And what did Week 46 of my wild challenge bring? Well, winter.
Wasn’t it a cold one?! Frost and then snow and then ice and then frost. Winter makes for some lovely walks though – when there isn’t a storm – so I think I’m ready to embrace the colder weather (as long as it doesn’t cause others any problems).
Within winter’s cold grasp, I enjoyed another week’s worth of wild highlights, including:
⛪️ A peaceful walk to the chapel
🌸 Winter cherry blossoms (who knew they were a thing?!)
🐣 Noisy sparrows
🍗 Some rather obscure Thanksgiving facts
Hope you enjoy the read. And, in case you’re interested, I’ve decided to sell some prints of a select few pieces from 2021. I was a bit scared to do this but I’m being brave. If you’d like to see what’s for sale, please head to the bottom of the post. Thank you! 😊
Monday 22nd November 2021
I had a real urge this morning to walk to the local chapel of rest. I’m not really sure where the burning desire came from, but it was a lovely, crisp morning. I go past the chapel and cemetery regularly on my other walks and I’m always intrigued by all of the birds that call this space home. It’s also somewhere I can walk to safely in the half-light.
When I arrived, it was as beautiful as I’d hoped. The ground was white with frost and it crunched with each step. The sky was golden as the sun rose and the blackbirds were beetling about in the undergrowth. I took a moment to stop and think and then I headed back home. I think I’ll have to make the journey a few more times this winter.
Tuesday 23rd November 2021
Ok, I saw something today that shocked me. A tree around the corner from my house – which I now know is some sort of cherry tree – is blossoming. My first reaction was: Oh that poor tree must not know what season it is, isn’t that awful! And then I had a little look online and, apparently, some cherry trees do in fact bloom over winter. These have the word Autumnalis in their scientific names. Fancy that!
Wednesday 24th November 2021
What did I even do today?! Oh, that’s right, I was in the office and then had a wonderful time volunteering at my local young carers centre. I started helping at the centre before the pandemic hit and this was the first face-to-face group since. The group gives local young carers a space to have some respite and, more importantly, have a lot of fun. And I had a lot of fun too (we made some Christmas decorations out of wool!)
So acts of wildness were hard to come by during most of the day. To make up for it, before relaxing for the evening, I, in my endlessly geekish way, did a tree quiz. I wanted to see how much knowledge I’ve actually absorbed about trees over the past year or so and I didn’t do too badly. That said, with winter basically here, I definitely need to revisit this ‘How to identify trees in winter’ article.
Thursday 25th November 2021
Do birds sing more in November? I’m a little confused. I’m sure I can hear more birds than I did over summer – I’ve heard thrushes again recently and I’ve become accustomed to long-tailed tit calls now too. Blackbirds have squawked away whenever I’ve been out walking and I’ve heard the occasional wren and blue tit too. I vaguely remember hearing in one of my podcasts earlier in the year that thrushes are quiet while they moult over the summer months. Perhaps that explains it!
Sparrows (like those in the video) always make me smile when I hear them in a single bush. They’re so loud. And, though their numbers have plummeted over recent years, I like to think they’re reminding us that they’re still here.
Friday 26th November 2021
It was Thanksgiving in the US this week and have you ever wondered how the animals eaten at the first ever Thanksgiving in 1621 are faring now? Well, even if you haven’t, let me tell you! Spoiler alert: some have definitely fared better than others.
According to a helpful article, this is what we’re looking at:
- Wild turkey: Doing rather well (after re-introduction that is). By the Civil War, they’d all been wiped out because they were so easy to hunt. Now, there are about 6 million of them across the US.
- Atlantic cod: Not doing so well at all. Decades of overfishing have resulted in a population collapse.
- White-tailed deer: They were saved from the brink in 1900 and have done very well as a result. Apparently there are around 30 million in the US now.
- American lobsters: Giant lobsters – like those eaten at the first Thanksgiving – are very few and far between, but warming waters in the Gulf of Maine are likely to be fuelling a lobster boom.
- American eels: Endangered, but conservation efforts are making progress. River obstacles – like weirs – are being removed to help eels migrate to spawning grounds again.
Bit of a theme here! But reassuring to know that conservation efforts have saved some of these animals from the brink of collapse.
Saturday 27th November 2021
Once the bulk of Storm Arwen had passed our part of the West Midlands, I set out for a wander. The wind was still pretty wild and it was bitterly cold, but the rain/sleet/snow had mercifully stopped. So I wouldn’t say I was toasty in my thick leggings and layered waterproof coat, but I wasn’t an ice cube either.
When I reached the Stour – a different part to the usual section near ‘the meadow’ – I stopped and looked out over the water. This isn’t exactly a nice place to stop. I walked to Burmington and Tidmington on the road and my stopping place is on a very short section that runs along the extremely fast road connecting Shipston and Long Compton. It’s busy and horrid and let’s just say the constant stream of cars storming less than 2 metres past you at 50mph+ reminds you of your own mortality.
But I stopped nevertheless and I was so pleased I did. A couple of jays were picking at berries in the trees. I always forget they have such wonderful white spots on their wings (like a Great Spotted Woodpecker). Long-tailed tits were buzzing around everywhere, alongside their ‘blue’ and ‘great’ cousins. Fieldfares chortled all over the place too. It was worth a stop.
Sunday 28th November 2021
And, to end the very wintery week, a couple of walks: one in Stratford and one to Honington. It was a beautiful morning when we headed to Stratford with my partner’s brother and nephew. Wild highlights included all of the geese (Canada, Greylag and just plain white) and the swans. I know avian flu is a bit of a problem in the swan population here – I really hope people are paying attention to the signs and have stopped feeding them. They deserve that.
By the time of the Honington walk in the afternoon, the sleet had arrived. Bleak doesn’t really cover it if I’m honest. I got the steps in (helpful for another team challenge at work), but I think all of the birds and beasts were smarter than us – they’d already found some shelter!
Side note – art prints for sale!
Just a cheeky side note. After a lot of umming and arring, I’ve decided to be brave and put a limited number of art prints up for sale. Each of the pieces have a story, which I’ll share on my blog a little later in the week (brief details in the captions).
Free 1st class postage to UK addresses. Payment taken via PayPal/bank transfer. If you’re interested, or have any questions, please DM me on Instagram or email emilyramblings@gmail.com 💛
*For anyone new to my blog, let me explain a bit more about what these posts are about. Every week I share a summary of my daily ‘acts of wildness’. This wildlife challenge was inspired by ’30 Days Wild’ and ’12 Days Wild’ from The Wildlife Trusts. The ‘356’ isn’t a typo – typically, I only thought about doing this after 2021 had already started so I won’t be able to do a full year this time. Next year will be different though! Thank you and I hope you’ve enjoyed the post!
Ramblings of a (very!) amateur artist 
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