Abbey Fishponds – January

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Last year there was a monthly picture report from Barton Fields. This year I hope to visit  Abbey Fishponds every month.
Abbey Fish Ponds
The main entrance is from the Radley Road. There are three other entrances, and houses surround the area.

Abbey Fishponds is a local nature reserve managed by the Earth Trust, and looked after with the help of local volunteers. Marjorie White was warden for many years.
Abbey Fish Ponds
A brook runs the length of the nature reserve. The area gets its name from the earthworks that people once thought damned the brook to make fishponds for the monks of the Abbey.
Abbey Fish Ponds
I believe the brook is otherwise known as Radley Park Ditch, and begins its short journey to the River Thames above Radley College. It is culverted for a short way before Radley Road and reappears in Abbey Fishponds.
Abbey Fish Ponds
There are two paths that cross in the middle. One follows the brook from northwest to south east. The other cuts across and joins the Radley Road opposite St Peters Drive. Another small stream from that direction ends in the brook.
Abbey Fish Ponds
There are also a number of ponds – some permanent and some seasonal. January is wet and the main path is very muddy at the moment, and almost a pond itself.
Abbey Fish Ponds
The main areas are meadow, reedbeds, sedge beds and woodland.
Abbey Fish Ponds
There are piles of wood, left to rot, where some of the trees had been recently cut. On the logs I managed to photograph this blackbird near some ivy berries. A robin pecking for bugs in the wood was too quick for me to photograph. There is a lot of birdlife.

Bread lorry lost in Abingdon

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First Day Out
The Abingdon one way system continues to confuse drivers from other places. On the High Street a lorry stopped to ask directions.
First Day Out
Meanwhile on the Market Place the Christmas decorations had been taken down and were about to be taken away for another year.

Along Bridge Street there were police cars and ambulances near the Old Gaol. In other times I might have gone to have a look.
First Day Out
But today I seemed to be following a bread lorry. It was now stopped near Waitrose and a local man was giving clear directions to help it find the Co-op.

The UK Bread Marketing Report says the lockdown has provided opportunities to the bread industry. More people are making their breakfast and lunch at home and could be using bread.

Abingdon (acrostic poem for our town)

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Poems about Abingdon
Alone I wander by the Thames
beside the Anchor inn and
in the space between deep
night and effervescent break of day
ghostly and grey
dawn the shadows of Brick Alley
over the broad flags
next to St Helen’s church.

Across the river
birdsong greets the dawn,
indifferent to my solitude,
needing only small
glimmerings of light
dappling pearlescent water to
orchestrate yet one more time
new life in Abingdon.

Paul Sheppy
2021

Thanks to Paul for an entry. A book of poems with pictures will be produced in the autumn – to be called Ten Poems About Abingdon.

Lockdown 3 – bird watching

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Like many people we have not been out a lot since lockdown 3 started on January 5th. A surge of Covid-19 cases led to hospital intensive care units becoming full, or near capacity, and so the government put in place this lockdown.
Lockdown 3
Today we stayed in, and I waited for visitors to come to us – for some pictures for the blog.

The birds must have plenty of other food out there because our well stocked bird feeder doesn’t seem to be getting many visitors this winter. I did see a flurry of sparrows at breakfast and then it was quiet again.
Lockdown 3
There have also been lone blue tits that flit in quickly and away again.
Lockdown 3
A Wood Pigeon landed in one of the trees. Usually the other birds throw so much food about that there is lots on the ground for Wood Pigeons to vacuum up, but not today.
Lockdown 3
A flock of pigeons circles round one of the houses in St Helen’s Court.
Lockdown 3
Flocks of gulls glide over as the sun goes down.