Berrington Hall

 It was sunny but the cool wind kept the temperature in the low twenties. It was also a Bank Holiday so we were keen to get out of the house and into the country. After discussing a few options (Malvern Hills, Eastnor Castle, Forest of Dean, Woolhope Village Fete, Hampton Court) we plumped for Berrington Hall, a nearby National Trust house and gardens.

Photo 1: Berrington Hall set in its Capability Brown Landscape

Berrington Hall was built in the late 18th Century in grounds laid out by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown. There are plenty of level easy walks around the estate including the 14-acre lake; the island in the middle of the lake 'houses' one of the largest heronries in the West Midlands. The lake, itself, has recently been revitalised to improve its biodiversity and sustainability.

Photo 2: Looking towards the House from the Lakeside Walk

Although the car parks were full, the grounds were not crowded. The house is well worth a visit though we restricted ourselves to the gardens, parkland, and lake this time.

On entering the property through the gatehouse, we had a bit of a shock. The gardens to the right of the driveway heading towards the house had been flattened ...

Photo 3: Clearing the Ground for the Garden Project

This was the garden we remembered on a crisp December day when looking back towards the gatehouse.

Photo 4: Christmas Puddings at Berrington Hall

We were relieved to discover this was the beginning of the Garden Project and that the Christmas Puds had been saved and would be returned to the gardens.

Photo 5: Plum Puddings in 'Storage'

It will look lovely once it is finished, I'm sure.

We always enjoy the walled garden where the model orchard can be found. Lots of heritage apple trees for eating, cooking, and cider-making (Photos 6 & &).

Photo 6: Eating Apple

Photo 7: Eating Apple

Deckchairs and hammocks were provided in the Orchard and Mary was happy to take advantage of the facilities ...

Photo 8: Mary definitely not asleep

A few more pictures from the walled garden, time for a piece of cake and a cup of tea before heading back home.

Photo 9: Walled Garden

Photo 10: Walled Garden

Photo 11: Walled Garden

An exceedlingly pleasant three hours of rural relaxation.

When It's Time to Spread Your Wings

 Suffering from 'empty nest syndrome', literally!! Our pigeon parents and their two offspring have 'spread their wings' and 'flown the nest'. Again, quite literally!

I first noted the nest, with incumbent wood pigeon, on the 22nd July (Photo 1) ...

Photo 1: First Sight of Parent on the Nest (22nd July 2024)

... but nothing much seemed to have happened nineteen days later except for the 180 degree turnaround by the sitting tenant (Photo 2, c.f. Photo 1). I did wonder if the male and female wood pigeon had preferred positions?

Photo 2: Parent on Nest (10th August 2024)

On Day 20 (11th August), I caught a first glimpse of a baby chick (Photo 3) ...

Photo 3: First Glimpse of the Youngster (11th August 2024)

A few days later on Day 22 (13th August), I could see that there were two chicks in the nest (Photo 4).

Photo 4: Two Ugly 'Ducklings' (13th August 2024)

The chicks were growing fast (Photo 5) though I never saw either of the parents bringing food back to the nest ...

Photo 5: Two Not-Quite-So Ugly 'Ducklings' (17th August 2024)

By Day 28, the chicks were really bulking out and starting to move around the nest (Photo 6) ...

Photo 6: Growing Fast (19th August 2024)

And by Day 30 (21st August), the chicks had definitely outgrown the nest (Photo 7)

Photo 7: Larger Older Chick to the Fore (21st August 2024)

One of the chicks, presumably first-hatched, was noticeably larger than the other (Photo 8) ...

Photo 8: Close-up of the Bigger Chick (21st August 2024)

By Day 31, it was clear the nesting arrangements were insufficient (Photo 9) though the parents were still returning with food for the youngsters ...

Photo 9: Two Youngsters with Parent in Overcrowded Nest (22nd August 2024)

However, the chicks were now spending less and less time on the nest and were exploring the wisteria that had protected them for a month or so (Photo 10, Photo 11, Photo 12) ...

Photo 10: Younger, Smaller Chick (22nd August 2024)

Photo 11: Older Chick has Left the Nest (23rd August 2024)

Photo 12: Younger Chick has also Left the Nest (23rd August 2024)

Day 34 arrived and there was no sign of the parents or their two offspring in the nest or the wisteria bush (Photo 13) ...

 

Photo 13: Empty Nest (24th August 2024)

Later that same day, I spotted a family of four wood pigeons on a neighbour's aerial (Photo 14). While I cannot vouch with certainty this was our family group, I'm claiming them regardless!

Photo 14: Fully-Fledged Nestlings with both Parents (24th August 2024)

Mary pointed out the mess they'd left behind under the nest - I was pleasantly surprised that four pigeons had made so little mess (Photo 15).

Photo 15: And the Mess They Leave Behind (25th August 2024)

As a rough estimate, the chicks hatched around the 20-day mark, and by Day 34 they had flown the nest. This seems a little on the quick side especially for the fledging cycle. Possibly, the eggs hatched before the 20-day mark but I could not see any evidence for it.

The pigeons were not disturbed by my presence (despite the fact my head passed within a few inches of the nest) and I tried not to be intrusive when taking photographs. By and large, they were happy just to keep a beady eye on me and they never flew away in alarm. You cannot help feeling, though, that the wood pigeon doesn't get the predator/prey thing.

Is It worth Sieving Your Homemade Compost - Update (Part I)

I have written previously (e.g. here and here) about sieving the contents of my hot compost bins to produce a finer grade of soil improver for use throughout the vegetable and flower garden. This year I took delivery of my new soil/compost sieve (Photo 1); more on this later.

Photo 1: New Rotary Compost Sieve - Not to be Used Indoors!

If your waste organic matter comprises soft growth (e.g. herbaceous trimmings and lawn mowings) and/or kitchen waste, then I would strongly advise against sieving; the finished compost should already be suitably granular, the humic/microbial structure of the compost is fully retained, and you will save yourself much time and effort, not to mention money. This review is a little old but still worth reading.

For better or for worse, my organic waste includes plenty of woody material that takes much longer to break down in the composting process. I choose to include this hard-to-compost woody material because it reduces the number of road trips to the waste recycling centre (for myself and the seven neighbours that I accept garden waste from). Unsieved soil improver, even with lots of woody bits, is fine for many garden applications; for example, earthing up potatoes (also here) and as a general mulch/fertilizer. I sieve a portion of my compost for the preparation of potting compost and decorative mulch (e.g. flower beds); any recovered woody bits are recycled through the hot composting process.

My original compost sieve was a simple manual affair (Photo 2) costing less than a fiver. It found most use when sieving soil as I set up the kitchen garden. I worked my way through 2 or 3 sieves recovering the soil from what was, effectively, a building site and filling half a dozen four yard skips in the process! It was hard slow work.

Photo 2: First Compost Sieve

In 2020, I bought a rotary sieve (Photo 3) and this has served me well for 4 years. As with all these 'compost' sieves, they are designed primarily for removing stones and large debris from soil. Sieving homemade compost is harder especially if the compost is wet but this rotary format is reasonably efficient provided you do not overload the hopper.

Photo 3: Rotary Compost Sieve - Again, Do Not Use Indoors

I also recommend using this type of rotary sieve on a raised platform; I used one of my hot compost bins (Photo 4). Back and arm strain is reduced when the rotary action is around shoulder level.

Photo 4: Solid, Raised Base for the Rotary Sieve

After four years of heavy use, the mesh of this rotary sieve started to corrode (Photo 5) and the sieving process became less efficient. To be fair, the sieve was left outdoors in all weathers; its lifetime would certainly be extended if regularly cleaned, dried and stored under cover.

Photo 5: Corroded Mesh after 4 Years Use

The new rotary sieve, bought here, arrived in April 2024 ...

Photo 6: The Mattis Sieve Arrives

... and was unpacked.

Photo 7: Some Assembly Required

Assembly takes about 30 minutes to an hour for one person; the pictoral instructions were clear with the only tricky bit being the installation of the collection tray held in position by the legs of the stand. Only fully tighten the nuts and bolts once assembly is complete (Photo 8). 

Photo 8: Fully Assembled Rotary Sieve

The two short videos below demonstrate the opening of the rear hatch (to remove unsieved material) - Video 1 - and the smooth operation of the rotary arm that forces the compost through the mesh (Video 2). In Part II, I'll report on the performance of the Mattis sieve.

Video 1: Rear Hatch of Mattis Rotary Soil/Compost Sieve

Video 2: Smooth Rotor Arm Action - Mattis Rotary Soil/Compost Sieve

The Common Pond Skater

 On a recent visit to Virginia Water, we came across a veritable army of pond skaters (also written as pondskaters). I thought they must have just hatched (and, indeed, that may be the case), but they are, apparently, often seen in large groups.

Photo 1: Pond Skaters, Virginia Water (July 2024)

They can walk/skate across the water because of the water-repellant hairs on their feet which also pick up any vibrations from fallen prey. Pond skaters use the surface tension of water to keep themselves on top of the water surface. Surface tension is a skin-like layer of water molecules that are strongly bonded to each other. The weight of the pond skater is insufficient to overcome the cohesive forces of these surface water molecules.

Video 1: Pond Skaters, Virginia Water (July 2024)

Pond skaters (as we know them) are called many things, many of them descriptive of their mobility action: water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water skippers, water gliders, water skimmers, water bugs and puddle flies. You can read more about pond skaters here, here, and here.

Another Waterfall (Virginia Water)

In early July we sent a few days with our youngest daughter in Sonning. This included an early birthday present for Mary - lunch followed by a performance of Three Men in a Boat at the Mill at Sonning.

A few days later, we attended the funeral of a very dear friend in Feltham where we lived before moving to Hereford. We thought we'd break the journey (Sonning to Feltham) with a visit to Virginia Water, a popular haunt of ours when we were London-based.

Virginia Water, part of Windsor Great Park, gets its name from the 2-mile long lake (Photo 1) ...

Photo 1: Virginia Water (July 2024)

You can read more about the history of Virginia Water lake and park here.

We planned on spending a couple of hours (Car Park, £6.20 for two hours) wandering around, and having a bite to eat and a drink. Weather was on the dampish side so we kept the walk short. Enough time to visit the waterfall (The Cascade) and the Roman ruins (Leptis Magna).

Photo 2: First Sight of The Cascade

Photo 3: The Cascade from the Viewing Platform

The Cascade is 30 foot (9 metres) high but beautifully formed - as it should be, being entirely man-made. Unsurprisingly, it features in the top 7 waterfalls in South-East England although there isn't a lot of competition to be fair!

As usual, a couple of short videos of the waterfall, one in slow motion - all taken with a Pixel 7 Pro.

Video 1: The Cascade, Virginia Water (July 2024)

Video 2: The Cascade, Virginia Water (July 2024) - slo-mo

By the time we reached Leptis Magna ...

Photo 4: Leptis Magna, Virginia Water (July 2024)

... the rain came a little heavier so we took to the woods ...

Photo 5: Woodland Walk, Virginia Water (July 2024)

... until it turned into a drizzle and we could head back to cafe for some hot food (vegan sausage roll) and hot drinks.  The toilets were clean and well-serviced and there was a dog-washing station, if needed.

While we were warming up with our drinks & food, I suddenly had a thought! We were going into London, only just, but still into a London Borough (Hounslow). Did the Ulex charge apply? A phone call to our hosts and, yes, we would need to pay for two days even though we would be in London for less than 24 hours. Our campervan was too old by one year.

By the time I'd sorted the payment on-line, we had strayed into a third hour so the car parking charge went up to £9.30. Mind you, there are plenty of people complaining about the price of the car park ...

Perhaps they should consider an annual pass (£89) for free unlimited parking! I suspect the cost of travelling to and from Virginia Water was greater than the car park charges everyone was moaning about.

It almost got more expensive for us when Mary couldn't find the £9.30 ticket at the exit barrier. After searching the car, bags, coat pockets, etc., I wandered back to where we had parked and found it there. We were doubly fortunate. If we hadn't found the ticket, it would have cost another £15. Also, it had stopped raining so the found ticket was dry enough to work the ticket machine at the exit barrier.

Quite enough excitement for the day. I'd recommend Virginia Water for a great day out - we've always enjoyed our visits.

Pigeon Post

 A couple of weeks ago, I posted about the wood pigeon's nest in our wisteria. A few days ago, on the 10th August (Photo 1), the pigeon was still sitting on the nest with no sign of progeny. It had been 19 days since we first spotted the brooding hen.

Photo 1: Wood Pigeon on Nest (10th August 2024)

A quick internet check indicated an incubation period of about 17 days so we had some concerns about the viability of the nest. However, the very next day, a little bundle of feathers appeared next to the parent bird (Photo 2).

Photo 2: Parent and young wood pigeon (11th August 2024)

Using my FLIR One Pro infrared camera, I wanted to see if it could detect any other warm bodies in the nest (Photo 3). Unfortunately, the picture resolution was insufficient to detect one or two smaller bodies against the parent.

Photo 3: Infrared photo taken with FLIR One Pro (11th August)

Wood pigeons, like most doves, typically lay a clutch of two eggs and both parents share the incubation duties; predictably, the female does ⅔rd of the brooding.

One day later, there did seem to be two extra bodies in the nest (Photo 4) though not with any great confidence.

Photo 4: Infrared photo taken with FLIR One Pro (12th August)

However, today I could clearly see there were two youngsters in the nest.

Photo 5: The Two New Arrivals I

Photo 6: The Two New Arrivals II

Photo 7: The Two New Arrivals III

The only worries now (as we provide plenty of bird food) are the neighbourhood's cats, the local magpie population (took a young blackbird a few years ago), and the very occasional sparrowhawk (Video 1).

Video 1: Wood Pigeon for Dinner

Under the Microscope

 In a previous post, I discussed the river surveys carried out as part of our citizen science project monitoring pollutants in the watershed of the River Wye. That post was primarily concerned with chemical pollutants such as phosphates, nitrates, nitrites and ammonia.

Equally important, though less well studied by citizen scientists, is the aquatic life found in the rivers and tributaries. At some point, we hope to be trained to go 'kick sampling' so we can document the freshwater invertebrates living in our streams. In this post, we take a quick look at some of the microbes present using our new Celestron microscope.

Samples were collected from the smaller Belmont Pool in April 2024 where there had been an algal bloom event. In Photo 1 we see an example of a diatom, a type of algae, responsible for generating 20 - 30 % of the oxygen produced every year. Measuring the type, number and distribution of diatoms in a water body provides a primary indicator of water quality and ecosystem health.

Photo 1: Diatom from Belmont Pool (small) - April 2024

Photo 2 shows a strand of filamentous algae ...

Photo 2: Filamentous Green Algae, Belmont Pool (April 2024)

... while Photo 3 displays a diatom attached to filamentous algae (diatoms will often attach themselves to surfaces) ...

Photo 3: Diatom attached to Filamentous Green Algae

In the next two photographs, are examples of bell animalcules ('little animals") first discovered by Antoine van Leeuwenhoek in the 1600s, a Dutch microbiologist.

Photo 4: Bell Animalcules, Belmont Pool (April 2024)

Photo 5: Bell Animalcules, Belmont Pool (April 2024)

You don't need to travel to exotic locations to see such fascinating micro-organisms. The next two videos were recorded with the Celestron LCD Digital Microscope II. Note (i) how the bell animalcules are anchored by a single stalk that contracts like a coil and (ii)  the flagella or cilia that direct food into the 'mouth' opening and can also be used for propelled movement.

  

Video 1: Bell Animalcules, Belmont Pool (April 2024)

Video 2: Bell Animalcules, Belmont Pool (April 2024)