North Wootton Woods
My only walk over the Easter break, took me through woods at North Wootton to Castle Rising, onto Babingley Bridge and beyond. From my house and back, I walked 8.4 miles today! The walk was recommended to me by Emily S. at work, who had kindly drawn me a map a few days ago. My only mistake was leaving too late this morning, I should have started off at dawn when it was cooler!
I had to walk along far too much tarmac to reach some actual countryside. At last, I reached woodland adjacent to houses, which wasn't particularly exciting, but the next large wood beyond Ling Road was beautiful with no houses at all, aside from a keeper's cottage with barking dogs. It was here I heard my first Chiffchaffs this Spring – at long last! Blackcaps were singing too and life seemed to be almost normal for a while. I could hear Nuthatches and found a pair busily feeding away in the tops of a very large tree and one of them was placing nesting material into a crevice – I stood here for a while watching these wonderful birds and realised how much I missed interacting with nature. Wrens and Blackbirds were busy collecting moss for their nests. A Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming, but I couldn't find it. There were carpets of wonderful Bluebells and several butterflies were seen, including my first Speckled Wood along with Orange Tips, Brimstones, Peacocks, Small White and Holly Blues. I also saw several bees, one of which was a Tawny Mining Bee. There were a good number of very tall mature trees in the wood, including an exceptionally tall beech tree and several pines (my favourite).
Walking out of the wood, a wide sandy path followed opened fields, where I saw Red-legged Partridges and Jackdaws. I then arrived at Castle Rising, passing wonderful properties with equally beautiful gardens with large manicured lawns – my imagination ran riot! The perfect lawns for visiting Hoopoes? Maybe? But not today! The only birds of note here were a Pied Wagtail and a Robin. I ascended along the path through two kissing gates near to the church and then walked down the hill to the famous 'Onion Corner'. A beautiful scene of lots of sheep grazing in the field opposite Onion Corner and beyond this, an avenue of trees, which line this popular walking and cycling path. This was once the main A149 before the Dersingham bypass was built!
I reached Babingley Bridge, which very sadly had been ruined by bright red graffiti. I haven't been here for a long time and it was obvious that the bridge had had a face lift since my last visit, as the concrete on the path side looked relatively new – how sad that someone had decided to completely desecrate this with large bright red letters! I don't know what the letters meant, but if the 'artist' thought it looked cool, it doesn't! ["The River Babingley is a chalk river which flows for 19.6 km from its source near Flitcham to where it enters the Great Ouse through Wootton Marsh"] I turned right at the bridge and followed the river path for a short distance. I could hear Nuthatches here too. There was one bird that I expected to see today, but didn't and that was a Treecreeper – I couldn't find one anywhere. It was so beautiful, looking into the clear river, watching and listening to the water rippling over bright green plants. I paused for a short while to have a drink and to await the arrival of a Kingfisher (they are seen here), but not lucky with that one! An older man walking by, stopped to chat and told me that he sees Kingfishers here now and again. A Sparrowhawk whizzed past as I walked back along the path to the bridge.
I retraced my steps home in the now intense heat and wished I hadn't walked quite that far! I felt so frustrated when I reached Onion Corner, as just beyond here is a big gate across the path to stop cars driving beyond this point – as I reached the gate, a young lady pulled up in her car to walk a dog and another behind her. Why had I bothered to walk all this way, when I could have done exactly the same? At least my conscience was clear! I continued past the beautiful properties in Castle Rising, still no Hoopoes on lawns or Ring Ouzels in the horse paddocks! Just before I walked into the wood at Castle Rising I watched a Red Kite over the fields at fairly close range. At the very edge of the wood next to Ling Road, I had bird of the day! A Marsh Tit was feeding in a tree by a large watery ditch. By the roadside verge here, I watched Orange Tips and Brimstones feeding on nectar of wild flowers. I crossed the road and walked through the wood by the houses and was back onto tarmac and pavements. It seemed to take forever to reach home.
The second I got through my front door, I went straight upstairs to have a shower, I was boiling hot and my right hip was aching a lot. I don't normally have any serious issues with walking long distances, but I think it was partly due to walking on a hard surface for a long way, which I am not used to, partly due to my current unfitness, and partly because I'm not getting any younger! I was a little disappointed I had not seen any hirundines today and was hoping for a Ring Ouzel, as there are plenty along the coast at the moment, where I yearn to be! Collapsed on the sofa, fell asleep, cooked tea and went to bed early, well early for me!
Full bird list for the day (excluding my garden) was: Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Wrens, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Coal Tit, Great Tits, Long-tailed Tits, Marsh Tit, Robins, Blackbirds, Pied Wagtail, Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, Nuthatches, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier, Red Kite, Sparrowhawk, Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons, Red-legged Partridges, Shelducks, Mallards, Curlews, Black-headed Gulls and Pheasants.
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