January on the heath

[puddleshark]

A walk across the heath, to admire the cloudscapes. The Met Office forecast for today was not promising, but it was a lovely morning. The sun shone and the woodlarks were singing. All Max's favourite puddles were still there, though sadly undisturbed, reflecting the clouds.




Not so long ago, this was all commercial forestry, close-planted with conifers. Once the trees are felled, it doesn't take long for the heath to recover.

Comments

[soemand]

What side is the prevailing winds 🤣

[puddleshark]

South-westerly here, coming off the Atlantic. Mild, wet, windy weather is the norm in winter.

It's only when we get a high pressure system stuck overhead with the winds coming in off the continent that we get colder weather.

[heleninwales]

It's interesting that the heath recovers. Here when areas of forest are clear felled, within a few years it's covered in young trees again, though it's usually more mixed with some broadleaf trees in amongst the conifers.

[puddleshark]

The conifers will start to grow back, over the next decade or so. On Forestry Commission land, they let the conifers grow back, and clear fell another area, so there's a constant rolling landscape of heath and forest, which seems to suit the birds well. On RSPB land they tend to clear the conifers by hand to preserve the heath.

[sartorias]

Pretty--though I do like looking at woodland best

[puddleshark]

Yes, the heath is a little bleak and sombre in winter, even on a sunny day...

[soemand]

I was more looking at the photos you took and seeing the asymmetry in the growth of the tree branches. Not as extreme as this example https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-blackthorn-tree-prunus-spinosa-bent-over-by-prevailing-west-winds-56652526.html — but I see the from your photos the impacts of the prevailing winds on the illustrative photos. Mind you, doesn't help that the trees are lonesome with far apart neighbours 🤷

[puddleshark]

This stretch of heath is a little sheltered, as there are hills between it and the coast, but down by the coast it's much easier to see the direction of the prevailing winds!

[soemand]

❤️

[kaishin108]

That first photo looks like a painting!

[puddleshark]

We had beautiful clouds that day - straight out of a 19th century landscape painting! 😊

[changeling72]

It's so much more pleasing to have a view.

[puddleshark]

It's lovely to see this area restored to open heathland, and part of the nature reserve. It used to be really gloomy commercial forestry.