Loughton After the Deluge

Unlike other parts of the UK we have not had too much of a problem with flooding so far, However during the recent break from the rain we decided to take a look at our local River Roding and see what the local situation was like on the ‘front line’ so to speak.

A bridge over very troubled water

As we approached the banks of the Roding it was getting pretty wet underfoot, with quite a lot of surface water lurking beneath the grass.

The Roding in flow

The water level was almost to the banks and it was really running fast, which was such a big change from the last time we were down here in August.

The Roding

In one or two places the flow had spilled over the banks, but thankfully nothing like the devastation in the rest of the country. Of course having said that I ended up flat on my face and covered with sticky brown mud when I slipped in some!

As to wildlife spotted: loads of black headed gulls and jackdaws, some magpies and carrion crows and that was it.

Greensted Church and the Fat Turk

I hope nobody is expecting a story featuring an obese fellow from Istanbul, because they are going to be disappointed.

Greensted Church

Last weekend took us out to Chipping Onger, a town in Essex that really isn’t very far from where we live. Now despite having lived in the county for about 30 years I had never been to the town before (well except as the terminal point on the Epping and Onger Steam Railway)

In Chipping Onger we could smell the coal fires from the railway locomotives

Our main point of interest was Greensted Church, which is a bit outside of the town itself. It’s the only surviving wooden Saxon building in the UK. The nave walls

The stave walls of the nave and Crusader grave

were erected around 1060, just six years before the Norman invasion, although archeologists found the remains of a much older building dating back to the sixth or seventh century below the chancel floor and the dedication to St Andrew may even suggest a Celtic foundation .

The Leper Squint

Much altered through the years and restored in the 19th century by local carpenter James Barlow the church has some interesting features including the Leper Squint by the old doorway, although this is now reckoned to be a tiny window for looking out rather than one for sufferers of the disease to look in!

We hadn’t actually planned to go into Chipping Onger itself, but having taken the wrong turn out of the church car park we found ourselves there

High Street Chipping Onger

and decided to see if there was anywhere good to have lunch. We eventually settled on The Fat Turk.

The Fat Turk

Where we received a pleasant welcome from the young waiter who showed us to a rustic table

Next time I want one of these booths

and handed us the menu. Mab chose Kavurma,

delocious Kavurma

a dish of pan-fried lamb and peppers while I had The Fat Turk Toastie, a sandwhich packed full of sucuk (Turkish sausage), Halim (a cheese not unlike Halloumi), gherkins and salad. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. With drinks our bill only came to £25 which wasn’t bad at all.

The Fat Turk himself

I liked the Fat Turk and I’m sure we will visit him again.

Pintail

We took a walk around the lake at Chingford’s Connaught Water on Saturday. I was just remarking that we hadn’t seen as many species of duck as we had in the past when I noticed this chap.

Pintail

 

He’s a pintail and I was dead chuffed to get a snap of him as I have not seen one in the wild before. Of course being so handsome takes a lot of work.

keeping up appearances

 

Other species spotted at Connaught Water that day included: loads of tufted ducks, mallards, mute swan, Canada geese, Greylag Geese

Greylag goose

moorhen, coot, black headed gull, magpie, carrion crow, wood pigeon.

 

 

Egrets and Wagtails – River Roding, Essex

Out by the River Roding on Monday evening we spotted a snowy egret. Unfortunately it also spotted us and took to the wing before we could get a snap. This is the first time I have seen one of these visitors to the UK so close to home although I did spot one up in Walton-on-the-Naze in 2009.

Snowy Egret – Walton-on-the-Naze (shot in 2009)

While the egret eluded us I did get a snap of a pied wagtail fledgling, which I was quite pleased with as these are normally quite busy little birds who rarely stand still,

Pied Wagtail fledgling

Other birds spotted included: mute swans, Canada geese, mallard, moorhen, coot, great crested grebe, jackdaw, magpie and wood pigeon.

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse

Ducklings, Thistles and Fledglings

The mallard ducklings at Earl’s Path Pond in Epping Forest are still going strong.

Mallard ducklings

There are at least eight of them and they are quite bold, even when mum isn’t about.

Mallard ducklings

In the forest the thistles have finished flowering  and now the seeds are waiting for a draft of wind to see them on their way.

Thistles

We have a new visitor to our garden., excuse the quality of the shot, it was sneaked through the kitchen window as I was hiding behind the chilli plants.

Scraggy

This is Scraggy and he’s a recently fledged magpie. I put some breadcrumbs out for him most days, but he is very nervous and spooks easily.

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse

Cafe Rouge

Our local Cafe Rouge has had a facelift.

New front

So it’s out with the old fake Belle Époque styling and red fascia and in with this more minimal grey. If I’m honest I don’t like it. It doesn’t seem quite so French anymore, but the standard of the food has much improved on what it used to be.  I guess you win some and you lose some.

The Peacock Struts its Stuff

The recent good weather and flowering of the Buddleia has attracted some lovely visitors to our garden.

Peacock butterfly

The Nikon is usually rubbish at close up work so I was dead pleased with this shot of a peacock butterfly from our front garden.

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse

Baby Bird Alert – Epping Forest and Woodford Green

Now that the mandarin ducklings have grown up and left Earl’s Path Pond a mummy mallard has moved in. She has eight new ducklings. They mostly kept to the shade, but one of them came out to feed amongst the water lilies.

baby mallard

I was quite pleased with this picture as you can see the water the duckling is spitting out.

Over at Strawberry Hill the terrapins are still enjoying the Sun,

terrapins

although one of them seems to have fallen out with his mates.

The Garbo of the chelonian world

There are more baby mallards at the pond at Woodford Green.

Mallard ducklings

They are very keen on bread and we were really sorry that we didn’t have any when they came to join us at the water’s edge. There were also a pair of moorhen chicks which wee a bit more wary.

Moorhen chick

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse

A Hard Act to Swallow at Walton-on-the-Naze

We took a trip to the Essex seaside today for a slap up haddock and chips at Whites and a walk by the Naze. Up on the Naze itself some swallows have made a nest in the public loos and I was lucky enough to get this shot of one of them perched on the tree outside having a bit of a stretch.

Swallow

Sadly the tide was in for most of the afternoon, so I only managed to get a few pictures of some seabirds including this group of juvenile herring gulls on a breakwater down by the pier in the town,

Juvenile herring gulls

and a cormorant having a scratch down by the Naze,

Cormorant

although we did also spot some black headed gulls, wood pigeons, jackdaws and a couple of rabbits which were flushed out of the undergrowth on the red cliffs by an idiot who didn’t have his dog under control. Fortunately the bunny got away with only a fright.

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse

Catching up with the Mandarin Family – Epping Forest

Many of you were enchanted by the mandarin ducklings we met at Earl’s Path Pond  on one of our walks. They are now getting quite grown up,

Mandarin Duckling

and mum seems content to leave them to it most of the time. I think this

A handsome fellow

fellow is a little drake, judging by how his plumage is developing. I think that he will soon have those distinctive sails to impress the lady ducks.

Looking this good takes some effort.

Here’s a photo of dad just to show what the ladies have to look forward to.

Mandarin Duck broadside

Photos copyright QueenMab/Shipscook Photographic. contact simon.ball3@btopenworld.com for commercial reuse