Canal life at Ebley Mill

I didn't return home from my meeting until nearly 11pm last night and then had to be at another meeting at Ebley Mill this morning. This old mill building was renovated and converted into the headquarters of the local District Council and today was the public examination of the Local Plan which has been a long time in the making. It is important that it becomes ratified so I went along to add support from our council.

The meeting which is an official public forum chaired by an independent inspector will continue for a few days as the legal arguments and representations are made. I left after a reasonable period of time and wandered the few yards to the newly developed canalside which the Council has been responsible for administering with Heritage Lottery Funding.

I hadn't been there for a few months so it was good to be walking along the towpath in both directions again after their re-instatement. There were a lot of other walkers, joggers, dog walkers and cyclists. A pair of swans had made a nest on the far side of the canal near to the overflow into the river Frome, where it originally fed the mill leats at Ebley Mill.

I took pictures and enjoyed the warm air and the progressively improving light as the mists started to lift and the blue sky was revealed. After leaving the nesting swans, who were so quiet compared to those I encountered yesterday, I met a couple of walkers who lived nearby on the canal side and they explained some of the local wildlife intricacies. They pointed out four unusual long necked tufted ducks, who I had spotted already. These ones were very aggressive and larger than the usual mallards who they seemed to enjoy 'seeing off' all-comers at the slightest opportunity.

I was intrigued by this one white tufted duck which was delighting in washing by immersing itself in the water. It even dived and swam a few metres under the canal water, which I haven't noticed ducks doing before. I liked the way it seemed to enjoy the immersion and it also seemed to like showing off to me, as its eye kept looking at me. As I was leaving it hopped out of the water onto the far bank and proceeded to march standing erect on its legs with its wings splayed out and moving on towards two mallards and two white ducks, who until then had been happily sitting safely in the sun. They turned and walked away in disgust.

I have posted other pictures of all these scenes here.