Walk down the River Loddon to White Swan Lake

Yesterday, I braved the cold and went for a walk along the river to White Swan Lake.  It was still icy underfoot in many places and the lake itself is semi-frozen with a few clear patches.  I did take quite a few photos as there was quite a lot of varied wildlife.

I saw quite a few birds along the river bank.  This is one of a pair of Song Thrush that were foraging on the ground.

and I kept catching a glimpse of a Kingfisher as it flew along the river, stopping occasionally on a branch or reed.

This second photo of the Kingfisher’s back shows how relatively small it is and how easily it can be overlooked despite its brilliant colouring.

There were a pair of Jays making a lot of noise, and also a Sparrowhawk perched in a tall tree.

There was a Great Spotted Woodpecker making a great deal of noise at the top of a very flimsy branch.

and I tried to get a photo of a very fast moving Goldcrest that kept darting in and out of the ivy covering a tree trunk.

and I got an accidental shot of a Goldfinch flying – not great focus but still interesting.

The lake itself was mostly ice and slush with the ducks and gulls crowded together.  One gull had some food and was quickly mobbed by another gull.

This Black-headed Gull flew past quite slowly for a change.

and I caught this one having a little scratch.

This is a Lesser Black-backed Gull, standing on the ice.

There were a group of Mallard standing on the ice and their orange legs looked really bright in the sunshine.

One of the Herons was standing out on the ice.

and I took a few general views of the ducks and the tracks on the ice made by all the wildlife.

On the way back along the Loddon, I saw these two Mallard and one is showing the beautiful blue in its wings.

The trees were all reflected in the water.

and a Grey Heron was sitting quite high up in one of the trees overlooking the river.

I then found myself following another Heron up the footpath.  It kept stopping to peer into the bushes before it noticed me and flew off back to the river bank.

and no walk would be complete without a couple of cute squirrels…

These two very short videos show the Heron walking up the path in front of me and a Squirrel eating, close-up.