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Sunday 31 January 2016

Stolford beach and Britains last 'Mud horse fisherman'!!!

Popped to Stolford beach near Hinkley Point nuclear power station in Somerset during a brief bright spell last week looking for a Snow Bunting that had been seen here recently. Unfortunately I had no luck with the Bunting, but I did see a Cat stalking the rocks by the sea wall where it favoured....I hope it hadn't become the cats meal!!
   There was a Wren creeping about the rocks looking for bugs and Spiders, but not a lot else.
Out in the estuary there were some distant Shelducks, Oystercatchers, Curlews and Redshanks.
    Curiously, there was also a 4x4 vehicle way out in the mud! I wondered how the hell it had got there, and why it was there!
  Through my camera I could see a man even further out!
 There were some posts with nets too, and it became clear he was some kind of fisherman.
Eventually he started to make his way back to his vehicle, pushing himself along on some kind of sled. It was fascinating too watch!
  He drove back to the coast and up onto the car park with ease, I had to move my vehicle for him to get past it and onto the village road.
 
  When I got home I Googled Stolford fishing and came across this fascinating 'Daily Mail' article;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2635342/Stuck-mud-Amazing-pictures-Britains-remaining-mud-horse-fisherman-work-using-centuries-old-technique-despite-falling-profits.html

I'd seen Britains last remaining 'Mud horse' fisherman in action! :)

Mud horse

^Above^ - Adrian Sellick making his long arduous journey through the mud from his nets to his vehicle using his 'Mud Horse'





^Above^ - Redshank with a feather out of place, Stolford beach.


^Above^ - Wren on the rocks, Stolford beach.


^Above^ - Cat stalking the rocks at Stolford beach.



^Above^ - Shelducks at Stolford beach.


^Above^ - Backlit reed heads at Stolford beach.

Later in the week I was working on the main Taunton to Williton road where tree surgeons sadly had to fell a 200 year old Copper Beech tree that had cracked at the trunk and was threatening falling into the road. I took some pics of backlit sheep in a neighbouring field, with the stark silhoutted tree at the top of the hill adding some interest.




^Above^ - The Sheep and the tree!


^Above^ - Winter berries near Crowcombe, Somerset.



^Above^ - A couple of characters from my local village!





^Above^ - Black Headed Gulls during a wet miserable afternoon in Portishead, North Somerset.





^Above^ - Flocks of Golden Plover and Dunlin at Blind Mans Gate near Greylake, Somerset.

Yesterday I popped to RSPB Greylake as there was a rare sunny spell!!
   I only had a little while and knew from the amount of cars in the car park that the hides would be packed, as well as freezing! So I stayed in the car park enjoying the little birds that come down for the food left out for them.













^Above^ - Delightful Blue Tits.








^Above^ - Great Tits.




^Above^ - Female House Sparrow.




^Above^ - Dunnock.




^Above^ - Male Chaffinch.




^Above^ - Robin.



















^Above^ - Reed Buntings! RSPB Greylake is the best place to get close to these lovely birds!












^Above^ - Starlings.



^Above^ - Great Spotted Woodpecker hiding in a tree at RSPB Greylake.

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