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Jim's Diary |
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| Current Jim's Diary | ||
| Jim's Diary Archives | ||
| February to April 2008 | ||
| December 2007 to Jan 2008 | ||
| August to October 2007 | ||
| May to July 2007 | ||
| August to October 2007 | ||
 A river survey was carried out at the Mills on Wednesday, 1st. August which was in connection with the possible Clay Hill reservoir. The day was fine and sunny. A large number of Dragonflies were on the wing. I saw a Hobby which was possibly chasing Dragonflies as I found two sets of remains just above the Mills. A pair of Buzzards soared on the thermals high above me and Painted Lady butterflies fluttered around me. As I walked I had the satisfaction of knowing the river banks around the Mills were clean and tidy of any rubbish often left by inconsiderate visitors. It was one of the few warm days of a very unsettled and wet summer. On the 4th. the dreadful news came that nobody in the farming world wanted to hear which was that Foot & Mouth Disease had been confirmed in the Guildford area. Previous to this I had walked over Crowlink to Birling Gap and marvelled at the Downs which were adorned with all sorts of wild flowers. The blue of the Vipers Bugloss was a magnificent sight in the sunshine. I listened to the birds on the beach below including Oyster Catchers waiting for the tide to turn and go down again when they would be able to feed on the Mussels and Cockles. There were birds on the Downland pastures singing merrily and plenty of butterflies including Marbled White. This is a walk I would recommend to anyone. On Monday 6th. August I walked from above Isfield to Lewes to observe the condition of the river, its fish and wildlife along the way. Deer were grazing in the Brooks as it was early morning with a bit of mist over the river valley. As I got near to the Mills I saw two Kingfishers. These birds seem to be on the increase in the Ouse valley I am pleased to say. At a point near the brook land called St. Helena I saw an Egret. These birds are becoming more common nowadays. I disturbed a Heron, much to his annoyance, which was concentrating on catching his breakfast. I could see what he wanted in the shallows of the river where a shoal of small fry darted about. At the Mills a Sea Trout jumped and I stopped to make notes on the flow of the river over the Mills in the event of over abstraction. I also watched a pair of resident Wagtails. It was 7 am with few people about and no litter ! I walked on towards Lewes and below the Mills I saw a Barn Owl in broad daylight and a Stoat  which had just killed a rabbit. I heard a squeal and sat quietly to watch the Stoat drag off the Rabbit towards the bushes on the far side of the river. I could see no signs of Mink. These are a relic of the time back in November 1960 when there was a mass escape of Mink from a Mink farm in Buxted. After the escape Mink could be found all around the area. If you sit quietly it is amazing what you can see. Marsh Frogs were very vocal that morning at Hamsey where I was lucky enough to see a shoal of Mullet. The usual Herons were working the entrance of the Chalk Pit Cut. The chalk pits of Upper and Lower Bonnie Scotland showed their white faces on the escarpment of the Downs above Offham. Then suddenly I spotted recent footprints in the mud indicating a large dog Mink was in the area. Other marks in the mud had been made by Mullet as they grazed on algae and by Worms wriggling through the slime. I sat in the sun on the river bank and heard the shrill piping of a Kingfisher as it flew past. There were large clumps of Bladder Wrack floating on the tide as it came in. This sea weed moults off and it is the one that pops when it is trodden on. Large Dragonflies darted about me as I walked the footpath through Offham Marsh to look at the flow from Offham Springs at the top of Chalk Pit Cut and into the Ash woods of Landport Bottom. Ash is the predominant tree at this point on the Chalk Pit Cut and many of the trees are covered with Ivy straggling all over them. I watched a Heron catch a Frog, probably a Marsh Frog. Nothing escapes that beak ! On the 7th. a thunder and lightning storm, accompanied by heavy rain, knocked out the power in the village. On the 8th. I delivered to all Isfield residents a response to the proposal of a new development Downsland Farm near Uckfield. There is a plan to build 750 houses and an industrial estate on this beautiful green field site. In my view it is just plain ridiculous. England’s green and pleasant land ? Not in the developers’ eyes ! On Monday 13th. I did my usual clear up around the Mills after the weekend’s visitors. Why can’t people take their rubbish home with them ? I had a most enjoyable lunch at the Half Way House on 15th. with the Isfield Forget-Me-Not Club and on 19th. I enjoyed a summer barbecue with good company.  I walked the Ouse in sunny weather on 25th. from Isfield up to Vuggles where there was lots of activity in the Buzzard World. They were all around above me high in a clear sky. There was a profusion of Butterflies and Dragonflies of all species flying in this warm spell. I was pleased to see so many as I had heard reports of decreased numbers. I was not happy to see the invasion of Parrot’s Feather weed in the old backwaters at Vuggles. This weed is a real pest and quickly chokes up ponds etc. I watched a shoal of Rudd and a Heron landing and taking off again. There were a few mushrooms on the bank and two deer disappeared into the cover of an unharvested crop on the east bank of the Ouse. I could see a fox stalking along a hedgerow a field away. The next day I helped to remove a large branch which was causing an obstruction at Red Bridge. Many thanks to John for his help. On 27th. August, Bank Holiday Monday, I went on a general walk about at various points of the Ouse. I filled 3 large black sacks with litter and found that asking people to clear up worked up to a point. My thanks go to Laura and Geoff, fellow SOCS members, for their help in clearing up around the Mills and Anchor Brooks areas. That evening there was a full moon and I could hear a Vixen calling from the recently cut corn fields at 10.15pm. The 29th. started with mist over the valley. There were lots of House Martins feeding as the day got warmer. I noticed that the young Swans were growing up fast as they glided past on a river flow which was fair. I was amazed at a Squirrel which had misjudged his jump and fallen to the ground some 40ft. below. It landed with a heavy thump then quickly jumped up and disappeared into the trees as if nothing had happened ! They had been setting about the nuts with a vengeance recently. The Grey Squirrel was introduced into this country in 1876—what a mistake that was ! September 2007 I walked along the Ouse to the Mills on the 2nd. and spoke to people about the litter situation as I went asking them to clear up their rubbish but I still ended up with 2 bags full ! There were a few anglers about with small catches. The day was sunny and I walked as far as Cowlease and then back to Isfield. On 7th. Doreen and I went to a talk by Fran Southgate on Water Voles at Pett Village Hall. Afterwards we went to a local farm that has turned over a lot of farmland areas to nature conservation. There was plenty of evidence of Voles and somebody actually saw one but was not sure which type it was. The morning had been most enjoyable and was followed by a picnic lunch in the sunshine and a drive home via some high weald areas of outstanding natural beauty. We had to make a call at Uckfield and as Doreen was looking over the bridge in the town she spotted a Sea Trout of about 5lbs. and we both watched it. It was one of several that had run upriver from  Isfield and the main river during recent high flows and a real reward at the end of a good day. Wallking along the banks and fields lately I could not help but hear the Yaffle Bird, or Green Woodpecker. It is often called the Yaffle Bird as it sounds just like laughter and it is also said to predict rain hence the name of Rain Bird in country lore. The hedgerows are full of food at this time of year where supplies of ripe berries, seeds and nuts can be found by the birds. Harvesting was in full swing in the area and I hoped the crops would be good for the farmers in this somewhat unstable summer. All will be safely gathered in ‘ere the winter storms begin. Did anybody notice the riverside flowers this year ? There was a wonderful show of Purple Loosestrife and Meadow Sweet in Nature’s Garden but I felt a touch of sadness now the nights had started to draw in. On the 8th. SOCS had a very successful Open Afternoon on the River Ouse above the Mill Pool on the Island. There were lots of people and plenty of interest in this perfect riverside setting. Dr. Richard Osmond was there with his Hi-Tech Wild Trek Trailer which made the day. Thanks go to Richard for his support. The next day the Task Force went to work on the Bevern in warm conditions and my usual thanks go to those who turned out. On the 14th. a sewage spill was reported on the Bevern to which there was a very speedy response by the Environment Agency. Following this incident I walked the Bevern for the next few days to check for signs of pollution. There was low flow and dry back reported from Barcombe Mills and this was passed on to the Agency as a number of Sea Trout and other fish were in danger from the dry back and possible salt penetration. I walked the river at different times of day and also checked the night flow but thank goodness no mortality occurred this time. Last year a number of dead Sea Trout were found and the river cannot accept this sort of condition. On 22nd it was the Autumn Equinox and large groups of House Martins and Swallows were feeding up on a good insect hatch over the village and later over the Brooks at Cowlease and Hamsey. The second brood, hatched from the nests on my house, went sometime back and I look forward to their return next spring. There was heavy overnight rain and a tornado was reported in Hampshire—what next ? I cleared up litter, mostly thrown from cars, around the village on 25th. and as I checked the church area I watched four perfect Peacock butterflies on the Buddleia flowers. The next day I walked the Uck and noticed that trollies were still being thrown into the Uck at Uckfield Bridge along with other rubbish. On both 29th and 30th I checked the main Ouse below the Mills for salt incursion because of tides of 7.1 metres which was a cause for concern. On Monday, 1st. October a fellow Parish Councillor and I made an attack on the litter at the north end of the village. He has suitable transport and we started at Short Bridge and Darvel Hill going along the top road from Pierpoint Wood at the top of Short Bridge Hill to Lodge Wood and the double gates at Constantia Manor. Then onwards down the Hollow to the Old Rectory and back home. We got rather wet in the rain but we collected six large black sacks full. Thanks must go to my fellow Councillor for a job well done in miserable conditions. I walked the main Ouse on the 3rd. The flow was up a bit and I watched large numbers of Swallows and Martins ready for their journey ahead. May, June and July were very wet and no doubt had an affect on the insects that these birds rely on for food. I went coarse fishing the next day which was most enjoyable. On Saturday, 6th. I did the River Walk which had been postponed from the Railway Land Open Day in June. This time we had sunny weather and the walk was enjoyed by all. We saw Mullet in the Winterbourne outfall and a Kingfisher amongst other wildlife and plants which I pointed out along the walk. I had arranged with Robin Akers, Task Force leader, for another clear up on the Uck. The state of it annoyed me every time I went to Uckfield and saw the trollies etc. in the middle of the river. Twenty two large black sacks full of litter were removed in addition to bikes, pallets, dustbin full of broken glass, mattress, shop display rack, bed and headboard, large carpet, cardboard tubes from carpet rolls, assorted wood offcuts, roll of unopened plastic–wrapped carpet, very large quantity of bottles. All this would have been swept down river on the next flood water.  I was cheered when the water levels increased and the Sea Trout started moving up to the falls and fish pas on 10th. That afternoon I listened to a very interesting talk by a very good speaker on the North American Indian tribes. On 14th the Task Force went out to work on Bull Rush control in Plumpton Pond. Whilst at the Lower Ouse at Southease recently I saw a fox enter the reed beds and flush out his lunch—a cock Pheasant. I viewed with alarm the large bankslip just below the bridge.It will be interesting to see what type of winter we get following the marvellous Autumn colours and I note with interest the profusion of Holly berries. It has been good to see all the cultivation going on in the ever changing farming landscape—new seed and new hope. It might be a little early but I wish all our farmers and landowners in the Ouse and Uck catchments a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year 2008 with good crops and no more bad news.
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