It was a glorious day at Wicken Fen, south of Ely, yesterday:
This is an extraordinary fen landscape:
Although the open skies and reedbeds are the most obvious characteristics, the often hidden waterways make that possible, meaning that trees are also a major part of the landscape:
All of this is, however, a human-made landscape, requiring constant pumping.
The wildlife does not care:
The interaction of the people and nature also seems in balance:
And the nature reserve, which attracts a massive variety of species, works as an integrated part of the whole.
We went to hear and see warblers. We only saw chiffchaff and reed warblers, but we also heard garden, sedge, willow, and Cetti's warblers, as well as blackcaps, which are also warblers.
Marsh harriers and a single kestrel patrolled the skies.
All the usual summer ducks were there, plus pochard, which looked as though they had the intention of staying, as it is late for them to migrate now. There were males and females present to encourage that idea. The last wigeon were also still present.
Great crested and little grebe were about, the latter being regular favourites.
Great white, little and cattle egrets were all present, the last being the surprise.
But best of all was the walk. We did about five miles, and once we were a few hundred metres from the visitor centre, there were few people around, and even fewer dogs. It was remarkably peaceful, walking by water, near trees, surrounded by birdsong (chiffchaff were everywhere). Little is better for well-being than that.
We mused as we walked that we cannot work out why people spend their retirements relentlessly travelling in search of what we do not know. I often hear people of my age talking endlessly about such trips when I am out to have a coffee. What I very much suspect is that very few of those bragging about their latest climate-destroying venture will have ever walked around a place like Wicken, right on their doorstep. If you gave me a choice of a safari or Wicken, I know what I (we) would choose.
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There is nothing in the world as good for our wellbeing as walking in nature. Fortunately I discovered that 40 years ago, when I was in my late 20s.
FOMO.
The fens and flats have their own special beauty,
‘Unbounded freedom ruled the wandering scene
Nor fence of ownership crept in between
To hide the prospect of the following eye
Its only bondage was the circling sky’
Clare.
Thanks
Richard!
You are in the zone!
Nice pictures.
I mean, really. Thanx for sharing.
I have also treated myself to Lightroom – a retirement present.
Those were taken one an iPhone.
I get my nature in a slightly different environment – the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, both within easy reach of my home. There’s also much to be spotted in the park on my doorstep.
This year’s nature count out in the wilds has included: chaffinch in the valleys, pheasants also at lower levels, some geese (on the Moors and on the River Swale), grouse, curlew, lapwing, skylark, oyster catcher (occasionally), jackdaws, hares (magical), a toad, and a big blob of frogspawn that we moved from the deep puddle it was in to one of the more permanent ponds, so that it would not dry out.
All of this while walking routes of 8-13 miles in the fresh air and sunshine, with a good mate and with almost no-one else around.
Nature is a marvellous restorative, just whatever.
One could almost forget the crap that’s going on in the world that provides so much of your other material. Almost, but not quite… Oh, and one has to set aside the one reason that the pheasants and grouse are there – to be targets!
Enjoy!
Brings immediately to mind the last stanza of Gerald Manley-Hopkins poem “Inversnaid”, which I discovered in a magazine at a B&B in the Dales when walking (the whole of!) the Pennine Way in my youth back in 1965:
“What would the world be, once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
O let them be left, wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”
I like that
I’m not a big reader of poetry, but this one has remained vividly in my memory for 60 years (where did they all go?) and never fails to lift my spirits.
Written on a visit to Loch Lomond in 1881, it remains relevant today.
The full poem is here: https://www.thereader.org.uk/featured-poem-inversnaid-by-gerard-manley-hopkins/
Thanks
“the one reason that the pheasants and grouse are there – to be targets!”
The campaign group Wild Justice have a petition to ban driven grouse shooting on the government petitions website. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700036
It only needs a few thousand more signatures (before May 22nd) to get a Westminster Hall debate. Please consider signing!
https://wildjustice.org.uk/general/driven-grouse-shooting-what-is-it-is-and-why-it-must-be-banned/
Seconded
I am a supporter of Wild Justice
I take it you’re not a fan of hills then? 😛
Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.
I love hills
Wales, Scotland and the Pennines all suit me well. But I live the fens, too.
People spend their retirements relentlessly travelling because the media is full of marketing for that, and they imagine that such ‘conspicuous consumption’ (to allude to an old blog of yours on Veblen) elevates them among the carefully curated social media feeds from their ‘friends’.
Agreed
“where the roads wind like streams through pasture and the sky is always three-quarters of the landscape.” John Betjeman
Oh, yes.
Thank you for sharing your fine photographs. I visited Wicken Fen many years ago, it brought back good memories.
Thanks
It’s a great place – but I was at Welney this morning. Cranes, garganey, ruff and large numbers of black tailed godwit, presumably on migration, were the highlights.
I’ve never visited The Fens, I really wish I had! They look gorgeous. Your photos are delicious – I particularly like the old windmill – is it still in use for grinding?
That’s a windpump rather than a winmdmill. The fens surviuve by careful management of water levels – and that is what the windpumps are for.
“Conspicuous leisure, a concept coined by sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen in his work the “Theory of the Leisure Class”, explores how individuals demonstrate social status through leisure activities.”
[From Easy Sociology: Conspicuous Leisure Explained]]
tps://easysociology.com/general-sociology/the-leisure-class-explained/
Might it be an error to deceit to separate economics from sociology?
Yes
We decided a while back never to fly again, for climate reasons. The enforced exploration and enjoyment of our own country has been a delightful and fulfilling alternative. I don’t miss global travel at all.
That’s our choice to.
Wonderful pictures.
Yes indeed even in the mundane suburbs of north Middlesex, there are landscapes, ‘hills’, streams. birds, trees to be found..
Used to think nothing of driving around Europe from Leningrad to Sicily, journeys which were utterly memorable, and usually for a purpose and not to find ‘what we do not know’.
Wouldn’t want to stop people experiencing other countries entirely but frequent flying must be curtailed.
Agreed
And it is done by relatively few people.
Richard, you must stop promoting Wicken Fen, it’s my wife’s favourite place!
No! I won’t. And must people never walk down the lodes
I love the east coast marshes and big skies. I haven’t been to Wicken Fen yet but will get there soon. If you are ever further south, Oare Marsh is well worth a visit for the bird life.
I haven’t been in that area for years….
I looked out at our lawn this morning, and the most glamorous sleekest herring gull you have ever seen landed, looking for sticks for its nest. Proof that you must be wrong in your strictures on fast food, since Brighton seagulls live on a diet of ice cream and chips.
Not entirely, I bet.
I am losing weight without carbs. 6kg so far. I don’t even crave cake any more.
Last year I found that norovirus had a similar effect, but your approach may be preferable
I live close to the Wildfowl Trust at Arundel and so I am lucky enough to be able to experience similar things. Why go anywhere else and pay more?
I am going there soon…..
I live in hope that maybe I’ll get to see some choughs this summer, husband sees them on the Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth) side of Cilan, Llyn Peninsula. Depends partly on how close we can get the car to the (rough) path. I have a super cross country wheelchair (Hippocampe) that it’s even possible to push into the sea to bathe – not that I’ll be doing that unless we have a severe heat wave!
I haven’t seen a chough in years, and I miss them.
Well done on the weight loss! I need to put some on – have difficulty eating much at all.
I have never seen a chough, but I hope to try again this year.
Good luck.