New life

A dreary morning lifted and gave way to a pleasant afternoon, so I zoomed off down to Croome for some life enhancement, deciding (perhaps a little rashly) to justify a chocolate brownie by walking the whole perimeter of the river and lake, plus the two wetlands. The last time I did this there were wigeon on the river, and the last time R and I were at the lake there were some tufted ducks there, but today there were only a few mallard and swans, plus some Canada and greylag geese.

I'd walked to the end of the river and and was on my way back towards the house when I realised that some cows were grazing the section of park that I was about to pass through. I'm quite nervous of cows - not unreasonably, I think, because every now and then they do go off on one and attack someone - so I was concentrating quite hard on being unobtrusive and not making eye contact, when I realised that a little way in front of me a pair of Canada geese were shepherding a clutch of goslings across my path and towards the river. I quickened my pace, but by the time I reached the spot they were all in the water and swimming away - which is why you have here another of my justly celebrated bird backside photos.

Baby goslings though! Awwww.....

Incidentally, I didn't hang around to watch them, because there are some humongous fish in this water course, and I already had the Jaws theme running through my head. Instead, I trudged on, completed my Croome walk, and then had a rush of blood to the head and went to Tiddesley Wood as well. My phone says 16,000 steps, but my legs say Seriously though??? 20,000, more like.

I couldn't not post the goslings, despite the fact that I have bluebells from both Croome and Tiddesley, and though I always like other people's bluebell photos more than mine, some of them aren't bad. If you're in the area and on the lookout for bluebells, both sites are pretty good - and you may also be interested in the fact that Worcestershire Wildlife Trust are holding their Tiddesley Spring Open Day this coming Sunday, 5th May. It'll be a zoo, of course, but on past experience there will be craft things, and plant things and such.

Finally, from the department of Who Says You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?, comes this photo. I've spent the past two summers trying and failing to catch a swallow or a house martin in flight, and even though this one almost escaped the frame on account of its flying being three times as fast as my panning,  I'm quite smug that it's recognisably a swallow rather than simply a blur of wings. With a perseverance, a bit of luck and some brighter light, I feel that I might yet beat this challenge.