Tuesday 30 October 2012

A slight variation on the Bottisham and Lode run which involved setting out through Quy and past the church to Newmarket Road.  Rather than 9k this run was just over 10k.  A reasonable time of 52'42".  With the end of BST it was lighter than previous mornings.  I managed to trip over the gate along the railway track this morning, landing on my face in the mud.  Fortunately the ground was quite soft.  A cut knee and hand were my only injuries.

A lot of birds seen in Lode this morning.  Near the old hall (awaiting renovation into houses) their was a Chaffinch, Long-Tailed Tit and a few House Sparrows.  4 Swallows were perched on wires in Mill Road (my latest ever Swallow sighting).  Just past Lode Mill 2 Muntjacs ran from the field into the trees.

Wednesday 30 May 2012

A tiring 8 mile run to Lode this morning, coming back via Quy Fen and Allicky Farm.  Weather was dry and bright, but the grass was dewy.

The Moorhen was again seen sitting on a nest along Quy Water.  2 Great-Spotted Woodpeckers heard at Anglesey Abbey.  Several Swifts seen over Lode.

A few Chiffchaffs and Whitethroats heard.  In the fields after Lodestar a couple of Skylarks were seen, and in the ditch were a pair of Reed Buntings and a pair of Corn Buntings.

A Roe Deer and a Muntjac were seen.

Sunday 27 May 2012

Another hot day today.  I managed a 5.5 mile run at Brandon Country Park.

A Woodlark was seen in a newly cut area.  A Roe Deer and a Muntjac seen.

Friday 6 April 2012

A gentle run late morning along the Lode 10k route.  Weather was dry and mild.

2 Muntjacs seen.

Sunday 1 April 2012

A visit to Brandon Country Park today.  Weather was cool and dry.  I ran the Blue Cycle Route with the additional 2 mile loop at Mayday Farm.

2 Woodlarks heard and then seen over a newly felled area close to the Country Park.  A few Chiffchaffs heard around the route.  At Mayday Farm several finches were taking advantage of a small pond, the flock included some siskins.  A possible Goshawk was seen drifting high over the woods.

2 Muntjacs seen as well.

Tuesday 20 March 2012

An 8-mile run this morning to the end of White Fen Drove.  Weather was dry but cool.  A slow time of around 1 hour 9 minutes as still tired from the weekend and last night's circuit training.

The 2 Swans were on Quy Water. A Green Woodpecker was heard in the distance in the woods at Angelsey Abbey and 2 Great Spotted Woodpeckers hard drumming.  A Muntjac was seen at the start of the wood and a Jay too.

Another Jay was seen at the Lodestar fields and a Reed Bunting and 2 Skylarks in the usual field.

Thursday 16 February 2012

Bottisham and Lode Mill again this morning.  Weather was cool, but above freezing for a change.  Quite light in the mornings now.  A much better time this morning, just outside my PB at 46'17".

A Muntjac at Lode Mill and a small flock of Long-Tailed Tits along the old railway line, were the highlights this morning.  Otherwise several Pigeons, Doves, Blackbirds, Chaffinches and Gret Tits.

Sunday 22 January 2012

I extended the Bottisham and Lode Mill route by running past Quy church and running along the old Newmarket Road to the end of Bottisham village.  A total distance of 8.1 miles. A very cold afternoon - a damp cold rather than crisp.

A Muntjac was seen in the fields at the far end of Bottisham.

Friday 18 November 2011

Another fairly steady Lode 10k.  Weather was fairly bright, after the sun came up, but with a cold wind.  Finished in a time of 52'41".

A Heron was seen at the start of Quy Water and another in the usual place along Bottisham Lode.  8 Moorhens were seen along Quy Water this morning and the 5 Swans were just before the Mill.  A Muntjac ran off across the field as I rounded the corner at the Mill.

Again several House Sparrows heard in Mill Road. 

A male Kestrel was perched on top of a telegraph pole along the track to the Lodestar fields.  5 Skylarks and 2 Roe Deer were seen in the sugar beet fields.  The Deer stayed with me for about half a mile, bounding off ahead each time I caught up with them. 

A Group of about 50 Black-Headed Gulls were in a field alongside the old railway line.

Wednesday 12 October 2011

8 mile Horningsea run this morning. Left home before sunrise so still fairly dark at first. Weather was not too cold but again quite windy. A reasonable time of 1 hour 6'04".

A Fox ran across the road just before the turning to the Honey Hill bridge over the A14. A Muntjac was seen just after Allicky Farm. Surprising the Muntjac didn't run away even though I was less than 5 Metres away as I ran past. It must have felt safe with the ditch between us!

On the bird front not a lot seen. A couple of Jays and the usual Pigeons, Corvids and game birds. Of interest though were some Reeves Pheasants at Allicky Farm. The Quy village news had noted that there were some about.

The Swan family were swimming under the bridge away from the pond towards Anglesey Abbey.

Wednesday 7 September

An 8 mile run this morning to the end of White Fen Drove. Weather was dry but cool with a strong South-Westerly wind. My time was a reasonable 1 hour 7'30".

A few House Martins and Swallows around. The Swan family were on Quy Water as well as 6 Moorhens, including 1 juvenile. 2 Jays flew across the track just before Lode Mill. A Kestrel was seen at the Jack of Clubs and another at the Crane farm.

Along the track to the Lodestar fields a Jay was heard and a Green Woodpecker seen. There were 4 Reed Buntings in the ditch between the sugar beet fields.

It was a very good morning for mammals. A Muntjac was seen in the woods at Anglesey Abbey. A total of 8 Roe Deer - 5 in a field to the North of Fen Road and another 3 in the field just before White Fen. Here at the the end of the track there were 2 Hares. On the way back down White Fen Drove a Stoat came out of the undergrowth and promptly ran back in again when it saw me. And of course there were the usual dozens of Rabbits.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

A 4.6 mile slow/fast/exercise run this morning to Lode along Quy Water. Weather was dry and bright but very cold and slightly frosty.

3 House Martins in Vicarage Meadow and a single in Station Road. Several Whitethroats heard including 1 in full view on a telegraph wire in Station Road. A Muntjac was seen along the railway track.

Friday 25 March 2011

Little Wilbraham Fen again this morning, but a slightly different route. On reaching the Fen, I ran down the centre of the Fen to L. Wilbraham, then back past the windmill along the left hand path then crossed Engaynes Field again to the right hand side of the Fen. I ran down the track towards L. Wilbraham again and turned left just before the end to reach the Quy to Six Mile Bottom road. From here the route was back over the A14 and into Quy via Albert Road. Whether was cold but warm in the sun. The grass was little frost in places early on. Legs felt comfortable on the run, but some back ache. Time of 1 hour 15'25" for 8.5 miles.

2 Marsh Harriers over the reed beds, several Lapwings and a few Hares again. A Muntjac was seen in the same place as Wednesday. A Chiffchaff was heard singing here too. On the final lap a Green Woodpecker was heard. Heading back to the road there were 2 Skylarks and another 3 along Albert Road.

Friday 26 November 2010

A good run this morning on a cold frosty morning. The temperature was around -2 to -3. I ran the same route as yesterday, but set off later (having driven Joanna to Stansted Airport). It was already starting to get light, but Jupiter could still be seen well over the A14. A very quick time this morning of 45'55".

A group of House Sparrows were heard in a garden in Albert Road and just before "The Missing Sock" 2 Muntjacs ran across the road, narrowly avoiding an oncoming car.

Lots of Blackbirds around and at the end of the old railway line there were several Fieldfares. A Cormorant flew over the old railway line and 2 more over Station Road. At the start of the bridleway there was a flock of around 20 Starlings. Just before Station Road a Buzzard was seen flying away across the field.

4 Moorhens again at the pond.

Thursday 28 October 2010

An early start this morning, well before sunrise, hence it was pretty dark for most of the run. Today I ran to down Albert Road to Bottisham and then to Lode, passed the mill and back along the railway line. A distance of 9k in 51'19".

Not much seen due to lack of light, but several blackbirds and robins heard signing. Blackbirds seen in the latter part of the run. A Muntjac was flushed out of the field immediately after Lode Mill.

Wednesday 28 April 2010

A gentle run to Lode Mill with Joanna this morning. Weather was dry, bright and cool. Distance 4.6miles in around 48 minutes.

A Swallow over the house as we set out. 6 House Martins in Station Road today and 6 Whitethroats heard singing. A fairly large carp was in Quy Water near the mill. A Green Woodpecker in the grounds of Anglesey Abbey by the mill and a Muntjac in the grounds near the house. Another Muntjac was seen in Station Road. A Reed Bunting along Quy Water and 2 Lapwings flying around the field bordering the Anglesey Abbey woods. A Mallard duck on Quy Water with 4 ducklings.

Tuesday 13 April 2010

A 10k run this morning along Quy Water to Lode Mill then out as far as the start of White Fen Drove before turning back and returning along the old railway line. Quite a cold start with some ground frost. The conditions however were good with the path along Quy Water past Anglesey Abbey very dry. The only muddy patch was the short stretch of track leading to the old railway from Lode. My time of 55'45" was reasonable given my stiffness after Sunday's 10 mile race.

A Great-Spotted Woodpecker was on a telegraph pole in Station Quy both on the way out and and coming back. A Green Woodpecker heard in the trees as Anglesey Abbey. Several Wrens, Great Tits and Song Thrushes singing and plenty of Chaffinches around, a couple of Goldfinches too. A Lapwing was displaying over the field just before Anglesey Abbey. A Swallow was on the roof of the cottages in Fen Road, Lode. A Sparrowhawk in Lode.

A large clump of Marsh Marigolds flowering well in Bottisham Lode.

A Muntjac along Quy Water in the trees at Anglesey Abbey and 2 Roe Deer just before White Fen Drove.

Wednesday 10 March 2010

I ran the same route as yesterday but with the addition of running a mile out of Lode along Bottisham Lode to the start of White Fen Drove and back to the mill. The weather was a bit warmer this morning with a light cloud cover. The railway track was sticky with mud, but the bridleway had dried out quite a bit. Total distance run 7.6 miles in a time of 1'09".

Several Black-Headed Gulls were on a house roof in Bottisham. The advantage of the add-on along Bottisham Road produced a singing Song Thrush, Kingfisher, Kestrel, Moorhen and a Muntjac.

A Great-Spotted Woodpecker was in the small wood just passed Lode Mill. Along the railway track 2 male Blackbirds were seen fighting. At the end of the bridleway there was a Wren. A Long-Tailed Tit seen along the railway line and generally a lot of Chaffinches and Blackbirds.

Sunday 21 February 2010

A visit to Brandon Country Park with Joanna again today. Early snow turned to rain and so the tracks were pretty slushy. We did the Blue Cycle Route with the additional 2.7km loop at Mayday Farm.

3 Muntjacs seen on the journey to Brandon and another during the run, also a single doe Roe Deer. Also saw a couple of squirrels. Marsh Tits were heard as we set off past the Orchard car park. 2 hen Pheasants flew off from a recently felled area. A party of Great Tits and Blue Tits were seen at Mayday Farm and several more at the feeders at the car park, together with Coal Tits, Chaffiches a Robin and a Nuthatch.

Sunday 31 January

Brandon Country Park - A very pleasant 8+ mile run around the Blue Cycle Route with an additional 2.7k loop at Mayday Farm. The weather was slightly cold but sunny. The ground was in good condition for running. I ran the 8 mile route with Joanna and did a few extra there and back branches to allow her to catch up, so total distance run was 8.5 - 9 miles. No tiredness felt, in fact had energy to spare for last 2km.

The forest was very quiet as far as birds were concerned. One small flock of Great Tits otherwise Marsh Tits seen at Orchard car park and Coal Tits on the feeders at the visitor centre. A Muntjac was seen near the Orchard car park.

Blue Route - http://gb.mapometer.com/en/running/route_358519.html
Add-on - http://gb.mapometer.com/en/running/route_358540.html