Clee Hill. 10 April, 2014

Clee Hill is always worth a visit this time of the year for its speciality upland birds - wheatear, singing and displaying meadow pipit, peregrine, stonechat and ring ouzel. Ring ouzels are only passage migrants through there on their way to breeding grounds further north and probably west into Wales.  They  had been reported there from a couple of days ago, but with much searching I drew a blank.  I did, though, connect with all the other birds mentioned. There must have been at least twenty wheatears, male and female, near the car park and derelict buildings.  They proved to be too difficult to get any reasonable photos of, so I settled to photographing the old mine working buildings.

Derelict Mine Workings

Some of them look more like WW2 "pill boxes" rather than mine working buildings.

The photo below shows the Titterstone Incline, which was the railway to and from the mine when it was working.  Oddly enough, this is the place that is favoured by the ring ouzels when they are there!

Titterstone Incline

Later on I went to the Kerry Ridgeway and Lower-short Ditch (photo)

Chelmarsh

I Visited Chelmarsh today in the hope of summer migrants, but there was only chiffchaff singing. So I decided to take some photos of blackthorn and other blossom which was in full bloom and looking fantastic.

Blackthorn.

 I am not sure what the two below are, but they were among the blackthorn hedge on the side of the scrape.  As the year progresses I will probably be able to identify them by the leaves and later the fruit.

Blossom sp.

blossom sp.

I also walked along the side of the reservoir where I knew there was a stand of aspen trees.  They were just coming out in bud and so looked bare - see photo below.  These trees, though, come into their own later on in the year when in full leaf.  The scientific name is populus tremula, tremula describes the trembling of the leaves even in the slightest of breezes, which is a pleasure to listen to and quite different from anything else.

Aspen, Populus tremula.

April and May is the time of year for the flowering of one of our most endearing wild flowers - cowslip.  On the reservoir dam they can bee seen flowering alongside primroses and, possibly, oxlip.

It seems a shame that one of our most beloved and gentle wild flowers gets its name from the droppings, or slop, of cows.  Other ideas as to the origin of its name is that cowslip is found in fields where cows graze. Whichever is correct, and there are many more, cowslip is one of our most lovely flowers.

Cowslip (Primula veris) fall into the primrose family (Primulaceae) in which there are 23 genera and some 800 species worldwide.

The fragrant, deep yellow flowers are orange at the base and the leaves are like primrose but smaller and abruptly narrow at the base.  What gives cowslip it charm, however, is the way the flowers droop over to one side as if they are nodding off to sleep.

They can often be found in association with daises, buttercups, ox-eye and sorrel which adds to their appeal. Finding them when out walking on a sunny April or May morning can be a delight and lift the spirits.

Cowslip.

Primrose.

Oxlip?