I have been looking at maps, and most recently the Handbook of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. I settled on investigating two that looked promising in offering photography opportunities, one was a lake, at Foxcote, the other a large Ridge and Furrow field, at Pilch Field near Great Horwood. The lake was large, with a substantial hide, but that was the one and only location from which to shoot, and that was my first destination. As I walked to the hide via a long straight track, numerous small birds flitted across my path which was a good omen.
However the view was of a very empty lake, and fully fifteen minutes elapsed before I sighted any birds on the water, on the far side I spotted two swans, then a small group of Goldeneye. This was a bird I had not photographed before, so that was promising, although I did manage to get some shots, they were never very close, and were crops from the full focal length of 1200mm (600mm and the 2x Converter!). I spent more than hour in the hide, and viewed from two opposing positions, but those birds on the water never came close unfortunately.
I had no idea what to expect at this second location, Pilch Field, and surprisingly, considering the overall lack of visible animal or bird life, I took more pictures here, because I was fascinated by the vast number of small mounds, and wondered which animal had created them. I phoned BBOWT, and it turns out they were created by ants — they must have been present in very large numbers, and have been very energetic! Presumably, the cultivation method, we humans used all those years back, was highly beneficial for these energetic insects, as they have populated the entire area.
So, despite my search for more exotic bird life was not fulfilled, my day had certainly proved interesting. I had known this was not the season for exciting discoveries, it was very useful in at least understanding what might prove to be worthwhile later in the year.
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