The weather this month has been very mixed with one or two warm sunny days to go with some blustery cold days. The Christleton Market, now held in the Primary School grounds had some excellent stalls on our March visit, and was quite busy despite the poor weather. Christleton Pit Group has commenced its spring maintenance work around the Little Heath Pit, and would welcome any newcomers to its work sessions. Please contact David at 332410, for details of future dates. There will also be a stall with further details at the Parish Open Morning at the end of April. Wildlife sightings have been fewer than usual this month, although chiff chaff and blackcaps have arrived and singing loudly to declare their presence. A common crane flew over the canal mid month, the day after one was spotted at Burton Meres. The reserve at Burton continues to develop, and I understand that there are about 150 pair of avocets there already this spring. Greylag geese are now resident at Littleheath and there was lots of disturbance between the six birds present. I suspect that last year’s parents are trying to get rid of their young. Geese can be very annoying and aggressive, and Beryl and I were chased off by an aggressive Egyptian goose on a recent visit to a Park in Surrey.

The long staying pair of mute swans on the canal, that have been patrolling the water between Christleton and Waverton for two years, have finally decided to build a nest on a suitable garden near Egg Bridge. It’s a fairly simple nest but the pair seem to be happy with their situation. I hope that the otters that now seem to reside in the canal will leave them alone. Otters which returned to our rivers in Cheshire about ten years ago, seem to be spreading further than the Gowy or Dee, and I suspect that the young born on these rivers, are now dispersing to our canals. There have been sightings of two otters together near Egg Bridge, and one, or maybe both otters have certainly taken a liking to a pond containing valuable specimen carp in Christleton, and devoured some precious fish. There are excellent pictures of them taken with a Nature View Camera. Whilst its wonderful to see and hear that they are now spreading into the village, maybe they should stick to the stocks of fish in the canal, or possibly some of the huge carp in the Pit. That would be a sight.! An otter tackling the 25lb carp that are present in the Pit. I’ve also illustrated two unusual fungi that I’ve come across this last month. Scarlet elf cap and orange peel fungi which are rare sightings for me.

Walk of Witness on Good Friday. I’ve illustrated below, images from this popular Good Friday Walk of Witness by Parishioners from St James Church and the Parish. The event which has been held for four years now, starts after hospitality at the Mercure at the Abbotts Well Hotel, and processes through the Village with stops for prayers at strategic points, before arriving for a final prayer witness on The Church Green. There were approximately fifty participants this year, following the cross through the village streets, replicating events on the Good Friday two thousand years ago.