At Houndwood, a hamlet by the A1 trunk road, there is a walkway (contructed as part of a dual carriageway project a couple of years ago) which is roughly circular and crosses the Eye Water via two bridges. Wild flowers are beginning to take hold (harebells, reed mace, geraniums, cowslips, ragged-robin, pink campion, meadowsweet, yarrow, vetches, peas, and masses of oxeye daisies.........and the river supports plenty of wild animals. Dragonflies, butterflies of all shades and colours, small brown trout aplenty, supporting Kingfishers, Herons.......... and, for a month or so this summer a Black Stork(a very rare migrant first spotted in Scotland by me and the Mrs! at about 6pm on 25th June as it landed in a field across from the house!).
Buzzards, hawks, ducks, jackdaws, carrion crows, magpies, jays, wrens, dunnocks, snipes, treecreepers, nuthatches, dippers, grey wagtails, swallows, sandmartins...........
the area supports plently of wild birds and mammals, rats, weasels, otters, badgers, deer, squirrels(red and grey), bats........... All find homes where the East-Coast Mainline Railway, The Great North Road, and the little Eye Water pass by.
As I walked the dogs, I stopped by the larger of the two bridges. As I looked north- westwards along the Eye Water a beautiful irredescent Kingfisher flew towards the bridge. It was intent on passing under the bridge but noticed me, made a u-turn and headed back up the river about fifty yards. It then turned round again, flew back towards me, veered to my left and passed by the side of the bridge. The Kingfisher then flew back onto the river and made it's way south eastwards and out of sight in the distance. A thrilling sight!
No comments:
Post a Comment