Spring is nearly here!

[pollygog]

This is Heron spotted doing a bit of 'out of season' fishing in the river Elwy at the back of The New Inn pub St Asaph Tuesday morning 17th Jan 2017. Picture was taken at the limit of my small Canon Powershot (12X15) but its so handy to carry in my pocket on walks.
March before I can fish there, just hope the Cormorant, Goosanders and Heron, leave something worth catching!

[pollygog]

1st day of February and more signs of spring are appearing, small clump of daffodils open by the bus stop at the top of our road today, first primrose open in our front garden and lots more snowdrops coming into flower along the river bank this morning. It was a beautiful and quite pleasant sunny morning as we strolled along the river bank, I've noticed this last week the birds are really starting to warm up their repertoire of song. The thrushes on The Common, both Missel and Song Thrushes were singing, also A Blackbird and a Wren, just lovely to listen to them all.
A further surprise is my apricots have started to flower this week, so that's me busy with a little brush hand pollinating for next few weeks as there's no sign of bees about here yet. Found a frog in my Nexus filter this morning as I was flushing it out, wonder what the prospects are this year for another spawn bonanza?

[pollygog]

Two mating frogs in my Nexus filter yesterday resulting in first frogspawn this morning.
This was the only bright spot in another day of sadness as we set off yet again this time to West Lanc's to another funeral to attend to.
This time it was an old friend of ours, five funerals we have attended since November!
Reminds me of the words of an old Bob Dylan song "Don't speak too soon for the wheels still in spin, and there's no telling who it is naming?
Makes you feel very insignificantly mortal!
We got home late afternoon and found part of our back fence has blown down in last nights gale.
Life goes on, but life gets tedious at times.

[pollygog]

The weekends strong winds saw some destruction as this picture will testify. One of the ancient and rare Black Poplar trees, (no. 0844 to be exact, according to its metal tag) succumbed on Saturday morning and crashed spectacularly across the river Elwy just upstream of the stone road bridge from where this picture was taken.
The E.A. as part of the flood defence work removed some trees and pollarded other large trees on the river bank here near the bridge this previous week, visible to right hand side. This effectively removed a windbreak to the larger trees behind on The Common, the results were pretty quick, two days to be exact!
The size of the tree cannot be appreciated until you stand alongside it, the trunk on its side is about 5ft high.
You can see the information board about the poplar trees on the footpath to the left hand side.
Fortunately as you can see, the river is still fairly low at present but it will require a large chainsaw and crane to remove this giant from the river!

[pollygog]

Another (closer) view of Black Poplar tree straddled across the Elwy today, you can see the massive trunk and limbs of tree here, there's some tonnage of timber to be removed for sure!

[pollygog]

Almost gone!
Black Poplar tree that fell across the Elwy at the weekend is reduced to firewood and sawdust as nine E.A. workers with machines and chainsaws started to dismember it early this morning.
This was scene below by ten o'clock as tree rapidly disappeared under the assault. To the left hand side there are heaps of sawn up logs under the trees that were removed from the poplar this morning.

[roselanekoi]

Always sad to see when a mature tree comes to grief. The black poplar is said to be the most endangered of the British trees with only an estimated 2500 mature trees left. As part of the conservation measures I see that Chester Zoo have planted black poplars alongside the canal in the Zoo.

Their demise set in with the introduction of the fast growing hybrid poplars which replaced their value to the match industry. Now the hybred poplars are also of little value as matches are no longer made in the UK.

[pollygog]

Interesting to see that Chester Zoo are planting the black poplars for conservation, really good to see!
They are quite involved in the conservation of rare species, both flora and fauna so strength to their elbow.
It's ironic about the hybrid poplars demise through decline in the match trade as the Black Poplars decline and fall was brought about by the increasing use of metal farm trailers and wagons.
Traditionally the heavy limbed Black Poplar was used for the naturally grown crucks or frames for the wooden farm wagons of the 17th and 18th century so it was very much in demand.
However this demand for it petered out by the very late 19th century as more durable metal frames replaced the wooden ones.
Take a closer look at John Constables most famous picture ' The Haywain' it's a good example of the horse drawn wooden farm wagons of the day.

[pollygog]

Out early fly fishing at one of my favourite lakes today, at Wal Goch Nanerch with Nigel. The pussy willow on the island in the top lake was in frothy pale yellow bloom this morning and a pair of tufted duck look like they are starting nest building already on the island.
Without a doubt its one of the nicest, quietest lakes to fish at that I know.
One small downside was a pregnant ewe fell in the bottom lake and drowned last night so fishing was restricted to larger top lake today.

Walking the dogs at the river on Tuesday this week we came across the Myrobolan Plum tree in full flower on The Common, (pictured below).
Its quite a bit early so I hope there's no heavy frost in next couple of weeks or it's no little red plums to eat this year!

[pollygog]

The frogs were at it like knives again this morning as I went down to check my filter and flush it out, despite the storm raging they were croaking and splashing about in wildlife pond as I passed.
They still insist on getting into the entire system including the outer chamber of aerated K1.
They are netted out of there some pretty groggy every day now for over the past fortnight but still locked together in amplexus, they're all deposited in overflow pond, the heron cant get them there.
The frogspawn is building up steadily in the overflow pond but so far nothing like three years ago, see picture below, the pinkish colour is regular dosing with Potassium Permanganate to sterilise spawn and the grey spawn is the most recent untreated spawn laid.
There was actually more spawn laid here but I gave some away (taken from foreground)
I need to keep clean the spawning frogs (and toads and newts) of disease and pathogens as they are in and out of my Koi pond right through summer but particularly now this time of year.
They get the same safe dose as fish/koi pond. It must work as I now have a very healthy population of all amphibians that breed in my ponds.
Hurricane Doris kept me awake last night as the Douglas firs in the nearby woods reacting to the gale force winds roared back in defiance at her, they make one hell of a din, as did things that went bump (or crash) in the night!
Years ago it used to be metal bins and lids clattering about in the wind, that kept you awake of a night, nowadays its wheelie bins and occasionally greenhouse glass blowing out.