WILLIAMSON'S WEEKLY NATURE NOTES

A bit of lateral thinking can sometimes give you a surprise '“ even a sculpture all of your own.

On the right is a splendid gate I discovered on Dartmoor, keeping the ponies safely in their paddock.

It was near what I call the pony tail falls at Lydford Gorge. First prize to the home welder who put a pile of discarded horseshoes to sensible and even artistic use.

For my money it beats much of what passes for art these days. When my wife threw her frying pan out of the window after it lost all its non-stick coating as well as the handle, I thought: well, that'll make a bird bath.

Twelve years later it is still there among the primroses. A song thrush has his daily dip, as you can see above. Others include great spotted woodpecker, siskin, wood-cock, marsh tit, chiffchaff and willow warbler.

Pheasants drink daily and I suspect badgers have the occasional lap.

Nowadays it could be recycled and that is the admirable and alternative sane use rather than the misuse of landfill.

It keeps me happy too because it is placed just outside the kitchen window where I always seem to be washing up. Unattended rubbish can be a killer of course.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette October 24