A week or so ago I decided what I really wanted to do for my birthday was go on a photo walk somewhere other than the fields either side of us, just me and my camera for a few hours to aeriate the soul. I had thought of going back to Muchelney, but it was a hot day, so in the end I decided that what I really really wanted was to go back to the much shadier Riverside Walk. I hadn’t been there since before the Lockdown, too many newcomers with small concept of two metres, but by all accounts the Great Undistant had largely stopped going down there, making it finally safe to return for those of us shielding others.
Since I’d last been there, Spring had been and gone – two months ago the first green shoots were only just beginning to appear, but now the walk was in full bloom, the woods having gone from light and airy to dark and verdant…
…while the lower river path was gloriously overgrown, the nettles and Green Alkanet having benefitted from two months of freedom from the attentions of the Countryside Team’s wonderful volunteers.
Everything was in full bloom, including the gorgeous Dog Roses that line the hedgerow along the first path…
Last year I spent a good few hours watching this tree while a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers reared their young – whether the holes have been used this year I’ll never know, but they are certainly vacant now.
The regulars were there of course – this Blackbird and Robin have been foraging along the path beside the railway ever since I started coming down here…
The other reason I was down here was to try out some new macro extension tubes I was given for my birthday, so here are some of the results so far. If you want to see the full-size versions, just click on the photos.
Alastair Swinnerton 