Ridgeway walking back to Avesbury

After another foggy start the day turned to
a glorious blue, and I was out to walk a little further along
the Ridgeway path. From the downs above Devizes I had
walked (unblogged on) along the ridge as far as two radio
masts on Morgan's Hill. For todays expedition I aimed to walk
from that point onwards to Avebury.

On this walk I feel am well and truly back to native soil...
chalkland, with its white fields

...gorse blooms, sky larks

and white horses.
http://wiltshirewhitehorses.org.uk/cherhill.html



Following a Roman road from Morgan's Hill with

sporadic clusters of trees amid otherwise decidedly

spartan fields I reached the monument on Cherhill

Down for a lunch break.

Views around about of the crinkled hills

and dry valleys were echoed (unintentionally)

by the ditches and ramparts of Oldbury

"castle" (hill fort)

Lunch over I continued onwards and (through some

bad map-reading) became quite disorientated as the Morgan's

Hill masts came back in sight. Once Iworked out what had happened

I made my way onwards to Avesbury. After 12 miles I was in need

of refreshment.....and an escaped route back to the car.

Firstly I tucked into a welcome meal at the Red Lion pub

before taking time to enjoy taking a few photos

of the standing stones now bathed in an early

evening sunlight.

By 6pm I was awaiting my saviour....the Wigglybus,

which took me back to Cherhill where I walked the

last half mile or so of the day on a sometimes

VERY muddy bridlepath, passing nervous deer

(muntjac)....

Another walk, another day,over.

Searching for another Otter moment...!

Another early exit from home on a frosty, foggy
morning down onto the Somerset Levels as the
sun rose.....



I went again to Shapwick Heath, searching once more
for a meeting with an otter or two. Maybe this
time I could get a photo ?? Or maybe not.....
the uncertainty is half the fun!



Finding dew tipped daffodils and spiders webs
is a more certain small pleasure for this time of year....

I returned to the location of my first otter encounter.

I was hopeful but not overly confident that I would

come up trumps here again. Afteral why should they

stay in such a small area of water when they had so

much scope to roam elsewhere?

Well imagine my thrill that very soon after reaching the spot

I was almost having an action replay of the first meeting.

Two otters once again swam in towards the bank, the one further

out seems to have spotted me first and squeaked an alarm before diving

out of sight. Tho other, however (perhaps a dog otter??)

was more bold (or curious) and seeing me stopped

swimming and craned up out of the water for a better

look. For a few wonderful moments we were face

to face, then it too disappeared from view back underwater.

So why were they in this spot again?

Well it seems that the water sheltered shoals of

fish, which in the following half hour or so that

I stayed there were repeatedly disturbing the

surface, sometimes but not always being chased by otters

I believe.

So another short meeting with the otters, but

spending time at this spot helped me become familiar

with what to look for as signs of otter activity...

the signs in the trampling at the waterside, signs of a regular pathway

between two areas of water, a hole in the bankside, a little bit of

hair, and most tellingly of all, fish scales from an otter meal.

I have yet to see otter footprints, or know what

otter droppings look and smell like (I gather they are quiet

pleasant smelling!!).

After this I spent more time walking around

the reserve, always hoping for more sightings of otters

but happy to enjoy the bird life, catkins on branches

and beautifully blue sky that revealed itself

as morning mist/fog was chased away by the sun

Goat Willow..

Not sure...

Alder..

As for an otter photo. Well, maybe next time!

Lunar eclipse !!

Shock news! The moon is bleeding!!



Maybe it was that dragon I saw biting
at it a little earlier?




Ah. No, it's ok. normal service is being resumed!



Well, now I can go to sleep, and rest easy
in my bed then...

A super view of the lunar eclipse from here in
Gloucestershire. Clear skies right through the highpoint
of the show when the moon glowed bronze, then just as
the show came towards its end the cloud started to appear.
Perfect timing!

Broccolli v. Bananas. Which would YOU choose?

I just found this news item on the bbc site.....nothing to do with Gloucestershire, but a wonderful little moment!! Enjoy!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6580000/newsid_6586100/6586109.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm

For some detail on the significance of this just click on the related link, which is the same
clip with a reporters commentary and so on.

Deer Cave bats, December 2003

Last week's wonderful moments
with the starling clouds reminded me
everso much (if in a colder version)
of the experiences we had back in
the mists of time (pre-blogging, pre-digital
camera-owner) in Sarawak, Borneo.
Whilst staying at the Royal Mulu Resort we
naturally had to include a visit to Deer cave
on the itinerary....


It is a truly huge cavern........and truly very smelly,
thick with the smell of ammonia rising from the
droppings of 3-4 (?) million wrinkle-lipped bats
who spend the day hanging on its roof.....
one more over-powering experience to add to
the overall "wow" effect!


Emerging towards sunset into the ammonia free
fresh air we then awaited the spectacular exit
of the bats, first visible swirling in a dough-nut
loop just inside the cave mouth, then woooshing out
in larger and larger streams

....cork-screwing away through the sky, dodging
bat falcons, for a night of insect hunting.


A great memory!
Here is a link to someone else's account
of a trip to Mulu though whom those of us
who have been to Mulu can (as he put's it)
"vicariously relive" the whole experience:
(p.s. it even has a short movie-clip of the bats
flying out on it!!)

http://www.geographia.com/malaysia/caves.htm

Gotta see an Otter!!

In Glastonbury yesterday a friendly store keeper (after telling about how
to get to Westhay Moor for the roosting starlings)
told me about Shapwick Heath and how otters can be regularly
seen here in daylight. That sounded too good to miss.
So having watched the amazing morning commute of Westhay Moor's
starlings I on headed a short drive along the Shapwick-Westhay Road

http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/nnr/nnr_details.asp?NNR_ID=141

Just by the reserve entrance is a large mound of peat that
had been dug out when the area was commercially exploited
for peat (n.b. alternatives ARE NOW AVAILABLE !!!) for
gardening. On this I noticed some animal tracks.
I took a photo as a record, just incase they were
the closest I was to an otter today
(actually I'm not sure they are otter tracks, but
if not I cannot think what they could be, can you?)



So, into the reserve I went. The first track
off to the right took me along a board walk
towards the site of an archeologically important
board walk, known as the "Sweet Track"
(any relation I wonder?)

Answers.com have an article about it....
http://www.answers.com/topic/sweet-track

and this site has photos of a reconstructed section too....
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/aburnham/eng/sweet.htm

Anyway, back to my search for otters. Coming to
a quiet stretch of lake side I noticed there were some
unusual movement at the waters edge: could it really
be.......

Otters
Video sent by agracarter2

I cann't believe how lucky I was!!
Less than an hour on the Reserve and
I was watching otters fishing, and I was
only feet away! Never mind that it was all over
quite quickly, those moments were golden!
Such a privelige!
Now I shall have to try and see some more...
even clearer views.....
maybe even get some good photos...
Or I am just getting greedy now??



So then i continued happily on my way around the reserve,
enjoying its marshy ambience and happy in the knowledge
that I can come and visit again any time I like.
You can be sure that i will!

Starling Awakening

After the awesome sight of the starlings gathering
to roost in Westhay Moor reedbeds I just had to see the sequel:
the start of the new day, and the exit of the starling flocks on
their daily search for food.

What more can I say....Just WOW!!!!

Westhay Moor Starling's Awakening
Video sent by agracarter2

Westhay Moor v. Slimbridge....5000 Starlings? Pah! Try counting this lot!

Well it seems I have the Starling-bug.
After last weeks nibble at the dish
of watching starlings gathering to roost
at Slimbridge I was keen to feast my eyes
and senses at THE major banqueting event in the
region: the Somerset Level's starling roost at Westhay Moor
NNR
http://www.somersetwildlife.org/reserve_4.php

Westhay Moor Starling Roost
Video sent by agracarter2

Well, if you watched that you'll understand me if I am
a little at a loss for words on the subject. The experience was utterly
overwhelming, and it does not surprise me in the least that people
come to see this over and over again.

I think I may be joining them....

Here's a link to another Starling fan, with regular news updates
on their comings and goings.

http://www.foxybiddy.com/page/starlingspectacular/3

Lots of questions remain for me....
Where did all these birds spend the day? How far do
they fly back from? Where do they go in the summer months?
.....but most of all "HOW MANY ARE THERE????"



If you have time to spare, count the dots in this picture.
Then multiply by a factor of..........oh, I don't know.
I give up. Estimates I hear range from 2 to 10 million.......
so, quite a few more than at Slimbrige then!!!

Slimbridge Starlings

A gentle stroll, on a chilly January afternoon...



enjoying the ambience of Slimbridge....



...as the day draws to an end.



Then, to an exciting Ballet performance at
Swan's Lake....

Starling Ballet
Video sent by agracarter2

Coooeeee!!!