R had to go into Stratford this morning, and as I was feeling light and skittish after yesterday’s superhuman assault on the admin mountain I decided to go along too. While he was having blood tests done at the hospital, I drove through to Old Town and parked up, then walked across Lucy’s Mill Bridge and began working my way along the south bank of the river towards town.
I was surprised – doubly – by the sudden appearance of this Grey Heron: firstly in failing to notice it until it was almost on top of me, and then by the realisation that it was an adult, when I’d expect at this time of year that all the herons of breeding age would be either nesting, or at least hanging around in the vicinity of a heronry. It landed on the edge of the channel beside Lucy’s Mill Weir, hopped about a bit, jumped over to the other side of the channel, then leapt into the river and came up with a fish. Having swallowed that it stood at the base of the weir for a few minutes, looking as if it was thinking of having a nap, but then suddenly took off again and flew back past me around the island, in the direction of Stratford Weir. Luckily I’d spotted by this time that the bird was in almost as skittish a mood as I was, so it didn’t manage to surprise me a third time.
When I arrived opposite the second weir, there was the heron, still looking unsettled, wandering back and forth in the shallows. I watched it for a while longer, then decided that this was a sighting that was worth reporting to the BTO, and reached into my messenger bag for my phone. Except, there was no phone there. Heart: meet floor. Five seconds’ thought brought to mind the vision of my phone sitting in the centre console of R’s courtesy car, and two more gave a calculation of at least ten minutes walking to get back to it from my current location. There was nothing for it but to get a wiggle on, so that’s what I did, arriving at the car almost simultaneously with R, who’d tracked my phone after trying and failing several times to call me.
You’ll be surprised – and I hope, impressed – to hear that despite the ups and downs of the morning, and after walking all the way back to the top of town, we nobly abstained from having cake with our coffee.
R: L2, C7, D19.
