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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 | ||
| April to July 2008 | ||
 The Dawn Chorus on 28th. was tremendous starting with a Blackbird in the conifer at around 4.30 am and then every other bird joined in. It was a sound that is a joy to be heard and the countryside would be all the poorer without it. Later on there were many Greenfinches at the bird table and a small flock of Sparrows. As I walked across the fields to the river I watched a pair of Buzzard high up above and when I glanced down again I caught sight of two deer in the fields in the early morning. A pair of Kingfishers flashed by me as I looked down at the river. I expected they had been having an early feed on small fry, probably Minnows, in the shallows.MAY - The 1st of May was the start of the 2008 Sea Trout Season. The river was full and the Mill Pool gates were wide open with a small spate. The water was very coloured. I walked the river from Isfield to Lewes and saw a pair of Egrets on a water splash and watched Crows mobbing a Heron in a very determined way. I could not see what the reason was at that distance. I found the remains of a freshly killed rabbit and then caught sight of a Fox in a rough piece of ground near the river and guessed I had disturbed him from his meal. It was good to hear Reed Warblers amongst the thick reed growth in the Cut bank. I also saw Marsh Frogs in Offham Marsh as I walked up to inspect the flow rate from the Offham springs where water is abstracted from a bore hole. It is also a haven for wildlife of all sorts in and around the Osier beds and the Brook land. It was at this spot many years ago that a dead Otter was found on the railway line. It had been electrocuted on the live rail. I could hear the distant drumming of a Woodpecker coming from Landport Wood. A few newly hatched Brimstone butterflies fluttered by as I looked for Mullet in the river but there were no signs of any. On the 5th. May I walked along the Uck in bright warm sunshine with Cuckoos in full shout all around. Orange Tips were flying about and I saw more deer again and even heard a Nightingale. It was a very warm day and as I approached Uckfield I saw three Buzzards. For a change the Uck looked fairly clear of the rubbish, mostly plastic bottles, usually thrown in from Uckfield. I walked some local streams on the 10th. being amazed by Nature’s Garden as I went on my way. The countryside looked splendid with the blues of Bluebells and Bugle and many other wild flowers.  On the 11th. May the Task Force was in action at Stoneywish to practice some Balsam control. A large patch was mown by hand. This plant was introduced by the Victorians and it has now spread countrywide smothering out everything else in its way. Later the main Bevern was walked from a point in Novington Lane to Plumpton. I saw some shoals of very small fish, probably Minnows. On the wing were Kingfishers, butterflies and types of early Dragonfly. My thanks to all who turned out to help the Task Force that day.
I was disturbed in the small hours by a large Queen Hornet which came in through my open bedroom window at first light. The Dawn Chorus was even better that morning with the addition of a Pheasant making his presence known. I looked out of the window at 5am to see five deer on the playing fields. The 15th. was not such a pleasant day though. I walked along the river in heavy rain and needless to say there was not much to see and no Sea Trout had been seen by then either but the rain would help keep up the flows. On the 17th. and 18th. May I walked along the main Ouse to Lewes. A few Mullet were about but no signs of any Sea Trout and the flow was reasonable at Barcombe Mills. On Monday, 19th. May I awoke to a frost and decided to clear up around the village. I finished with two black sacks full of the usual litter. That evening I went to the Parish Council AGM and a new Chairman was elected. I have served on that Council for thirty years. The next morning there was another early frost. The 21st. was fine and sunny but a bit chilly. A road traffic accident occurred on the A26 and the traffic was diverted along the road through the village which turned into a race track with nobody observing the 30 mph limit. All in all this happens far too often. A possible pollution had been reported on Sunday, 25th. so I walked the main river and then again the next day but thankfully I found nothing. I walked to Lewes along the Ouse on 31st. and saw the Egrets again and still very few Mullet in the river. JUNE - SOCS was present at the South of England Show from 5th-7th. and I was present on all three days. It was a pleasure to talk with old and new friends at our tent. There was a lot of interest shown by the public in our work. On the 10th. the first Sea Trout of the season was caught weighing 10½lbs. Scales were taken to be read by Dr Fetter who determines the age of the fish, growth rate and sea years. A catch and release scheme is in operation in the Ouse with a limit of six fish to be taken. It was a warm and sunny day which brought out the Dragonflies and Damselflies. I saw a Hobby which is a small hawk which feeds on Dragonflies. I heard the song of a Cuckoo which being late in the season sounded like it had a sore throat but that is its normal call by late June. There was still a reasonable flow through the Mills. The invasive water weed Parrots Feather was growing strongly in the Oxbows and worryingly it had got amongst the Pennywort. Action should to be taken against this invader. On the 13th. I had a very enjoyable cream tea at Newhaven Fort to welcome in the Nature Corridors for All and people we had worked with on a project at Barcombe Mills including a delegation from France.  I looked in at the Lower Ouse at Dean’s where there was a small tide and clear water and saw 2 small Mullet. A Kingfisher flew past and there had been a large hatch of insects. While sitting on the bank I watched Swallows and House Martins feeding on the newly hatched insects. A Partridge was calling its unmistakable call as I looked across to the distant Downs which looked red with Poppy flowers. I thought the Ouse valley looked good and what a good place it is to spend time in.
Sunday 15th. was the day the Task Force went into action on the middle Bevern. We removed a fly-tip washed down from the Novington Lane area which included a TV set along with household rubbish. I keep on asking why do people do this ? It was a long day from 9.30am-5.15pm but well worthwhile doing and I thank everyone who turned out on such a warm day. Whilst working we noticed a small Mayfly hatch which was something on the plus side. The Coarse Fishing Season started on 16th. June on the Ouse and some reasonable catches were reported. The two water leaks on Darwell Hill were finally repaired. These leaks have gushed for two years wasting thousands of litres just like another one at Lodge Wood, where ducks were swimming on the pool in the wood created by the leaked water ! This was discovered whilst cleaning the roadside litter and reported in January. On Wednesday, 18th. June I observed the evidence of the beginnings of the usual moult of Bladder Wrack seaweed coming up with the tide. The moult happens every year and causes no problem. Sometimes Mullet can be seen browsing amongst the rafts of weed on the lower river on the incoming tide and occasionally a Bass too. In the drought of 1976 two large Bass were caught above Hamsey. There was a bright start on 20th. but I could see cloud building over Black Cap. I cleared up litter around the Anchor Brooks and also around the Mills above the Mill Pool. I noticed that the flows were lower over the Mills. Also at this time Sea Lamprey were spawning in the bottom of Andrews Stream. Yet again a fellow Parish Councillor and I cleared litter from the northern end of Isfield Parish. We worked around Pierpoint Wood and Darvell Hill down Buckham Hill to Lodge Wood and back down to the church. A grand total of six black sacks full of assorted litter included dangerous glass bottles. I am grateful for the assistance of my fellow Councillor and also thanks for the refreshments. A good job well done once again. The next day I received a call from a fellow Councillor to say that the flow in the Uck was near nil through Uckfield. This was relayed to me again from an Uckfield Town Councillor. I suggested he should call the Environment Agency emergency Hotline. I guessed the problem lay at the Hempstead Mill sluice and sure enough it was the gate which had not shut down properly. EA staff were sent to rectify the problem but the result could have been disastrous if there had been a spill of effluent with such a low or nil flow. It took a long time for the flow to return to normal. On 25th. June I attended an exhibition at Ringmer Village Hall about the proposed Clay Hill reservoir in my official position as an Isfield Parish Councillor. I believe it would be a tragedy if the proposed valley were flooded. This is a landscape with many ancient Oaks and ancient hedgerows which are a natural corridor to the Big Wood and Plashett. 27th. June was a fine sunny day but again there seemed to be a lack of butterflies in the riverside meadows. It was good to see a few White Admirals on the Bramble flowers on a track through a local woodland and equally good to see Pink Centuary and Hemp Agrimony. Butterflies love this plant when in flower. There were Bees on the Trefoil along with a few Small Blue butterflies. A Buzzard soared high above later joined by a second mewing even higher up. On the 28th a call was received about a group of Polish people at Barcombe Mills. I spoke to the caller and informed the Agency but nobody was available to assist. The Police were also informed and officers were sent out from Lewes. I am grateful to them for coming because it was feared that snatches were in use. Valid permits had been obtained. I went to Barcombe Mills on Sunday, 29th. and spoke to the group leader who purchased two more day permits. I spent an hour with them and they even went to Barcombe village shop to buy black sacks for their rubbish. We shook hands and I asked them not to leave any rubbish. I called by again  the next day and found the area to be spotless.
JULY - The 1st. July was the hottest day of the year so far. I spotted a pair of Hobby over the Brooks where there were also plenty of Dragonflies and Demoiselles along the river. There seemed to be a few more butterflies about too—a couple of White Admirals and a lone Fritillary. There is a field in Isfield where vegetables are growing and the owner has planted a lot of blue Felicia around the field margins to encourage insects. This plant is also used as a cover crop on game shoots to encourage insects which Partridges and their poults can feed on. Above the vegetable field the sky was full of House Martins and Swallows feeding on the insects which made quite a spectacle. It was the SOCS AGM on the 3rd. July. Around 50 people attended the meeting which was followed by a most interesting talk about the Ouse catchment. I helped to clear up a small fly-tip at the Mills on 6th. The rubbish was mostly lagging and bottles. I send my thanks to my helper for removing this mess. I was very kindly invited on a fishing trip to the Hampshire Itchen on 8th-9th. July. I send many thanks to my host who took me down. It poured with rain but we had a good time despite it. I assisted Neil and Robin on the SOCS stand in Lewes Town Hall on Saturday 12th. July. It was a good day and a lot of interest in SOCS’ work was shown by the public. The next day the Task Force went out and this time we worked on the Bevern again. I send my grateful thanks to those who volunteered that day. Did anybody notice the beautiful displays of Buttercups and Daisies in the meadows ? I watched with interest as the silage and hay making got underway and then how the cut fields changed colour from bright green to a dull pale. I noticed a lot of Agrimony and Yarrow in the roadside verges and large heads of flowers on the Elders in the hedges climbed all over by Bindweed and Hops. The hedgerows looked and smelled especially lovely where Honeysuckle and Dog Roses bloomed with Foxgloves in flower below. I saw Hawk Moths at dusk  on the Privet flowers. Along the river banks the scent was strong from the Meadow Sweet and I was pleased to see more Kingfishers. I am still hoping to see some Glow Worms. Haymaking was in progress locally and I watched a swarm of Bees with caution keeping a safe distance away from them ! What a pity the Highways Authority is doing nothing about the Ragwort on the motorway reservations and verges which are full of it. Many neglected fields are choked with this harmful weed. Ragwort is the food plant of the Cinnabar Moth caterpillar but it is also harmful if eaten by horses and in my view needs to be controlled more than it is nowadays. In conclusion I wish all our farmers and landowners a good harvest of their crops for the coming harvesting season. Let’s hope we get some fine weather for getting in the crops this year.
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