Michelle and I spent the day with a group of 8-12 year olds exploring rivery things today – the children’s highlights being a dead migrant hawker that was caught floating down the river (possibly a victim of a hobby – two were seen hunting dragonflies feeding over Ivy Lake across lunch time) and the usual bullhead fish. Some of them also got very excited floating sticks down the river on a length of string – no, I wasn’t sure what the attraction was either, but maybe you have to be an 8-12 year old to understand!
Bob managed to get the tern rafts in off Ivy Lake with the Thursday volunteers. As usual they were rather whiffy, but would have been far worse had they been left out much longer for the cormorants to perch on!
None of us saw an otter, though one of our regular photographer visitors, Val, did this morning. She came up towards the end of the day to let us know that a large dog otter had crossed Ellingham Drove in front of a van (no road sense these animals unfortunately – though fortunately this van slowed down!), from the direction of the river towards the Clear Water Pond and Ibsley Water at about 8.45am.
I still live in hope!
