Birding Part two

What wlse is there to do on the Thames. Apart from keeping ones eyes peeled for the rowers, there are only the birds to observe and endless green trees, meadows and very expensive houses.

As I prefer nature to architecture I look at the birds.

We have left parakeet country behind and very briefly entered Kite country around Marlow. Ther were five or six in the air at once, wheeling and sparring. At one point two of them mimicked the display variety we see in the local park and did a formation flying display turning together in a marvelously co-ordinated flight. A bit further on I noticed a group of falcons. Whether they were Merlin, peregrine (too small) or some other, (hobby?) I am not sure but there were five or six together wheeling around and swooping low over the water.

Terns were the next feeders to be seen almost touching low over the waves and then we spotted a lone swift. They really do make it summer. However the weather belied that. We had a rain storm for two hours this morning. When we reached Temple lock it was as though we had crossed the line drawn by the weather forecaster and we entered a zone of blue sky. The wind did not let up though. We battled it right to our overnight mooring.

Also spotted along the way was this immigrant family. I am not colour prejudiced but I wonder how long it will be before the balck swans outnumber the white ones! The Canada Geese we saw on the way today certainly outnumber the grey varieties by a factor of ten at least.

As we finished our fish and chip dinner, we saw a barn owl quartering the field where we are moored.

A long and tiring day. 27.1/2 miles, 8 locks.