Fenland Sky
On of the things I like about living in East Anglia apart from the Wildlife and Landscape is the ‘Big’ skies, at this time of the year the we do seem to get some dramatic Sunsets.
The setting Sun in the East Anglian Landscape
All too quick the sky can change from moody to dramatic and some are there for a short while almost too much for words.
East Anglian sky that no words can describe
The Brown Hare (Also known as the Common Hare) is very much an animal of the East Anglian countryside preferring the agricultural landscape, living out in the open from the moment they are born.
Everyone knows the saying ‘as mad as a March hare’ the month when the hares courting instincts are much in evidence, but the female or ‘doe’ is pretty much ready to mate from January which they do through to September, mostof the time the boxing you see in March is not always two males or ‘jacks’ fighting but most likely than not a doe fighting off the advances of a jack.
Two hares face off
The young (leverets) are born covered completely in fur and fully mobile, unlike rabbits that are born, blind and naked in a burrow.
The Doe gives birth to the young in a group and then moves them one by one to a shallow depression or ‘form’ so they are split up, maybe to increase their chances of survival from predators such as foxes, stoats and now increasingly in East Anglia Buzzards.
Hares will keep low on the ground keeping their long ears down low over their backs and will use their great speed to run away at the last moment.
A disturbed hare taking flight
Because of its antics the hare has is steeped in folklore, with tales of witches turning themselves in to a hare to run away, and beliefs in parts of the country that a hare changing sex every month, even today we use expressions like ‘hare brained’ and ‘hopping mad’ so it is no surprise the name hare comes from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘hara’ which is to ‘jump’.
Yes the days are getting shorter as it now seems to be dark when I leave for work and getting dark when I get home. so what better way than sharing some images from Summer.
Early June morning and canal boats on the Ouse
I love the East Anglian Landscape in at any time of the year, but late Spring and early Summer is my favourite time, with the fields golden with crops and the flowers out in bloom makes early morning walks along the river special.
These early morning walks are made all the more special by the Summer Migrants that arrive and the still air is full of their song, like the Sedge warbler and the first Cuckoo calling.
Sedge Warbler finds a perch to sing from
Those days seem so far away now as we wake to the foggy damp mornings and everyone is rushing about in big coats, hats and gloves, but it will not be long until Spring and we wait for the first signs of longer days.
Until then I will look at and share my images that makes being an East Anglia a special place to be.
First job of the day is to walk the dog, on stepping out side even though it is still mild the wind had got up and I could see we had not long had some rain.
I grabbed my camera and binoculars just in case we had some winter visitors flying in, most of the birds on the berries appeared to be Blackbirds but no sign of any Redwings or Fieldfares.
Passing some of the freshly ploughed fields I could see that a lot of the trees had shed their leaves overnight and this gave me a clue as to why there were no winter birds and the leaves were lying north-east of the lone Oak in a field which told me the wind had come from the South West and the reason it was still mild.
Lone Oak in middle of field with leaves on North East side
After feeding the dog, and putting out food for the birds in the garden it was mostly a day spent inside due to the heavy rain showers.
I was able to catch up on a few things but kept looking out for a break to get out with the camera as luck would have it I managed to get before Sunset and take some shots of the Fenland sky, usually very dramatic after rain I found todays to be very calming with the Aircraft flying to west and the sun catching the vapour trails.
The sun catches an aircraft’s vapour trail
Big Fenland sky
I was up early again to take the dog for a walk, it was clear and there were many stars, I could see Orion and the Plough and it looked as if we were going to have another Sunny day, how long will this last? I have already heard Redwings flying over at night coming in from Scandinavia so are they ahead of the cold weather?.
This evening there is already cloud building up so maybe I will wake up to rain in the morning.
Cloud over Roswell Pits, Ely
East Anglia the Wildlife, Landscape and People. 