Pauls Pond and Golden Acre (My Patch Part 2)

Went for a walk today with my friend and Sparky.  Across Cookridge Golf course and on to Paul’s Pond, Breary Marsh and Golden Acre Park.  This is Part 2 of “My Patch”.

 

Cookridge Golf Course

Cookridge Golf Course

It is pretty good for birds and wildlife
and is well managed.

There are plenty of woodland copses and hedgerows, together with a lake, makes for quite a few different habitats.  There are gulls, blackbirds, crows, rooks, thrushes, redwings, waxwings, great tits, blue tits, coal tits, long tailed tits, greenfinch, goldfinch, bullfinch, house sparrows, dunnocks have all been seen.  the redwings and waxwing only this winter.  There is occasionally a Greater Spotted Woodpecker.

If you walk on the footpath from Holt Farm on Holt Lane, and follow the yellow topped marker posts, you will eventually come to Breary Marsh and Pauls Pond.

 


Breary Marsh

Click on the map to enlarge.  Then click here for a bit more info
It is a beautifully quiet spot normally, but has become busier as the route from Golden Acre has been developed, which makes it suitable for disability scooters.
Path through Breary Marsh

The pond was used for private fishing, not sure if it still is.  Today was iced over which it has been for about a month and there were no signs of any water fowl.
Pauls Pond

Pauls Pond

As you can see, these photos were taken in spring time.  The lillies are beautiful and provide a home for baby coots.
Coot Babies on Lillies

Today is the first time that I saw a nuthatch there.  Loads of chaffinch, blue and great tits and blackbirds.  Its a great walk for dogs too, but have to keep them on the lead over the golf course.  There is a stream running through from the pond to Golden Acre.  The trees around the pond are mainly mature deciduous trees.  those further on are alder, birch and silver birch.
Trees at Pauls Pond

I love trees

I absolutely love trees.  They are so photogenic and the differing light coming through the branches and leaves is quite beautiful.

MY PATCH (part 1)

Path to Golf Course

This is a map of my patch ie: the place I can walk from my home and where I go regularly.
My Patch part 1

I can walk out of my house down the path onto Holt Lane and onto what used to be Holt Farm land and a piece of land that I believe was included in some sort of covenant, when the High Farm land was sold to make way for the Holt Park estate development.  It was to be left open as common land.
Hedgerow Trees and Bramble

Scrub, hedgerow and trees

Foxy's Place

Great for us and brilliant for wildlife.
There are loads of different varieties of trees.  Deciduous and conifer.
There’s hedgerow a plenty and plenty of cover within the scrub and brambles.
As I’ve mentioned before, I know there are plenty of foxes around here and I see one regularly on Holt Lane.  I think I may have found a den but I am not certain.  I am surprised because it is so near the path and people like me walk there dogs past.
Plenty of Berries - Winter 2010

There were plenty of berries on the trees and bushes this year, as well as plenty of blackberries.  they say its a sign of a hard winter and by gum did we have some snow.
Trees in Snow

Trees always look fabulous in the snow.
The sky can look really magnificent or menacing.
Snow 2010

It was great for seeing tracks in.
I never realised how many rabbits there were.
I think I found fox tracks as well but its quite hard to tell the difference from some dogs paw prints.  I know they are narrower and they were in places i wouldn’t normally see dogs.
The birds seemed pretty quiet whilst the snow was around, but I saw all the usual :  blackbirds, finches, tits, thrushes, crows, gulls.
Thats when I saw the single waxwing in the trees.  Brilliant first on my patch.
all alone!

Fields in snow