There was a misty start to Saturday morning along the Ock Valley Walk.

In April, leaves have sprung, and there is a carpet of stinging nettles. They look fresh and not too tall.

There are also the vase-like flowers of Lords and Ladies. Insects are attracted by their smell and trapped by hairs in the tube to allow pollination.

Muntjac deer are sometimes seen in the woodland areas between the two rivers, but they can also be seen in gardens beyond the river, some of which have fences to keep them out from the vegetables and seedlings.

The heron was also there and seemed to stroke the water with one foot as he watched.

There are large numbers of blackbirds. The leaves of horse chestnut trees have sprouted and unfolded, and look so fresh and green. The upright flower buds will soon become blossoms.

At first, I could not see the Song Thrush, but its song was so clear that I looked and saw him high near the top of the leaf canopy. I frequently see thrushes in the Abbey Meadows on the ground, but this was the first I had seen on the Ock Valley Walk this year.

I also saw a blackcap for the first time.

Further on, in the fields near Tesco, a tractor was ploughing the ground on the other side of the River Ock. Half a dozen Kites followed and swooped down for creatures disturbed by the plough.

There have been daffodils throughout March by the Ock Valley Walk.

The first leaves appeared on the trees along the Ock Valley Walk in mid-March.

The Great spotted woodpecker can be heard by the distinctive ‘drumming’ sound high up in the trees. They often move around the tree, out of sight of observers. They will soon be also hidden by the leaves.

Moorhen stride about on the land and paddle on the water. They eat grass and water weed.

There are lots of blackbirds. This one is bathing to help keep its feathers in condition.

Wrens are another fairly common bird in the trees and bushes near the River Ock.

A couple of muntjac deer were shown in the February post; this one was closer and clearer.

I plan to report on the River Ock every month this year. This is the first report from a frosty Abingdon at around dawn on January 17th.

The Vale of the White Horse is the valley of the River Ock. The source of the River Ock is near the village of Little Coxwell, and it is joined by springs from the chalky hills where the White Horse is cut. The Ock meanders through agricultural land past Stanford in the Vale, through Charney Bassett and Garford. The Ock is joined by Sandford Brook, west of the A34 to Abingdon. Sandford Brook flows through Dry Sandford, Cothill and Gozzards Ford and near Marcham before joining the Ock. East of the A34, the River Ock is split into two channels near Tesco. They rejoin just before the River Ock joins the River Thames at Abingdon. Other streams and ditches split off, and join Sandford Brook and the River Ock, and help irrigate and flood the farmland.

From the Mill Road footbridge is a view of the River Ock and the flooded meadow near Tesco. From this point, the crane and building of the new hotel are visible beside Tesco.

Near here, ten common alder trees were planted on October 28th 2022, by church twinning and Abingdon Carbon Cutters, before the church twinning event on climate action in Abingdon.

The River Ock passes under the Drayton Road, at the Ock Bridge, as an upper and lower channel. The lower channel is pictured here. The Ock Bridge has been widened, and the older arch can be seen on this side. On the other side is a more modern rounded concrete arch.

The Ock Valley Walk begins here and is laid between the two channels. The path has not been flooded yet; only low-lying areas were flooded.

Many birds, including a woodpecker, could be heard at the town end of the walk. Birds rarely come as close as this one.

On the water were ducks, moorhens and a heron.

The water level at the town end of the Ock Valley Walk was high enough to cover the concrete wall where the upper and lower channels join.