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Jim's Diary |
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| Current Jim's Diary | ||
| Jim's Diary Archives | ||
| November 08 to Jan 2009 | ||
| August to October 2008 | ||
| April to July 2008 | ||
| February to April 2008 | ||
| November 2008 to January 2009 | ||
 On November 5th. the only place to be for me is in Lewes and this was my 30th year. How the years go by. It was a bit damp but as usual a very enjoyable night. By this time the Oak trees were looking splendid in their display of late autumn colour. I watched a pair of Buzzards over the big wood and saw a Kingfisher whose bright colour lifted the dreary grey day. The Task Force worked in the Uck valley at Tinker’s Park in Hadlow Down on Sunday, 9th. My grateful thanks to all who turned out. On Monday, 10th. the Ouse was on full flood warning but these conditions would be helpful to the Sea Trout moving up to their spawning grounds. Later on, whilst walking along a footpath across a field of winter wheat, I was surprised to see a scarecrow complete with fluorescent yellow jacket! Scarecrows are something you hardly ever see nowadays. I set out around the village to clear rubbish on 13th. and quickly found two large black sacks full of domestic rubbish which had been dumped by some thoughtless person. The Council bins were literally only 30 yards from the dumped rubbish which had by that time been ripped open by foxes and there was a fine old mess to clear up. Later on I visited the improved gravels on the Bevern but there were no signs of any spawning fish as yet. I spotted a Barn Owl hunting the field edge over rough grass. I walked to a point below the Mills on Sunday, 16th. where there were a few people out fishing for Pike on dead bait—live bait is prohibited. I watched as a 15½ lb Pike was caught at the Mills on a Smelt dead bait and then a second one was caught on Sprat. After that I checked the fish passes for blockages knowing the Sea Trout would be using these passes. There was a report of pollution in the Andrew’s Stream. I attended the site at very short notice. A fellow angler loaned his mobile phone to take photos of the waste coming down a ditch. Samples of the waste were taken and passed on to the Environment Agency. The next day I went to the St. Anne’s School Special Needs Group with Dr John Parry to talk about various points following their recent Summer Ouse Walk in conjunction with their French counterparts.  On the 19th. I walked the Uck to Uckfield. Along the way I saw a Hen Harrier and numerous deer. One deer had very small tines, another name for small antlers on a young buck. I noticed a lot of bird activity on Holly berries on 21st.,especially Pigeons and Field Fares, which were also on Hawthorn. Redwings were picking up what they could find in the grassy fields too and it was if the birds knew that a spell of hard weather was coming. In the early evening I heard Widgeon calling which is a sound that signals to me that cold weather is approaching. These duck migrate from the north in harsh weather I heard that a pair of Sea Trout was seen below Isfield weir and I saw the Hen Harrier again. Sure enough, the next two days were very cold at night with hard frost. Snow fell on Sunday, 23rd. so I put out extra bird food. Each day there were fewer berries on the Holly trees.I looked at the Uck again on 25th. I felt there was an improvement where the river flows through Uckfield town. It was certainly not too bad which was mostly due to the many hours SOCS Task Force had spent clearing the channel and banks. When walking the Ouse and the Uck I often wonder about the function of the river and its affects on human beings. The rivers drain the land to supply us with water. However, some rivers serve as a channel for the disposal of waste, various kinds of sewage effluent, plastic containers and all sorts of litter thrown in by people with little thought or care about the environment and it is such an abuse of what should be a natural waterway. Temperatures dropped to minus 8 at Herstmonceux on 26th. I fed the birds in my garden and went off in the cold to clear up around the village. I filled three large bags on that occasion consisting of the usual rubbish thrown from cars and also glass which can be so dangerous. On 28th. there was 1” of rain and Redd Watch was cancelled and it was again the next day too when the streams were high and over their banks. The Task Force was out again on 30th. to return to Tinker’s Park. It was a great pleasure to see Neil Pringle, our old Chairman, out with the Task Force. Our new Chairman, Dr Tom Crossett, was out too and so was Neil Merchant. Thank you to all who turned out. DECEMBER 2008 I took a trip to East Grinstead on 2nd. and on the return journey I came back via Willett’s Bridge which is at the top end of Weir Wood Reservoir. The infant River Medway enters the reservoir at Turners Hill and I thought the water level looked the highest I had seen it for a very long time; afterall, November.had been very wet. The views across Ashdown Forest looked cold and bleak. I saw deer crossing into the Ouse catchment on the far side of the road where the stream runs towards Horsted Keynes. It was frosty and icy as rain and sleet fell on the high ground of the Forest. On Wednesday, 3rd. December I was invited out for an early Christmas lunch. That afternoon I went along the lane to clear up rubbish the sight of which had been annoying me. I saw two Woodcock fly into a local wood and watched a fox working a hedge where there are always rabbits. I was working off my lunch and no doubt he was still looking for his ! On the 6th. I had drinks with old friends and took a walk on the Downs in very cold conditions.  Several of us went out on Sunday 7th. to walk the Bevern and discuss Redd Watch. It was cold and frosty but very enjoyable to be out walking. There were a lot of Field Fares feeding on the remaining berries and I also saw Redwings. On my return home there were two Siskins on my garden bird feeder. I refilled the feeders with small mixed seed, sunflower seeds, peanuts and fat balls. The rain poured all night on the 13th. so that by the next day the river was in full flood over the road at the Mills. It was also across at Fletching Mill and Sharp’s Bridge. That should move fish up to the spawning gravels I thought to myself. Tuesday, 16th. was a Red Letter Day. I was walking through a woody area with Neil Merchant when the sound of violent splashing came from about 30-40 yards ahead in the little stream. After a very stealthy approach I was able to show Neil some fish spawning. It was something I believe he will never forget. In a somewhat gloomy spot under the overhang of the bank but quite clear to see was the sight of the female violently working the gravel. We peered through the bramble brakes to see two pairs of Sea Trout both spawning on sites that the Task Force had improved. It made it all worthwhile to see such a sight. Neil had worked with us using the gravel jetter. Success. The 18th. was a very sad day for Isfield because the post office closed. It was not closed down by the PO but because the Post Mistress retired and no replacement could be found. I attended the presentation ceremony organised by the Parish Council, along with other fellow councillors, to mark the years of service the Post Mistress had given to the village and the surrounding area. Afterwards I walked up to Sutton Hall weir where I saw fish and noticed how high the flood had been. Later I went to look at the redd sites on the Bevern and saw fish on these redds too. On the 20th. I checked on stretches of the Bevern Sea Trout Watch with reference to possible improvements. I had a chat with the farmer but we saw no fish. Back at the Mills there was nobody about. The fish passes were clear and the back gate sluice was open wide which made me a bit worried because if it were left open it could starve the flow to the fish passes. All the gates at the Mills are automatic. I walked parts of the Bevern and Upper Bevern which are not in the survey area on 22nd.. I saw fish at various sites and ended the day along the Northend Stream where I saw two redd sites. It had been a most enjoyable day with plenty of wildlife to see including two Buzzards.  After a relaxed few days over Christmas I walked out on 27th. along the Ouse where the flow was steady. That evening dog foxes and vixens could be heard calling in the frosty and clear conditions.. I heard Widgeon again high overhead. The next day was cold and the ground was frozen. Cormorants were fishing on the river when I walked from Isfield to Culver. By the frozen Splash I saw an Egret and the Seal was bobbing about in the tide below Hamsey. Each year some enter the Ouse and I have often seen them at Newhaven Harbour. I hoped it would get back out to sea again. I finished up along the Northend Stream. On Wednesday, 31st. I saw in the New Year in traditional fashion with a bang and wondered what 2009 would bring. 1st. January, 2009 I went for a good long walk to clear away the cobwebs ! It was cold but I was restored by a large mug of hot soup on my return before dinner. The next day I had a quick clear up through the main part of the village and emptied the litter bins in time for the dustmen. I walked to Lewes on the 3rd in the cold and saw the Seal in the river again near the Chalkpit Cut where I had previously seen its mud slide. There were flocks of Field Fares about and an unusually large number of ducks on the river because the Pells were frozen over. A lone Kingfisher flew upriver past me and I watched a fox hunting through the undergrowth. The wildlife suffers tough times in the frozen conditions. On the 4th. the Mill Pool at Barcombe was frozen and the flow had fallen back. I saw a Cormorant fishing under the ice and noticed the temperature had dropped down to minus 8°C. The first light covering of snow fell on 5th. My garden birds were very hungry and I put out extra food and water for them during the very cold spell. I even had some game birds visiting my garden to feed. When I closed my curtains that evening I noticed two butterflies had hibernated in a fold in the lining and hoped they would survive the winter. On venturing out I soon discovered a large water leak had been reported at the far end of the village no doubt caused by the freezing temperatures. On 9th. I walked to Barcombe Mills and saw large flocks of small birds, mostly Siskins and Bramblings, on the Alders along the river bank. A large fox was working his way along a bank of the old railway track. I could feel the afternoon becoming colder so I decided to head for the warmth of home. The temperature dropped down to minus 10°C overnight. The next morning I refilled the bird feeders and put out apples for the Blackbirds.  While out on our survey section of the Bevern we saw no fish but Neil Merchant and I encountered a very tame Robin ! We moved some leaves and vegetation in the hope the bird might find some tasty morcel. All around us was a real winter wonderland. The trees and stream-side grasses looked beautiful covered in a white hoar frost. At the Mills the river was frozen over. Some thoughtless person had thrown rubbish onto the ice. Another cold night followed and I thought of the Robin and hoped he had found some food to keep him alive. I walked in the Southease area on 11th. and saw the Seal again and some Shelduck. I watched with interest while a Cormorant caught a Flatfish. A few Teal passed by and above me I could see Buzzards circling over the Downs but yet higher still a skein of geese flew westward. It never ceases to amaze me what can bee seen from a footpath. For instance, from the river tidal wall I watched a lone mink running on the ice in a riverside delve ditch. He went over the river wall towards Stock Ferry. It looked as though he had been feeding on a fair sized sea crab which had been washed up on the river bank. There were signs of a change in the weather. The frozen ground began to thaw and a return to warmer and wetter conditions began. The rain duly arrived, at times very heavily; swelling the Ouse and Uck and streams of the catchment and causing the threat of more flooding. All this water put colour in the river and I saw Kelts at Barcombe Mills. There were Sea Trout on redds on Searle’s Stream. I would like to thank those kind people who sent me a Christmas card and I hope I replied to everyone. I would like to take this opportunity of wishing you well in 2009. I will close this edition of Jim’s Diary with a wish to all our farmers and landowners for good crops, happiness and success in the Year 2009.
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