Wednesday 7 July 2010

Summer at the canal

A sunny day meant a trip to the Post Office was extended to include a walk along the canal. Time was short so we went to the closest but also the busiest stretch. The car park was however nearly empty - perhaps the overcast morning had kept people at home. As we started our walk the sun decided to join us and we appreciated its company.

The lack of visitors meant the resident ducks were hungry and some ducklings left the water hoping for an easy meal.


They would however have to find their own lunch as I had left my packet of duck food at home. 

There was no sign of the cygnets seen on a previous visit but they may have moved to an overgrown stretch with water at a more preferred depth as the level in stretch they had been in was very low.

There was plenty of activity from damselflies (Common Blue, Azure and Banded Demoiselle) but they did a good job of avoiding the camera as they darted about.

Wild flowers proved easier to photograph (although there was a breeze building that tended to move them just as the shutter was pressed).




There was plenty of Meadowsweet and Rosebay willowherb.


With all the wild flowers it was no surprise to see plenty of butterflies but catching them on camera was another matter. A few did however pause long enough for a photo.



 Speckled Wood


Meadow Brown

Large Skipper

There were also lots of Ringlets.

We stopped at a bench for a drink in an area popular with Reed warblers and sure enough we could hear them in the reeds. They kept low down and most were hidden although we could see the movement of the reeds as they hopped from one to another. We did however manage to see a few.



Heading for home we walked back up the canal leaving the call of the Reed warblers behind and passing areas of active butterflies and damselflies. Roach slowly moved near the surface of the water and Pike watched them from deeper down. 

These are the sights and sounds of the canal in summer.

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