Walking With Robins - Part 01
w/e 14 February 2021
All of this week's
pictures were taken with a Kodak DX6490
At the start of the first lockdown in March 2020
we took a walk to Trowell and returned along the disused Nottingham
Canal (Over
The Boundary). Then in November we picked up the canal again
where we'd left it and followed it as far as Mill Lane (The Top Cut Loop). Now on this walk we returned
to that Mill Lane junction and continued along the canal to Gin
Close Way.
Seen here from the ramp leading up to the railway bridge, the
canal runs along the Erewash Valley where the hedge line is on
the other side of the frozen field with Cossall Village beyond
on the horizon. We approached the canal via Mill Lane which can
be seen here on the right at the edge of the field.
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Water had run down Mill Lane and frozen so care had to be taken
walking up to the canal to avoid the icy stream.
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As we neared the canal a robin settled on an old gate or fence
post.
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The robin flew away and waited in the hedge while we dropped
some bird food on the top of the post when he immediately returned
time and time again.
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A blackbird in the hedge was a little more reticent but did venture
to the post once before we moved on.
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At the barrier where the swing bridge used to be over the canal
someone had already left food on the posts. which we topped up
with more. A lady approached along the canal towpath said she
had sat on the seat here the previous day and had counted at
least nine different robins.
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Whilst we were there for a few minutes robins were flitting about
all round and we counted at least five different ones but there
may have been more.
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There are paths on both sides of the canal but we decided to
take the more substantial one on the left. It was a bitterly
cold day and again we had to be careful to avoid the icy patches.
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Looking back across the frozen field we could see the railway
bridge from where the first photo above was taken halfway up
the ramp on this side of the railway lines. The River Erewash
and the Erewash Canal lie between the bridge and the houses in
Ilkeston.
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It's been noted that the canal towpaths particularly along the
Erewash Canal have become extremely popular during lockdown but
the Nottingham Canal appears to be less busy. We did meet a few
other people walking the opposite way as we walked along keeping
socially distanced of course but we paused to allow an old dog
slowly limp past us as he followed his owners. It wasn't the
only pause as we were soon to see more robins looking for food
and we stopped several times to drop food for them.
Route Map
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