A quick walk around the northern part of the Chidham peninsula revealed several changes. In particular
the market garden fields had been planted and were growing well, Cabbage, Onions and many other vegetables were all doing rather well despite the dryness and apparent lack of irrigation. Clearly the Pigeons were a pest as there were gas guns going off in the background much to Bonnie’s amusement. This scarecrow had been put up to try and move them on. The farmer here usually has one, this is better than most and moves about quite realistically in the light breeze.
The pond at the Bomb Hole was quite different. The swans had departed with their offspring and in their place were these ducks swimming along together. At first glance they all appeared to be female but on closer examination it was clear that they were a mixture in their eclipse plumage. The males are there with slightly darker heads, they’ll soon be resplendent in their new plumage.
All the other crops have been harvested with the exception of this field
of corn that’s still standing with heads that are ripening by the day. Quite a few crops have been abandoned here, in particular a field of beans. Let’s hope that these give a reasonable return to the farmer here. Nationally crop yields have been well down, according to Farming Today, in the region of 70-80%