The Electricity Cut

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What a day! Thanks to the clocks going forward, both Alex and I struggled to get up at 6am, but somehow we managed to leave the house on time. However, half way to the station we realised he had left his identity tags at home, so we nipped back to get them, thinking he would still be in time for his train.

I hadn't bargained for all the short-term station parking to be full of taxis, nor for there to be such long queues at the ticket machines (a result of a major refurbishment which means that half of the machines are now unavailable). Consequently we saw the doors of Alex's train close, luckily before I had paid for a ticket. This is the first time he's missed it this year, and as I didn't want to drive to Shuttleworth in the fog, he had an unexpected day at home to plough on with his assignments.

When we got back I went down to the river with the dogs, and enjoyed my walk in the cool morning fog, with a pale and wan sun trying to force its way through. On my way rund I met a lady who'd seen an otter last week - apparently it swam along and then climbed out on the opposite bank. I think there have been quite a few early morning sightings - perhaps one day I'll be lucky.

Today's view is of the old Electricity Cut, a linear pond next to the river which used to take the cooling water from the old power station. You can see a row of pollard willows on the far bank, mop-headed from a year's growth since they were managed.

After a shopping foray and lunch, I lay down on the damp grass in the sunshine, while the boys made themselves pancakes. It was very peaceful listening to all the birdsong and the gentle piping of the toads, and I soon found myself surrounded by dogs, cats and one of our chickens, who gently grazed on clover leaves before snuggling down right next to me to sunbathe. She definitely seems to think we're all part of the same flock!

This evening we've been out doing an amphibian survey of The Boardwalks, which Alex is going to use to try out a variety of ecological survey techniques over the next few weeks. I'd checked our ponds with the high-powered torch, and counted over twenty toads, many in amplexus, so thought conditions were favourable.

The ponds at the Boardwalks weren't quite as rich, but we found two toads, six clumps of frogspawn, two smooth newts and three great crested newts. Great crested newts are a protected species in the UK, and although Peterborough is one of the best places in the country for them, I don't think they've ever been recorded at this site before - so great excitement! We also had very good views of two young pike: staggeringly beautiful fish, but wicked predators, and perhaps the reason that some of the ponds were lacking in amphibians.