I went for an early morning walk on Sunday to the Chelmer Valley nature reserve in the middle of Chelmsford, a very welcome trip out after being stuck in the house feeling cr*p again for the last couple of days (and again today - just my recovering ear infection still). I wanted to try out my new binoculars that I'd had delivered on Saturday and also had been wanting to see what the wildlife was like at the reserve before all the people arrived.
Was a beautiful dawn, almost clear skies and lots of dew everywhere. Walking through town I saw a kingfisher flash off down the river (too quick, no chance of a photo but fantastic to see that iridescent blue streak zipping off down the river). At the reserve I spent a bit of time watching some rabbits munching grass next to the path, I got within about 20ft of them and they looked really close in the binoculars. Lots of squirrels around too as well as some chiffchaffs, blue tits and a green woodpecker that I could hear somewhere in the trees.
I passed under the railway viaduct and a really nice tree that I managed to identify from this shot, taken on the way back, as an alder (learning trees is something I'm working on... hardly know any at all!):
and headed into the wooded part of the reserve, past a set of trees which always seem to be buzzing with blue tits and great tits - lovely to watch through my binoculars! I walked further in through the little wood, taking the mown grassy path beside the river and all around robins were singing. Lots of cricket bat willows here, as well as white poplar and (I think) black poplar. Taking one of the small dirt tracks through the trees I passed some hazel trees I think, plus lots of hawthorn that are in berry:
The track was very overgrown and I had to force my way past lots of thistles and nettles, very glad that I had my thick trousers and coat on that the nettles can't penetrate! At the end of the track is a clearing with a big oak and under is a cut through to the park next door, where lots of carrion crows and magpies were feeding, looking for food on the rugby pitches. More rabbits were nibbling grass at the edge of the wood, under the cover of the trees. Turning back to the clearing I saw a chiffchaff (I think, it didn't sing) up in a white poplar:
and all around were birds singing, but most of the songs I didn't recognise. Plenty of blue tits and great tits and the green woodpeckers, some robin and unknowns. There were some lovely teasels in the middle of the clearing so I took a few photos of those:
and of the trees at the edge of the clearing, looking back the way I'd come from:
I stopped for a spot of breakfast on a bench on the main path and noticed people were starting to appear on the scene, so feeling a little tired and dizzy I decided to head back:
I stopped for a few minutes by a footbridge near the railway viaduct as I felt a bit iffy and was glad I did as some canoeists had flushed out the kingfisher so I got a good view of it zipping away south towards the town just above the water - brilliant! I then headed back into town, past a jay in a willow looking for a crack to stick an acorn in, and headed home. Rather tired and woozy, but happy.
And if you read all that then you did well... or were very bored!
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