RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch and Elmdon Manor LNR

 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch

I took part, as I know many of you also did, last weekend on the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. I have so enjoyed reading about your counts.

So what did I see?

Magpie 2

Wood Pigeon 6

Blackbird 2

Blue Tit 2

Collared Dove 2

Great Tit 1

House Sparrow 4

Dunnock 2

Goldfinch 3

Robin 1

Not a brilliant total but in recent years I have found I see a lot less species than I used to.  Most of the regulars visited apart from Coal Tit but none of the less regular species such as Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Stock Dove and Ring-necked Parakeet.

Sorry for lack of photos the sun was shining straight on the back garden and it was difficult enough trying to check the garden let alone take photos in the sun.

Elmdon Manor LNR

On Saturday D and I took a walk round the small Local Nature Reserve of Elmdon Manor.  The timing of the visit was not good as I had forgotten that Solihull Moors Football Ground is nearby and there was  a match on that afternoon which made parking difficult! Luckily, I got the last space in a pull in right by the reserve.

The reserve, which covers 5 hectares, was once part of the garden and grounds of Elmdon Manor.  The mixed habitat includes woodland, grassland, a large pool and what was once the walled garden where there is an orchard.  The walled garden was built in the 18th century.  The reserve is now owned by Solihull Council and managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

It was nice to see some clumps of snowdrops around the walled garden in particular.  Birds were notable by their absence. We saw a jay and a blackbird!!!  

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330

Recent Reading and Elmdon Manor NR and Garden Produce

 

Recent Reading

The George and Molly series has improved with each successive book in my view.

I have been keen to read Mudlarking for ages and in the end bought the kindle version. I really enjoyed this book - lots of information about London history and objects found by Mudlarkers.

This is the penultimate book in this series by Caroline Graham and, in my view, the best so far.

This is the first book I have read by Ann Granger and I enjoyed it enough to buy the next in the series.

Above a few Rudbeckia picked from the garden. They have lasted several weeks and I did leave dozens of flowers on the plant for any pollinators that may be about.

Elmdon Manor LNR

The first house at Elmdon Manor was built in 1547 and in 1760 Abraham Spooner, a successful Birmingham ironmaster bought the estate for his retirement. He demolished the old manor and in 1785 built a new house but never lived to see it completed so it was his son who completed the building.  The estate changed hands several times and in 1944 Solihull District Council bought the hall and what was left of the estate.  In World War 2 the house was used to home the local home guard. After the war the building was abandoned and slowly deteriorated badly. It was too expensive to restore and today a car park covers the site of the house and what remains of the parkland is now the popular Elmdon Park.

Elmdon Manor LNR, a short distance from Elmdon Park, is important for the mixed habitat of woodland, grassland, large pool and walled garden.  It covers 5 hectares and is owned by Solihull Metropolitan Council and managed by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

The walled garden was built in the early 18th century and was reputedly the largest in England at about one hectare and it was one of the most productive fruit and vegetable gardens in Warwickshire.  Later in the 18th century the area to the south and west of the garden was landscaped and a pool was created and exotic trees and yews planted.  These areas now make up the reserve.

Usually on the few occasions I have visited in the past this reserve is very quiet and you don't see a soul but like so many local places since March it has become busier and we did see a few other people as we walked round.

Walled Garden  full of old gnarled fruit trees mainly apple.

A few pictures from the rest of the Reserve

We didn't see much wildlife sadly - birdwise a Grey Heron and Moorhen on the pool, and a Dunnock and Magpie in the wood. No butterflies not even on rotting fruit in the garden.

Garden Produce

First few potatoes

Tomatoes ripening although I suspect I will be making Green Tomato Chutney again this year!

Muffins made from foraged blackberries. The following day we made more from a Tesco online recipe called Surprise Blackberry Muffins which were even more delicious although a bit fiddly to make. They tasted like an Apple and Blackberry Crumble Muffin - sorry no photo of those. If D took one I will try and remember to upload it in the next post.

Not sure why the above photo is to the left and not centred. I have come to the conclusion I don't like new blogger at all - it takes for ages to write a post and I hate constantly having to revert to left align and paragraph inbetween each photo when I insert text! Also for some unknown reason a massive gap appears between the end of the post and the comment part and I have to delete dozens of lines!

In other news we have had a letter from the planning department on those masssive house rebuilding plans for next door and have now viewed the application on line. I won't go into too many details as we shall definitely be submitting our views!  But one thing I really hate is that the planned two storey extension goes right up to the boundary which means from our bedroom window there will be a massive brick wall going up to the roof.  On the ground floor it will go out 6 metres at least and 3 metres on the second floor.  We already have to put up with a 3 metre first floor extension.  I have gone back to the stage of thinking perhaps we should try and move before they start work. It will be horrendous and with all the other building and extensions they plan (side two storey, conservatory and a room in the loft plus new roof) it will take months if not years.  Unfortunately I have no idea when they plan to start work although I do know they plan to move out while it is done.  I suspect too I won't even want to go the caravan because I will want to be here to make sure builders don't trespass on our garden or try and put up scaffolding or cut down our shrubs and trees beyond the boundary.

Sorry to have  a moan but have been in a bit of a state about it ever since I looked at the plans earlier today!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera except for the last few of garden produce and baking which were taken by D with the Canon SX50 HS.

Following in the Footsteps of an "Edwardian Lady" - Part 8 : Elmdon Park

Two of my favourite books are the "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady" and "Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady" written by Edith Holden in 1906 and 1905 in the form of nature diaries and published in facsimile form following their re-discovery in the 1970's. A few years ago I did a series of posts featuring places visited by Edith Holden and mentioned in her journals. Some locations are very hard to track down as, for example, she writes about a "violet wood" with only a few clues as to where this may be. Other locations have been covered by housing development or are now inaccessible. Elmdon Park is one area she mentions visiting on a number of occasions and, as this is now a public park, I decided to pay a visit recently.

Elmdon gets its name from the Old English "Elmdun" which means Elm Hill. The first house built on the estate during the reign of Henry VIII was Elmdon Manor. This was sold to an Abraham Spooner in 1760, a successful Birmingham ironmaster, who proceeded to demolish the Manor and build a new Hall in 1785 on the 2000 acre estate. In 1840 the house and estate were sold to the Alston family who owned the property until 1920 when a large section of the land was sold. When the house and remainder of the estate was sold in 1930 this heralded the end of the Elmdon Estate as many of the old trees were felled for timber and huge parts of the parkland became agricultural land. Solihull District Council bought the hall and estate in 1944 and established a public country style park. The empty hall became derelict and was finally demolished in 1956.



The parkland Edith rambled over would, therefore, have looked rather different to how it does today although the lovely old trees,open grassland and lakes give a glimpse of what the park would have looked like in the early 1900's.

On 10th October, 1906, Edith wrote that the Wild Service Trees in Elmdon Park were a glorious colour - sadly, I couldn't find any of these trees to show you. She also mentioned that, although a few other trees were starting to change colour, most were still green and that proved to be the case when I visited.

This Jubilee beacon wouldn't have been around in Edith's day - it was kindled during the Queen's Jubilee celebrations along with 4000 others throughout the UK and Commonwealth.

However, this beautiful Veteran Sweet Chestnut tree would certainly have been known to Edith - the tree has been dated to 1518 using increment dating. It has a girth of 6.90 metres.

An Ancient tree is a tree of biological, aesthetic or cultural interest due to its great age. Ancient trees are in the 3rd and final stage of their lives and are old relative to others of the same species. A Veteran tree is usually in its 2nd or mature stage of its life and will have important wildlife and habitat features, for example, hollowing associated with fungal decay, holes, wounds and large dead branches. A Notable tree is of local importance or personal significance and includes specimen trees or trees that have the potential to become Veteran trees.

Edith used to stroll across the fields to Elmdon Park from her home in Olton - these days those fields are covered with the huge factory complex that is Land Rover, Solihull - just viewable in the distance of this shot.

I also visited Elmdon Manor LNR - a reserve which has developed in the grounds of the old Elmdon Manor Gardens. It is held on a 25 year lease by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust from Solihull Council. The reserve contains a large walled garden of 5 ha (12.5 acres) reputedly the largest walled garden in England.

Orchard in the Walled Garden - apparently Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers have been recorded on the reserve.

The rest of the reserve comprises woodland, damp grassland, a few pools and a wildflower meadow - I've been meaning to visit this reserve for ages and think it would be a good place to return to in the Spring. I will also try and return to Elmdon Park as there is much to explore there and perhaps I'll find the grove of silver birches and wild service trees (or their descendents) that Edith writes about.

Reference: Woodland Trust Ancient Tree website