Day 66. Moving on down.

Hiya Friends and Followers.

So how was your Bank Holiday Weekend?

Ours was lovely, even with the funny old weather. Saturday began quiet enough, but then we were treated to a huge thunderstorm and a copious amount of torrential rain, which you would of thought would have cleared the muggy air, but no it did not. Once the storm was over, the sun came out and oh boy it was hot.
Sunday was a quiet day for us, we did very little. I did photograph the House Martin's nesting above the bridge keepers hut.

I am always in wonder of these little birds, who fly thousands of miles to this country to nest and then they fly back again. This pair were rebuilding a nest. I think due to the shortage of rain lately the nest was in need of repair, but with no mud they had left it until it rained. Anyway I had a lovely couple of hours watching them.

Bank Holiday Monday dawned and hooray the sun was shining, which meant we were going to Slimbridge, Wildfowl and Wetland Trust for the day. I did the usual morning tasks and then busied myself with making a picnic and drinks. Camera's were in bags and we were ready for the off at 9am.

We walked there and still made it ten minutes before they were due to open. Once the doors were open, we and a few others paid for our tickets and were off into the throng of the place. There was wildfowl everywhere, with the geese and their goslings begging for food. You can buy a bag of duck food for £1.50. I reckon that at this time of the year the staff do not need to feed the birds much, because the paying public do it for them.

On the way in you see this glorious Hare, which is part of the Haring Through the Seasons. He was a stunning fellow and beautifully designed by Sarah Vonthron-Laver.

When it comes to wildlife I am completely in my element and so would happily spend my whole life in this place, watching and photographing the birds and mammals.

Our mission was to go and spot the Cranes, which have been re-introduced to the UK with a breeding program. This year one pair has produced young and we were hoping to find them. We went to the Hogarth Hide and could see the parents in the distance, but my photographs did not turn out to well because of the distance.

We did however spot a pair which were much closer to hand on our walk around the site. With it being Bank Holiday Monday, the place was packed, but not rammed, which was a joy for us, because we could get some nice photographs.

I especially wanted to photograph the Otters. Minnie, Ha ha, and their mum Flo. Flo came to the Trust, when her home was being closed down. What they did not know was she was already pregnant, so they gained Minnie and Ha ha. They are so lovely together and certainly drew a crowd.

To photograph the Otters, you have to do it through the glass of their enclosure, which is shame, but I still had a lot of fun taking their photographs.
Lunchtime we found a bench overlooking a pool and ate our lunch, before carrying on with the wander. In all we walked over 6 miles and by the time we left, which was around 4.30pm, my feet were screaming STOP.
We went back to the boat to put our camera's away, and then we went to the Tudor Arms for dinner and a pint. I felt we had earned a treat and I was paying.
Bedtime did not come quick enough for me and my feet and knees. They ached so much that it took me ages to get off to sleep. I had twitchy leg syndrome until I nodded off eventually.
This morning we left Patch's Bridge and are now down at Sharpness for a few days.

Pop back soon xx