Bowood (Monday 20th April 2020)

After sitting on the drive unused for over a month, Archie sprang to life as soon as I turned the ignition. Taking no chances I drove to Mile Elm the long way round taking 7.5 miles instead of the normal 1.5 to help charge the battery (and an excuse for a bit of sight-seeing), and parked opposite Pillars Lodge at 1500 hr. I planned to walk the public footpaths up to the river that feeds into the Lake, which was slightly ambitious for someone clearly not match fit after so little exercise in recent weeks as it takes about an hour each way.
The first half-hour is along a wide path called Coombe Grove which leads to a spot at the palladian bridge where one joins the end of Bowood Lake. It was a beautiful afternoon and the path was lined with wild bluebells and wild garlic, and I was soon treated to a group of twenty or so deer and one buck who watched lazily from the shade of an oak. They were some way away and telephoto close-ups were beyond the capabilities of my bridge camera without a tripod, but I had a good look at them through binoculars.
When I reached the footpath by the bridge after half-an-hour I soon saw a group of lambs on the other side of the water and some clumps of marsh marigolds growing on the banks. There were coots, mallards and a pair of great crested grebes on the lake.
I reached my destination at 1600 hr and took some landscape shots with my K-1 Mk II and Tokina full-frame wide-angle zoom. I got several shots of the ever-present delightful honking Canada geese as I set off on the return leg. When I reached the path a heron flew off from the lake beyond the bridge and landed in the field, close to a couple of pheasants. The deer were still were they where and I caught a glimpse of another herd crossing the road higher up Coombe Grove, whose lines of trees were catching the late afternoon light.
I got back to Archie at 1550 hr and returned by the short route, stopping in Calne for groceries.
When I got home I found Smokey had a new symptom, clearly not happy and not eating. I took him to the vets this morning - more of that later.

L.
21.4.2020 (1553 hr)


Sharper in Large (Gallery) view

Blip #3197 (#2947 + 250 archived blips taken 27.8.1960-18.3.2010)
Consecutive Blip #000
Blips/Extras In 2020 #48/265 + #031/100 Extras
Day #3678 (836 gaps from 26.3.2010)
LOTD #2326 (#2167 + 159 in archived blips)

Bowood series
Deer series
Wildlife series
Landscape series
Trees series

Taken with Nikon Coolpix P900 (24-2000mm equivalent bridge camera)

A Walk To Bowood Lake, 20 April 2020 (Flickr album)(Work in progress)

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Acera - Zombie Zombie (2016)
Iggy Pop played this in 2018 in a programme that I have only just caught up
with.
One year ago:
The Old Forge (Magnolia)