Grey wagtail prowling the River Frome's shore

I ventured down to the river again this morning to look for a kingfisher, or whatever else came into view.  It wasn't a kingfisher in the end, but I had a good time standing quietly beside the fast flowing river Frome by the site of the ruins of Capel's Mill.

On my way there walking along the canal at Cheapside, I met two New Zealanders who had come to Stroud for the day to walk.  We had a chat and I suggested a couple of routes they could take to enjoy the best of the Golden Valley, as well as the limestone grassland high up on Rodborough Common.

The kingfisher nest was not busy  but from my perch on the opposite bank I saw a lot of wildlife including a heron flying over the tree canopy, a greta crested woodpecker, on a tree a few yards from me as well as three white throated dippers flying up and down the river and perching on rocks to dip into and under the water in search of food.  But this grey wagtail was the most fun as it stepped from stone to branch to moss-covered rock looking for its meal.  

The light was quite poor with only intermittent shafts of sunlight penetrating through the thick tree cover.  I watched it groom itself on a small branch washed up on the shoreline between pools of water and autumn's fallen leaves.  I like the way they can walk quickly river stones and then when they spot a flying insect they take off rapidly and do acrobatics in the air before dropping back to earth a few yards away. 

I think my kingfisher quest must now wait for the leaves to fall because even if I did see one it would be so dark that catching it in flight would be very hard.  But I don't mind just standing by the river as the sound of rushing water is very soothing and there's always something to see even if it is just tiny leaves falling down onto the water and flowing gently away downstream.