CloseEyeOnJanuary

A January dusk is a wonderful time to appreciate that trees shorn of their leaves can still be elegant. However this was this giant's last season, since within weeks it was felled..

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 20 Dec 2005 14:39:02 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A January dusk is a wonderful time to appreciate that trees shorn of their leaves can still be elegant. However this was this giant's last season, since within weeks it was felled..

Last season's rushes have dried and now form strange woven sculptures by the banks of the Crane.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:35 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Last season's rushes have dried and now form strange woven sculptures by the banks of the Crane.

A mild January encourages fresh grass shoots on the Twickenham Rifle Range to begin to reach for the sky.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:52:55 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A mild January encourages fresh grass shoots on the Twickenham Rifle Range to begin to reach for the sky.

The January colours of a decaying log in the Craneford Triangle.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:52:58 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The January colours of a decaying log in the Craneford Triangle.

Kestrels are uncommon year-round residents along the Crane, more easily seen perched in leafless January.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:07:08 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Kestrels are uncommon year-round residents along the Crane, more easily seen perched in leafless January.

Melting snow drips onto gossamer, as a typically mild January day follows an overnight snow fall.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:32:04 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Melting snow drips onto gossamer, as a typically mild January day follows an overnight snow fall.

Surprisingly some plants are still producing fresh seeds in January, much later than most of their neighbours. This is Himalayan Balsam, a successful scourge of the river edge, so clearly th ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:37 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Surprisingly some plants are still producing fresh seeds in January, much later than most of their neighbours. This is Himalayan Balsam, a successful scourge of the river edge, so clearly th ...

The buds of many trees are forming in January and waiting for the right moment to burst forth. These are the buds of a Wild Plum.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:45:05 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The buds of many trees are forming in January and waiting for the right moment to burst forth. These are the buds of a Wild Plum.

A strand of weed is frozen underneath a cap of ice on the Crane Park Island Millenium Pond.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:32:43 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A strand of weed is frozen underneath a cap of ice on the Crane Park Island Millenium Pond.

With most of the vegetation trimmed well back, January is a great month for the mosses of the Crane Valley as they dominate the ground cover.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:52:55 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
With most of the vegetation trimmed well back, January is a great month for the mosses of the Crane Valley as they dominate the ground cover.

January is the perfect time to hone the skills of identifying bird silhouettes as they perch out on exposed branches (left is a Redwing and right a Greenfinch).

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:39:01 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
January is the perfect time to hone the skills of identifying bird silhouettes as they perch out on exposed branches (left is a Redwing and right a Greenfinch).

A January afternoon brings out the best colours of fungi growing on a decaying log by the banks of the River Crane.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:38 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A January afternoon brings out the best colours of fungi growing on a decaying log by the banks of the River Crane.

Despite appearing to be the pampas, this is just a worm's eye view of the rank grassland of Twickenham Rifle Club in January.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:52:56 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Despite appearing to be the pampas, this is just a worm's eye view of the rank grassland of Twickenham Rifle Club in January.

Flocks of Black-headed Gulls are commonly seen flying west over Crane Park at dusk, heading for roosts in West London reservoirs.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:40 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Flocks of Black-headed Gulls are commonly seen flying west over Crane Park at dusk, heading for roosts in West London reservoirs.

Fresh snow on decaying wood, a contrast of age and colour on an overcast January morning.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:34:30 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Fresh snow on decaying wood, a contrast of age and colour on an overcast January morning.

A cleared meadow on Crane Park Island provides a blank canvass for new growth and this grass has made an excellent early start to the new season.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:39 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A cleared meadow on Crane Park Island provides a blank canvass for new growth and this grass has made an excellent early start to the new season.

The Crane turns a sultry shade of pitch beneath a laden snow-bearing sky.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:01:00 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The Crane turns a sultry shade of pitch beneath a laden snow-bearing sky.

Wild Hops are one of a few plants whose January husks are still clearly recognisable in hedgerows along the Crane.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 12:52:56 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Wild Hops are one of a few plants whose January husks are still clearly recognisable in hedgerows along the Crane.

The bare branches of a tall Crane Park tree expose a small winter flock of Starlings. (And a passing crow!)

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:07 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The bare branches of a tall Crane Park tree expose a small winter flock of Starlings. (And a passing crow!)

The closed catkins of an Alder along the Duke of Northumberland's River catch some winter light and show true colour.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:33 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The closed catkins of an Alder along the Duke of Northumberland's River catch some winter light and show true colour.

Never underestimate how beautiful the forest canopy can be at a time of year where woodland is often described as "dead" or "bare".

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:34 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Never underestimate how beautiful the forest canopy can be at a time of year where woodland is often described as "dead" or "bare".

As the leaf mulch begins to dissolve it releases fresh seedlings to embrace the sunlight of a new year.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:34 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
As the leaf mulch begins to dissolve it releases fresh seedlings to embrace the sunlight of a new year.

Most winters a few tiny Common Teal can be found sheltering around the Crane Park Island reed bed - however keen eyes are needed to make them out amidst the January stubble.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:07:34 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Most winters a few tiny Common Teal can be found sheltering around the Crane Park Island reed bed - however keen eyes are needed to make them out amidst the January stubble.

A newly planted beech, replacing trees felled in the autumn, reaches into its first January sky in Kneller Gardens.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:07 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A newly planted beech, replacing trees felled in the autumn, reaches into its first January sky in Kneller Gardens.

A light snow covering is not sufficient to bury a tussock of grass on a wintry morning in Crane Park.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:33:58 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A light snow covering is not sufficient to bury a tussock of grass on a wintry morning in Crane Park.

Plane trees are one of the few trees with any adornment in January.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:40:34 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Plane trees are one of the few trees with any adornment in January.

Buds are forming on the dangling stalks of Crack Willows along the length of the Crane in January. Few trees look so colourful this early in the season.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:35 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Buds are forming on the dangling stalks of Crack Willows along the length of the Crane in January. Few trees look so colourful this early in the season.

It is hard to believe that abstract art ever gets much better than this scarred bark on Crane Park Island.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:40 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
It is hard to believe that abstract art ever gets much better than this scarred bark on Crane Park Island.

The most robust of last season's nests are glaringly apparent in January.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:08:21 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The most robust of last season's nests are glaringly apparent in January.

The sunlit green bark and tangled branches clearly identify an Oak, even in January one of the Crane's most distinctive and distinguished trees.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:37 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
The sunlit green bark and tangled branches clearly identify an Oak, even in January one of the Crane's most distinctive and distinguished trees.

Through the piles of fallen oak leaves pokes fresh growth.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:36 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Through the piles of fallen oak leaves pokes fresh growth.

Crimson is an astonishing wild colour for the month of January. These lower leaves are all that is showing in January of a Herb Robert on a meadow on Crane Park Island.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:39 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Crimson is an astonishing wild colour for the month of January. These lower leaves are all that is showing in January of a Herb Robert on a meadow on Crane Park Island.

Kneller Gardens has a magnificent stand of willows whose needle-like branches look at their most dramatic against a heavy January sky.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:35 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Kneller Gardens has a magnificent stand of willows whose needle-like branches look at their most dramatic against a heavy January sky.

Flocks of starlings are common winter sights on the Craneford Playing Fields.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:51:36 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Flocks of starlings are common winter sights on the Craneford Playing Fields.

There are fewer places to hide on a January afternoon, when a Red Fox eyes the camera suspiciously from the Crane Park Island reeds.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 14:08:27 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
There are fewer places to hide on a January afternoon, when a Red Fox eyes the camera suspiciously from the Crane Park Island reeds.

Common Nettle is one of our most successful plants. This one has survived the winter and is making an early start ahead of the pack. (It did not however survive some meadow management on Cra ...

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:39 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Common Nettle is one of our most successful plants. This one has survived the winter and is making an early start ahead of the pack. (It did not however survive some meadow management on Cra ...

A trimmed branch by the edge of the Crane provides a wonderful January canvas for this sprawling fungus.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 13:09:40 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A trimmed branch by the edge of the Crane provides a wonderful January canvas for this sprawling fungus.

A Moorhen is exposed on a crossing of the river channel, as melting snow from an overhanging branch spatters the surface of the water.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:34:04 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
A Moorhen is exposed on a crossing of the river channel, as melting snow from an overhanging branch spatters the surface of the water.

January sunsets rarely disappoint, especially on days with broken cloud cover.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:41:10 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
January sunsets rarely disappoint, especially on days with broken cloud cover.

Just before sunset a large flock of Jackdaws always passes over Twickenham Green and then Crane Park, en route to a spectacular roost at Bedfont Lakes.

nobody@smugmug.com (Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 13:41:44 -0800

Anita and Keith Martin (borsuk)
Just before sunset a large flock of Jackdaws always passes over Twickenham Green and then Crane Park, en route to a spectacular roost at Bedfont Lakes.