Where was everybody?! You were missed. Marilyn and myself enjoyed an interesting and productive birding walk on a fine autumnal day. This was a circular walk starting from the eastern end of Eccup reservoir encompassing hedgerow, fields, the dam wall and woodland. It gave us a variety of bird life and some late summer flowers. In the hedgerow we saw goldfinch and on the dam verges a pied wagtail. We disturbed groups of cormorant, egrets and coot sheltering below the dam wall. Several red kites were seen in the sky above. A flock of swallows flew overhead. There were large gatherings of geese, greylag and canada on the sheltered beaches of the reservoir in the distance. A group of four swans were seen lingering in the centre of the reservoir. A chiffchaff and jay were heard. Several speckled wood butterflies chased us along the paths. The hedgerows and verges were full of berries, fruit and flowers in seed.
We made our way to Golden Acre park for a relaxed lunch at one of their picnic tables where we were accompanied by an inquistive squirrel. An enjoyable outing not far from home.
Margaret