Two more trips to the Reserve

On April Fool's Day, I decided that I really like geese. I love how they pair up and the male looks out for his mate.

I sat in my "kingfisher watching place", well back from the water because two greylags were at the water's edge and I did not want to disturb them. The female was preening but the male kept an eye on me all the time I was there. I heard and saw no kingfishers, but did not want to move in case I disturbed the geese. Once, the male had stepped into the water, but the female carried on grooming and he, like me, waited. Finally, the female went to the male, nudged him, stepped into the water and they left.

I walked on, and found a bank where the self-heal grows to sit.

In front of me, a single Canada goose. He was preening and napping. Then he became alert and started gesturing. I saw that a pair of greylags were approaching. They could not pass him. It was intriguing to watch.

See how the greylag gander stretches out his neck in appeasement? This is just what I saw when the swans and geese had a dispute.

While sitting there, I saw the kingfisher flash past four times. No photos, but the flare of azure and teal is fired into my memory.

I returned with my family a few days later. I showed them the Form Tree, then we sat with Kairos and talked.

And there was a hare near the tree. Magical for me.

I find myself saying to the tree, do you remember when the buzzard landed above me? Do you remember when the fox came up behind me and huffed? The tree always remembers, and I do too. Memories planted in place.

Here I saw the kingfisher four times.