www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I had a look at the old site at Over (that is the actual name of the nearby village) in Cambridgeshire Sunday.

For those not in the know:

The powers-that-be have decided in their wisdom to use the old railway track for what is called a "Guided Bus" (colloquially known as the Mis-Guided Bus). There is some "mitigation" land being developed adjacent to the old railway but many have serious doubts that anything useful will be achieved.

It was a Grizzled Skipper locality and possibly the last site for Wall Brown in the county.

The site at Over is now inaccessible but from what I could see over the barriers, has been irrevocably destroyed. The old railway track is now a lake.

Over and Out.

Jack

Damn. Thank's for the info jack. I was going to go for a 'look-see' myself tomorrow with the family, but if we can't now get in I won't bother. Is there any way one can walk in from further along the track or have the bus t*rds stopped that too?

Trev

There is a huge diversion for road traffic and the road is closed between Over and Longstanton (irksome for the Over residents who want to go to eg Bar Hill Tesco or to Cambridge). I went via that diversion from Longstanton and tried to access the Over Cutting from the windmill side. Impossible. I couldn't see if it might be possible from the other side but it didn't look very likely. There are huge machines and equipment everywhere and they were working on Sunday so I guess they will be again today on the Bank Holiday (getting triple time no doubt).

I don't know how many millions of our money this scheme is costing but it's one of the biggest wastes of money I can ever remember. It will doubtless be a seven day wonder. I can just see the initial headlines: "Guided Bus Great Success. Carries 726 passengers on the first day". I doubt they'll dare print the headline a year later: "Guided Bus Traffic numbers down to average of 63 each way per day".

Public Transport is in theory a great idea. I use the Cambridge Park & Ride. But it isn't always the most pleasant experience. Only last week, I had to sit in close proximity to a person who sniffed loudly and continually all the way from Trumpington to the Grafton Centre. But I did see all those Holly Blues in the Mill Road Cemetery, the main purpose of my visit to the city.

Grumpy Jack

So, if Over is over, where is the nearest site to Cambridge for Grizzled Skippers now I wonder?

Trev

If this is the old Cambridge to St Ives railway, the guided bus drew a lot of head-scratching from people working in public transport too.

It is indeed Cambridge to St.Ives but in its final years I think was used mainly as a "mineral line" in connection with the extraction at Fen Drayton.

Jack

I did manage to find a couple of Grizzled Skippers near Monks Wood (Huntingdon) yesterday after driving around for ages and getting lost.
I also wrote a little ditty about the trip, which I've put on the 'General' thread under "poems".

Trev

Trev Sawyer wrote:I did manage to find a couple of Grizzled Skippers near Monks Wood (Huntingdon)

Trev

Well done Trev !! were they actually within the wood or in one of the fields adjoining ? i am hoping to get to MW in the next few days

Charles

I am confident I saw one solitary Grizzled Skipper in one of the cleared fields in Monks Wood... It flew past me and settled on a purple flower (bugle?), where I got a pretty good view of it, but took off again before I could get photographic proof. The place I definitely saw them was just round the corner at Woodwalton Marsh (where the photo was taken). This is a VERY small site (only a couple of acres), but the Skippers seem to like it, so if you don't see any in the wood itself, that area should be worth a flying visit. Good luck.

Trev

Well - a bit of cross country and a fence or two gave me access to Over railway cutting one weekend afternoon. And the good news was that there were quite a few Grizzlies on the original banks. None in Transition area yet - it could work - tho' since new area closer to top of hill and not so sheltered - remains to be seen!
N

Hi

I'm new to this site, but so glad I found it. Excellent forums. Being a keen insect photographer (albeit not a very good one) I was keen to see if anyone else was on here locally. I stumbled on this and all the references to the Guided/misguided busway. I actually live in Needingworth, (just the other side of the river from Over and adjacent to St.Ives) and presently work at Addenbrookes hospital, Cambridge. Ive had very mixed opinions on whether this approach was a good one or not - and boy has there been some debate. Anyway, I walk into Addenbrookes across the fields from Trumpington where they are getting ready to lay the guided track into over the railwaybridge into the hospital. I was photographing a mass of Gatekeepers adjacent to the guided bus route site and then I then started to wonder what effect this construction could be having on our butterfly population. I decided to find out a bit more - and came across this video that explains what it is and where it runs to. Its a long video, but around 7mins in the project Eco Manager discusses the Grizzled Skipper, its loss of habitat and how it is being managed (sort of). Whether I beleive this approach will work I don't know. You could argue that the overgrown railwaylines were so overgrown in places that they werent suitable for butterflies - so now that they have been opened up, and with appropriate management - who knows. Worth a listen to the video.. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qC5t08-UY8Y . Another shorter video (with no ecological effects mentioned) http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YUsMlEf8Sk8 but it does help you see how the system will work. One nice thing, there's a bridleway built along the entire length so, for us cyclists etc that like to get about and photograph butterflies, this may prove to be very attractive - assuming there will be somethinbg left to see? Love to know others comments - but you can so easily see why people are concerned.
Mark

Due to the early 2009 sightings of Grizzled Skippers reported by others, this afternoon I popped to the place formerly known as Over Railway Cutting (now a soon-to-be-opened Guided Bus route). The tracks have been concreted over and the base of the cutting looks very sterile indeed, but fortunately they don't seem to have messed up too much of the slopes (not yet anyway!), and I managed to find 3 of the little dears. Although they obviously still like the slopes of the main cutting, my wife and I also walked the mitigation site, which has been set up in an adjacent field to help the butterflies. Unfortunately, the wind was a lot more noticeable here and we saw none.
I hope "Little Grizz" continues to thrive at Over, but not sure what the effect the buses will have once they finally start running .



I was quite pleased with this record shot, even though it was taken with a little compact camera. Why didn't I take my proper camera gear

Trev

Bl**dy H*ll Trev - if you aren't delighted with that shot, you must have amazingly high standards.
I'd be delighted to have taken that - it is superb!!!
Cheers.
Roger

That’s great news. I doubt that the running of the buses will have too much effect. After all, it’s a big White Elephant and after the initial euphoria, traffic will doubtless dwindle and we are left with a nice linear habitat – the 21st century equivalent of the Victorian railways.

I (as you might have read elsewhere) watched and photographed Grizzled at Waterford, Herts today. Is access easy at Over? So how do you get into the site. I would certainly like to see the species again in Cambs.

Jack

Thanks Roger... Decent shots of butterflies with my compact camera switched to its macro setting seem relatively easy (depth of field is quite wide and so photos are often sharp, even if you shake as much as I do ), but I really struggle to do something a bit more "arty" with my SLR set-up. I wish I could attend the photographic course next weekend, but I am in the middle of doing up the kitchen .

Trev

Post Script Jack (et al),
I have been informed that Over Cutting is still officially a construction site with no public access, so I guess I shouldn't encourage people to visit just yet as it could be considered trespass. The site was planned to be open this spring, but the problems with flooding, drainage etc over the winter have meant delays in the Guided Bus project, so there will not be official public access until late summer. I know people are using the area for cycling/walking etc, but this is strictly "unofficial" and you could get kicked off. I certainly wouldn't go during the working week anyway

Trev

I won't be going but it sounds a case of "jobsworth" keeping people out - Health and Safety and all that I guess.

Interesting in that it flooded during a winter (December to March inclusive) of average or even a little below average rainfall.
Sounds a succesful project I don't think

Jack

Elf 'n' Safety Officer reporting in - sorry couldn't resist coming in on my Q!

Great pic Trev. Never seen one of these - ever. I must get out their and take a look, iI'll have a chat with you soon to get idea of where to look. Must be a bit carefull on hte busway as the papers full of pics of kids cycling on the new guided tracks and I believe they have police and others checking up already - mind you the 2 lads on their bikes must have got a surprise when that new bus came hurtling down the track the other week! Shame about the hundred + toads that got stranded in between the guides and died or that got squished on the track during the bus trial sessions this spring

Trev Sawyer wrote:...Over..
I was quite pleased with this record shot, even though it was taken with a little compact camera. Why didn't I take my proper camera gear
Trev

I agree with Roger! Nice one!
Just goes to show, in the right conditions and hands, a compact can do just as well as a DSLR! (Ditch the DSLR eh Trev )
Nice to hear they are hanging on; unfortunately, the track-bed was nice and warm and sheltered - ideal for Grizzlies! I did think the mitigation site far too exposed for the little dears....
N

The guided bus way also goes right through Fen Drayton lakes reserve as well!



Mark