Sunny Day Off

A pre dawn departure for me as I decided to spend my day off work in the Oundle area. Unusually my bus was if anything early and I found myself at Barnwell CP just as the first hints of light were beginning to show. Cawing crows and ticking Robins provided a soundtrack as I made my way to the Kingfisher Hide where I hoped once again to watch some otters. Memories of parties past came to mind when I opened the hide door as a very distinct smell filled the air. Opening the flaps helped to disperse the fug somewhat and my urge to listen to Dark Side of the Moon faded.

Water levels are high.

In the dim pre dawn light I could just make out the dark shapes of voles moving around the woodpiles, at least four were present. Gradually more birds woke up and both Wren and Dunnock could be heard. A flock of five Cormorants landed but didn't stay long while a Mistle Thrush rattled somewhere in the park. I was joined by another observer after about an hour and he sprinkled a little seed around outside which had the desired affect in that it attracted both voles and birds.

Nosy Nuthatch and Great Tit.

Ripples and a trail of bubbles alerted us to the presence of an otter and we had some prolonged views. Unfortunately the poor light coupled with the animal's movements meant that my attempts at photography were dire, a whole load of blurry dross had to be deleted. After five or ten minutes the otter swam out of sight and I amused myself by watching the Nuthatches, Marsh Tit and the Bank Voles moving around in front of us. Shrill whistles signalled a brief fly past by a Kingfisher which did not appear to stop. More calls revealed a pair of Kestrels chasing a Peregrine out of their patch, this was my first sighting in the park.

Robin and Chaffinch.

By now the sun was beginning to shine and I decided that a walk might be in order. With all the rain that we have suffered recently it was no surprise to see the swollen Nene and the flooded fields neighbouring the park. Scores of Black-headed Gulls joined crows and Lapwings feeding and the distinctive calls of kites could be heard. While scanning Mill Lake I was pleased to see another otter feeding and I made my way to the section of bank nearest to the animal.

Bank Voles.

Luckily for me both light and animal were much more conducive to photography and I got a few decent pics. At one point the otter swam directly towards me and I'm sure that it was intending to come out on the bank where I was standing. When it got to about about six foot from my position it finally seemed to realise that I was there and beat a hasty retreat. The close encounter did not however appear to frighten it too much as I was able to enjoy further views including watching it hauling out on to some flattened reeds. In the end I left it to continue its business and went for a walk to look at the floods.

Otter.

High water levels inhibited my progress though I did see an Egyptian Goose again near to the marina and both Little Egret and Grey Heron wading on the edges of the flood. Retracing my steps and taking a different route allowed me to have a look at the A605 floods. No surprises though five species of dabbling ducks were noted, I'm guessing it must have been siesta time as most were kipping! Despite some pleasant sunshine no insects of note were seen and I also dipped on Peregrine at the church but it didn't really matter as today belonged to those otters.

Egyptian Goose.