Moor Green Lakes
We went
to a nature reserve not far from our house. It was a bright, warm day, good for
a gentle stroll. Roxy and Gilbert were not delighted to have to remain on their leads,
but they enjoyed a different set of sniffs and met some friendly people. Dogs
seem to encourage interaction between often reserved Brits.
We didn't have the super-duper zoom lenses with us, so everything looks rather far away! Well, it was far away, actually.
The air was thick with the screaming of gulls and at first glance, it looked as though they were the only birds around.
A closer look revealed swans and cygnets, Canada geese, Egyptian geese, ducks of various sorts and jackdaws. Earlier in the year, in April, we might have seen a bittern and a spoonbill, but we’re not twitchers, just casual birdwatchers.
We heard many smaller birds in the trees and hedgerows.
To be precise, one of the horses was interested, while the other wanted to continue grazing.
It all looks lovely. I'm surprised at how many people can identify different birds, to me all geese are the same and the only other birds I recognise are crows/ravens, magpies, pigeons, sparrows and hawks. And the some but not all of the cockatoos families.
ReplyDeleteIt's bird song that foxes me. I know blackbird and sea gull and that's about it!
DeleteLooks like a beautiful place to walk and the delicate Queen Anne's Lace very pretty.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely there.
DeletePerfect weather for a perfect walk. Lots of variety.
ReplyDeleteLots of wild flowers, too.
DeleteThe Queen Anne 's lace that I know in North America has more finely divided foliage and the umbels are more densely arranged, often with a single reddish or purple "ruby" in the center. One of my favorite wildflowers. In any case, your outing looks ever so nice and I especially like the horses.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more about wild flowers - and butterflies - and trees - I just wish I were better educated;-)
DeleteSo lucky to have that gorgeous place close by. It looks welcoming!
ReplyDeleteIt's very interesting in winter, with so many migrant birds.
DeleteThe forest on the far side of the lake looks incredibly dense. Nice photos and a nice outing for you and the dogs.
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many things I learned when I did a plant ID course a few years ago was that differentiating between various similar looking umbellifers can be quite tricky. If it smells of aniseed when crushed it's Sweet Cicely!
ReplyDeleteCheers, Gail.
They are very tricky, I agree. Time I went on a course, I think!
DeleteI just used my plant id app on the photograph and it says it's wild chervil.
Fantastic looking place to have an outing. I do usually carry my binoculars when I go to places like this and I try to figure out what birds I'm looking at. But I also use them to check on butterflies and flowers Etc. Thanks for sharing these great photos.
ReplyDeleteBinoculars would be a good thing to take, but our hands are quite full with leads, treats and cameras! I use them at home quite a lot, though.
DeleteThe horses are looking fabulous! They are such peaceful animals
ReplyDeleteHorses are such elegant creatures.
DeleteHi Janice - when I was growing up (slightly east from you) it was scrub land out there ... very unspoilt without housing ... glad they're opened the area for a nature reserve. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of gravel pits. Eventually, these become lakes. There's too much housing development in our local area, without the infrastructure to support it.
DeleteSuch lovely photos
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Thank you, Alison:-)
DeleteI wondered about the plant id too, since I didn't see the distinguishing red dot in the middle. Legend has it that it's a spot of blood queen Anne left when she stabbed her finger. Or something.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm quite sure I've got it wrong. Nothing different there, then . . .
DeleteThat looks like a lovely place for a walk. So many interesting things to see. The horses are such handsome creatures.
ReplyDeleteNearby houses are lovely, too, but expensive.
DeleteIt looks a very nice place to enjoy a walk.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing your photographs, especially the horses.
All the best Jan
It's quite flat, so fairly unusual round here.
DeleteI would have liked to have a Nature Reserve near my home. Especially when the children were young.
ReplyDeleteWe're blessed with several SSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) so there are many places to walk and enjoy.
Delete