Welney Wildfowl Trust - A Day of Contrasts

We visited Welney yesterday on a highly changeable day weather wise with bright clear sunshine alternating with heavy black clouds, rain and a beautiful sunset to finish the visit. The flood waters have come earlier and are much deeper than normal for this time of year. Here a few landscapes with some of the birds. In the first, the large flocks of Black-tailed godwits plus Lapwings and Oystercatchers plus swans and ducks, fill the remaining spits of land.

A Century of Change in Cambridge Set 1

These are from a documentary audiovisual that  I made in 2000 about Edward Elgar's visit to Cambridge to receive a Doctorate from the University so all the older images are from around 1900 and the more recent ones are 2000/1. This first set were chosen as the changes in that time span in most are 'cosmetic' only - most of the buildings are still standing. I will repeat these in 2021 to see what has changed in the 21 years of the 21st Century. 

Post Lockdown Visit to Cambridge

I needed to visit the building society today and was worried how busy it might be but around town was very quiet, probably mostly because of the very dismal condition - snow, followed by rain. The stall holders have valiantly set up their stalls and the Christmas decorations are up but it did not look very festive. Only the Fitzbillies corner looked warm and welcoming. All the Colleges have large white marquees for Covid testing all the students before their return home for Xmas.

Celebration of 25 Years of Toft Wood

Our local Wood was 25years old on 25th November and, to celebrate this, I initiated and put together a book of  the history of the area, the planting and growth of the wood, and the trees and wildlife in the wood. It is full of poems, paintings, photographs and memories from the people of Toft. 

The 96 page hardback A4 book costs £15. 

Orders and enquiries to Ann Miles 07710383586 annmiles70@gmail.com

Misty Ancient Woodland

When I woke to fog on Friday morning I thought that I would go to photograph in a Beech Hangar with their straight trunks either at the Gogs or at Royston Heath but then thought why not try to get a similar evocative image in our local ancient woodland. So half an hour later, after a muddy tramp, arrived at Hardwick Wood and was captivated by the knarled twisted branches and orange oak leaves coming through the mist. In other areas there is straight young growth and still some berries. 

Hardwick Wood is one of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds, a collection of wildlife-rich ancient woodlands in an area defined for over 1000 years by the old Anglo-Saxon regional divisions known as the Cambridgeshire Hundreds. Historical records show that some woods are older than the Domesday book and may go back much earlier. 

Greenfinches on Our Sunflower Seed Heads

We grew a dozen sunflowers around our bird feeders this year and left the seeds in situ. A flock of 4 or 5 Greenfinches are enjoying pulling out the seeds and cracking them to get at the kernels. Very low light levels and through a closed window so surprised how well they have come out.