Hares And Greenlaneing

Watton To Hilborough Ford & Back Again – Sunday 18^th January 2015

As it was such a lovely day we decided to go out for a few hours. It was bright and cold (4C) when we left home just after 2.30pm. 

We headed towards The Arms at Bodney. En route we saw Corvids, Wood Pigeons and a lone Mistle Thrush. It was quite disappointing to see how brutally the hedges and road verges had been flailed. I know that cutting them helps the re-growth but so many birds depend on what little seed heads and berries are left during the winter and the Barn Owls and Kestrels on the road verges for small mammals. As we moved down Cressingham Road towards the main Watton Road Jan spotted our first Hare on the field side of the nearside hedge until it crossed the road in front of us to find safety in a more densely wooded area. 

At the range gates at Bodney there was already someone in our intended parking place so we carried onto the Brook on the Cressingham Road only to find some birders sitting on the bridge. Even in their camouflaged gear they stood out like a sore thumb. As we passed them we saw the next two Hares of the day sitting out in the open. As we went along Cressingham Road it was more encouraging to see that a more balanced approach had been taken to the hedges and road verges. The road verges were intact with plenty of seed heads and ground cover and the hedges had been flailed in alternating sides of the road. I know it looks untidier but the truth is, it is the way the natural world prefers it. We saw plenty of small birds going along and in and out of the hedgerows but they were very mobile and difficult to see clearly with the bright sunlight behind them but we did see Blue and Great Tits and plenty of Blackbirds. 

I saw some Long Tailed Tits and then Jan spotted a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming on the side of a tree. It always amazes me that a black and white bird with more than a little red in its plumage is so difficult to spot unless they move. This was a female as she had no red crown on the nape of her neck. We pulled into a corner of a field only to see 20-30 small birds scatter from the hedge into a tree and beyond. We have seen gatherings of Bullfinches (collective noun – a bellowing) in this location recently and many of the birds, again with bright sunlight behind them were finch shapes and sizes. Approaching Great Cressingham we saw another Hare sitting in the corner of a field looking quite golden in the bright sunshine. Jan also saw another Mistle Thrush sitting at the top of a tree. 

As we travelled along the road from Great Cressingham towards the main Swaffham Road there were hundreds of Corvids and Starlings around the Pig Farm although it was quite unusual to see a Sparrowhawk fly through the Corvids without being mobbed. Jan spotted another raptor, probably a Buzzard go into the trees quite a distance away from us on our left. We went down to the Ford at Hilborough and for the first time this afternoon there was nobody at our intended location. Jan spotted a Sparrowhawk quite close to us but I didn’t see it because when Jan pointed it out she gave her usual directions: “It’s on a branch over there!” by the time she had refined her directions to give me some chance of guessing where over there actually was it was gone, as was some of my hair! We saw Robins, Pheasants and a Wren rooting about in the undergrowth. Then Jan spotted 6 very small birds, which could have only been Goldcrests, although they were impossible to see clearly because of the now setting sun directly behind them. Once again I was thwarted in my attempts to see them with Jan’s directions but I would never have seen them this time because Jan was directly between them and me. We saw another Hare on the other side of the River Wissey some distance off. We had our coffee there and decided to stay there until it had got too dark to see. 

Hilborough Ford

The Sun Sets At The Ford

However two four wheeled vehicle drivers decided otherwise! We saw these two vehicles coming down the lane behind us with their headlights full on before stopping for a short while. We thought that perhaps it was the farmer but unfortunately it was some Greenlaners. After their brief stop they both went full pelt across the Ford sending water shooting all over the place. Now I would support all uses of the countryside but this was just senseless wanton damage. I’ve no doubt they got a thrill from doing it but did they ever for one second consider the damage they would do to the fragile environment of the river bed. I’ve no doubt they would have said it was a public road and they had every right to do it but with every right there comes a responsibility. For their two seconds worth of thrill heaven knows how many small fish, eggs and invertebrates were destroyed, the vital life blood of the river! 

What with the increasing amounts of rubbish that are dumped in this beautiful location and incidents like this it makes me despair of our attitude towards our environment. As they turned round and lined up to repeat their performance we left! Not that many years ago I would have happily confronted them about their reckless behaviour but I am in no state to do so today so it was easier to be a coward which in my mind compounds the whole incident. 

We moved onto the slip road between the Swaffham and Watton Roads but we didn’t see anything but we heard at least one Tawny Owl. 

We decided to go home via Threxton and it was now dark but just as we approached the Church we saw a pair of Muntjac Deer (a buck and a hind) crossing from the Sewage Works, we stopped and watched them going back and forth across the road before disappearing back into the Sewage Works. Then just around the next corner we just caught another three or four Hares in the headlights, which made a total of 9 Hares we’d seen in just a few hours. With the temperature now at 0C it was time to go home. 

Answers to the quiz, next time. Keep your eyes peeled and good spotting.