Ingbirchworth Reservoir

From the roadside parking at Ingbirchworth I set off clockwise on the good trail that runs around the reservoir. A large number of Canada geese were floating on the water quite close to the bankside. Every so often a group of them would take off, disappear for a few minutes and then come back to land on the water. I like to see them land on the water; a chaotic jumble of wings, feathers, legs and water, all accompanied by plenty of honking. I wonder if they enjoy it? It looks great fun.

Further around the reservoir, on a small hill, there is a picnic. site. I went up there and got great views across the reservoir and towards the windmills on Royd Moor. Somebody maintains plenty of bird feeders in the area and this attracts a variety of birds. I spotted a wonderful Yellowhammer. There is a picnic bench there too. It is a great place to have lunch, watch the birds and soak in the views. It was a bit late for breakfast and too early for lunch and so I continued on the trail around the reservoir.

Scout Dike

At Scout Dike I thought it would be worth having a look for that Dipper I saw yesterday (see Scout Dike Hike Plan A And B). Unfortunately he was nowhere to be seen and so I continued my walk clockwise around the reservoir. It wasn't long before I came across Roger walking the other way. Yesterday he'd informed me about the location of the Dipper. I told him I'd managed to get a picture of it. He still hadn't. I tried not to gloat.

As I was walking across the dam I stopped to watch a Great Crested Grebe diving to catch a fish. I'd never seen one catch one before and so I thought I'd give him 5 minutes to see if he did. Almost immediately he came back up with a fish in his mouth! He had several goes at swallowing it, before managing to do it with the fish head first. Poor fish. What away to go. I just hope it was dead before it reached the Grebe's stomach. A young couple, further along the dam, had also been watching the performance. They came up to me and started chatting about it. I showed them some of the photos I'd taken and they were quite impressed to get a closeup view.

Annat Royd Nature Reserve

I continued along my route and went past a field with three llamas. They just continually grazed. I had to wait a minute or two before one raised its head so I could take a photo.

It was still bitterly cold. The boggy farm track of High Lane had frozen over and this made it much easier walking and a lot less messy. The lane took me up to the small Annat Royd Nature Reserve. It is a disused quarry at a junction between two roads. I've been here a few times but, to be honest, there isn't that much wildlife evident. The only thing I saw was a Robin high in the tree on top of the cliffs edging the reserve. I'm sure someday I'll see something spectacular in there, but that day wasn't today.

As I walked down the road back to Ingbirchworth Reservoir I spotted what looked like a large white/grey bird in a field. I thought it might be a heron. That would be a great end to the day. I took a photo and expanded it, only to find it was a white plastic bag on a stick being used as a scarecrow. Not to be defeated, I thought I saw a large number of Canada Geese in an adjacent field. A couple approached from behind me and asked if they were Canada Geese. I confidently replied that they were. When the couple left, I took a photo of the birds, expanded it and found that they were pigeons. My eyesight isn't as good as it used to be.

It was actually getting dark when I got back to my car. I'd finally managed to visit Royd Moor Reservoir, Scout Dike Reservoir and Ingbirchworth Reservoir. It had taken me two days but I got there in the end. To be honest, the wildlife and views are so good, the visits shouldn't be rushed anyway.