Blogger: Gena Correale-Wardle, Community Fundraising Officer

This morning I was ready a little earlier than usual so decided I would take a longer walk to work along the river Wensum via Cow Tower. This is one of my favourite walks in the city, you step off the busy pavement at Whitefriars Bridge and are soon surrounded by an ocean of calm along the small footpath.

Shafts of sunlight (if you're lucky!) shine through the tree branches onto the yellow crocuses blooming below and a little further on the weeping willows and chestnut trees are alive with birdsong. No matter how hard I try I can never make out where the birds are singing from against the leaves rustling in the breeze, but I never fail to stop and strain my eyes just in case! It is such a glorious walk, you really can't believe you're in the heart of the city, and it never fails to lift my spirits and make me feel glad to be alive by the time I've reached my destination. Two weeks ago I was even lucky enough to spot a grey wagtail flitting along the river which made me smile for the rest of the day.

Today, however, as I stepped off the pavement and down the steps onto the river path, I looked up to see a high piece of fencing and red and white tape blocking the path a few metres down. My heart sunk as I noticed the 'footpath closed' sign and I thought how it was sod's law that I couldn't enjoy the wildlife of the river on such a beautiful morning.

So I turned back and walked along Bishopgate and up Rosary Road feeling a little cheated out of my tranquil start to the day. Just as I was walking up to the Rosary Tavern, a closed down and cordoned off pub, a small bird flitted across my path and sat on a high wall singing. At first the browns and tawnies of its feathers made me think it was a house sparrow, but as I got closer and it flew down to a tree branch nearer me I saw it was a female chaffinch. With her distinctive dark brown 'mohawk' she looked to me like a bit of a rebel, especially darting in and out of the run-down site totally disregarding the 'no entry' signs pinned to the railings covering it. She wouldn't have looked out of place with a leather jacket on casually leaning one wing against the run down smoking shelter.

It was so unexpected to have this encounter with nature in such a run-down place that I was completely mesmerised by her antics - until she decided she'd had enough of entertaining me and fluttered off around the corner of the building. I walked the last five minutes to the office in total delight, the sun shining on my face and the memory of my rebel-chaffinch friend in my mind.

I like to think she was there to remind me that you don't have to be in a beautiful location to enjoy nature, that it's around you wherever you are and whatever you're doing, and sometimes it's even more enjoyable for being so unexpected.

 

Photo Credit: David Kjaer (rspb-images.com)