Birding All the Way @lakelandosprey

Day Five of our Lake District holiday and the weather forecast for today, Thursday and Friday are great. So three good walks to get in.

Today we parked at Dodd Wood, opposite Bassenthwaite Lake. The morning was taken up visiting the two Osprey Watchpoints. The people who staff the watchpoints are really friendly. We saw the Ospreys in a favoured tree across the valley from both the lower and upper points, using the scopes provided. Even if you aren't bird minded, the watchpoints are well worth a visit, as the views of the lake and valley as you walk up to them are beautiful.

Then in the afternoon we walked from the Car Park, following the Allerdale Ramble route, round the Mire House grounds, via St Bega's Church on the lake shore, and through the fields and woods to the road. From there we were going to go to the northern shore of Bowness Bay, but the lake was very high and had flooded the path from the footbridge onwards. So we stuck to the road until Scarness Cottages and then walked down to Scarness Bay. By the time we sat down for lunch the wind had got up something rotten. In her wet coat, hood up against the gale, Rebecca looked just like Prince Harry in his Arctic flotation suit!

Whilst the walk back to the car was just as windy, we had a thoroughly enjoyable day.

As well as the Ospreys, we saw a huge variety of birds, including Sand Martins, Mistle Thrushes, Buzzards and huge flock of Barnacle Geese. No year ticks, but great sights, such as this Nuthatch, inspecting a likely residence.