The greylag family eating in the long grass

Helena and I ventured forth to Frampton Court lake again as the lure of the peaceful setting and the bright sunshine was very attractive. We set off rather later than intended and so we spent the middle of the day there. Helena took a sun brolly and her reclining chair so she could read under a parasol, with the sounds of birdlife all around.

We entered the park land through the usual kissing gate in the wall of the estate. Within a hundred yards we reached a break in the bushes on the bank of the lake just as two families of greylag geese were leaving the water to waddle up the four foot slope on to the grassland. I’m sure they are the same two families which I blipped two weeks ago, with two parents each and four goslings. We stood still and I got my camera out but were both surprised that all the geese made a steady approach towards us, only about ten yards away. In fact the first family came within five feet of us as they started to eat the long grass which was already going to seed.

I was captivated and felt privileged that they allowed us to watch them from such a close position. The second family had headed for a patch of longer grass in the shade of the bushes beside the water. I moved closer to them and took photographs of them in the dappled shade as they all ate avidly. We left them to it, and noticed they stayed on the land for some time before returning to the lake.

We took up a similar position to our last visit, with me standing and walking about with my camera. I had a couple of chats with other people, of whom there were only a few. One local man was a keen birdwatcher and told me lots of useful information about the various bird species that can be seen at different times around the lake. 

What a fab way to spend part of our day! I’ve resolved to go there early in the morning to see how different it might be.