Monday 4 October

A damp morning, but the sun was trying to appear.

We stayed near the lodges as Meg has had a bad month and the vet has upped the Bromide and reintroduced Phenobarbitone (a small dose) - this means she is a little wobbly at times so we are keeping the exercise down for a while, that is of course our idea but Meg has other ideas and is still very active.

 The big lodge - hard to believe that the lodges were all part of the industry that use to be in this area.

Tern Raft has been used successfully for two seasons with a total of 5 youngsters.

 Looking down the lodge.

Earth Star - good job I went to have a look for them as the day after I had another look and they looked like they had been kicked about and stood on. Makes no sense - see something out of the ordinary and some folk think it's dangerous, yet they will be growing worst things at home and not realise it.

That weird shaped Fungi on silver birch.

Plenty of Hawthorne Berries about.

 Still some Oxeye Daisies - Leucanthemum vulgare in flower.

The small pier or jetty on this small holding lodge (originally something to do with bleaching) has never been used.

This is the Small Lodge.

Snowberry - Symphoricarpos albus

Flying lessons have been taking place, one of the youngsters is a little bit slower than the rest but it is finally getting in the air, as you can see Mum and the five cygnets are airborne.

Half way and still coming, if you look closely the slow learner has dropped back and down.

Mum and four made it to the channel end, the late developer got just over half way.

This is the one with mum - it's the darkest of the 5 but at least I have seen it fly, I was beginning to think it would never get going.

He/she is as big as the rest and looks well. It was soon eating along with the rest.

Mum and the four good flyers are already eating.

Lonely Lucy on land with Billy hanging about.

Take Care.