a late dip

I went out for a late walk from home tonight with Lesley and Dan. Dan had asked why don't I walk down the Ecclesbourne River, which is really a small brook, and after a small housing development it is being developed into a little nature reserve. Its literally only 5 minutes walk away and I had never considered going in that direction, always preferring the hills the other way. What a great surprise we had it is one of 25 river catchments chosen by Defra for a Pilot Catchment Project, with the aim of encouraging co-operation between various agencies and interested parties to improve water quality. There are brown trout in it and whilst the light was poor this evening it was also a treat to get shots of this dipper on a very high ISO, we also watched a tree creeper and grey wagtail. Most of my wildlife and bird shots are within a 15 minute drive from home but now I will be doing this 10 minute stroll more often.


In the #BTCB news the chicks are growing fast with the wide mouths far more distinct now and feathers beginning to appear. tv shot in extras shows 4 of the 7 hungry mouths being fed.