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Rickmansworth

When I spotted that the forecast had changed and this afternoon would stay dry I decided to sample the lakes at Rickmansworth Aquadrome. Water levels were very high and some paths flooded. Bury Lake produced little of special interest with mute swans, tufted duck, mallard, coot. black headed gulls and a heron. The latter was close to the path keeping totally still and totally unfazed by passers by. He kept so still while I took a couple of pictures with my phone that I was beginning to think that it was a model but then he finally turned his head slightly.

I wasn't wearing boots which made, the potentially more interesting, Stockers Lake mostly inaccessible but from the tarmac path on one side I did see a pair of shoveller and a pochard. The low sun made it difficult to identify most of the birds from that angle.

I don't know if I was just unlucky or if they don't like the area but I didn't see any red kites. I had been wondering how far towards London they were spreading as they seem to have been following the M25.



At  home food is now being taken although I think the sunflower seeds are mostly going to the squirrels. Long tailed tits visit the fat feeders regularly but the main visitors are robins and blackbirds with very occasional blue or great tits.

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