Teasels as far as the eye can see

The management at Ferry Meadows can sometimes be quite unfathomable. A couple of years ago a former osier bed was razed to the ground, for no apparent reason, leaving the area looking like a ploughed field. Some of the osiers have regrown, but now much of the area supports a dense and extensive stand of teasels, which are currently proving a great attraction to a large flock of goldfinches, who skilfully extract the seeds from the dried heads with their sharp beaks.