Vlog 152: senyeK notliM
Starting from just above Stoke Hammond lock, in this trip I did a mammoth journey (for me) on a beautiful sunny October day, up through Milton Keynes, continuing through Cosgrove and ultimately ending up at Yardley Gobion where there was a boatyard I could ask about a newly-found and substantial diesel leak on my engine.
Start point: https://goo.gl/maps/cB4UhwE2ehB2
End point: https://goo.gl/maps/SdhfzXxhHL22
I’ve seen conflicting advice about feeding bread to the birds. In particular I’ve seen articles suggesting that feeding bread to swans doesn’t harm them and can even lead to some being underweight. I can’t find it now but I’ve read an article from one of the swan societies suggesting that they do autopsies on dead swans and have never been able to identify one that died from eating bread.
Here’s couple of examples; http://www.theswansanctuary.org.uk/cause/official-statement-bread-queens-swan-marker/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6389835/Queens-personal-swan-guard-hits-ban-bread-campaign-starving-regal-birds.html
Of course this refers to swans rather than ducks but I suspect there’s little difference between the 2 when it comes to feeding, but then I’m no expert.
So it seems to be quite a complex area and not quite as clear cut as some people make out.
The trouble with this Swan Sanctuary advice which is suddenly doing the rounds everywhere is that it is, as I understand it, particular to swans and not ducks, especially young ducks which still should not be fed bread as it malnourishes them. So swans are fine, ducks are not. Either way, any mouldy bread creates algae on the water surface which can harm the aquatic environment, so proper bird food is better all round.
The construction works include a marina on one side of the canal and a large housing estate on the other – as I recall from seeing details posted on anther forum a couple of weeks or so ago. The Bedford link is, sadly, still a pipedream.
Solomon’s Bridge, which you admired, was, I believe, a requirement by the landowner to buy him off when the original Act of parliament was being discussed. There are a number like that around the system.
Cheers Mike. Oh, I had assumed the Bedford link had momentum of some kind behind it, what a shame.
I really enjoyed this video David, especially the houses at 16:20. The bit about the protective steel bars was quite interesting. I had the good fortune to happen upon some very interesting WWII History when my wife and I were staying at an Air BnB in Devizes. We walked down to the canal there and immediately happened upon a round building which I immediately recognized to be a Pillbox, I assume placed there to protect against German invasion. Sadly, however, we were probably within a half mile of the famous Caen Hill Flight of locks, and had no idea, being American and very new to this whole Narrow Boat business, we didn’t see the set of locks. I will make it a point to see them on my next video. This truly was one of your very best videos David, a true pleasure to watch and THANK YOU.