We had a lovely walk along the Union Canal today. It was quite mild and the winds of the last few days had died down. Spring was definitely in the air, the coltsfoot is a wonderful splash of colour just now (see photo) and there are snowdrops, crocuses and the first daffodils. The birds were full of Spring energies. The hedges were full of house sparrows, shouting and fluttering and flying across the canal, it's always good to see them here as they have declined so badly in the country as a whole. We heard and saw blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, robins, dunnocks, great tits and a song thrush. A pair of moorhens on the water were chasing each other and the mallards were crazy. Two males were fighting over a female and then decided they'd both try their luck, so she ended up almost drowning under their combined weights on her back. I'm glad I'm not a female mallard.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Spring along the Union Canal
We had a lovely walk along the Union Canal today. It was quite mild and the winds of the last few days had died down. Spring was definitely in the air, the coltsfoot is a wonderful splash of colour just now (see photo) and there are snowdrops, crocuses and the first daffodils. The birds were full of Spring energies. The hedges were full of house sparrows, shouting and fluttering and flying across the canal, it's always good to see them here as they have declined so badly in the country as a whole. We heard and saw blackbirds, blue tits, chaffinches, robins, dunnocks, great tits and a song thrush. A pair of moorhens on the water were chasing each other and the mallards were crazy. Two males were fighting over a female and then decided they'd both try their luck, so she ended up almost drowning under their combined weights on her back. I'm glad I'm not a female mallard.
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20 comments:
Wonderful! :))
Yes, how rejuvinating splashes of colours can be.
The wind's died down here too, Juliet, although the sky's s till juggling with light and freak showers today... I think I'll leave Ninian Sands for tomorrow.
Your sympathy for the mallard does you credit, Juliet, but what about that poor female?
wow; crazy spring... and the birds behave like humans "two males fighting over one female" :)
much love
gillena
Bill its the female I was concerned over, both male and feamle are mallards! But I'll amend the post to make myself clearer!
Nat - I hope you can enjoy Ninian Sands tomorrow!
Gillena - yes definite similarities in behaviour!
Oh, aren't we all ready for Spring this year!
Gee, I've never really thought about being a mallard, but I suppose it might not be the best sort of life. Too much damp, for one thing.
Unrelated to our local canal – which is underrated and which I ought to visit more often – I wonder whether you ever get down to Peebles to walk along the Tweed. It was so beautiful there today, and at one point there were more goosanders and dippers than you could shake a stick at!
Pamela - no being a female mallard doesn't look at all fun
Howard - we love the Tweed at Peebles, definitely a nice place to go for a walk, we haven't been for a while though
Spring - Yup. Today!!! Yay!
Wow! very positive thought of spring. I can't wait to see my crucous too.
Happy Sunday.
I love the canal.
We leave near a Union Canal too - the Grand Union Canal, which runs from Birmingham to London. A whopping 137 miles!
Nature can be brutal and beautiful all at the same time. Thank you for the imagery of your walk.
Spring has definitely arrived here. Flowers are in bloom and the swallows have returned to our bird houses to make their nests.
Spring is not a peaceful season....but oh is it beautiful. :)
Lovely post, Juliet. Yes Spring is full of colour and yes, the antics of loved-up wildlife! We have been amused by the blackbirds wolf-whistling! Never seem to have noticed them before and they seem so brazen!! Amy was innocently snapping away at a pair of woodpigeons canoodling and realised they were getting more than a little frisky! Too late, caught on film.. and a 12 year old feeling a bit like a Peeping Tom!
Claire
Perfect photo of spring! When I was teaching, a sixth-grade student of mine wrote the most wonderful couplet about spring:
Spring is near,
Winter sheds a tear.
I have always hoped this little girl kept on writing poetry!!
xo Kari
Yes..the mallards are brutal and they frequently engage in forced copulations and since it is usually on the water, sometimes the females do drown....Michelle
I just ordered your book....
such bright little sunshines sprouting out of all of that new green~!!~ i wish that our spring was this far along~!~
:)
libbyQ
Rambling Woods - thanks for ordering my book, hope it arrives speedily and that you enjoy it!
I love the Coltsfoot. We saw some on Saturday, but not as advanced as these. I recall seeing far more in my 1960s/70s childhood.
Sounds delightful. Nature walks are so refreshing. I can hear those birds singing (beyond the comments :). In fact, I'm about to paint birds on canvas.
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