Pitsford

When I had horses, twice every day I used to drive across the causeway that divides the lake into recreational in the south and protected in the north. I walked and rode around the southern edge, but I never visited the north because you need a permit, you can't take dogs and you can't run. Oh no - once when I was working for Anglia Television I went out in a boat from the Fishing Lodge north of the causeway. I can't recall why. It was a lovely evening: very peaceful

Anyway, as I had to visit the reservoir for an interview, I took the opportunity afterwards to stroll around some of this new territory.

As part of the interview process, we had built a bird-house. My father has two that no birds ever live in. I bought him both. I have one and I don't think anyone lives there. So, I've been a little doubtful about birdboxes - though making one was fun.

As soon as I set off for my walk, i saw a tiny blur whizz out of a birdbox attached to one of the trees. A Blue Tit, I think. The Wildlife Trust have put up a lot of birdboxes - mostly for small birds but this one, I guess, is for.... owls?

Of course, I gave my Merlin app a good workout. And began to recognise more of the calls. Also to notice how the variety of species changes as you walk from one patch of habitat to the next.

Canada Geese featured in the soundscape!

This site is an SSSI - a site of special scientific interest - due to the waterbirds mainly. But they do a lot of surveys here - as well as birds and butterflies, moths and fungi - which got me quite excited. I will be doing a 'bat survey' here in a few weeks.

The trees were, many of them, planted when the dam was built - in the 1950s, I think. Plantations of firs and sycamore. But I also saw ash that looked vigorous, beeches, a lot of willows, oaks - saplings as well as some much older trees (one copse has been in place for at least 200 years), yews and.... yes... poplars.

There were a few of these. They interested me. From a distance the leaves look very pale and I wondered it if was a grey poplar. But the grey is not a black poplar hybrid and this DID have some of the scent, weak, but present, in the new leaves. Black poplar hybrid seems to be the most likely verdict. I took some twigs home to put in a pot.