Harwich & Ramsey Walkers & Doggy Blog

Coming To Life!

2011-05-15T02:48:00.000-07:00

Things are moving on in the nature world as each walking day brings new life to our countryside. Today was rather chilly along the coast but despite the cool breeze the parents were out on the river bank proudly displaying 8 or 9 young signets not quite sure how many?

You have to give them ten out of ten for trying, this pair of swans have only been a pair for about three years now and each year the young chicks are picked off day by day by either Mr Foxy, a local Stoat whose game for a quick snack or it has been said that a big scary Predator Pike may well live within the depths of our otherwise tranquil riverbed.

Anyway for the moment and lets be honest that's what we should all be grateful for, Mr and Mrs Swanny are happy bunnies and its just great to see!

Ramsey & Parkeston P3 Officer

2011-05-10T07:03:00.000-07:00

I have recently volunteered to become the footpath officer (P3) for Ramsey and Parkeston inspired by my own mum who took up her voluntary post for her village of Fordham near Colchester. The position entails keeping an eye on the twenty four miles of public footpaths we are lucky to have within our boundary and hopefully encouraging the use of the footpaths as well as recruiting any other volunteers that may be willing to help myself and others in maintaining as best we can the way-markers,footpaths,gates and foot bridges as well as vegetation growth and other obstructions that may prevent us all using the pathways.

All P3's (Parish Paths Partnership) are recruited,encouraged and assisted by their local Public Rights Of Way (PROW) Officer working on behalf of the Colchester and Tendring Council. I'm new in the post and a volunteer offering to help as much as i can, I currently walk regular footpaths every day with dog-walking friends. I would gladly welcome any help, and assist in any issues you may come up against that I have'nt covered.

To comment on this article simply click on the comments link at the foot of the article and happy walking!

Heard the Cuckoo Yet?

2011-04-28T03:31:00.000-07:00

April 28^th 2011 the start of another fine day and another walk albeit a rather windy one after our hot Easter holidays. With the girls in tow we set off 7.30am to meet up with my good friend and walking companion who lives local to me. It was not as pleasant as past days because the wind is definitely easterly and bitter cold, even had to resort to wearing my winter coat!

I was armed with my camera as I have started surveying some of the footpaths we walk for Tendring as a volunteer looking for any problems that may require some maintenance to the pathways. We walked the few miles to the sea wall and then took a breather admiring the view as we do most days and thank our lucky stars that we have these wonderful walks on our doorstep.

Then we heard it. Yes the first cuckoo of the year! And by chance it also flew across our pathway so how lucky was that! The unlucky part was as usual the camera was never ready in time.

Avocets spotted in Harwich !

2010-06-07T02:57:00.000-07:00

Oh joy of country walking across the fields and to the coast with my trustee girls that are always keen, ready and waiting with leads in mouth we never know what delights await us in the form of wild life.
The last couple of days I have seen a strange sight in the skies above a scrape the other gulls and terns chase it away and I managed to take a couple of poor photos with my bino camera to see if I could identify it.

Today there was a pair and of course! springwatch eat your heart out we have our own pair of Avocets gracing the skies above Harwich! What an absolute delight and an amazing year for myself as a novice bird watcher that is forever taking pics home to identify these feathered friends.

Back in April I was lucky enough to spot the Red Backed Shrike a truly wonder to see and now here we have these wonderful birds and a pair no less!

I am not sure if they are nesting as the scrape belongs to the wild fowlers on privately owned land but I will see if I can get permission to take a look would'nt that be just great to have a nesting pair!

What is this Flower?

2010-05-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Any idea what this flower is? It comes out every year in May just for a few weeeks and goes as quick as it comes.

Picture taken on a grass bank on the edge of marsh land and open fields. Such a joy to see, would love to put a name to it.

We are soooo lucky!

2010-05-16T04:27:00.000-07:00

This morning on our regular jaunt across the countryside to the beach we saw a Kestral, the Marsh Harrier a wonderful Yellow Wagtail and Mr and Mrs Swanny with their nine signets!

Its days like today that my friend and I and our posse of five dogs are truly thankful that we have our health to do this walk and we have all this wonderful wildlife on our doorstep.

Scrappy & Bo What you found?

2010-05-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Bo - 5 yrs old girl. Nice natured, affectionate, loves rolling in smelly things. Scrappy (no tail) - 3 yrs old boy. Nice natured but not with some other dogs! Affectionate, loves chasing things, never stops running, not frightened of anything and an absolute nutter (you wouldn't think he only weighs 7kg)Both love the car, the beach and going in the sea.

2010-05-07T12:40:00.000-07:00

Did someone shout biscuit

Life is such fun when your young!

(Poppy thirteen months)

Bigger is better!

2010-05-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

She may be called Minnie but when it comes to finding a stick to carry there is nothing Minnie about the stick!

Redbacked Shrike sighting

2010-05-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks into April I was walking the dogs in the fields from low road. It was early morning and looked to be a promising day. The dogs were dragging behind with too many lovely smells to hurry themselves. I myself had reached the footbridge by the gate and turned to wait for them to catch me up.

Sitting on the gate watching me was a simply lovely looking bird a bit bigger than a sparrow and such wonderful markings I had never seen anything like him before. He was shoulder height with me and about eight foot away, I chatted to him telling him how handsome he was and I could surely remember his markings for when I got home to look him up in the RSPB bird identifier page as I often do trying to improve my knowledge of our country birds and sea wildlife.

He had the mask of Zorro like a band across his eyes with the most beautiful grey/blue cap and striking reddy brown back. As he flew up to the trees I caught a flash of white, he had made my day such a lovely thing.

I met up with my friend and we continued our walk, not seeing the bird again.
Returning home and a cuppa later I switched on the laptop to start some work and remembered to check the RSPB web site first. I scrolled through all the possibilities until I came upon him, a red backed shrike, and now I new.

But no, how could it be, reading about him he was on the red alert list with only five known breeding pairs in this country! I felt I had to tell someone. I contacted the local RSPB guy from the web site to let him know and he was very nice but thought it was more likely to be the grey backed shrike or the wheatear. And so I checked them out.

Sorry folks and all that I know I am my only witness but it was definitely not either of those, this little fella stared at me for several long seconds before taking flight and he was definitely the red backed shrike.

I now always take bins with me and my hubby bought me some with a built in camera just incase I spot him again. The following Sunday he was mentioned in Country file saying they have not been seen in this country since the 80’s! How quite unbelievable that I actually saw one and here in Dovercourt!

Caring for your puppy

2010-04-30T10:16:00.000-07:00

Bringing a puppy home is very exciting, but you need to ensure that you are prepared for the new member of the family. This means knowing what to buy for the puppy and how to make your home safe. You want your puppy’s first day in his new home to be an easy and comfortable transition..

What does your puppy need? Keep the following checklist in mind:

Collar – one that isn’t tight so it will be comfortable for the puppy

Leash – Find a leash that is retractable. This will allow you to control the amount of freedom you give your Jack Russell puppy when you walk him. This leash is also a good tool for training.

Food and water bowls – stainless steel is recommended as plastic bowls can be a breeding ground for bacteria.

Dog bed or pillow and/or blanket – you want your new puppy to be comfortable. Just make sure you pick him up the size that is necessary for the breed, small sized beds that are “18x”23, or small pillows “30 – “36.

Food – While there are many different, good dog food brands available on the market, when you first bring your puppy home, you will want to feed him the same food he was being given by the breeder, rescue shelter, etc. You want to make the transition into a new home as easy for the puppy as possible. Providing him with the same food will help.

Treats – Every dog, regardless of his age loves a good dog treat. Treats can also help keep a new puppy happy. However, you shouldn’t feed your new puppy more than a couple of treats. The object is to make him feel happy, not to buy his love and attention with goodies.

Toys – Purchase a few chew toys, a ball and a small safe and durable plush toy for your new puppy. He may not be interested in the toys at first, but you should show him each one and let him examine them, so he knows they are his.

Now that you know what you need to welcome your puppy into your home, the following are other aspects you should keep in mind to ensure that his welcoming is a smooth, easy process.

Free Your Calendar
The best time to bring home your puppy home is at the beginning of a weekend. If you work, it is also a good idea to take off a few days and arrange to have him brought home then. This will give you adequate time to help your puppy adjust to his new home, make friends with him and start his training.

Get Everyone Involved
Make sure that everyone in the family is aware of the day that your puppy will be arriving. Remind children to cool their excitement and make sure they understand that the puppy needs to adjust to his new home and surroundings. Teach them how to play or pick up the puppy gently, and tell them to leave the puppy alone when he is sleeping, or in his bed.