In fact it was a perfect January morning. The picture shows the excellent skies we get in East Anglia.

Wicken Fen is famous for the bittern and its dragonflies. Some years ago I saw a bittern coming in to roost. It is a kind of heron.

The boardwalk was quite icy, so we avoided this where possible

Friday 29 January 2016

Walk at Wicken Fen this afternoon

We did a walk along the boardwalk at Wicken Fen this afternoon. As I am still wobbly from my stroke, this was much harder than usual. It took all my energy (in the wind) to stay upright and walking in the right direction, so little time to enjoy the views. Still, the walk did us good and the light was amazing. At one time this windmill helped to pump water.

Monday 28 September 2015

Late swallows

Today we went for a walk around Wicken Fen and afterwards we ate at the "Maid's Head" in Wicken village. We went all around the boardwalk route and got back in the car when we saw 4 swallows overhead and quite close. This, I think, is the latest time I've seen swallows up here in East Anglia. I have seen them much later in Devon, but most have gone south by now.

As I get older I keep thinking this might be the last time I ever see a swallow in my lifetime. With luck, I shall see them return again in the spring and for many more springs yet to come, but there is something comforting in this cycle of life that will continue long after I return to dust. Many do a 12000 mile round trip and often return to the very same site to nest. Remarkable. My heart sings when I see the first bird migrants back in the spring. I am sure my ancient ancestors, now long dead, watched in amazement just the same.

Saturday 8 November 2014

Wicken Fen walk

Wicken Fen lode - bleak in November!
This afternoon, we went for a walk, at a rather bleak, Wicken Fen. As it was starting to rain, we decided to walk a little way along the (non-NT) path to the left of the lode. We did not enter the main part of Wicken Fen, e.g. along the board walk. Wicken is the bleakest of the National Trust properties near our home. It is ideal in this sort of cold and windy, November weather.  Wicken Fen is rich in wildlife, but many times one has to look hard to see things. Just around the corner to the LHS beyond the image is a large hornets nest. We heard some talk of seeing snow buntings. I have seen these on the north Norfolk coast. Years ago I saw a bittern coming in to land at dusk.  A bittern is a sort of heron.

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Wicken Fen walk 1.74km

Highland cow at Wicken Fen
This afternoon, my wife and I walked around the boardwalk at Wicken Fen. I took my Samsung smart phone with GPS so I was able to measure how far we walked - 1.74km, which, for me in my present state, was good. There were several swallows about as well as dragon and damsel flies, and butterflies.
Butterfly on the boardwalk
Lis on a bench at Wicken Fen
Me by the small windmill at Wicken Fen