Ferry Lane Estate 'Nature Showcase'

This website has been composed in a matter of weeks. The research behind it has taken a number of years.

The Estate's Birds

A very dear friend of mine, recently deceased, was an avid and experienced bird watcher. During his visits to Ferry Lane Estate over a period of about six years, he would stroll around and record the names of each tree bird he spotted. He shared his records with me. All birds in this website have been spotted on the estate. Many of them prefer the dense, overgrown nature of the railway embankment and surrounding trees, (which has recently been spoiled by railway contractors and others). This later development has hugely impacted their habitat.

The Estate's other creatures

All animals here have been witnessed by me during my twenty one years of residence on the estate. They are predominatly seen in the late evening, to the early hours of the morning. Although foxes are a regular site, the recent eradication of their habitat, (along the railway embankment), will certainly have an impact on their numbers.

The Estate's Flora

We have a large variety of plants, many grow wild, such as Bittersweet, (Solanum Dulcamara) and others need a little help. I remember John, an ex-resident, who lived a few doors down from me; his particular passion was to look after the raised flower beds by the river's edge (Reedham Close) - it was a labour of pure love. He bought the plants himself and they are now enjoyed by us all. He is still missed by many. If you're reading this John, "All the Best and thank you".

The River's Birds

All birds on the river have been witnessed by me during my twenty one years of residence on the estate. My home is just feet away from the river's edge. My low-rise balcony overlooks it, providing a wonderful view of all the water birds that pass by. The variety of birds at any one time, depends on the season and, of course, the weather. Strangely, a frequent visitor is the Black 'Australian' Swan, (Cygnus atratus), native of Australia and Tasmania. The rarest is, without doubt, the Kingfisher, (Alcedo atthis).

Images and Sound Files

The images and sound files used here, have been downloaded from the internet. Photographers have been emailed and their consent received. Absolutely every effort and caution has been taken to ensure that no image(s) appears here without prior permission. In the event that anything has 'slipped through the net', I sincerely apologize. I am confident that all parties will agree to their use and forgive any oversights and wrong inclusions.

In the case of bird photography, renown photographers Andy Bright and Steven Round, have given this site their support.

I would ask the Reader, to please bear the following in mind:

(a) this is a personal website, funded and maintained entirely by me

(b) the site is produced exclusively for the purposes of education and introduction to, and enjoyment of, our resident and visiting wildlife

(d) this is a non-profit making site

To the best of my knowledge, all information within these pages is accurate. Absolutely no liability will be accepted, legal or otherwise, for errors, or anything which may or may not be present. In the event of any photograph appearing in error and/or its removal requested by the photographer, the image will be promptly withdrawn.