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Even Quieter

I haven't been commenting so much on the state of the River Chess as the year when it dried up fades into memory. I was reminded this week, however, when I was stuck in a queue of traffic near the swimming pool while a heron stalked along the river beside me. I didn't see what it caught but it pounced three times and ate something each time. There was also an article in the local paper recently about trout being released into the river.

At home everything is very quiet. The recent hot weather melted a lot of the fat bar in the back garden and it is taking about a week for one of the blocks on the quince tree to be eaten. A far cry from the three hours earlier in the season.

The goldfinches stay regular visitors and blue and great tits are also coming to the feeders. Chaffinces are less common than earlier in the year and I am seeing occasional house sparrows. Starlings have become infrequent visitors now and I haven't seen a woodpecker for quite a while.

Driving down the former M10 the other day I was struck by the lack of red kites after seeing them so frequently on that side of Hemel for a few weeks. I haven't seen any around the village recently either.

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