The school holidays are over, and the children are once again joining us for Nature Walks in Abbey Fields. They all wave from the school bus as Mrs McDonald effortlessly parks, and they step onto the tarmac, all politely saying “Hello, Mr Bart”. (I was invited earlier in the week to deliver a presentation to the school on ‘The stewardship of Nature in Abbey Fields by FOAF’. Fame at last.)
The theme for this walk had to be Autumn, and Abbey Fields didn’t disappoint. We had splendid reds, golden browns, greens and yellow leaves to gaze at as we walked around the lake. Fortunately, there was a little more water in the lake, due to the recent rainfall, which meant we had an abundance of ducks and birds to watch and admire.
As usual, we discovered a lot of molehills. I asked the children how many had seen a mole, and surprisingly most put their hands up. I commented that, given moles live underground and rarely come out in daylight, I was quite surprised at the number of sightings! Hey ho!
Bird feeding with our specially purchased pellets is always a real pleasure for the children. The ducks enjoy it too. We saw more moorhens this time, and the cygnets looked fully grown.
But as usual, the play area is ‘top of the bill’. They have to first recite back to me, as a team, 10 observations from our walk: “stinging nettle, dock leaf, oak, lime, birds (more work needed), habitats, bats, holly, sweet chestnut, squirrels, lavender, rosemary……” The reward: a jelly bean and access to the swings!
Unfortunately, the ‘heavens opened’, and the children rushed back to their bus to avoid the downpour. They loved it! Thank you, Abbey Fields.
– Bart