I thought I'd found a sink hole...

I thought I'd found a sink hole.

But it turned out to be a hidden storm grid. It was so full of mud that it was as if it had been turfed. So I cleared it out a bit.

I thought that the powers that be had to regularly make sure the grids are clear. I think a visit to Sarn Lane us a bit overdue. 

The other thing I noticed was that the water inside the grid was just lying there. It did not appear to be flowing anywhere. If it doesn't flow away, then it overflows and there is a flood. Is there a blockage somewhere that is stopping the flow. Perhaps the powers that be should have a look.

Bird Song Illiterate

Sadly for me, I have no ear for birdsong. As I walked along the Lane this morning, the singing was really loud. Lots of birds, lots of different songs, all being belted out. But I can't tell one bird from another. I have tried to learn the songs, but once I get out in the open, it all goes out of my head.

I think I will have to try recording the sounds and then try and pick them out of the soundscape.

Flowering Lesser Celandine

It's a start. Just a couple of flowers spotted so far.

Wet Weather In The Lane

There are sections of the Lane that do not cope well with wet weather. There are enough storm grids dotted along the lane, but the undulations of the surface mean that while the area immediately around the grids remain well drained, there are significant areas of standing water left after heavy rain.

When the rain is very heavy, it becomes very difficult to walk down the Lane. School children have been known to clamber onto the wall to get past some of the spreading puddle. And the last house on the Lane keeps a supply of sandbags.

There are ditches on the left hand side of the path which drain water from the surrounding land, and this can spill over onto the Lane, adding to the flood.

Is it a problem? Regular users will think so, especially the residents of the Lane. Is it often a problem? At this time of year, yes. What is the solution? The tarmac surface of the Lane is in generally good condition and is unlikely to be replaced or smoothed out. It is also unlikely that new grids could be installed in the pockets where the water collects. Those are two solutions, but neither is likely to happen. I think nature will be left to run its course.

Encroachment Arrested

Before and after.

As can be seen from the pictures, the tree that was partially blocking the lane has been dealt with. What surprises me is that it is only the offending branches that have been removed to make the path passable again. I had expected the whole tree to be cut back to its stump. Because the problem has not been completely removed and the tree will continue to grow out across the path. I am in favour of preserving as much of the tree as possible, but I am not sure that this is a long term solution.

Nature encroaches a bit further

The tree leaning into the path has leaned a bit further over since yesterday. Now, instead of ducking under the tree, you have to swerve around it.

Nature encroaches

In a couple of places, nature can be seen encroaching onto the pathway and it surely can't be long before action is taken to ensure safe passage.

The first example is fairly trivial at this stage. There is a big wild rose that is pushing its shoots onto the pathway near the dog bin. The thorns on the shoots are very big and it won't be long before they start to cause a problem. I don't know who is responsible for making sure the path is clear, or who the rose belongs to.

The second example is a bit more serious. The angle of inclination of this tree near the bridge looks like it has narrowed after the recent winds. In fact, it is hard to see how the tree has remained upright. It has reached the point where anyone of reasonable height needs to duck under the branches to get past. It does not look safe.

Welcome or unwelcome?

Here is some evidence of some of the wild life that lives along the Lane. However, opinion will be divided on whether this particular species is welcome or unwelcome.

This is a young brown rat that has met a sticky end near the bridge. We should not be surprised that rats river along the river bank, especially as this was quite near a place where litter and rubbish can often be found.

Lesser Celandine

Lesser celandine coming through.

A New Addition

There is now a large rock midstream in the River Alyn, just downstream of the Sarn Bridge. It was not there before the recent snow and rain. So unless someone has manhandled it over the side of the bridge, it was been brought down and deposited by the river. As the water level has receded, it has become exposed.

Its presence is a reminder of the strength of the river when it is swelled by heavy rain or snow melt.

How long it will remain only time will tell. Perhaps it will be swept away when the river rises again. For now, while it is exposed, it will provide a convenient perch for the birds that live along the river.

The Robin(s)

There is at least one Robin living in the hedge on the left hand side just before you reach the elbow of the lane if you are walking towards the river. Here is a picture taken with a phone which is not ideal for nature close ups.

I have always been told that Robins are very territorial and aggressive toward intruders. But my impression is that there is more than one at this location. Closely observation is clearly required.

Sub Zero

When I looked at the garden thermometer at 9:10 this morning it read -7. Goodness only knows how low the temperature fell in the small hours. The results were predictable and there was heavy frost along the lane. Fortunately there had not been any recent rain or snow and so the moisture had come only from the air or the soil.

Hedgerows Revisited

And as predicted in the previous post, the ripping off of the tops of the hedgerow has begun. The first picture shows one of two bushes that grow alongside the Sarn Bridge. The brutal damage caused by the cutting can be clearly seen.

The second shows what has been done to a stretch of hedge that is about 25 paces long starting at the gate to what we call the sheep field that is nearest the bridge.

The cutting is savage. Sadly, this is probably only the start. I still don't understand the reason why it is done.

Hedgerows

Sarn Lane is bordered by hedgerow along a lot of its length. The hedgerows are quite old, although quite how old is difficult to tell. What you can see is that at one time they were maintained by laying the hedge in the traditional way, i.e. the branches of the hedge were bent over so that they grew horizontally thus knitting the hedge together and providing a robust barrier to keep livestock secure within the field adjacent to the lane. However, that stopped some time ago and instead the gaps in the hedge are filled with a wire mesh stock fence.

The photo illustrates this quite well.

Although it is sad that hedge laying is no longer practised along the lane, it is obvious that the installation of the fencing is pragmatic and cost effective. Hedge laying itself is expensive and it is a dying art with fewer and fewer skilled practioners. We have to be realistic. These are working hedges and although it would be nice and romantic to think that old country ways should be kept up, it is not going to happen.

The sadder aspect of the decline of the hedgerow is that at some point over the next few months, the top of the hedge, where the branches have grown above the thicker line of the hedge, will be violently ripped off by a mechanical trimmer. Is this necessary? I don't know. I am not even sure if it is the council or the landowner who pays for it to be done. I just think it is a shame because it must disrupt the wildlife and limit the habitat.