Walk to Kingston Embankment Reserve

A cool but bright day on Sunday for a walk across the field to Bourn Golf Club and then back through the Kingston Embankment Reserve. The 'yellow brick road' comes to mind - arid cracked clay and weed-killed barley doesn't have the same ring.

 

The Kingston Reserve lies on  part of the Bedford to Cambridge railway line closed in the late 1960s. It is the site of the old railway bridge removed in the mid-1970s. At this stage I was running the first YOC (junior RSPB) group and we helped with the conservation work there. We cut lots of steps down to the Bourn Brook and built dipping platforms etc but all these have grown over now; however, the old railway hut looks just about the same as it did 50 years ago!!. (phone images)

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Sunlit Winter Woodland

Rory's Wood at Paxton was looking its best this afternoon with the low sunlight filtered by a canopy of golden leaves falling on the bright green ferns and the golden and green sedges and grasses. There are quite a few fungi about, particularly the Candlesnuff fungus and some small brackets. More creative fungi attempts to follow, The first photo made me think of hot Mediterranean Olive Groves rather than a chilly English Woodland!!

Waresley Wood Bluebells and Other Spring Flowers

Although there are a lot fewer areas of dense Bluebells to previous years, mainly due to the very vigorous Dog's Mercury growth in open areas, there are some dense areas. Today's early cloudy and periodically wet weather was ideal to record the delicate  blue colour. Later we had some sunny intervals which picked out the heads of the Early Purple Orchids (around 50 counted)  and single Bluebells well. I couldn't resist photographing a very impressive Cowslip plant and the Giant Horsetails in the meadow.