Further exploration of Sułkowice's wetlands

No ice this year thick enough to walk on; our winters are getting warmer and warmer. Today I decided to venture once more into the wetlands alongside the Czarna river between Sułkowice and Ławki from the south, walking along ulica Ogrodowa ('Garden Street'), then ul. Torowa ('Track Street' or 'Rails Street') up to the end of the asphalt. Below: looking along ul. Torowa, as an InterCity train from Kraków to Olsztyn via Warsaw hammers through. To the left, ul. Psa Cywila (Civilian the Dog Street) – a reminder that the national police-dog school is on that side of the road. No pavement as this is a no-through road with hardly any traffic other than that accessing the few houses along here. The road bears left then ends abruptly. From there I take a muddy footpath west through a small copse, which yields to the wetlands beyond.

Emerging from the trees, I spot something interesting – a footbridge made of two concrete posts. There's a similar arrangement upstream by the ford near Hipolitów; this one is on the water rather than over it, keeping the algae and surface scum from floating down the Czarna river. I cross over to the other side, but find it too boggy to progress any further in the direction of Budy Sułkowskie.

Below: view from the bridge, looking north-east (all that scum is behind me as I look). Walkable on the right bank, not walkable on the left bank.

Below: OpenStreetMap  shows the terrain nicely, even including the makeshift footbridge! Beyond the Czarna, the map suggests there is a footpath leading to (but not actually entering) Budy Sułkowskie. I have try to find it from the other side last year; nothing doing. And from this side – the land is waterlogged.

Below: it's clear that someone has been at work to ameliorate the terrain at least on this bank of the Czarna; note the drainage channel letting water into the main flow of the river.

Below: work of beaver or man? I noticed a felled tree earlier on, with characteristic gnaw-marks, leading me to suspect it is indeed a dam made by a Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber). Beavers, almost hunted to extinction at the end of the 19th century, have made a strong comeback and are good for the wetland ecosystem. 

Below: west of the railway line, north of the river, the terrain is boggy and impassible (if you wish to maintain dry socks). Last April, I waded across further to the north, by accident, it must be said. A southbound local train crosses the bridge over the Czarna. On this side of the river, the footpath is dry and passable (if you're wearing stout boots).

Below: east of the railway line, the Czarna has been rerouted through a man-made canal, which flows further north than the river's original course.

Below: from ul. Jeżynowa ('Blackberry Street') to ul. Spacerowa ('Walk Street' or 'Stroll Street'), there is now a proper pavement serving residents of ul. Podleśna in Sułkowice's north-east corner. Hurrah for road safety! This has become a vastly busier road now that there's a proper asphalt surface all the way up beyond Kiełbaska and Julianów to Czarny Las.

Below: sadly, the new pavement doesn't go all the way into the centre of Sułkowice, falling some 450m short. The picture below illustrates how necessary a pavement is on this stretch of the road (ul. Dębowa) from the point of view of road safety. I hope the relevant authorities get round to building one before there's a serious accident here. 

Walking home from here at dusk, I have several anomalous qualia-memory flashbacks; a splendid walk (13,400 paces) and plenty of qualia memories stored up for the future.

Reaching my działka, I hear the familiar call in the woods behind my house – which the Merlin bird app confirms is a tawny owl (Strix aluco). Hauntingly soothing. Soothingly haunting.

UPDATE SUNDAY 26 JANUARY: Walking past Krężel station, I could see a small aircraft approaching through an overcast and drizzling sky. Not your usual Cessna 172... something more interesting – a quick change of lens, and snap-snap! A North American Harvard of WW2 vintage!

This time last year:
Melting in the rain

This time ten years ago:
Winter woes and a crisis of creativity

This time 12 years ago:
Warsaw – the more it snows

This time 13 years ago:
"Get orf my lairnd!"

This time 14 years ago:
A Dream Too Far - part two

This time 15  years ago:
Electric in the dark

This time 17  years ago:
Elegant and proper