I gave you a sneak preview last blog of some of the wildfowl we saw and asked you to name them:
In no particular order the video featured Smew, Goldeneye and Tufted Ducks, both males and females. The male Smew were particularly impressive:
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| Male Smew |
Some less impressive ducks had to go through a gymnastic routine in order to be noticed:
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| Mallard Gymnastics |
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| Egyptian Geese Synchronised Gymnastics |
As in most Wildlife and Wetland Trust (WWT) reserves there was a mixture of captive exotic birds and wild native birds, with a scattering of 'in-between' birds that were semi-wild/not-really-native.
There were also some semi-wild Otters, which although kept in a large enclosure and fed fish, did not seem to make any attempt to escape and acted quite naturally:
Another little mammal I enjoyed watching was definitely not captive, it was a young House Mouse, which was furiously digging under some gravel to uncover either seeds, roots or small bugs to eat:
My favourite part of the trip to LWC was watching the wild birds which take advantage of the man-made habitats provided at the wetlands, such as these Sand Martins nesting in a fabricated sandbank:
The Heron was impressed by them too, or was it trying to figure out how to catch and eat them?
Also got good views of Lapwing at the water's edge:
And a fleeting view of a Reed Warbler:
It was a very enjoyable day out at LWC, with lots of wildlife and 'not-so-wild' life on view; definitely worth a visit.
When we left London we headed northwest and spent a few days near the village of Hanley Swan at the foot of the Malvern Hills. It was a large but well laid out campsite and the village was only a twenty minute walk down the road.
Moira thought it looked very like the sort of village that they regularly feature in "Escape to the Country"............ complete with village pub, village green and duck pond:
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| The Swan at Hanley Swan |
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| Duck Pond and Village Shop |
Moira enjoyed escaping to the park bench to watch the ducks:
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| Moira in Hanley Swan |
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| Ducks at the Duck Pond |
There was also a lovely village church and some swan carvings:
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| The Church at Hanley Swan |
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| Ornate Church Gates |
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| Swan Carvings |
I went for a walk through some of the fields near to the campsite, it was very pleasant but not much to report on the wildlife front:
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| Fields near Campsite at Hanley Swan |
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| Speckled Wood Butterfly |
It was a nice couple of days in Worcestershire, but it was time to move on and head further North.
Next stop was The Lake District, in particular a campsite a few miles from Kendal, in the woods beside the River Kent:
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| River Kent near Kendal |
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| Reflections of River Kent |
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| Waterfall on River Kent |
Although all the habitats were in place and the water seemed lovely and clear, there was very little bird life on the river apart from a couple of Mallards. I would have expected to see Grey Wagtail or Dipper but nothing like that......... not even a Pied Wagtail........... strange!
What I did see was rather less welcoming; it was a Harlequin (or Asian) Ladybird larva, unwelcome because it is an invasive species which is having a devastating impact on our native ladybirds:
Further along the riverside path I had to cross a lovely meadow where there was a magnificent Oak tree:
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| Mature English Oak |
The grass meadow also supported many butterflies, insects and day-flying moths, including this pretty little Chimney Sweeper Moth:
Back at the campsite I was fascinated to discover that the area use to be home to a Gunpowder Factory! In fact some of the remains were still visible, including parts of the building that housed the water-wheel which powered the machinery in the factory:
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| Supports for Water-wheel |
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| Remains of Gunpowder Factory |
I also found The Lade, which was a channel from the river that supplied water to power the Water-wheel:
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| Water-wheel Lade (now defunct) |
Amazing what industry existed in what appears a quiet wooded area beside a small river.
As well as the Gunpowder Factory, my abiding memory of the campsite at Kendal was the pair of Jays that woke us up every morning with their squabbling in the trees and bushes right next to our motorhome:
After Kendal we headed home, having been away for over two weeks and having covered over 1,000 miles I can safely say we enjoyed our Southern road trip, but were glad to get back.
Take Care
Teddy Edward
