River life at Hope Mill bridge

I submitted five of the eight documents which I have been assembling on behalf of the working group this morning, which was a relief. Just a few bits more to tidy up and deliver this evening. The information has to be circulated as the agenda papers ready for the big meeting next Monday evening when the council will vote on the proposal.

This afternoon I gave myself half an hour to visit the riverbank at Hope Mill bridge, which is close to where I pick up Helena from her regular Monday afternoon job. I often blip a picture from there as I follow the seasons. Today the water level was low, and the irregular clouds were scudding rapidly across the sky, with occasional showers of light rain. I walked about on the bank watching the very young ducklings with their mother and a young coot with one of it's parents. Normally the two swans that live hereabouts come and harass any people who stand on the bank by the car park, but today they were absent.

As I stood enjoying the view upstream between the pretty banks with overhanging trees and shrubs on one side and a few small mobile homes on the other, I saw masses of tiny flies hovering above the water. A duck swam across the width of the river leaping up in the air to catch flies. Then I saw the first of several trout jumping right out of the water also after the flies. I was reminded of Richard Donkin's blip of a Mayfly yesterday, and being told by another friend who loves trout fishing, how hatching of mayflies indicates the good times for fishing.

I looked into the bed of the river, which in places is several feet deep and noticed a series of trout aligned against the flow, waiting for whatever food appears, I presume. Then out of nowhere the two swans appeared just beside me as they tried to forage for green vegetation under the water and then on the bank below my feet. I couldn't resist blipping this picture as it gives an unusual view of the swan's mouth filled with green leaves.

I should remind you that it wasn't long ago that I had this encounter with the same birds , who today were peaceful and apparently content to share this lovely landscape with me. I think it must have been hormones.