Out and About Spring 2021

WHAT THE RIVER KEEPER SAW NICK RICHARDS has to wait for the flooded waters to recede before he can assess what damage may have been done and looks forward to the start of the fishing season

The woodlands are a spare and desolate scene and those nearest to the river are inundated as I type this. Further from the water the sight of the snowdrops and aconites raises the spirits and each day brings a little more light and birdsong. On such a sun-bright day as today it has been a joy to watch the kites wheeling overhead with nesting materials clasped in their feet. The water meadows are wonderful in a wet winter and it is almost unimaginable that such a world of water lies where so many ground-nesting birds will be rearing their precious broods in just a few short weeks. For now they are the haunt of jack and common snipe, mallard, teal, herons and little and great white egrets. The little egret is becoming an increasingly familiar sight on our rivers and ponds, but the great white egret is scarcer and frequently over-looked, despite being as large as a grey heron. Look for a yellow bill and black legs and feet in contrast to the black bill and legs, but yellow feet, of the little egret. environmental resource and Nick’s role is to maintain the ecological structure of the land around it N ick Richards is the river keeper for the Barton Court Estate, near Kintbury. He is responsible for two and a half miles of river bank and plans his days based on the weather and, in fishing season, times when anglers are booked in. The river is an important

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