I went for a 10 mile+ walk yesterday morning, although I only intended to go into town! I walked across the Baddow Meads and along the river, watching the Gulls, Magpies and Carrion Crows on the meadow, three or four Goosanders on the river and flying overhead, a few Cormorants heading downstream quite high in the sky and Green Woodpeckers calling from the trees at Barnes Mill. I headed through town watching some Greenfinches in the Alders and at the park listened to Mistle Thrushes singing in the Horsechestnuts near the lake.
Lots of Black-headed Gulls on the lake, plus a few Herring Gulls, Swans, Coots, Moorhens and Mallards, but no Goosanders today. A pair of Dunnocks were moving through the willow trees, one repeatedly calling to the other as it sat on a branch. I carried on along the river up to Waterhouse Lane where I watched around twenty Redwings feeding amongst the fallen leaves, then on into Admirals Park where the flooding had been. The river was back to normal, just a couple of patches of standing water in the depressions amongst the trees left to see. As I walked beside the river I watched the Blackbirds turning leaves and then spotted a Kingfisher speeding along westwards, low over the water.
I paused to sit on a bench next to the water watching the local dogs dashing about and a few Collared Doves flying between the trees before taking the long-distance cycle path that leads to Writtle. I spotted a Jay hiding in a tree, lots of Chaffinches, Blue Tits, Great Tits, the odd Long-tailed Tit, more Magpies and as I crossed a bridge over the brook I saw a Little Egret circle before dropping down into a neighbouring paddock. I watched it from a gap further along the path and saw it stalk down into the brook out of sight. The path met Lawford Lane at the old bridge and I turned off along a track beside a large field full of Common Gulls and Black-headed Gulls, noisy with the sounds of a nearby football match. At the end of Fox Burrows Lane I crossed the main road to follow the cycle path through the Writtle Agricultural College and on to Cow Watering Lane. I stopped at the large man-made lake on the college grounds to scan the water and shoreline, twenty three Canada Geese, four Tufted Ducks, one Pied Wagtail on the shore and a vast number of Black-headed, Common, Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls there.
As I approached Cow Watering Lane I watched a huge flock of Woodpigeons and Stock Doves feeding amongst the crops, taking flight all at once and heading northwards. I went to stand a field gate on the Lane where I'd looked out to see a Cuckoo last summer, the tree where I'd seen it full of Woodpigeons now! I headed back along the track the way I'd come, looking out for Yellowhammers but none to be seen this time. At the main road I turned south and headed to the village green where I sat and had a drink while watching the ducks on the pond. Lots of hybrid Mallards here, ranging from pure Mallard, 'Vicar' ducks, domestic whites and all shades in-between. The resident white goose lumbered around on one of the islands and the Moorhens were having a right old squabble, one in particular getting very short shrift!
After resting I headed back to Chelmsford along Chelmsford Road and along Waterhouse Lane. I turned off along the footpath that leads to the railway line and the Marconi Ponds nature reserve, very quiet and welcome after walking along busy roads for a while. I walked back through Central Park and paused to sit beside the lake again, noting a number of Coots. a pair were persecuting another Coot, chasing it in noisy honking, splashing fury over the water and at one point over the back of a female Mallard!
From there I headed into town, picked up a few things for dinner in M&S and some birdseed fom Wilkinsons and slowly wound my way home, feeling rather sore of foot!
Female Goosander
