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The Changing Countryside.


marsh man
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Three weeks ago we were sweltering in the heat and the harvest was about to begin , now most , if not all our grain harvest is just about finished with just a small amount of Spring barley left to do and even that might have been done since I looked at the weekend .

Some of the first Barley fields that were cut are now lush and Green with Fodder Radish , these were pulled up and drilled within a matter of days , now there are two tractors  carting off any straw and pulling up the rape and grain stubble's so you are seeing more and more fields of soil rather than fresh stubble , this might not be the case for other parts of the country and even here there are fields of Wheat down the marsh that still need cutting

Same with the nights , now the nights are drawing in you need to put a jumper on when you take the dog out just before the sun is going down and last night you could feel a nip in the air .

Our Potato harvest have already started and by all accounts it is looking good with the early salad spuds coming off first , when we went in the garden centre yesterday that are renown for there fresh veg they were selling this years crop of Estima spuds for £4.99 a 25 kilo bag , whereas last year they were £9.99 , they were lovely spuds and this year could well be glut if they are selling them at that price .

Sugar beet is looking in dire need of a good watering and if going by last year will be in the ground for a few more weeks .

So maybe you have also seen the early signs of Autumn , if so what were they ??

 

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Been wet up here, colder for a week too. Gone from high 20's low 30's to 16 during the day.

Large skeins of geese flying over the house from stubble fields to roosts.

Berries are forming and showing colour so Autumn starting a bit early for me too.

Be glad if they turn the stubbles over quickly, last year they left lots of them and the geese just stayed on them till January before coming on the marshes in numbers.

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25 minutes ago, figgy said:

Been wet up here, colder for a week too. Gone from high 20's low 30's to 16 during the day.

Large skeins of geese flying over the house from stubble fields to roosts.

Berries are forming and showing colour so Autumn starting a bit early for me too.

Be glad if they turn the stubbles over quickly, last year they left lots of them and the geese just stayed on them till January before coming on the marshes in numbers.

 

19 minutes ago, islandgun said:

Resident Greylags flocking up instead of small family groups.  however there were mallard chick on my pond a couple of weeks ago.  weather N winds and a bit cold down to 10/11 degrees C.....very nice.:good:

We have got a very healthy population of Greylag geese , if anything we have to many , on a stubble field near mine there can be anything up to 200 during the afternoon and just before it get dark they leave the field in small parties and make there way to the estuary , one of the geese is pure White although it look more like a domestic farm yard goose than a Greylag.

On Sunday we dined out , if you can call sharing a portion of chips while sitting beside the river near Wroxham bridge dining out, then that is what we did :lol:

The Greylags out there easily out numbered any other bird on the river and that include the duck and Swans , I would think some pairs have nested twice as some of the goslings were no bigger than a full grown Mallard and then other young geese were nearly the size of there parents .

Edited by marsh man
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27 minutes ago, marsh man said:

 

We have got a very healthy population of Greylag geese , if anything we have to many , on a stubble field near mine there can be anything up to 200 during the afternoon and just before it get dark they leave the field in small parties and make there way to the estuary , one of the geese is pure White although it look more like a domestic farm yard goose than a Greylag.

On Sunday we dined out , if you can call sharing a portion of chips while sitting beside the river near Wroxham bridge dining out, then that is what we did 

The Greylags out there easily out numbered any other bird on the river and that include the duck and Swans , I would think some pairs have nested twice as some of the goslings were no bigger than a full grown Mallard and then other young geese were nearly the size of there parents .

We were up your way a few weeks ago MM and sat outside the Ferry Inn at Horning enjoying a drink (mine was a lovely pint of Woodeford Wherry 🍺) where the greylags were many in number and as tame as chickens. Do they become wilder as the season progresses ? Also saw quite a few Egyptian geese. 

The harvest in my part of Kent is mainly in with the rape stubbles all cultivated, and greening over with volunteer rape. It does indicate how much seed is lost prior to and at harvest. Wheat stubbles still uncultivated, just leaving beans and maize (for biofuel) Yet to be harvested.

No barley grown in my area, but as we are currently in JDog's old hunting ground, saw a large field of laid barley between Banbury and Chipping Norton.

Bit of a nip in the air this evening, so sitting outside in the evening in short sleeves is now a no-no and the sign of Autumn fastly approaching, if not here already. 

Next will be the thoughts of duck shooting and picking sloes.

Each season has its own merits and to be savoured at the time, but they seem to come and go too quickly, but I think that must be an age thing.

OB

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All of the wheat and oats still to cut on my permissions,last of the barley cut last week but some still not baled. Been very wet and windy my way, with a lot of the barley laid. Hopefully get a longer go at 'em this year before the plough gets going. Plenty of canada geese on the stubble.

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All the winter barley and rape are in but still loads of winter wheat and spring barley to cut, doubt I will see much combining over the next few days, its pouring down here as I type, will need a good few days of warm weather to dry it out.

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17 hours ago, Old Boggy said:

We were up your way a few weeks ago MM and sat outside the Ferry Inn at Horning enjoying a drink (mine was a lovely pint of Woodeford Wherry 🍺) where the greylags were many in number and as tame as chickens. Do they become wilder as the season progresses ? Also saw quite a few Egyptian geese. 

The harvest in my part of Kent is mainly in with the rape stubbles all cultivated, and greening over with volunteer rape. It does indicate how much seed is lost prior to and at harvest. Wheat stubbles still uncultivated, just leaving beans and maize (for biofuel) Yet to be harvested.

No barley grown in my area, but as we are currently in JDog's old hunting ground, saw a large field of laid barley between Banbury and Chipping Norton.

Bit of a nip in the air this evening, so sitting outside in the evening in short sleeves is now a no-no and the sign of Autumn fastly approaching, if not here already. 

Next will be the thoughts of duck shooting and picking sloes.

Each season has its own merits and to be savoured at the time, but they seem to come and go too quickly, but I think that must be an age thing.

OB

Quite a lot of the Broad land geese hang about the riverside pubs and the broods have no fear of man whatsoever as they treat the human race as there food supply , this carry on till the holiday season draw to a close and the geese have to start going on the Wheat stubble's , after coming into contact with some humans that carry guns and not the leftovers from there dinner they very soon get streetwise and avoid anyone lurking down the side of the dyke for there own safety .

I agree each season have something to look forward to , I like the Autumn when the trees start to change colour and the early Partridge days when the weather is still warm enough for a light jacket , I think every season have something to look forward to and for the outside field sportsman there are some seasons we look forward to slightly more than the others :good:

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We had a Yellow weather warning from 2pm till 10pm tonight for heavy rain with the odd thunderstorm and strong winds  , well we have been for a run out today and apart from being dull and miserable I didn't think it warranted a Yellow weather warning , no thunderstorms ( up till now ) and the wind have been fairly light , mind you , it did feel a bit nippy .

I am just back from taking my dog out and met another chap who I know that pick up with his four Cockers , we were both dressed like we would have been if we were on a Pheasant shoot in November and his dogs were saturated after running about in the Sugar beet , it's now a good bet harvest will be on hold till next week with more rain forecast for Friday and Saturday . 

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