Bishop's Pond full of water – the large leaning willow in the centre of this view will need to be removed. A bat box is just visible in the top left corner.

The pond is now full, thanks presumably to all the rain we've had recently, and more water coming in through the inflow pipe at the southern end, The outflow at the northern end will prevent the water level rising any higher, reassuring to the occupants of numbers 12 – 15 Cottage Mews right by the pond.

The outflow has no doubt contributed to the water level in the ancient moat just to the north of the pond. This moat is believed to have surrounded the Woodfidley Manor house, the remains of which lie in the grounds of the neighbouring property. .

Following the discovery of the small Horse Chestnut tree last year (see 24 Aug 2025: New tree discovered), and the identification of an area with Elm saplings (1 Sep 2025: We have elms!), today we noticed several small Beeches about 50–70 cm high. So even the species list for trees is increasing! The species list for fungi is also increasing, but their identification is more challenging!

→ Read more...