The family all went down to Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Woods Mill Nature Reserve last Sunday.
The weather was great. Arwyn loves being out amongst nature and had a lot of fun looking at all the birds, the flowers, and all the carp you can see from the bridge across the pond. A little bit like Daddy, he loves checking out insects, too!
There were plenty of butterflies out, particularly Orange Tip & Brimstone.
I also spotted a jay on our walk and took a few photos. They’re amazing-looking birds and this is the closest I have been to one so far.
Woods Mill Nature Reserve is great. Apart from all the fabulous wildlife to see, there’s also some ponds to go pond dipping, and some fantastic little den areas for kids to play in and around. If you have a chance, you should go!
On 3rd May, another lovely Spring day took Yayoi and I out for a walk around our back garden of Windsor Great Park.
We ambled down the Long Walk within the Deer Park, taking photos as we went. As well as a few pheasant in the woods, we also took some photos of all the deer grouped together – we didn’t go any closer as they can be a bit dangerous at this time of year.
The sky was incredibly beautiful on that day and deserved some photos, too!
I haven’t updated the blog for a while, having been busy with the new job. It’s like we haven’t been doing anything – which is not true at all! Lots of updates tom come this week!
At the start of May, Yayoi and I made a few daytrips away from Windsor, making full use of our National Trust membership.
On 2nd May we went to Hughenden Manor, in the Chilterns near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.
Hughenden Manor is the former home of Benjamin Disraeli, the famous politician in the time of Queen Victoria who went on to become prime minister. Disraeli and his wife came to live at Hughenden Manor in 1848 and he continued to live there until his death in 1881.
We had a lovely time exploring the house and gardens, which were full of pink, blue and white flowers.
Yayoi made a lovely picnic for the day, which we had outside in Hughenden Manor’s picnic orchard. Runner beans wrapped in bacon, tomatoes, tamago-yaki, chicken nuggets! Mmmm!
Hughenden Manor is well worth a visit if you have time. The house sits on top of a hill and the views of the countryside and the Chilterns are fabulous! If you’re lucky like us, you may even get to see some Red Kite!
During our walk along the Jubilee River in Berkshire near Windsor a few weeks ago, Yayoi and I noticed these swans circling in unison.
They had just had a little fight.
I am no expert on bird or swan behaviour, but it looks as though they were sizing each other up, with a display of superiority from one and a suppliant gesture from the other.
The day after Yayoi’s birthday, we once again went out for a walk. It was glorious day. This time, we chose the Jubilee River, starting close to Eton Rowing Lake in Dorney, and running down towards Slough.
We had driven over the river past the The Pineapple pub in Dorney and on through Eton Wick to get home to Windsor many times, but this was the first time we stopped to walk along the banks.
Jubilee River was built in the late 1990s to act as an overflow from the River Thames, to prevent flooding in the towns nearby – Windsor, Eton, and Maidenhead. At the time, it was the second largest man-made river project in Europe. Didn’t know that – thanks, Wikipedia!
Jubilee River is now a nature reserve and is home to a myriad of different species of birds and animals. There are also a number of hides for photographers or bird watchers to catch a glimpse of visiting species. Yayoi and I saw a few men with very nice cameras with large zooms. One day, I would like one of those!
We wandered down the river as far as Manor Farm Weir and back again.
Jubilee River is a really nice place to take a walk. They even have a boardwalk out into the middle of the river, so you can get closer to the wildlife. The more I get into photography – taking nice photos anyway – the more I would like a nice camera and get closer to subjects further away. Jubilee River nature reserve is a great place to do that. One day!…
