A Walk Along The River
On today’s walk I followed the river from the lake. After leaving the Whooper Swans I made my way downstream. The bubbling of the river nearly made me think of spring despite the surrounding ice and snow. Mallards were feeding along the banks while a pair of Common Goldeneye stuck to the deeper water. While watching the goldeneye’s, a black and white blob flew past with whirring wings, a White-throated Dipper. Not a nice way to describe the bird perhaps, but I think it is fitting. The Dipper landed on the edge of the ice, only to jump out into the ice cold flows of the river and disappear under the fast flowing currents. In the surrounding woodland I could hear Goldcrest calling, not one but several, they seem to have been low in numbers so far this winter so it was nice recording so many. Further in between the pine trees I could hear a Great-spotted Woodpecker chipping, I was not the only one, another woodpecker soon answered making two birds present. Returning my attentions to the river I was just in time to see a pair of Goosander head up stream. This was soon followed by today’s rarity – a Herring Gull. Seeing this species, far away from the coast and in the middle of winter started me thinking of global warming and what other species I will be watching here at Voss in a few years time in the middle of winter.
