River Dove At Tutbury

On Monday I was visiting friends who lived in Tutbury, and two of us took a walk from the village, across Tutbury Bridge, from where we saw the angler in the picture landing a fish. Along the riverbank we saw sand martins, swans and cygnets, young mallard, gulls and a sole tern flying up and down the river, and heard cuckoos. Along the banks grew creeping thistles, Himalayan balsam, meadow cranesbill, sorrel and cow parsley. The weather was glorious.

Beyond Dove Bridge there is an oxbow lake called Old River Dove, recently restored by an angling club, which we walked along. Coots waded through the water lilies, cows grazed on the opposite bank and we were thrilled to see a kingfisher fly past and into a bush. We walked back when we rejoined the Dove and passed another angler who wished we had turned up a couple of minutes earlier so that I could have photographed for him the 9lb 2oz barbel that he had just returned from whence it came! We also saw the elusive cuckoo when it flew from a nearby tree and across the river.

In the afternoon I paused at Horninglow, a suburb of Burton upon Trent, when I chanced upon the Trent and Mersey Canal at Horninglow Basin, and was treated to a swim past by a flock of geese.

L.
22.6.2011

Lens: Pentax 18-55mm

Day #452
Blip #450
Consecutive Blip #447

Alternatives:
Cranesbill And Sorrel (Sigma 70-300mm)
Sheep Near Marston On Dove (Sigma 70-300mm)
Reflections
Horninglow Basin (Sigma 70-300mm)

A Day In Staffordshire (Flickr set 0f 58 photos)

One year ago: Amur Leopard (at Twycross)