Desilting work Begins 10th February Work has began removing the silt from Holme Pit and the area is now shut off to the public until the work has been completed. Below are a couple of pictures of the works.
Work Starts on Holme Pit
3rd February
Work has began on the Lottery Heritage funded project on Holme Pit. A access road has been excavated across the field and filled with hardcore, so that lorries are able to take away the silt that is to be removed from the pond.
FLOOD'S January 19th
The river Trent burst its bank's this week causing some of the worst flooding to the area I have seen. Most of the area is inaccessible due to deep flood water with many of the footpath's below water. The worst areas hit are Clifton Woods, Beeston Weir and the fields behind Holme Pit.
Clifton Woods.
Fields and footpath behind Holme Pit
View over to Barton-in-Fabis The footpath near Beeston Weir
Grey Heron pushed out of Branshill Wood
Throughout March I have been watching the Grey Herons that nest in the Heronry in Branshill Wood Barton-in-Fabis.
The Grey Heron were seen to return to the Heronry in the second week of February and the birds peaked to 54 birds on the 17th. For the next week the Herons were seen displaying and rebuilding last year’s nests, but they seemed very nervous whenever a Common Buzzard flew over with all the herons leaving the Heronry each time a Common Buzzard was sighted.
On the 24th 47 Grey Herons were seen in the Heronry but again left the sight when a Common Buzzard passed over.
Watching the area on the afternoon of the 24th I witnessed 6 Common Buzzard and the Red-tailed Hawk that has took up territory in the area appear over the Heronry. 2 Common Buzzard and the Red-tailed Hawk then deliberately dived into the Heronry flushing all the Grey Herons from their nest. They then continued to fly just a few feet above the group of Grey Herons until they were away from the Heronry.
The Red-tailed Hawk and 1 Common Buzzard then flew back to the Heronry and landed on one of the nests where they stayed for the next 30 minutes. The Grey Herons didn’t return to the Heronry for the rest of the day and stayed in the fields near to Barton Flash.
Throughout March I never saw one Grey Heron again in the Heronry but have seen the Red-tailed Hawk and two Common Buzzard tidying up two separate nests.
Over Easter I have observed 2 pairs of Common Buzzard and the Red-tailed Hawk that has paired with a Common Buzzard displaying over Branshill Wood. The Red-tailed Hawk and Common Buzzard pair has been seen carrying sticks and ferns into the area of conifers where the heronry was.
On a visit to Attenborough I have seen that the Grey Herons are now building new nests in the hawthorns on the islands over the river at Attenborough Nature Reserve It now looks as if the Grey Heron has been pushed out of the Heronry
Solar Eclipes - Clifton Grove 3rd March 2007
