13th May '09 Beeston Sidings

Cold, sunny, breezy.

Beeston Sidings.

A nice welcome.

This former marshalling yard is now a nice little reserve complete with a good sized pond and a few hectares of grassland boundered by a small brook. Where the new developments have been added to the Science Park an impressive boardwalk has been added. Although this appears to be heading towards the reserve it stops within a stones throw of the pond. The path has to be retraced and the road through the Science Park taken. Why the boardwalk hasn't got access to the reserve is a mystery.

Dunkirk Pond.

Once inside the reserve proper ones ears are assaulted with a crescendo of noise. With the wind in an unfavourable direction it is deafening. A good surveillance of the surrounding habitat made it obvious that any birds thinking of raising a family here were not impressed. A giant metal recycling plant is the culprit. In the entire area around the pond I saw only a single Bluetit! I actually got excited when I spotted a Mistle Thrush on the recreation ground! That was it. I noted on my return that the boundary stream was anything but. In parts it was badly silted or blocked. There would be very little fresh water entering the pond from here. And something else that bothered me was the state of the stream from the Highfields lake, especially where it passes the boardwalk. They must have spent tens of thousands of pounds on the walkway and look what greets you in the picture below.

What a load of rubbish.

Mistle Thrush.