Shags, Cormorants and a Goosander, Ashby Ville, Scunthorpe

 

One of the shags drying out with the cormorants.

Red-breasted Merganser, Ashby Ville, Scunthorpe

One of our local walks which has been excellent this past week with a couple of shags on there along with this red-breasted merganser and a goosander. Spent many a day working on the nature reserve there which is now overgrown and all our hard work seems like a total waste of time now.  Good to see that the inclement weather is keeping all the jet skis away !

A few moans

 

This piece of land was once in a Stewardship Agreement and had a wildlife strip surrounding it. The agreement expired and the tenant farmer just couldn't wait to get it all ploughed and planted. All the trees either felled or cut back to stumps as they cast shadow on his crops and hedges removed. Just incase anyone should try and venture onto his rented field, barbed wire is now along every gate and a rusty saw blade fences off the gaps. Seems to be the norm for farming these days. 

Messingham Nature Reserve. Tree felling and scrub clearance in the middle of June. We presume it's the power line folk that have done this work.......but in June when you have had all flipping winter !

Cutting the grass on the Humber bank. WHY ??  There is clearly a gravel path to walk on so why cut 2 breeds down both sides of the floodbank ?  A waste of time and money along with habitat destruction and the death of any nesting birds. Just stop flipping cutting.

This is Ashby Ville Local Nature Reserve, we often walk round here as we live very close. Both fishing and jet skiing are allowed on the nature reserve. Sadly it has taken many lives over the years so boats, swimming, inflatables and paddle boats are all banned as you can see. This fisherman here on his own with no life jacket taking bait out. Fishing in an area where fishing isn't allowed in an inflatable boat that isn't allowed while the fishing bailiff sits in his van and watches and says not a word......😡

This weeks pics xx

Ashby Ville Local Nature Reserve, one of our local walks. We have seen terrapins and turtles in here before but this one was MASSIVE !  Hauled out sunbathing. It caught sight of the ducklings swimming past and must have thought they would make a tasty snack.....the ducklings had also caught sight of the snapper and ran for their lives across the top of the water.

Blackcap 

Bullfinch enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun

Coots chicks, not the prettiest x 

Cuckoo flower 

Garden looks good this year, lots of time to spend in it 

Lesser Whitethroat on one of our local walks. Singing its head off in the sun ! 

A sad sight to see. Our local sand martins had arrived the previous week and over the Easter weekend had started to excavate their nests in this sand face. Despite contacting the local Sibelco office over the bank holiday weekend, my message appeared not to have reached them and the following week the whole colony was destroyed. 

Tree pipit  

Ashby Ville Local Nature Reserve

Totally obliterated along the Beck side. Scrub clearance is an understatement !  For the past few years we have had a winter bird feeding station in these woods where willow tits would visit daily.......not any more. The area was covered in brambles and scrub and full of birds until North Lincolnshire Council decided to tidy it up.....makes me sad to see it. 

A very frosty, foggy Ashbyville

A frosy morning

Winter arrived with a vengance here in Lincolnshire this week. These pics are at Ashbyville (Lakeside), Scunthorpe. Just looking at them makes me shiver ........roll on next spring!