Tbeanz Garden Visitors
Photography by T J Smith
_JPG.jpg)
Nature Walks Diary
Introduction
Up until July 2022 the most walking I ever did was to the shopping centre around the shops and back home roughly a mile depending on which entrance was open (they are currently rebuilding up there and often close the entrance closest to us meaning we must walk much further to get to the shops.)
I have no sense of direction at all and often used to get lost in the car let alone on foot! I also have no sense of distance!
I had been on previous walks over the years to the River Stour about a mile away with my daughters and inevitably got lost every time and had to climb fences or take ‘shortcuts’ which turned out to be much longer than just backtracking the way we came, I always enjoyed my time out in nature and always planned to make more regular trips but somehow it never happened.
Young Moorhen
Bridge over the canal
moon over the ruins
Young Moorhen
First Walk 9th July 2022
While staying with a friend in Chester on the hottest day of the year so far there, someone suggested we walk along the canal to the local pub for a meal and relaxation by the canal.
The walk was approximately 2.5 miles – I was somewhat concerned if I could walk that far and being accompanied by my husband the Postman who walks miles every day and another accomplished walker, I knew I would hold them up especially having my camera with me and knowing how distracted I get trying to take photographs of nature, I was also recovering from a back problem and knew this would slow me down even more.
​
It was with some trepidation we set off along the road until meeting up with the canal footpath. I immediately found birds to photograph, and the men patiently waited for me to get my pictures before we moved on, eventually, they left me to it and continued on for a bit before waiting for me to catch up putting less pressure on me to keep up.
​
It was a beautiful place with lovely scenery and plenty of bird life on and around the canal, I was relieved to reach our destination without issue, and we had a nice meal but unfortunately, my back was hurting quite a lot and I found it very difficult to sit for very long, we got a lift back to where we were staying but it proved to me I was able to walk at least that far even with a bad back so I determined I would try it again when I got home.
_JPG.jpg)
First Walk along the Stour (alone) 20th July 2022
Finally, my back recovered, and I felt ready to try a walk along the river, I got my husband to drop me at Throop Mill Car Park and had no real plan of where I would walk but took drinks a snack and a towel (anyone who knows me will know I am extremely accident prone and as likely to fall in the river as walk along the edge haha!) I took a waterproof bag with my camera in and set off.
I knew there were kingfishers on the river and many other birds that I had never seen previously, so I wandered along with my camera in hand, stopping often to just take pictures and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature around me. The first thing I saw was a heron – not far away as I had previously seen, stood in a field, but right next to the bridge just stood on the side watching for fish, I got my first shots between the plant life and I was happy, but the heron was taking no notice of me so I risked getting closer, I got some wonderful pictures within the first few steps of the river! I was ecstatic. I continued once the heron had been scared off by a young family on a walk and found moorhen and ducks to photograph.
I heard some birds in the tree next to me but they were hiding so I just stood on the path hoping for a glimpse and a few pictures, one couple stopped and asked if I had found something interesting and I had to reply ‘I don’t know yet I can’t see what it is’, (I think they thought I was a bit strange and they moved on quite quickly), eventually I managed to watch a couple of them as they flew to the reeds and it turned out to be young long-tailed tits (a regular visitor in my garden), I still was pleased to see them! I walked on to a spot where I had sat once before when we had visited (one of the fisherman’s swims) sat on my towel, enjoyed a drink and some snacks and watched the fish swim by, before making my way back the way I had come to the carpark to be picked up. Not a long walk and no sign of the kingfisher but I had a wonderful afternoon and decided this was something I wanted to do more of!
_JPG.jpg)
The Long Walk 3rd August 2022
I did some research online, I found a place called Kingfisher Barn and someone had written a blog about taking their children on a walk from there to Throop Mill 3.6 miles, I could do that, I was sure! This was my next day off, but I decided to start at Throop Mill and walk to Kingfisher Barn to be picked up there, after all, if you could go one way you had to be able to do the other way right? https://arewenearlythereyet.co.uk/stour-valley-way-kingfisher-barn-to-throop-mill/ I got prepared with snacks, plenty of drinks and my trusty towel. It was a warm day but overcast so ideal for walking, I got dropped at the Throop Mill Car Park and off I went.
I walked down to the first bridge, no sign of the heron today, across the bridge and onto the main bridge where I saw the usual ducks and swans with their cygnets, beautiful! After the bridge, I turned left on the path I had not travelled before but in the direction I knew I had to go towards Kingfisher Barn.
The river scenery was lovely, and I took many pictures along the bank. I saw dragonflies, damselfly, butterflies and bees all very busy with the river to my left and farm fields to my right with hay bales drying in the warm sun. I took a few breaks on the banks of the river watching the activity all around me.
Suddenly I noticed a shape in the field beside me quite far away, could it be? Yes! It was a deer grazing in the field by the hay bales! I spent a lot of time as a kid out on country walks with my mum looking for deer, and I had seen some in July while we were driving through the New Forest, but today I was walking and I had my camera at the ready! I took some photos and just watched the deer eating in the field, I messaged my mum ecstatic that I had something to share with her. The deer gradually made its way to the edge of the field and disappeared into the hedgerow. Well, if I saw nothing else on this walk, I would have the memory of the deer.
I saw some movement in the reeds and realised there was a small bird there; I managed to get a few pictures with no idea what it was, could it be a warbler of some sort? Definitely something I had not seen before so could only hope the photos would come out clearly and it could be identified.
Time to move on, I had been moving slowly just drinking in the sights and sounds but I was only a third of the way on my walk and I really should get going! The path moved away from the river around the bottom of the golf course surrounded by trees, I heard a woodpecker but couldn’t find him in the branches. Birds were hiding in the hedgerows along with insects and the movement of the small shy mammals which I never got a glimpse of just the movement of the leaves as I passed by.
A small stream gurgled to my right and I moved across to see if it would make a good picture and spotted a couple of goldfinches taking a bath.
It was at the top of this path where I started to worry I had taken a wrong turn, I could hear children playing and music – out came my phone – oh this was Alice in Wonderland, a small theme park and yes the path was here but which direction was I supposed to go? I went one way and realised that was wrong so doubled back and walked past the back of Alice in Wonderland, then continued on the farm track past riding stables, back towards the river. At this point, Google maps was not much help but I spotted a Stour Valley Walkway sign so I continued on. I could see the river again but couldn’t get to it as there were gates and fences with ‘private property’ on them so I just kept following the pathway, looking down at my phone and trying to figure it out I heard a thump behind me! I walked back to see what it was that had made the noise and saw a golf ball, I looked around me and realised while concentrating on my phone I had not seen the driving range to my right with high netting which apparently was not high enough as continuing along this path I spotted many more stray golf balls I decided to hurry along to get past this bit.
I spotted a pathway back down closer to the river with one of the little fisherman gates on it, so through I went, according to the map I was closer to my destination of Kingfisher Barn so on I went. Through a couple more gates being careful to close them again behind me, the pathway was getting more and more overgrown, past a camping site surrounded by a wire fence and onwards with occasional openings onto the river and a fisherman enjoying his peace.
Through another gate and onto a pathway through a field, passed hay bales, but the river was blocked by very tall grass, so I kept to the path, almost there! I heard a plane from the airport and looked over to see a field of yellow, the most amazing sight, a whole field of sunflowers, I had never seen anything like it! Beautiful!
But wait, the map said I had reached my destination and I could hear the sound of people by the river so I waded through the long grass and saw on the other side of the river a lovely pathway with benches, families enjoying the river and children swimming and paddling on the other side. Hmmmmm well that was Kingfisher Barn, looked like a lovely place for families out enjoying what now was a very sunny late afternoon, but I was on the other side of the river with no way across, I walked to the edge of the field to find the way ahead blocked, a tractor path stretching on into the fields away from the river and no bridge! The bank of the river was higher here and although the water was low in the river, it was wide with many reeds, so no chance I could just wade across; I was stuck in a field in the middle of nowhere on the wrong side of the river!
Time to call my husband and explain my predicament, I was not too proud to admit I was completely stuck with no idea where to go. He said he would check and call me back, while I waited I looked up and down the river, still no bridge or place to cross and wading through long grass in the hot sun, I was starting to get very tired and very hot.
A few minutes later I got the call, ‘there is no bridge except at Throop Mill back where you started, you need to backtrack to the buildings by the campsite and get to the road and I will come to fetch you’. Now although I may have been upset and felt a little foolish that I got lost, I was not stupid enough to try and get back by myself without his help so off I went back through the field and small overgrown pathways to the campsite where again I got a bit stuck, there didn’t seem to be a path around the campsite to the road so I had to ask some people camping how to get to the road from where I was – ‘you will need to come through the camp and pick up the road at the top’ they said so I climbed through the wire fence and headed through the campsite to finally get to the road by the golf course and meet up with my rescuer on the road.
I was picked up making my way along the golf course road to the main road, I was very tired, hot and I ached all over but excited to share my experiences and the things I had seen that day. I had walked over 5 miles and been out for hours but had seen some amazing sights!
The small brown bird I had photographed on the reeds turned out to be a juvenile whitethroat, a new bird for me, to go in my book, still no sign of the kingfisher but one day I will see one!
First Walk with Charlie 5th August
Charlie had been away in America staying with friends for the last month and now she was home, I was very surprised when she said she wanted to share one of my walks with me! She is much more of a city girl and often escapes the garden to hide inside from the buzzing insects, but she really wanted to come too! I was still recovering from my long walk, but I was eager to share some of the river walk with her. We packed up our backpacks with drinks and snacks. It had been another hot day and although we left after I finished work at 4 it was still warm. We got a lift to the car park and headed along the pathway to the left following the route I had taken on my long walk but I had decided to only walk as far as Alice in Wonderland and just return the same way.
We saw the ducks and swans at the bridge, and I stopped often to listen and try and spot small birds in the trees, scanned the river for the flash of a kingfisher but were not rewarded with anything other than ducks and moorhen until Charlie spotted a heron in the fields to our right then she spotted something else! A large bird of prey perched on one of the hay bales a good distance away but we could tell it was big, I took a while trying to find it through the lens of the camera as it was just a brown shape at this distance, I took lots of pictures hoping it would turn its head, and then it took off judging from the wingspan we thought it must be a buzzard (turned out we were right). Charlie had proven to be a great spotter!
Continuing along the pathway at the back of the golf course under the trees, a movement in the bushes turned out to be a robin. The dragonflies and damselflies were everywhere, one of the damselflies landed long enough for me to get some pictures.
​
After getting to the end of the pathway by Alice in Wonderland it was time to turn back, we kept an eye on the river for flashes of blue and I was a little behind Charlie when I walked down a little pathway through the grass and undergrowth to the river bank and looked to see a flash of blue as the kingfisher took off from a perch opposite me (which I now have named the kingfisher perch) and flew down the river, I excitedly went back to the main path and motioned to Charlie to come back to where I was and told her what I saw.
We decided to sit on the bank for a while to see if the kingfisher would reappear and after a drink and a snack, finally, we were rewarded by another flash of blue as he flew back the other way but did not land. Although I would have liked to stay longer it was getting late and so we decided to move along back to the bridges where the cygnets had come out of the water to preen and the ducks were all close by making for some more good photos, and then back to the car park for our lift back home.
Not a long walk, but we had seen some great sights including the Buzzard and I finally had seen the Kingfisher, of course, the challenge would be to one day get a photo of this fast colourful bird.
Walk 10th August 2022 - First Kingfisher Photo
Wednesday, my day off and we planned another walk together, another warm day so we didn’t leave till mid-afternoon, got packed up and requested a lift down to the car park promising we would walk back as Neil had stuff to do.
At the bridges we saw two different families of swans with slightly different ages of cygnets and a young moorhen, the water was so clear I even got some pictures of the fish during our walk down the river.
We kept our eyes open all the way for the flash of blue and did see 2 kingfishers speeding past but no chance of a picture. We stopped at Kingfisher Perch and had our usual break, waiting patiently but again we just saw a flash as one flew by. Nothing in the fields today other than pigeons and crows.
We had some lovely views of the river, surrounded by the sounds of summer. We watched the ducks enjoying the weeds and slowly made our way back to the bridges. While I was taking pictures of the moorhen with very young chicks Charlie suddenly said ‘mum there is a red bird in the reeds just above those moorhen look!’ I followed her gaze and could barely see what she was pointing at but I focused my camera and zoomed it in a bit at a time, maybe a robin I said as I could now see the rough shape of a bird, and then on full zoom I could see what it was and I was thrilled it was the kingfisher perched amongst the reeds fishing!!
Not great pictures because I had to use max zoom and it was hiding in the reeds, but finally, I had pictures of this wonderful bird! I was very excited to get home and see what I managed to capture.
Now it was time for the walk home, I no longer drive as I do not have my own car and I refuse to drive Neil’s automatic Jag, so we would have to walk back, Charlie hates the back country lane from our house to Throop Mill Car Park which has no pavement and is very narrow with very selfish speeding drivers on blind bends, so we looked for a route that would take us to the main road by the shopping centre, a much longer walk to get home but we did stop in the shop to get a drink for Charlie as she had run out and pick up an item for Neil who was cooking.
We were hot and very tired when we got home but I was really happy with the Kingfisher picture I had managed to get!
Walk 12th August 2022 along the country lane
This particular day we didn’t have our driver so no choice but to go via the country lane if we wanted to walk by the river. I managed to persuade Charlie it would be ok as long as we followed the highway code - walking so we could see the traffic coming. On a side note, it amazes me these days to see people walking on the wrong side of the road with their backs to oncoming traffic, I was confused why so many people seemed to be ‘walking wrong’! and I was told that no one is taught that anymore! I guess I am lucky and grew up going on weekends visiting the country and was taught the correct and safest way to walk down a road with no pavement.
It turned out that walking along the country lane was amazing and we saw a lot before even getting to the river! It was an extremely hot day so we were glad of the shade of the tall hedgerows, but it does make it very hard on bends to see anything coming unless you move out to the middle, it's not a busy road just the occasional car when its not rush hour, a few lorries (goodness knows why they use such a narrow road) and some vans going in and out of the businesses down there, but like the walkers it seems, they have no idea how to behave on a country lane, they seem to think they can still take bends at speed with no idea what is around the next bend!
We passed by fields with horses hiding in the shade of trees, with whom we stopped for a quick conversation and some photos.
Then we spotted some sort of ground bird trying to get up the bank and over a fence into the field, but it was not staying still long enough to get a picture we cautiously moved closer and realised it was a whole family of them all attracted by the water trough in the middle of the field, they were so funny to watch running across the field. I initially identified these as grouse as they didn’t seem to have tails and I saw none of the colourful male colours of the pheasant, but I now think it was a female pheasant and her young. It really made the mile walk down the narrow country lane worth it.
We were greeted at the first bridge with the sight of the swans and on the far bank the heron, (in what I have since learned is one of its favourite fishing spots and usually see it there at least once either as we pass on the way down the river or on our way back to the road).
Then we saw the ducks just a couple of them by the side of the bridge and amazingly the water was so clear I managed to get some pictures of the fish too! One of which apparently was a chub (thanks mum and dad for the identification.)
On to the second bridge where we saw a moorhen with very young chicks in the weeds like little balls of black fluff with little red beaks – very cute!
Then we were on the pathway along the side of the river where I could see a lot of movement either side of me, Greenfinches and Goldfinches eating the thistle seeds but getting a picture was very hard, one moved, they all moved! Charlie spotted movement on the path ahead and we saw the thrush watching us from the path just in front of us. I stopped a lot trying to get pictures of all the birds around me hiding in trees and bushes, we stopped at Kingfisher perch for a rest under the trees and some cool drinks, it was still very hot despite being about 6.00 pm. No sign of the kingfisher on his ‘perch’ and not even a flash of blue.
We walked on along the path at the back of the golf course and were ‘followed’ by a friendly robin perched on sloes at the side of the path, on to the large tree over the pathway which I remembered to take pictures of this time! Then it was time to turn around and walk back.
As we were walking along the pathway again I spotted a small brown bird like a sparrow, but it was not a sparrow (I have experience with sparrows having so many in the garden and having taught myself the difference between house sparrows and tree sparrows) It looked quite different but what it was, I had no idea and getting a good picture was very difficult as each time we tried to move closer it flew a bit further away or into the grasses at the side of the pathway. I got a couple of pictures so I could try and identify it later. I have to do research on unfamiliar birds every time I go out, so I am always learning, plus I am part of a couple of really good groups on Facebook that are brilliant with identification even from the blurriest of photos! This was later identified as a female Reed Bunting thanks to some great experts in my group.
Then I had to stop again when I saw the greenfinches congregating on a dead tree, it was quite a sight to see them all there, they were quite a way away but I took pictures anyway! Then I was stunned as I spotted one quite close in the grasses at the side of the path and finally got a good shot of a greenfinch – I was very pleased!
Time was getting on at this point so I only stopped for a quick few pictures of the swan and cygnets as we went across the first bridge, but then we saw the Kestrel at the top of the electricity pylon and of course I had try and get a good picture so that took a while, finally we made our way back to the country lane, no sign of the pheasants but saw some horses who were interested to see what we may have for them before finally getting back home.
Because we walked both there and back we did a total of 4.3 miles on this walk.
Walk 14th August - Goldfinches & Kingfisher
I got a lift down to the car park as Neil was going out and Charlie was not feeling up for a walk. I planned a short walk just in the hope I would see the kingfisher again or get a better picture of the reed bunting.
The heron was in its usual spot but preening which made for a nice picture, the moorhen was happy in the weeds by the lily pads, and the cygnets were out of the water, great start to my walk!
I decided to start on the right hand walk as I hadn’t been that way for a while. I discovered the swans staying cool in the shade of the overhanging trees, I took a few pictures of them and the scenery and walked back to go the other direction towards kingfisher perch.
I spotted a greenfinch and was pleased to get a picture showing how well camouflaged they are. Then I turned a corner on the path to see goldfinches on their favourite food, the thistles, I finally managed to get some reasonable pictures, for some reason good goldfinch pictures elude me even in my own garden!
I took some more pictures of the beauty around me by this lovely river and spotted a robin watching me closely. It was a hot day and although I had not walked far, I had enjoyed my time just drinking in the nature around me. I saw a distant flash of blue but no other sign of the kingfisher, so I decided to make my way back across the bridges and walk the country lane back home.
​
I saw the swans and of course, had to take more photos and then got to the bridge to see a young couple standing watching something with fascination, they saw me and my camera and said ‘hey, there is a kingfisher right there if you want to get some pictures he has been there for a while, but we don’t have a camera’. Of course, I was excited! so they pointed out where it was, and I took a whole lot of pictures and let them look through the viewer for a closer look at the beautiful bird they had been watching. Finally, I had some clear shots of the kingfisher to show my family and friends.
Eventually, the kingfisher left its perch on the reeds and moved on along the river, I said goodbye to the people I had been sharing this experience with and made my way to the lane for the walk home, stopping and taking pictures of the pheasants in the field as I walked by.
Walk 15th August 2022 - To Iford Bridge or Not!
"It'll only be a short walk!" That's what Charlie said. We agreed to walk from home to Tesco via the main road and then along the Stour towards Iford Bridge, before walking home the same way.
We had, a long time ago, completed this walk on the way back from a hospital appointment in Christchurch and remembered spotting a kingfisher along the river, so decided to walk the stretch again.
The river can only be described as sluggish, the world still except for commuters on their bicycles. The water was low and covered so thickly with duck weed it looked like another field. We walked along hopeful but didn't spot a great deal, although we did see some interesting fungi which turned out to be identified as Chicken of the Woods.
We reached a split in the path I spotted a Stour Valley Walking route sign going back towards Throop Mill and was curious to see if it actually went anywhere and so instead of continuing to Iford Bridge, we decided to follow along to 'The Bridge' - a landmark on the map which is near a driving range.
We took some pictures from the bridge and decided not to go to the other side but to continue along the 'walking route' to see where it went.
_JPG.jpg)
Nearly squashed by golfing carts but enjoying our wander we decided to follow the path around the golf course - it couldn't take us too long surely to do the circle to Tesco which is then only about 10 minute walk from home.
As we walked, talked, and spotted birds in the grass (these turned out to be juvenile stonechats another new bird for me and very difficult to photograph as they moved along in and out of the grass) see below.
The walk kept developing. We just kept following the little signs. We found paths cut into the gorse and thickets which inspired memories of fantasy adventure stories!
At this point I had no sense of where we were - me having no sense of direction at all, Charlie however was confident we were still going towards Tesco and so on we went.
Once we reached the main road and spotted the welcome to Bournemouth Bridge Charlie declared "well, it's not THAT much further to go to the village!" and so on we went. Walking along the country road that leads to Holdenhurst Village then through the village to our well-travelled country road home from the river.
I think you can imagine that this walk turned out to be much longer than expected. We got some beautiful sunset shots coming out of the village as we took the longest way home, and even spotted a bunny rabbit. Rabbits have been surprisingly absent from all of our walks!
Walk 17th August - Showery day at Throop Mill
After all the wonderful sunshine this summer we were a little surprised to get a day of showers, not at all cold but had to keep putting the camera under cover to keep it dry. So our 'Walking Wednesday' had a different feel.
We again spotted pheasants in the field on our way down the country road to the river along with a kestrel sat on a post hunting, before reaching the mill.
_JPG.jpg)
The usual ducks and swans greeted us at the bridge and seemed to enjoy the showers after such dry weather.
Along the river, we went deciding to take the right-hand path for a change and with more cover in the showers. We saw moorhen and I even managed to get some pictures of the blue tit and long-tailed tit hiding in the trees, kept watch for the kingfisher but had no luck. I took pictures of my favourite tree (at this time - January 2023 the tree is almost completely submerged due to the heavy rains and flooding).
We continued along the path looking out over the fields where we were really lucky to spot the deer in the fields and I took quite a lot of pictures of them in the rain, unfortunately, due to the rain and the fact they were very far away, I didn't get a great photo, however, we really enjoyed watching 3 of them in the fields before we headed home.
Walk 19th August 2022 Surprises
​I had a short solo walk on a grey day at Throop Mill just to enjoy the feeling of peace and nature. I had no real expectations but after the kingfisher spot last time maybe I would get lucky.
I wandered along keeping my eyes peeled for the kingfisher, taking my usual snaps of the river and stream.
I spotted a Kestrel hunting, and hovering (the only bird of prey to hunt this way) I took some pictures not sure how they would come out. Imagine my surprise when I got home to see that a swift had photobombed one of my shots! They are so fast and despite my best efforts, this was the only picture I got of these fast athletic birds.
_JPG.jpg)
_JPG.jpg)
I took pictures of the cygnets at the bridge and then after a few more photos of the stream by the mill and time to make my way home snapping pictures of the pheasants in the field as I went.
_JPG.jpg)
Imagine my surprise when I got home and downloaded my photos, and spotted this kingfisher, sat on the branch in the stream!
Picture by Charlie Smith
Walk 21st August 2022 Hengistbury Head
Hengisbury Head is a beautiful nature reserve tucked at the top of the sandy beaches which stretch along to Poole at the other end. For children in the local area, it is a popular destination for school trips where they can engage in outdoor activities such as pod dipping and learning about iron-age tools to grind flour and how to make charcoal.
It is fairly far from our front doorstep so rather than walk all the way there (something we would attempt in a future walk) we were dropped off by car with the goal of enjoying a long walk around the head and then trying the walk home.
It was a beautiful day and at the end of the summer was busy with the last of the tourists. We were sceptical that we would really spot anything as dogs and bikes whirled around. However, the well kept pathways weaving from the marsh into woods and up onto the head itself gave us the opportunity to spot a number of things we hadn't spotted on other walks!
​
We munched on assorted snacks as we made our way around. I had read there were a number of very rare birds that I was eager to try and spot, particularly around the quarry lake. I was hoping to see the Dartford warbler but no luck.
We stopped in the hide facing the bird feeders, there was a flurry of little blue tits in scenes very much like those in our back garden but towards the back of the area Charlie spotted an egret high up on the branches of a tree, keeping watch. We caused a minor road block as I tried to capture a picture of a very confident and curious robin.
The walk around had us spot many ‘new to me birds’ including a linnet and I finally saw male stonechats (having only seen females and juveniles previously), along with birds flocking and flying, which were impossible to identify. We were so inspired by the walk that we decided to begin the walk along the Stour home.
Female common Linnet
Along the way we discovered new trails and even a hide looking out into the reeds, a fox crossed our path far too quick for a photo and night was falling fast, we only made it about half of the way home before Neil had to come and retrieve us.
Picture by Charlie Smith
We had learnt much more about the walking route and the little signs leading the way! Ready for the next adventures!
24th August our most ambitious walk yet - The Castleman Trailway
What a very long walk it was (well for us anyway haha) we walked along the Castleman Trailway https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/sport-leisure/walking/walking-in-east-dorset/castleman-trailway an old railway path from Ringwood (where Neil dropped us off) and headed to Wimborne Minster, It was a warm day and about twice the distance we have walked before so a challenge for us.
Most of the walk was along straight pathways right in the middle of the countryside and no sign of civilisation other than the many cyclists that passed us. I heard many birds, but they remained well hidden and even the squirrels ran away from the sound of our approach. Our only constant companions were the robins hopping in and out of the hedgerows.
We walked past a few nature reserves on our walk and stopped and went around one called Lion Hill, where apparently there was a chance of seeing rare reptiles and birds, we saw neither but it was nice to have a change from the trail and the heathland was beautiful. We did see ants on their own trail, which we were very careful to step over so as not to disrupt their travel, a caterpillar (from the White-marked tussock moth), and a small copper butterfly.
We continued along the trailway until it went through the main town of West Moors where we stopped in a pub for a cold drink and a short rest to cool down a bit before continuing on to find the next part of the trailway.
This was at about 5.30 PM having started our walk at about 3 PM.
Once we left civilisation again the trailway changed slightly with a small stream which was very low and more woodland areas which was much more our thing!
We walked through another nature reserve well at least part of one run by the National Trust called Uddens Plantation It was getting late with no end in sight, we stopped by a small bridge and contemplated our next move. We were literally in the middle of the countryside quite a way from where we had hoped to end our walk and Neil pick us up. We decided to walk to the next road we found and contact Neil to let him know where to get us from.
A few minutes later I got a text from Neil saying ‘I don’t think you will make it to Wimborne Minster before dark’ he had been tracking us on our location app on my phone, we agreed and he then suggested a pub ahead of where we were, which, according to Google would take us about 40 minutes to get to, we thought that was a good plan and felt we could keep going for another 40 minutes and still be there before it got dark.
On we went following Google instructions – now Google is great for drivers, but it turns out not so great for walkers! We followed the directions up the trail and then towards the main road, we got around the corner to find a main road which was very busy with no path at all and everyone driving very fast. Charlie turned to me and said 'no way we are walking on there'! I agreed with her assessment, although I was concerned we would get lost.
We backtracked and found a pathway that travelled parallel to the main road following it along and through the woods before rejoining the marked trailway. We continued following that across the road bridge at which point the trailway seemed it went in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go but there were no other choices! I was now getting more than a little concerned we would never make it to the pub, let alone before dark haha!
We rounded a corner and stretched before us was just a long straight pathway that looked like it went on forever, we picked up the pace (I had given up with pictures at this point and tried to walk a lot faster than I normally do but I was tired, and my legs were aching).
We made it along the trail and onto the side road we were aiming for and followed the map towards the pub and … there it was! with Neil sat in the garden and drinks waiting for us!
We walked nearly 8.5 miles and I was very proud of what we had achieved, we did agree that we probably would not do that walk again – the scenery was lovely but not much in the way of wildlife which was constantly disturbed by cyclists, I do think it was incredibly well suited for a bike ride, or serious walkers who do it for just the need to walk, but for us it lacked the nature interest and the slow meanders where I can stop to take a picture and take our time to enjoy it without the worry of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with no road for a car to pick us up for miles.
There were some lovely nature reserves close by the trail that we would like to go back and visit but with a car park to walk back to 😊
Walk 29th August Kingfisher Barn
Finally, it was time to follow the correct path and walk to Kingfisher Barn. Charlie and I set off late afternoon with a clear plan to follow the signs to Kingfisher Barn on the correct side of the river!
Down the country lane past the turning for Throop Mill and on through the village of Throop following the signs. After the walk along Throop Road, there was a small lane to walk down which provided some lovely scenery with fields on either side, until we got to the Stour Valley Nature Reserve and could, at last, see the river.
We stopped for a snack and drink on a bench by the river before continuing to Kingfisher Barn Visitor Centre where there was a café and shop. We saw some lovely wooden carvings and benches along the way and even took a detour through the arboretum to look at some of the lovely trees.
Looking out over the river watching the swans I spotted the field I had seen on my first walk still full of sunflowers, which I pointed out to Charlie to see where I had been on my very first adventure!
We didn’t spot much actually at Kingfisher Barn with no sign of the kingfishers or the otters I had heard can sometimes be seen there so we walked on along the river hoping for a quiet spot to look, it was quite a busy day and I saw someone else with a camera sat on a bench so asked if he had seen anything and he said that the kingfisher had indeed been going past. We continued for a little while and did see the kingfisher fly past briefly but no chance of a picture at which point time was moving on so we decided to head back.
_JPG.jpg)
We walked back the same way and saw butterflies in the fields and our first upside-down rainbow! I then spotted a dead tree with an interesting shape so took some pictures, while taking them I spotted movement close to the tree but too far to work out what it was. We cautiously moved forward and I zoomed all the way in to see some birds that were completely unfamiliar to me, I took some pictures which I knew were not going to be great but hopefully, I could ID the bird when I got back! (this turned out to be a couple of Spotted Flycatchers!)
We saw a few more birds as we headed along the lane including a nuthatch who seemed very curious. As we had not seen a lot of things on the river we decided to detour along the pathway to the other side of Throop Mill and my favourite part of the river where we saw a kestrel, swans, ducks and ‘Harry’ the heron.
Finally, it was time to walk the country road back home. It turned out to be quite a long walk but an interesting afternoon.
Walk 31st August Christchurch, Wick Ferry and the storm!
Walking Wednesday caused a long discussion between us, we wanted a good walk but felt that Hengistbury Head was a little too far to go especially as a storm was forecast that evening so looking at the map, we thought we could get to Christchurch Priory, another favourite of Charlie. We set off a little later than planned for our walk, but we should still make it home well before the forecasted storm.
The first part of the walk was along the main road to Tesco, picking up the river there and then back to the road to Iford bridge, following the signs for the Stour Valley Way, we wandered over fields until again we saw the river, we stopped for some lunch on a bench in a lovely peaceful spot before moving on along the river.
The Stour Valley Way at this point goes onto roads away from the river but on we went we consulted the map and worked out we needed to go over the bridge to get on the right side for the Priory but the map was showing a long route along the main roads, we followed the map until we couldn’t see a sight of the river and we didn’t seem to be getting closer to the Priory at all, we finally took a detour towards the river again.
We had taken a long time to get this far and looked like we were still a while away from the Priory, I was worried about getting home before the storm hit so we looked at our options, judging how long it had taken us to get this far we had the same again to get home, so we reluctantly decided we should head home but we could see the pathway on the other side of the river!!
Then I saw a boat and asked Charlie if perhaps we could get a lift across half joking, we walked down to the dock area to find that it was Wick Ferry which literally was there to take you across the river – I always take a small amount of cash with me when we go out so we asked the ferryman to take us across the river – was the highlight of our day I think, very short trip in a boat across the river before we started the long walk back.
The sky was starting to turn grey and we still had a long way to go but on we went taking pictures of the gulls and ducks along the way, we reached Iford Bridge as a small shower hit, but it wasn’t much so we hopped into the chip shop for a bag of chips to eat along the way.
As we continued the sky was getting darker with ominous clouds overhead, I suggested we walk along the main road on the way back so if we needed a lift Neil could find us.
​
Then the storm hit – IT WAS EARLY! suddenly the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed and the heavens opened, we were just crossing the major road to go under the bridge where we stopped to try and get everything away where it would stay dry, clear our glasses but it was no use we were already soaked through with water dripping off us, we could barely see the road ahead where we were crossing and we had about ½ a mile to go! On we went tired, miserable and very wet! Trying to see ahead to go down the quickest road to get home, it was awful, then as we decided on our path I spotted a car – yes it was Neil come to fetch us, he had messaged but with everything so wet our phones were put away and I had not heard it over the storm.
​
We have never been so happy to be heading home in the dry car! I threw the chips in the bin now soggy and useless and went to the kitchen tiles to strip off my very wet clothes.
It was not a fun trip and really we had not seen much with a lot of the route being along roadways not by the river, very disappointing but we had learned some things for our next adventures.
Walk 2nd September River and Red Arrows
I started the day taking pictures of the garden birds while waiting for Charlie to be available, I love this picture of the nuthatch!
Our first walk after the Storm disaster so we decided we would have a lovely little walk to Throop Mill and back no great long walks and somewhere I was sure to find something to photograph.
Unlike our last trip, the weather was lovely and it was peaceful down at the river – until we heard the roar of aircraft overhead, the Red Arrows were here for one of the air shows. They were based at the local airport just across the fields from the river. It was like having a front-row seat as they displayed over the fields!
After the display we walked up to ‘kingfisher perch’ for our usual sit and snack time, hoping to catch sight of the kingfisher flying by or maybe landing on the perch, unfortunately, we only saw it speeding past as it went up the river.
We were however joined for our break by a lovely robin who sat watching us from the hawthorn and brambles. It posed beautifully for me and I now had my Christmas Card picture for this year!
Then it was time to walk back home looking in the fields as we went. We spotted the kestrel hunting and pheasants running around in the fields.
A very nice afternoon much more relaxing than recent walks had been!
Picture credit Charlie
Walking Wednesday 7th Sept. back to Hengistbury Head
​We decided to go back to Hengistbury Head after having such a lovely afternoon there before, this time we would walk back home!
Neil dropped us off at the visitor centre and away we went, much windier today especially up on the head, but the sun was shining again. I spotted white dots over in the bay, maybe gulls? I zoomed in and saw it was a large collection of swans, I have never seen so many together, they were very far away so not great pictures.
After taking some pictures of the scenery we walked on and spotted stonechats on the gorse bushes, then we spotted something - Charlie asked ‘is that some sort of kite someone is flying?’ It seemed very still in the high winds - it was a kestrel hovering looking for prey, I was very impressed how it could stay so still in the wind and we then watched it dive for its prey.
_JPG.jpg)
I saw some wonderful artwork on the side of the lifeguard station at the top of the hill which I had not noticed last time.
We took more pictures of the view around before finding a seat near Quarry Pond to rest and have a snack. While we were sitting we spotted many more stonechats (they were struggling somewhat in the high winds), and a clouded yellow butterfly landed close by.
Then it was time to start the walk back home, we took a slight detour into the marshes where I was hoping to see some of the more unusual birds, but there was nothing in sight. Looking at my watch we needed to push on if we were going to make the long walk back before dark this time.
Passing some lovely carved benches and the priory across the river, we went along the river until we were forced onto the roads for part of the journey - my least favourite part of the walk with nothing to see for what seems like ages before we joined the river once more.
After the road walk, I didn’t take many pictures as we were concentrating on finishing the walk before dark and looking for other places to investigate on later walks.
We walked back by the river at Iford, before joining the road by Tescos where we stopped to buy more drinks. We continued the final leg home along the lane to Bournemouth Bridge joining the main road home (rather than back through the village and country lane) so we made it home before dark.
It was a lovely visit once again to this wonderful nature reserve.
Walking Wednesday 21st September - An Incredible Day!
​
I had the most incredible afternoon on this particular 'Walking Wednesday', I had a meeting at lunchtime, but the weather forecast for the following days was all rain, so, as soon as I was free, I packed my rucksack and headed out.
I barely started my walk when I spotted a buzzard, with amazement I watched as it landed on a pole right in front of me, I managed to grab my camera while it posed beautifully for me then took off and did a fly-by at head height back up the country road!
I have never been so close to this large, majestic bird and not when it was perched, seeming to be happy to share some time with me!
I thought that would be my encounter for the day, something very special, but the surprises continued! I saw deer in the far fields which I took pictures of. I will always remember walks with my mother in the Forest looking for deer, so always try and get pictures to share with her, they were very far away so the pictures are not the greatest but still thrilling to me.
I walked up to my favourite spot (nicknamed by me 'kingfisher perch', because I saw one there once). Sat and had a rest but no sign of the robin who normally comes to see who is in his spot and share some time with me, I was a little disappointed to not see him there, so I stood up to head back upriver and turned to see another deer in the field behind me 😊
I slowly walked on, stopping as and when the river was in sight, in the hope to catch the flash of blue of the kingfisher but no sign of any flying on the river.
I spotted movement in a tree in front of me and tried to get pictures of what may be there but shooting into the light gave me only a silhouette and I had no idea what it was, then it flew away but I kept watching hoping for it to land again and indeed it did in a bush near to where I was and out in the open so managed some good pictures which have now been identified as a Meadow Pipit, a new to me bird!
I still had plenty of time before the light failed when I made it to the bridge so decided to walk further upriver to see if I could spot anything in the reeds, I did see what I think was a reed warbler but the pictures are not great as it was far away and darting in and out of the reeds so I moved on.
I then spotted an egret in flight – I have not seen one on the river before so I took a couple of pictures before it disappeared around the bend. I didn’t see much else so decided to head back to the bridge to take pictures of the swans before heading home.
I got to the bridge to discover the little egret had landed just in front of the fishermen in the middle of the river by some reeds I quickly took pictures before it took off once again and headed away from that part of the river.
I still had plenty of time before the light failed when I made it to the bridge so decided to walk further upriver to see if I could spot anything in the reeds, I did see what I think was a reed warbler but the pictures are not great as it was far away and darting in and out of the reeds so I moved on.
I then spotted an egret in flight – I have not seen one on the river before so I took a couple of pictures before it disappeared around the bend. I didn’t see much else so decided to head back to the bridge to take pictures of the swans before heading home.
I got to the bridge to discover the little egret had landed just in front of the fishermen in the middle of the river by some reeds I quickly took pictures before it took off once again and headed away from that part of the river.
Then a flash of blue! The Kingfisher was flying around the pond! I watched for a while as it disappeared into the trees hoping it would return to this end, by the bridge, where I had been told it could often be seen fishing.
My patience was rewarded as she flew all around the pond and landed right by the bridge! I got into the best position possible, as my view was obstructed by plants, and just took pictures – lots and lots of pictures! I must have taken about 300 while she was sitting there looking for fish, she often looked in my direction, very aware of where I was, but seeming to be happy I was not a threat to her, she would go back to fishing. She stayed even when a family with dogs crossed the bridge (the dog spotted a squirrel using the bridge and gave chase, and I felt sure she would leave), but there she remained content to watch the river with an occasional glance in my direction.
She had no luck with fishing so eventually moved on, but I was so happy and couldn’t wait to see what photos I had managed to get. A lot of them ended up being of just her back as she studied the water but I managed to get a few where she looked in my direction. (My favourite is the one above this story, which I now have printed and put up on my wall!)
I was so happy, what a lovely afternoon! I then made my way to the road to walk home. Charlie really likes the pheasants in the fields by the side of the country road so I tried to spot some as I walked but not one was in sight.
Charlie called me to see how I was getting on, as she hadn't made the walk, I told her I had not seen one pheasant all afternoon and was just checking the last field. This field is close to the very narrow part of the road and somewhat difficult to take pictures of, as there is a bank and barbed wire fence along the edge of the road. I headed over to it while she was on the phone and what should I see right in front of me but another deer and I just said ‘OH A DEER!’ down the phone and she said 'quick get pictures and get off the phone haha!'
I was lucky to get a few shots before it wandered away through the long grass.
This walk was, I think, my most successful in terms of wildlife seen and photographed, the surprises just kept coming around every bend it seemed. This will stay in my memory for a very long time - the joy of the buzzard just sitting and posing for me at the start would have made this walk wonderful, but to continue to see such amazing creatures all afternoon was fantastic and the Kingfisher so close was an incredible experience.