Derby County FC had a variable March.
The month started (1st March) with a disappointing but perhaps not wholly unexpected away loss to Burnley but the home defeat (8th March) by lowly Millwall was definitely a grave disappointment. The home draw with Bolton on the 11th wasn’t such a great result but an away draw at Reading was definitely a point gained rather than a couple of points lost for the Rams. And then on Saturday local rivals Nottingham Forest lost 5-0 at Pride Park keeping the Rams in a very promising 3rd place in the Championship and putting their goal difference 8 above 4th placed QPR.
It’s almost as though a weight had been removed from the team in mid-March – almost as if they were emancipated – almost as if they could stop feeling ashamed of their home city.
What a great result both for supporters of The Sanctuary and the match on Saturday. I know of at least one who was very happy with the football result! While visiting Derby at the weekend I only had a quick view of the Sanctuary, which was due to the pending kick off at mid day, only to see an awful lot of mess that Derby CC need to be putting right and hardly a bird to be seen! At least it has a future now.
Hi Chrissie – indeed, hardly a bird on site now but this may change soon as ring ouzels, wheatears and whinchats are starting to push north again. We had all three there in spring 2012 with two different ring ouzels, 20+ wheatears and a whinchat feeding up during some adverse windy weather….and wheatears are annual passage birds.
Also the sand martins (30 pairs) that nest in the special wall created for them should soon start to reappear….
in 2013 a pair of little ringed plovers settled to raise three young…the first time breeding was proved there – though LRPs have been present in most years – as are lapwings and skylarks.
A new idea, once the metaphorical dust settles, is to try to improve the wider area around the football stadium and velodrome, both adjacent to the LNR – as well as to the LNR itself. Do you remember the excellent wildflower planting at the olympic park? How good would that be?
Some new scheme to ‘green up’ the surrounding car parks and riverside walk as well sorting out the LNR would be a real turn around if it could be achieved.
At present the area is frankly a bit of a tip with litter blowing about, some of it from the velodrome construction site of course – and the raw sub-soiled banking round the new park and ride car park – as well as the piles of bulldozed earth on the LNR.
If we could get some lottery funding now to rehabilitate rather than destroy the area (the cycle track was to have been lottery funded in part), how good would that be? Especially if the ‘we’ was the council and the coalition of groups now working together on such a bid….
Hope springs eternal……
Nick
FYI: a male wheatear was seen on The Sanctuary yesterday I gather……
Nick
Great result – inspiring and proves nature’s worth fighting for.
I didn’t realise you were a Derby County supporter Mark, but then again I doubt you knew I was an Ipswich Town supporter (born and brought up there) – a good result for us last night. Coupled with our thrilling 4-4 away to Derby sounds like two good matches.
With our first wheatears in Bexley (5 at Crossness on Saturday) along with a garganey staying for a week, singing blackcaps and chiffchaffs – all is very positive for the next few weeks which include 7 more games for Ipswich and a possible play off place.
Ralph – hi! Welcome! I keep looking for Northants spring Garganey but rarely get one.
Ralph – hi! Welcome! I keep looking for Northants spring Garganey but rarely get one.