PEACHFRONT SPEAKS

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part two: gloucestershire trip report 2004-06-13 - 11:44 a.m. Note: This is part two of my England trip report. You can read part one by clicking right here. The bird list/photos are here, and the taxicab photos are here. All photos © 2004 by Elaine Radford May 30, 2004 I got up early to check the hedges around the railroad tracks. Perhaps the most exciting catch was a Blackcap with a big green caterpillar and at least three active Blackcap fledglings. When I got back, the other ladies and the baby were up, so we decided to go out for awhile. We peeked into the falconry center, where I saw some Lanner Falcons at the ready, but the birds wouldn't be flown for another hour, so we headed back. There was an awkward moment at the gift shop. Apparently Mrs. BJ wanted to buy some cards because she had her heart set on a poker game. I blurted out that I didn't play cards for pleasure, that I played for money and was now retired. I tried to put it tactfully, saying, "It's good that you like what you do, but I didn't like it, and I was glad to get away from it." Nonetheless, I'm afraid that I horrified them as much as if I'd announced I'd become a Baptist and that card games were the devil. Mrs. BJ didn't buy the cards. I didn't mean it that way. Sheesh. I couldn't care less if everyone else played cards as long as I wasn't forced to participate. D. slept in but I joined the others for the first stroll around the railroad track and into the mustard fields. I use the word "stroll" advisedly. I realize that most people don't need to stop and ID every small flash of color, but come on. We were here to see sights we can't see at home, not to get our exercise. Right? Wrong, apparently. The whole thing was about exercise. For cryin' out loud. You leave Arkansas and go to England for the exercise? I'll never understand human nature. In any case, I was most delighted when the speed-hikers dashed away, leaving me behind, so that a beautiful Yellowhammer could sing to me from the fencepost. We were almost close enough to touch. Mrs. BJ's mother, D. and I spent the afternoon exploring the Evesham Abbey complex on the Avon River and the magnificent Worcester Cathedral. Let's just say that both sites merited their own web page, so click on their names to enjoy the pictures. May 31, 2004 As Daddy says, "Every train has a caboose," and I proved him correct as I tagged along behind the speed-hikers as we whizzed through Bourton-on-the-Water and the Upper and Lower Slaughters. I couldn't resist checking at least the most visible birds, as well as attempting to photograph the scenic villages with their old stone houses all overgrown with roses. The British are too humane to tag or brand their sheep, so they spray-paint them, which struck me as absolutely hilarious for no known reason. The most thrilling bird for me was the badly named Common Buzzard, Buteo buteo. My eye was set for small stuff when I saw the first one, so she struck me as being as huge as an eagle, even though she was quite distant. The second bird circled over me quite lazily, taking its time in the brilliant sunlight and allowing me terrific views when it eased directly overhead. I should have called the others over, but they didn't have real binoculars and wouldn't have appreciated it anyway, so why take a risk of scaring the bird away? I know. I'm a bad, evil person. In the afternoon D. and I did a slower, more leisurely walk to a nearby village, where we encountered a Song Thrush breaking open a banded snail on the road and where we IDed the Greenfinch for the first time. I'd seen a family of Long-Tailed Tits in the morning, so I was pleased to find another example of this pleasant species to point out to D. June 1, 2004 Today was the only day we made an effort to go out together, and I'm afraid Mr. and Mrs. BJ were fairly miserable, although D. is the one who rode in the trunk. I'm not kidding. It was a hatchback trunk, but still. I'm not clear on why we didn't just take both cars but, for whatever reason, it was decided that we'd do it this way. First we visited Slimbridge Waterfowl and Wetlands Trust, which was founded by Sir Peter Scott, who helped save the Hawaiian Nene Goose from extinction. It's a world class waterfowl breeding facility, as well as a wetlands reserve -- sort of a combination zoo with wildlife. I photographed singing Robin and Chaffinch, peeked through the blinds in search of the Oystercatcher seen the day before, and thrilled to the flight of the dramatically marked Shelducks moving around the wetlands area. In the more "zoo-y" part of the complex, I seemed to encounter adorable fluffy baby birds at every step, from newly hatched swans down to coots and moorhens. The coots were a hoot; despite their size, protective adult coots didn't hesitate to bite a full-sized goose or even a swan if they got too close to baby. To be honest, I could have easily spent an entire day here, but we did want to hit some other sites, so we reluctantly took our leave of all the cute fluffy hatchlings. Mrs. BJ said that if she wanted to see Roman ruins, she would go to Rome. Nonetheless, she picked Bath as our next destination, and I'm a bit worried that they were disappointed. At Hot Springs, as we all know, there is public access to some of the hot springs and no charge may be made for the water, and of course there are wonderful hiking trails just crying out for the speed-hiker and the exercise buff as well as the nature-lover. Bath was not like that. It was crowded and had a hefty fee for getting inside the baths to view the ruins. Mr. BJ really seemed to be on his last nerve, and Mrs. BJ bailed early to locate a Burger King. But, once lured inside, D. and I could not be dragged away from the old Roman remains and the adjoining abbey. This area was made for the photo buff. To keep this page from becoming too long to load, I will give my Bath photo essay its own page -- if you're on broadband, check it out. I'm no professional photographer, but even the hobbyist can get good shots here. Note: You have just read part two of my trip report to London and Gloucestershire, England. The rest of the story is coming soon. back - next All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2002-2017 by Elaine Radford