First Foray Into Pastures New

So the time is finally here, ladies and gentlemen. The moment you've all been waiting for (maybe). The move went ahead as planned (just!) and we're about 90% unpacked and settled, and I'm having a day off. The sun is shining, and Mrs PB is working from home. She is keen for me to get out from under her feet whilst she's working. I could tell that by the fact she stacked my "birding gear" (camera, thermos, sandwiches, walking boots, cap (for sun), wooly hat (for cold), jeans (for legs), shirt (for top) and gloves) by the front door before bed last night. Unless that was just a general hint!!

First up, just along the road from home

Five minutes walk and I'm at the river, looking upstream to the old railway bridge

And downstream towards the mill

All very atmospheric in the rising mist . I decided on this first journey to head upstream. Throughout the walk there were many crows and jackdaws

And also pairs of blue tits (somehow managed to not get any pics of them though ), great tits, and was accompanied along the river by what, I'm sure, was the same group of long tailed tits...but they did their usual trick of landing behind a twig, or leaf, or only staying still until autofocus caught them, then flitting off

I'd been through three or four gates and was beginning to despair of seeing anything to cheer my heart..... when guess who....

That's right, it's meeeeeeee

I don't think I've ever seen bullfinch that weren't taking advantage of man made feeding opportunities

Then on the ground under the bullfinch was this song(?) thrush (bird book is in the 10% not unpacked!)

And just a few yards further on, Jenny was belting her song out

It appears that not only in the land of the blind, but also in North Dorset, the one eyed crow is king

ps I know it is its weird 3rd eyelid, but I don't know what it has gathered!

The lollipops finally sat still for a second

There was another bullfinch further downstream

And then to my surprise there was another one further into the tree (that I didn't see until I got the picture on the computer screen!)

The river was quite slow, compared to the bit I've been used to, some might even say it was a Lazy River...much like this Dozy Mallard, and his Aussie Twin 

I heard a clattering of wings behind me, and turned and snapped, and this one of the moorhen came out quite nicely I thought

I heard a distinctive yammering, and there was a little grebe.... I don't know how he created that bubble!!

Through another couple of gates and across another field.... this one not empty

HONKKKKKkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

I got as far as thought I ought for my hours exercise and turned to come back home, and caught a glimpse of a kingfisher, but it confused me by flying away from the river, before swooping back round to it, and I lost it's course behind a bush, so maybe next time some evidence, but I did see a pair of reed buntiblers, or warblings

And a majestic swan serenely completed my spottings

So, for the future, there is the downstream route, and also I can cut across town to the river quite a way further downstream, as it is properly meandering, so can cut a mile or more of river off, to get to another different sort of river. This part was through clay based soil, I think, and previously it was a faster flowing crystal clear chalk river.

Hopefully you've enjoyed mine, and the rivers, offerings and more will follow in  the future (is that a threat, or a promise....you decide!!) 

Stay safe one and all