Three greylag families and their goslings

I drove to Hardwicke late this afternoon hoping to buy some just made keffir from Jess’ Ladies Organic farm, but they were out of stock. What a shame. I drove on as I’d intended to Frampton on Severn to visit the big manor house’s large lake where four hobbies had been seen the day before. When I reached the lakeside I was waylaid by the sight of a few greylag geese in pairs with their goslings. In former years there seemed to be many more young being introduced to the grass on the meadows asa well as safe passage on the lake if they were bothered by walkers with dogs for instancee.

At my usual photography spot by the water I met a man and a woman, both with long lenses, who had also come to see the hobbies. The woman told me she had seen a hobby about an hour earlier, but she had to go home. I then chatted to the man from Cheltenham and not long after he exclaimed when his supper long lens picked up a hobby on the far side of the lake. He kindly showed me the resulting image he got on his cameras screen. Oh to have a good new mirrorless camera and matched lenses!

I concentrated on the geese, while keeping an eye out for the common tern and a pair of oystercatchers that were intermittently flying nearby. I really like the greylags who were quite happy to approach quite close to us on the land, as well as on water. My blip shows the three pairs with their goslings., waiting for a dog walker to depart. I spotted one of the more adventurous goslings on the bank of the lake which I’ve added as an ‘Extra’.