General (County) update - 22nd March 2011

• After a very settled weekend, a very settled week follows - warm, bright, no real wind (just a light breeze) - superb!
• The tufted drake is still with the mallards on the lock at Caversham - I've never seen a tufty other than on the water or in flight, but today I saw the drake asleep on the weir-side, out of the water with the mallards  -  quite a strange sight!
• On a wee walk up the Thames I was treated to the sound (and then sight of course!) of a kingfisher - nice to see always.
• Plenty of little midges and caddis flies around - not long now before the big hatches.

General (County) update - 5th September 2010

• After watching my beloved Bris lose to Esher yesterday (although we had a very nice day out again, thanks to Esher RFC), I thought I'd grab a quick opportunity to update any TBR viewerson two exciting local developments.
• Firstly, my good old pal and neighbour (Mr.T) and I have found a pool in the nearby river where kingfishers sit and fish regularly - we visited twice over the weekend and saw at least one kingfisher about a dozen times! NB. Because kingfishers are schedule 1 species, I will only be able to photograph them during the winter, and only then, very carefully. (Google "schedule 1 birds" and you'll understand this more if you need to).
• Secondly, whilst watching the kingfisher(s) yesterday morning, I saw what was certainly either an otter (I'd put money on that as it was milk chocolate coloured and quite large) or a mink (darker, slightly smaller) clamber around the banks of the pool (a way away) and then swim upstream.
• Some viewers to this blog might remember me talking about hopefully finding a "local otter" that had been reported - well I may have just done that! I'll have to watch the pool carefully at dawn over autumn and winter -and it may be a mink - but I really, REALLY hope it is an otter -Anna's favourite animal of all and less than one mile from the house!
• Keep watching this space!