I've spent a lot of time up on our new Coal Tips trail recently, and have been really enjoying the views it gives across the reserve. However, the work I've been doing this week, lead me to head out along the Riverbank trail from the visitor centre to Charlie's hide and back. And it was like seeing an old friend again! So much so I thought I should share with you the sights, sounds and smells along this old favourite.
The colours really grabbed me from the start of the walk with oak, beech and poplar leaves all changing at the minute and dropping their leaves. What caught my eye in particular though was the vibrant, deep gold colour of this lichen growing on the elder trees. It's particularly visible from the path as you head up onto the heathland towards Bob Dicken's hide. I love the huge variety of shapes and colours of lichen and they really capture the imagination - this one looks like lots of bright yellow saucers stuck to me!
Once I start looking at the tiny landscapes of lichen, I get drawn in and start noticing other tiny worlds. And after passing the lichen I started spotting fungi too. There is such a wonderful diversity of colours, shapes, textures and sizes. I also love the thought that the fruiting body, the bit you can see above the ground, is just a tiny part of the whole organism, with mycelium spreading far through soil or dead wood.
I stopped off at both Bob Dickens and Village Bay hides as I ambled along, and was really pleased to see shoveler in large numbers. I love watching them "shovel" in pairs, moving round and round in circles, heads under water, stirring up the mud to catch invertebrates.
Shoveler, thank to Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
After Village Bay hide, you pass a couple of stands of scots pine trees. I was enjoying crunching in the leaves and was looking at the path so it was the warm pine smell that caught my attention first. I then glanced up and looked through the trunks, down to the river glistening between them. There was such a dark purple sky too, as well as sunshine, making everything really vibrant.
Taking a walk on a nature reserve is a whole sensory experience and my trek along the Riverbank trail involved a rainbow of autumnal colours, the warm scents of pine, the honking of passing geese and the crisp crunch of leaves underfoot - a great idea for an autumn afternoon!