Sep 28th Strumpshaw Fen

Great Tit

I have returned to Strumpshaw, but this time as a visitor. Mum and I have brought my 2 year-old niece Ava for her first ever bird watching trip. We hired a pair of binoculars that's suitable for children for her, though if she's actually seeing anything out of them is anyone's guess. At least she's figured out how to use them, sort of. It makes us laugh when she places them over her eyes for everything, even when the thing she's looking at is right in front of her.

Ava testing out her binoculars

Common Darter

I took Ava to the family 'base camp' area in the woods, where she really enjoyed rolling around in the large tri-hammock. As for wildlife, she was fascinated and interacting with the plants and insects that I pointed out to her. Of course, I had to simplify the things I was showing her with words like dragonfly, flower, butterfly and toadstool as she repeats the words back to us in her toddler way of talking.


Another Common Darter

Shaggy Inkcap

Common Lizard

Along Sandy Wall, I spotted 2 lizards basking on the wooden borders of the path. When Ava eventually saw what we were trying to show her, she couldn't help but approach them in curiosity and the lizards made a dash to cover when they saw her coming. A great spotted woodpecker perched on a dead tree behind us, which alerted me with its loud 'jep' call, but I was the only one to see it before it flew away. With her small legs, Ava was soon getting tired from walking, so I had to carry her the rest of the way to the Fen Hide. While we were there, a kingfisher showed up. It was perching on the post on the far side of the pool. If Ava could see it or not through her binoculars, I have no idea, but I did show it to her via my camera.

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Kingfisher

Gadwall

Walking back, I gave Ava a piggyback ride. Along the way with Ava on my shoulders, we came across a couple looking at a Chinese water deer. Again, not sure if Ava saw it, but she surely must have had a better view of it than I did at that moment. We also spotted a third lizard basking on the wooden borders. Finally, we ended her first outing with an ice cream inside the Reception Hide, while watching the ducks on the broad outside. All in all, if I was Ava, I couldn't have asked for a better first birding trip than the one she had. A kingfisher, 3 lizards and a Chinese water deer, not bad at all!

Coot

Mute Swan

Cobber the Black Swan