Remember Summer?

I was looking back at photos of last spring and summer and I thought that a few memories and promises for the near future wouldn't go amiss...

Some of them may have appeared before, but hey.

The Decline of the River Dufffish

Sad to report that the River Dufffish  (named, you will recall after the intrepid etc..)is in decline.

 Despite the recent melt water the river is now a series of lagoons...

The fields were green but the track was still snowy...

A strange faceless flower seller at the station...

Is it just me, but are some of the shapes left in the snow a bit unsettling?

Pre-melt views near the village...

Floods (2)

The new river has been in place for over 5 weeks now and I think it is time it had a name.  This valley was carved out by melt-water at the end of the Ice Age and now the water is back.

It is now known as the River Dufffish in honour of the blogger who discovered it and navigated it to its source - well alright - paddled in a bit of it.

The river has all the clarity and gravel bed of a chalk stream...

The flow is as strong as before...

It is, though, a strange world where everything is not quite what it seems...

Some cars turned round and fled ("Do not drive through flood water!" All official sources), and some splashed through...

"Get your crisps soggy on Route 66"...

Finally, an explanation of the strange picture above...

How long will the River Dufffish last?  Is it visible from the International Space Station?  Will the Ordnance Survey recognise it?  Does anyone care?

Shrikes, snacks and soon to be wildlife...

A report of a Great Grey Shrike near Market Weighton led us to a muddy track on a very dull day and a ball of grey in the distance...

I'm afraid that this is as good as it gets until I can justify the 400mm. L lens or the sun shines.  In the binoculars the bandit mask was very clear.  We looked for but didn't see any victims hung out to dry by this butcher bird.  

Apparently this bird has been in one place all week and we were thinking that if it hangs a larder of food out, it must stay put to defend it against thieves.  Must read more.

A bacon sarnie at the Wild Bird and a look at what is happening to North Cave Wetlands...

Not pretty at the moment, but this is what most nature reserves looked like at one time.  Most of the North Norfolk reserves were bombing ranges.

 A new hide, and very nice it is...

Interesting angles.

 

The extraction continues, but the birds don't seem to mind..

The peaceful bits are still there though...

Will keep an eye on its evolution.

Floods.

Last time we were here  near South Dalton was early December and the floods had started.  There was a new river running along the valley and crossing the road in places to suit its own whims.

The road has been designed to fit into a completely dry valley, with no bridges and few gulleys, but what has happened is that the chalk is full and is just oozing out and will do so for weeks.  I pity the people like those at Burton Fleming who happen to live in the bits where the water comes out.

It makes a mockery of the experts who said that summer rain cannot refill aquifers.

This is the crossroads of the South Dalton and Etton roads.

 

 

 

A red Kite kept an eye on us...

There was quite a flow on it...