Biodiversity Says It All

The striking thing about walking through Piddle Brook Meadows isn't that the marketing people got it all wrong and indeed with a name like Piddle Brook you might wonder what possible delights await...it's that these fields epitomise for me what we have lost. 

There are still great example around. Some friends recently went to Highgrove where Prince Charles has been working on establishing his own Wildflower Meadows and with his Coronation Meadows celebrating 60 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth 2nd rightfully establishes meadows as a key resource that quite frankly has been significantly under-valued.

Yellowhammer

Meadowsweet

I was lucky enough to work for several years as an scuba diving instructor and divemaster. Taking people for tours underwater meant a good working knowledge of the topography of the site but more importantly where you could find the good stuff - the little Spotted Drums, Morays and the feeding stations with little cleaning shrimp that would willingly do a little manicure picking up the loose skin from around your fingernails! These are what the paying customers had come to see.

 What was more fascinating was what happened when you went a bit further than the average diver could easily fin in a dive or did an anchor drop when most operators stuck to the fixed buoys. Suddenly you found even more fish! They had all escaped to a little haven where the divers didn't go. To a certain extent that is what seems to happen in the few places we have left as wildlife reserves but which aren't frequently visited. The less we have the more likely it is that these havens will have more human  visitors than the wildlife are happy to hangout with. I free truly privileged to live somewhere where the biodiversity is quite frankly stunning. Long may it continue.

We heard last week that the application for a chicken farm in close proximity to Piddle Brook Meadows has been withdrawn.  It may only be temporary, in which case, if it is re-submitted we will judge the new application from the same applicant or another on its merits.  However, whatever happens everyone should be aware of just what might be lost if developments that are inappropriate are made in this area. 

Our local biodiversity might be lost forever.

These photos were all taken on a single 35 minute morning walk in July.

Juvenile Goldfinches

Whitethroat?

Closeup of Juvenile Goldfinch

Closeup of Juvenile Goldfinch

Possible Reed Bunting or something else!

Whinchat (Male) 

Whinchat

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

View of Upton Snodsbury Church from Piddle Meadows

Dappy Hog

Greenfinch

Piddle Brook from the Bridge over the road into Naunton Beauchamp

Whilst planners might be content with a few wildlilfe "corridors" it is possible that for the wildlife itself there needs to be some critical mass to make them effective.  Biodiversity is key.

Summer Is Definitely Here!

The forecast is for the warm temperatures to continue for a while..in the meantime the hay has been cut in more of the fields and the butterflies are coming out in force in the meadows. Lots of Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns.

Lots of birds around and the variety in the fields never ceases to amaze me - even in a small area the biodiversity of Piddle Brook Meadows is excellent. It partly depends on the time of day. Early morning is always good for Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Willow Warblers and various finches and tits.

Here are a few pictures from the last two days...

I spotted a couple of birds hanging onto the barbed wire by the side of Piddle Brook and managed to get quite close. They were eating seeds and moving along the wire. One settled on a Cow Parsley.  They looked like juvenilles of some species I'm not familiar with. One neighbour suggested Siskin but the tail markings are a little different. So, an unidentified bird..more detective work required. 

Posting a few days later: These are Juvenile Goldfinches. There are quite a few around Naunton Beauchamp - they seem to have bred very well this year and can be seen around the gardens as well as in Piddle Brook Meadows - up to 5 at a time.

Two - another one is just to the left of the post.

Juvenile Goldfinch

Juvenile Goldfinch

Chaffinch

A family of six long-tailed tits were flitting around in one of the willow trees.

Long Tailed Tit and One Coming Into Land!

Long Tailed Tit

Long Tailed Tit

Long Tailed Tit - Sunset

A good sized beetle - pretty important things that we don't often take much notice of...

The Heat of Summer

The birds behave differently when it's hot. Maybe there are a few mites around that are making them itch but my early morning walk two days ago was characterised by lots of birds doing preening, scratching and general readjustments to their plumage. 

As I was planning on doing some macro shots I only had my 100mm lens with me instead of a 70-300mm which is good for spotting birds. So the shots I took were a little distant. Typical as it was one of the best mornings all year!  Such is life :-)

I hadn't even gone into Piddle Brook Meadows more than 10 feet. The dead tree by the entrance is a favourite spot for a Yellowhammer and he was there as usual, then joined by a Blue Tit and then another Blue tit and finally a Goldfinch.

Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer Plus Blue Tit

Yellowhammer Singing
A Little Bit of Bread And No Cheese

Yellowhammer, Two Blue Tits and a Goldfinch

Hidden in there somewhere a Male Whitethroat

I was glad to see a Whitethroat as it is one of the birds that is supposed to be in Piddle Brook Meadows but they are quite hard to get pictures of. I need a bigger lens next time!

A Coal Tit Preening

Coal Tit

Ladies Bedstraw

 Ladies Bedstraw was used to stuff mattresses and is supposed to deter fleas.
 This is taken from here,

Ladies Bedstraw - Common Names These lovely yellow wildflowers have many common names such as Our Lady's Bedstraw, Yellow Bedstraw. Maid's Hair, Cheese Renning, Cheese Rennet, Petty Mugget. The name "Cheese Rennet" is so called as the plant has the ability to curdle milk and that in the 16th century it was used to turn milk into cheese. Name Derivation for Ladies Bedstraw It is aid that the name comes from the fact that the Virgin Mary placed it in her bed - hence the name “Our Lady’s Bedstraw” - also she used it to help make a soft pillow for the baby Jesus for his head. At any event it is said to have been used to stuff lady's mattresses. These wildflowers were probably used in the mattresses as the plant is said to have properties that would deter insects and fleas. Leaves The leaves have no prickles and are pointed in whorls of 8 - 12 and are shiny dark green. The leaves are single veined. Food for Caterpillars and Moths This plant is a source of food for caterpillars and moths especially liked by the Broad-bordered Bee Hawk-moth Uses of the Flower Ladys Bedstraw This plant has been used to colour cheese, it has also been used to create both red and yellow dyes and also it has been used to infuse spirits.Placed on wounds it is said to stop bleeding. People also place a part of the plant in their shoes in order to prevent blisters Cleanses the Liver Bedstraw tea cleanses the liver, kidney, pancreas and spleen of toxic wastes. It is also said to be good foe anaemia. The tea used externally is said to help spots and skin disorders and ladies can use it as an astringent on the face. Ladies Bedstraw used in Childbirth History has it Ladies Bedstraw was used for disorders of the uterus. To ease childbirth, it was laid in the bed in their difficult hours.

Comfrey

As a child I used a Comfrey ointment for bruises. There are lots of uses and homeopathically it is used to heal broken bones (providing they are in the right position in the first place). I used it when I broke my back and is probably one of the reasons I didn't realise I had! 

A great plant to use as a green manure - for the best tomatoes a herbalist friend recommended putting the comfrey in a fermenting bin with a tap at the bottom. The herb would rot down and with the addition of water if necessary a nice liquid manure could be extracted from the bottom. It smells quite bad but the tomatoes taste fantastic.

Still Working This One Out

The Queen Vic 

The Naunton Beauchamp Queen Vic looks a little different from how it does on TV...

Piddle Brook Meadows Summers Evening Stroll

Evenings in Piddle Brook Meadows when the fields have been cut and the margins left is still a wonderful time. Even as the sun starts to fade there is a beautiful light in an English summer which cannot be beaten. In warmer climates the sun falls so fast that the lovely soft light is fleeting. Here, the warmth of a late sun glows lights up parts of the under canopy of trees and hedges that otherwise are dark.

Young cows in the field next door.

Meadowsweet buds

Meadowsweet just emerging

Meadowsweet

Greater Knapweed

Teasels

Ladies Bedstraw