Page 16 - Hunstanton Town & Around - January 2016

16 Hunstanton Town & Around January 2016 Tel: 01485 533422 email: editor@townandaround.net
Nature Notes with Joanna
A Round Desmond!
What mixed weather we are rears made them easy to follow as
having! At least we didn’t get the they slowly headed up the huge
floods of rain but the wind was field and though the hedge into
pretty strong! However in my last scrub-land.
article I thought that by the The wild flowers are at last
beginning of December the trees fading, with only the odd white
THE GARAGE, CLAY HILL, TITTLESHALL
would have shed their ball gowns, Dead Nettle being easy to pick out.
01328 701531 but as I drive around there are still However I have heard of Daffodils
lots of Oaks in particular that still in full bloom and my Rosemary
www.peelings-coaches.co.uk have a good leaf cover! I know that bushes are in flower. It is a crazy
some hang on into early spring but season so far will we get a snowless
Dover Castle, not usually so many. Have you also Christmas? It makes for easier and
noticed on the way to Lynn that the safer travelling to family and
Medway Festival of Steam at Easter Gorse is in a profusion of bright friends, but don’t forget another old
4 Days yellow flowers? I know that the old saying ‘as the days grow longer the
country saying states that ‘ if the cold grows stronger’ and we have
gorse is out of bloom then kissing the main part of winter to come!
Mercure Great Danes Hotel***
is out of season’ so it should be a The rising sun is nearly hiding
Maidstone great kissing Christmas and New behind the house opposite but will
Year! soon start its way back towards the
Friday 25 – Monday 28 March 2016 What else is going on? There are northeast.
many more geese about and there In the sky at night the march of
Holiday Highlights has been an increase in the Orion continues towards the west
Dover Castle Blackbird population as more have and early morning sees the planet
come in from the east. However I Jupiter still shining high in the sky
Chatham Festival of Steam do know that so far the south of at dawn. If it has been clear some
Norway has had much the same of you may have been lucky
Rochester
weather as us and has had little enough to see the Meteor Shower
snow and plenty of rain! May be that comes each year from the area
Price: £245.00 some of the winter birds have of Gemini. They are an early
stayed put for now. There are morning display so if you have
Brambling about and one or two been out when most of the
reports of Waxwings, but the streetlights were out you will have
number of Fieldfares and Redwing had a better chance; apparently they
seem to be low compared with the show as lines in the sky not the
last few years. May be many over- flashes of some showers. I am
flew in late spring and are feeding afraid I haven’t been out to look to
further west and south, if so we verify that!! I have noticed that the
could see increased numbers in late plough has been low in the
winter as they make their way back Northeast and often hides behind
east ready for their return to the house at the back. Actually as I
summer homes. I haven’t managed see the sky around here I am
to see it but there are reports of a reminded how different the sky
young Pallid Harrier at Snettisham. looks compared with Lancashire
This is a rare Harrier that usually Yorkshire borders! May be its
winters in India and surrounds, because we were living isolated at
may be it got caught up in the about 600-700 feet up a hillside and
warmer airflows we have been looking west. Here it’s sea level and
having. looking North South!
A drive out last week was Enough of the stars! I need to do
blessed by some sunshine, more study on them, maybe that’s
thousands of geese on the higher a New Year job.
fields and a flock of Lapwing on What ever the next month brings
the fields I call Newmarket. The there will be things to see and
Lapwing were almost in display maybe some fine weather to get out
flight and I could hear the whop, and see them, but having said that
whop of their wings as they threw if its wet and dark I do tend to get
themselves about the sky. Feeding more done in the house and I have
quietly among them was a group of piles of craft work, would like to
some 6-8 Ruff; brown birds in a get my water colour paints out, do
partially grown field are not an easy more of my colouring book and
count! On the other side of the road even create some order out of the
was a group of 3 beautiful Roe chaos of the sewing room! I wish
Deer, they weren’t in any hurry to you all a good new year and some
disappear and their coats had a rich great nature viewing!
brown/red colouring, the white