Ramblings

May Day, Monday 1^st May – Leominster – The sky is largely covered by pillows of cloud. The air is mild but a breeze cools it. House Sparrows, Jackdaws and Wood Pigeons create a constant background sound. A five MK4 carriage train, in black with the TfW logo is pulled by an InterCity diesel and pushed by a DB diesel, Class 67, 67013. The water in the River Lugg is fairly clear and its level had fallen slightly. Several Wrens are in song on either side of the river. A Song Thrush sings somewhere down the track side.

Back down the ginnell by the White Lion. A Dunnock hops around the base of the hedge. Into the Millennium orchard. Nearly all the apple trees are now in blossom. The Ransoms are now in flower. The base of the churchyard is now completely dominated by one enormous Stinging Nettle bed. A Chiffchaff calls in the Peace Garden. The River Kenwater flows steadily.

Into the churchyard. Both sides of the entrance, which is no more than a mud path, are dominated by large beds of Stinging Nettles and Cleavers. The Minster bells ring the hour. Flowers are being taken into the church to set up for a week of celebrations for the coronation of King Charles III. Shops in the town are also setting up Royal window displays.

Wednesday 3^rd May – Bodenham Lake – House Martins sweep around the village. The sky is clear, the sun bright and it is getting warm. House Sparrows chirp, a Blackbird sings and a Chiffchaff calls. All the trees here are in leaf, a rich melange of green. White Dead-nettles are in flower among Stinging Nettles. They are being visited by bumblebees. Dovesfoot Cranesbills spread close to the ground. Clumps of one of the Mouse-ears have tiny white flowers. Beside the track are blue Forget-me-nots and white Daisies, yellow Dandelions and Violets. A Blackcap sings. Further on Ground Ivy and Wild Strawberries flower. Large clumps of leaves are Teasels. A Garden Warbler sings from the depths of Hawthorns. Two Song Thrushes chase through the undergrowth. Mallard and Tufted Duck are out on the water. A Great Crested Grebe is on a nest on one of the islands. An Oystercatcher is on another island.

Into the meadow. Another Garden Warbler is out in the open, singing from an Elder branch. A continuous chorus comes from the hedgerows leading up to Westfield Wood. It is difficult to unravel songs but there are certainly Blackcap, Blackbird and Robin in good voice. Through the plantation where a silver-backed Ring-necked Pheasant scurries away through the undergrowth.

Into the hide. The scrape is almost exposed now. A few Mallard, Coot, tufted Duck and Canada Geese are scattered across the water. The Great White Egret is stalking along the southern bank. The Ring-necked Pheasant wanders across in front of the hide. A Coot is on a nest in the reed bed. A Cormorant flies off. It appears that Mute Swans have a nest in the new reed beds at the western end. It is “snowing” fluffy Willow seeds. A Little Egret is at the western end. A second Coot, presumably the male, brings sticks to the nest in the reeds. Cloud is drifting in. The resident Robin moves between the rose briar and the Gorse bush in front of the hide. It is pleasant when the Canada Geese shut up and other birdsong can be heard but it does not last long.

Back through the plantation. Herb Robert is coming into flower. Hawthorn, May blossom is coming into flower in the meadow hedgerow. Another view of a Garden Warbler, not the most colourful bird – brown above and lighter brown below, but the possessor of a beautiful song. A Small White butterfly flits past. Plantain is flowering on the meadow, a crown of white around the dark brown head. Into the orchards where more apple trees have come into blossom.

Home – Tomato plants are put into the ground into greenhouse and in the hanging baskets, although they remain in the greenhouse too. The tray of leeks are beginning to sprout – I was getting concerned they had failed germination. Another water butt has been placed by the chicken run and tubes from the tarpaulin fed into it. The peas have been netted but tying in the broad beans still needs to be done. A Sparrowhawk circles high above the town causing panic to the Feral Pigeons which fly around and around in a flock. The hawk does not seem to be making any attempt to catch a pigeon, is it just trying to wind them up?

Friday 5^th May – Leominster – I am awake early, so over to the Grange. It has rained overnight. Scattered dark clouds cover the sky; it is not really light yet. Bird song is intense, mainly Blackbirds but a couple of Wrens, Robins and Wood Pigeons can be heard.

Home – A Grey Squirrel runs across the shed roof carrying a kit. It is quite well grown and seems a bit of a task for the adult. It runs down the garden wall to the Horse Chestnut tree and disappears.

Aberedw – A village in the Wye, Afon Gwy, valley. I park on the main road beside a field of sheep and well-grown lambs. Rain clouds pass over and there have been showers. The village lies up a lane off the main road. Across the valley is the busy A470. Bluebells on the verge are a deep, rich violet. The lane rises into the village. Bird song fills the air; Song Thrush, Wren, Blackcap and Blackbirds.

The houses entering the village are modern, including the rectory. An older house is next to the United Reform chapel, built in the Romanesque style with a gable entry plan in 1837, part of a dwelling house licensed as a place of worship. Ahead is Llandeilo Hill, filling the eastern view. S^t Cewydd church hall is a corrugated iron building. Modern housing continues to a row of cottages and the Seven Stars pub. Beside the pub is S^t Cewydd church standing on a promontory above the River Edw.

S^t Cewydd was the son of a Celtic chieftain called Caw living in the first half of the 6^th century CE. It is said King Arthur gave Caw’s children lands in Siluria, (Radnor). Cewydd was also the patron saint of the parish church of Cusop in Herefordshire and Disserth, beyond Builth Wells. It is thought the church was founded around this time but the present building dates from the 15^th century with alterations in the 17^th century. It was restored by S W Williams, architect of Rhayader, in 1888, and further restoration in 1914 included insertion of the present nave south windows. Inside the door is a display of flutes belonging to the late William Williams of Hendra who was born in 1822 and died in 1897. Flutes often used in churches before the introduction of harmoniums and organs. The octagonal font was made in 1854, the original font having been taken to Alltmawr, Brecknockshire. Opposite is a harmonium. The wooden reredos has a wide cusped panel with IHS monogram, pinnacles and castellated cornice. Above the altar are a pair of pointed, painted panels with the Decalogue, flanked by a similar panels with Lord’s Prayer and Apostles’ Creed. In the porch is the Roll of Honour for those who fell in the First World War and a plaque to Jeremiah Cartwright, who died in 1722 aged 73. Outside on the wall are more plaques, the oldest dating to 1707.

Back onto the lane. A screaming comes from overhead and eight Swifts fly through. The lane descends past Llewellyn House. Cottages are shown here on the 1843 Tithe map, but the present house, originally a pair, is mid 19^th century. They were a single dwelling by 1889. The River Edw flows at the foot of the garden. The map indicates a crossing here but there is no way over the river. The old OS map indicates there were stepping stones here. The lane rises again passing a modern rarity, a working telephone box. Up the hill is Hen Dy Ysgol. Formerly it was the Aberedw National school, built in 1869-70 by J L Pearson, architect of London. The school house, in early Arts and Crafts style, is probably contemporary and by the same architect. It is shown on the 1889 Ordnance Survey. The attached former school is now also a house. Water pours out of a pipe set into the bank into a stone surrounded drain. Opposite is a house called Bowling Green.

The lane descends. Goldfinches and Blue Tits flit around the hedgerows. A bridge crosses the river. A narrow lane leads up to a track which rises into Oak woodland, Hendre Wood. Layers of rock are exposed across the hillside, Cwm Graig Ddu Formation – mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, sedimentary bedrock formed between 427.4 and 423.6 million years ago during the Silurian period. A Mistle Thrush sings loudly. The track winds upwards. Hendre, home off the flautist lies far below. Into a field. Two early 20^th century iron farm implements, some sort of harrow marked Bamfords Bath, and one with serrated blades that rotated behind and beside the wheels, are in the field edge. On one wheel is Jarman Hazlett, Oxon.

Helpful handwritten signs have guided me to my destination – Ogof Llewellyn, Llewellyn’s Cave. Legend tells that Prince Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, known as Llewelyn the Last, spent his last night here. There are several differing tales of this time in December 1282. It is said that Llewellyn was killed nearby or at Cilmeri following the defeat at the Battle of Irfon. The flag of Llewellyn is painted on the stone outside and there are Welsh emblems in the cave.

Above a Long-tailed Tit seeks for in the Oaks. Back down the track. A Robin uses an old tin sheep feeder as a perch, launching off to grab morsels from the grass below. A Nuthatch hops along a moss-covered branch. A Great Tit and Chaffinch call down the slope. It is raining. A flash of sulphur as a Grey Wagtail flies up from the river by the bridge. Three drake Mallard swim upstream. A Hawthorn on the hillside is covered in pale pink blossom. Bluebells, Dog Mercury, Garlic Mustard, Great Stitchwort and Yellow Archangel are in flower on the lane’s banks. A Whitethroat sings in the hedgerow.

At the back of the churchyard is a public footpath. This leads to the tall motte of Aberewd castle also known as “Castle in Elfael Uwch Mynydd”. Built around 1093 by the Norman lord, Radulphus de Baskerville, who came over to England with William of Normandy. it is likely that the castle was lost to the Welsh in the period 1135-50. A Chiffchaff sings. The footpath runs a long top of a steep bank that runs down to the river. Bluebells and Greater Stitchwort flower on the bank. Bright yellow Broom flowers halfway down the bank. The path turns and runs above a deep cutting, the route of the former Cambrian Railway (Mid Wales Section). Through between old barns and the sewage pit. Here is the second Aberedw castle, built by Walter Hackelutel in the 1290s. It was subject of legal action by the Tosney’s of Painscastle who claimed the area. After court cases passed the control to and fro until it became the property of the Beauchamps who had little interest in it and the castle probably fell out of use. The remains were damaged when railway was built. The path meets the lane at the west end of the village and back down to the car. Shortly afterwards there is torrential rain.

Sunday 7^th May – Leominster – A bright sunlit morning with gauzy high clouds and numerous aircraft vapour trails. Swifts scream as they race down the street. Chiffchaff and Wren sing from the riverside trees. The water level in the River Lugg remains unchanged although the water seems slightly murkier. The Ash trees by the bridge have finally come into leaf. White Dead-nettle and Herb Robert have come into flower.

Into Pinsley Mill. A chap and I discuss the aircraft overhead, one of which had flown a large S in the sky. It is a Leeds to Faro flight. Others are San Francisco to Paris and Liege to New York. Natural fliers are singing loudly – Song Thrush, Blackbird, and Dunnock. Into the Millennium orchard. A Blackcap sings loudly behind the flower laden cider trees. Many trees and shrubs are now in flower, Guelder Rose, Limes and Wayfaring Tree are a few I recognise. A shiny Blackbird flies off with a large worm.

Red Campion and a Bird Cherry are in flower in the Peace Garden. A Chiffchaff sings overhead. A variegated White Dead-nettle is in the grass. The River Kenwater is flowing fairly swiftly.

Home – A vegetable bed is cleared in preparation for beans. The amount of weeds and Couch Grass that has grown over winter and into spring is incredible. The grass rhizomes are deep and extensive and it is impossible to get every bit out, so the grass will soon return. The lack of evidence of germination of the root vegetable seeds is worrying. It will probably be sensible to sow some trays of them as back-up. Courgettes and cucumbers are sprouting in the greenhouse along with the beans.

Monday 8^th May – Home – A coronation bank holiday and it is raining. It a temporary cessation to the rain, I weed the potato patch. It was thoroughly dug just a few weeks ago but there are weeds everywhere. Some of the Red Duke of York plants already need earthing up. A few chard are planted in a part row. The small polytunnels are removed from them and a wire ark put over the top. A row of Lollo Rosso lettuces goes into the bed. A tray of beetroot, Moulin Rouge, are sown along with one of Green Express cabbage. A couple of courgette, Shooting Star, a climbing variety are also sown in pots. A row of mangetout peas, Carouby de Maussane, are sown next to the earlier sown peas. A row of White Lisbon spring onions and French Breakfast radish are sown. Some Stinging Nettles and an encroaching bramble are removed. The resident Chiffchaff is in good voice. House Sparrows chirrup near the house. A Grey Squirrel starts to dig a hole in the lawn but I chase it off. The rain returns.

Tuesday 9^th May – Home – Lunch is disturbed by a downpour and we rush out to rescue the washing from the line. It is a bit annoying we did not react sooner a there was a noticeable change in the air just before the rain. About an hour later I venture out to do a couple of jobs. The rain has stopped but a thunderstorm is rumbling through away to the south east. Some compost is dug from the big wooden bin and sieved. Chili peppers are potted on and some broccoli seedlings, which are looking very unhappy, are pricked out into pots. Tiny fruits are appearing on the gooseberries. Several spears of asparagus are rising from the soil.

Wednesday 10^th May – Bodenham Lake – The day started brightly but cloud has drifted in from the west. The chorus at the gate is loud and glorious – Chiffchaff, Robin, Blackcap, Blackbird, Garden Warbler, Blue Tit and House Sparrows. The Blue Tits are picking at the white fluffy heads of Goat Willow. A Wren, Chaffinch and Wood Pigeon join the choir. Less welcome is the barking of Canada Geese on the lake and screech of a Peacock from one of the large houses. A cool wind intensifies in strength. The boating lake is rather quiet. A few Tufted Duck and Mallard are on the water. A Great Crested Grebe is on its nest. A pair of Oystercatchers and a Mute Swan are on the islands.

Into the meadow. A Bullfinch calls from the hedgerow. Another Garden Warbler and Blackcaps are singing either side of the meadow. A Dunnock sings loudly near the big Goat Willow at the western end of the meadow. Chiffchaffs and Garden Warblers are nearby.

Into the hide. There are very few birds on the water. A Little Egret, Great Crested Grebe and Greylags are on the southern side. The Coot nest being built last week looks abandoned, but the nest in the reed bed is still occupied. A Mallard upends in the water at the foot of the bank. A Cormorant flies in. A second Little Egret appears.

Back to the meadow. I am unsure how many Garden Warblers are singing around the meadow, it seems like at least four. Small Marsh Craneflies, Tipula oleracea, are in the grass.

Home – A heavy downpour arrives at lunchtime necessitating another dash to retrieve washing. Another row of Parijse Markt 4 carrots is sown and another tray of beetroot – Pablo.

Sunday 14^th May – Leominster – A misty morning. By the time I head down the street the dawn chorus has diminished. A Starling with a beak full of food disappears under a roof ridge tile. Onto the railway bridge. Rabbits feed on the old track route. Chiffchaff, Blackbirds and Robins sing. On to Butts Bridge. A Dipper flies away upstream. The Grey Wagtail bobs on the steps leading to the water control building. The water level has fallen.

The car boot sale field has apparently dried out enough for the market to return, so I head up the east side of the river. Thick, fresh, dark green bunches of keys have appeared on the Ash trees. White Dead-nettle and Cow Parsley are in flower. Wrens sing loudly. Hundreds of Dandelion clocks are scattered across Easters meadow. Red Campion flowers at the top of the river bank. Brightwells’ compound is full of gritting lorries and sand-coloured army trucks and little else. A Great Spotted Woodpecker is drumming in one of the Black Poplars. Dew laden cobwebs lay in the grass. A Blackcap sings by the river. Cheaton Brook is flowing swiftly.

It is good to see that the market is large and busy. Back along Mill Street. Red-flowered Horse Chestnuts are in blossom on either side of Ridgemoor Bridge. Four Mute Swans fly over in a row heading south. Over the Priory Bridge. The River Kenwater is still slightly coloured.

Home – Two sets of bean poles are set up and climbing French and runner beans planted out. A row of dwarf French beans are also planted out. In another bed, a row of Little Gem lettuces are transplanted. The apple and pear trees all have tiny fruits appearing, as does the greengage and cherry; so hopefully a good fruit crop.

Sunday 21^st May – Leominster – Another bright sunny day with no hope of rain on the horizon. Bird song, which was ringing out at dawn has now ceased to be replaced with chattering of House Sparrows and the Jackdaws. Onto the railway bridge. Robin, Blackbird and Wren are in song. Long-tailed Tits squeak as they flit through the tree tops. The water level in the River Lugg has fallen again. A Chiffchaff starts to call, its song far less well-defined than in early spring. Five geese flyover, they are silhouetted against the sun lit sky, but the call is not Canada Goose.

Down the steps onto Easters meadow through the white froth of Cow Parsley and May blossom. A Blackcap sings in the trees next to the bypass, barely audible above the noise of traffic. Nearly all the Dandelion clock seed has been dispersed. Docks are growing high. A small fly, Pipunculus campestris, with apparently called a Big-headed Fly, is on a Field Buttercup flower. A Chaffinch sings energetically. Lesser Black-backed Gulls serenely overhead. May blossom is at its peak and white cascades hang over the river.

Over Mill Street. Goldcrests are calling in the conifers lining the petrol station car park. The market is large and busy but as usual I find nothing I want. Back to Paradise Walk where there are plenty of succulent Dandelion leaves for the chickens.

Monday 22^nd May – Gwent Levels-Uskmouth Reed Beds – There is not a cloud in the sky and the sun lights up Nash church, S^t Mary’s. House Sparrows chirp, a pair of Cormorants fly over and Blue Tits flit between trees. A rabbit and Ring-necked Pheasant are in the churchyard. Rooks are noisy in the trees. Across a field of dew soaked grass to a footbridge and out onto Farmfield Lane. A Robin warbles gently. Past barns where a House Sparrow watches from the roof. Cows graze in a buttercup field. More cattle and sheep are in an “improved” grass field. A Chiffchaff calls from willows and a Mallard rises from a drainage channel. A Whitethroat scratches out its song. Across the fields is Severn power station and slowly turning wind turbines. Several Chiffchaffs, a Wren, Blackbird, Sedge Warbler and Skylark sing.

Off the lane and into a footpath. The leads to the Uskmouth reed beds. There is a very loud, explosive song, a Cetti’s Warbler. The bird is hidden in a thick Hawthorn. I catch a glimpse as I pass. A Blackcap also sings nearby. Three Little Egrets fly over. A Sedge Warbler sings. A Swift scythes across the sky. A reed bed lies between the Hawthorn lined path and a bank of Hawthorns. A Reed Warbler jug jugs and another Cetti’s Warbler explodes into song briefly. Reeds shake as another singing Reed Warbler climbs them.

The path turns and runs alongside the sea wall. Beyond is an area of mud tussocks and mud banks. Curlews and a Shelduck fly past. The grass is dotted with pink with Thrift. Four Shelduck are out at sea. Mallard feed on the edge of the water. The bay runs west past Cardiff. South is Somerset. A tanker sails out from Avonmouth. Yellow Rattle flowers beside the path. A beetle, probably Cantharis flavilabris, a soldier beetle, wanders off into the long grass. Southern Marsh Orchids are coming into flower. A large black slug moves slowly across the path. A caterpillar of the Drinker Moth is on the path, not the safest place! A Teal flies over. The familiar sound of gabbling Canada Geese come from across the reed beds as a pair come into view. There are more out on the salt marsh. Several Shelduck are off the point where forty Oystercatchers are suddenly spooked.

Down a rubber walkway that bounces as one crosses the marsh to a hide. Yellow Flag grows in the water. Along to the East Usk lighthouse. Islands, Steep Holm and Flat Holm, the former a nature reserve and the latter with a lighthouse, are across the sea. I chat to an RSPB volunteer who tells me he had never seen the pools so quiet. He thinks bird flu had a lot to do with it. It has killed Mute Swans, various ducks and a Bittern. A couple of dozen Dunlin fly along the edge of the sea and head up river. A Thick-legged Beetle, Oedemera nobilis, is in a Field Buttercup flower. The wind is increasing. The first Dog Rose blooms. Damselflies, probably female Common Blues, Enallagma cyathigerum, are locally in good numbers across a Bramble thicket pausing briefly on leaves. A beautiful iridescent golden-brown winged dragonfly departs to soon to confirm identification, possibly a Four-spot Chaser, Libellula quadrimaculata.

Up another track to one of the larger pools. There are just a couple of Canada Geese and a Mallard here. Small fish are jumping, presumably after the many flies on and above the water. A second pool seems to contain no birds at all, although, Cetti’s, Reed and Sedge Warblers are all calling around it.

After a visit to the the visitors centre I head back to Nash. A fine Georgian farmhouse is by the road.

Wednesday 24^th May – Bodenham Lake – Another hot day is promised. The air is full of bird song – Blackcap, Blackbird, Robin, Wren, Wood Pigeon, Garden Warbler and Chiffchaff. A Common Buzzard soars in the clear blue sky. The Great Crested Grebe is still on the nest on the island in the boating lake. Nearby are two Mute Swans, hopefully sleeping and not dead through bird flu. A Kingfisher flashes past. An Oystercatcher flies between the islands. A few Mallard and Tufted Duck are around the water. Three more Mute Swans are standing on the westernmost island.

A Magpie flies up from the meadow. The regular clump of orchids is about to come into flower. A Song Thrush, Blackbird, Chiffchaff and Wren are singing at the end of the meadow.

Into the hide. The water level has dropped and an area of the scrape has re-emerged. A Mute Swan and Canada Geese are at the western end of the lake. A Cormorant and more Canada Geese are on the scrape by the large island. A Coot is washing vigorously below the hide. Fresh reeds are rising. Another hopefully sleeping Mute Swan is on the island in front of the southern hide. A Great Crested Grebe glides into view. The sleeping Mute Swan raises its head. House Martins sweep through the air to the west of the lake, over The Vern. Coots squabble. Yellow Flags are in flower at the bottom of the bank, where Ox-eye Daisies are about to emerge. Several more Great Crested Grebes are scattered around the lake.

Back to the meadow which is a colourful mixture of yellow buttercups and red clover on green grass. Into the orchards, some blossom is past its peak but other trees are now at their best. Some, notably Blanc Mollet and Kingston Black, appear to have no blossom at all this year. A singing Chaffinch stands on the gate. A Green Woodpecker calls and flies between trees in the dessert apple orchard.

Friday 26^th May – Bodenham Lake – The sky is cloudless and the temperature rising. A Blackcap and Garden Warbler are in song. Chiffchaffs join the chorus. The two “dead” Mute Swans from a couple of days ago are in the same place but suddenly get up and swim away. The Great Crested Grebe is on the nest and her partner is beside her. Several Mallard are on the water.

Into the meadow. Common Spotted Orchids are flowering in the grass. Into the hide. Eleven Mute Swans, a number of Tufted Duck, Mallard, a Great Crested Grebe and Canada Geese are on the lake. The Great White Egret is on the far bank. It then takes off over the trees and River Lugg. A Greylag has several goslings. A couple of Cormorants are fishing. A noisy gaggle of Canada Geese fly in. The resident Robin is in the rose briar in front of the hide. A Common Buzzard sits atop the camera of the unused Osprey platform. A duck Mallard appears with five well grown ducklings. A tiny Zebra Spider jumps along the shelf in the hide.

Back through the plantation where the air is full of flying insects. Into the meadow. A Beautiful Demoiselle flits through bramble leaves. Numerous Common Blue Damselflies are in the grass.

Sunday 28^th May – Leominster – The morning is much cloudier and a cool breeze blows. A Blackbird started singing from a neighbouring television aerial shortly after 3am. Hedge Mustard and Herb Robert flower in the ginnel. Rabbits are on the route of the old railway track. Onto Butts Bridge. The water level in the River Lugg has fallen further. A Grey Wagtail flies upstream in its bouncy flight before alighting on a rock, still bobbing.

Through Easters meadow. Wrens are singing loudly. A Blue Tit chirrups and a pair of rasping Mistle Thrushes fly over. The area between the path and the river are dominated by white umbellifers and pink Red Campion. There are more, seemingly agitated, Mistle Thrushes by the river bank. Little green cherries dangle on the Geans.

Cheaton Brook is flowing much more slowly. The market is full to overflowing. Vendors line the edge of the field and parking is getting difficult. I buy more petunias for Kay’s tubs, but nothing else.