During the summer, information boards and seats have appeared around Radley Lakes. This information board and these seats are in Barton Fields.

The Radley Lakes area was farmland, which the railway passed through. From 1955 major gravel extraction began. Some of the pits filled with water, others were filled with fuel ash from Didcot power station and are now covered with trees and sedges. The Abingdon railway branch closed and became part of a national cycle path.

There are new seats with a view of the largest lake, Thrupp Lake.

How many sorts of bird can you see in this picture?

Swans were waterweed dipping nearby.

Coots were waterweed diving near the wooden walkway in one corner of Thrupp Lake. The surface is covered with feathers in this corner, or perhaps they are flying seeds.

In another corner a colony of water lilies bloomed.

On the other side of the national cycle path, Orchard Lake has dried up this summer.

You can see an adult heron and a young heron at the end of Orchard Lake. The other young flew off.

The Radley Lakes Trust organised a community event with cakes, nature activities, and music at Radley Lakes. I left my bike in good company and looked around.

The Abingdon Community Choir sang a song written specially by Helen Eccleston. It began:
Come and spend a while down by the Lake
with a view to make you smile down by the Lake
…

The choir were followed by Trev Williams by the Lake.

The Radley Lakes Trust carried out a survey at their information stall by the Lake.

The Thrupp Lake cake stall also sold ice lollies on this hot afternoon.

The sun was out, and the blue sky was reflected in Thrupp Lake.

Nature activities by the Lake included plant identification with David Guyoncourt

and bird watching through a telescope with Ian Elkins

and Graham Bateman on the lookout for mini beasts.

The new parking area at Radley Lakes has been laid out with racks for 12 bikes and spaces for 9 cars, 3 of those requiring blue badges for drivers with disabilities. The area is protected by lego-style block barriers.

A new map displayed near the new entrance is also available on fold-out leaflets.

When I visited today there were clouds and a brief shower. This view is of the largest lake, Thrupp Lake, where there were swans, geese, moorhens, ducks and ducklings. Swallows flew low over the water – too fast to photograph.

But I did photograph the first Oystercatcher (for the Abingdon Blog) on one of the small islands,

and a Heron perching on a branch with two other herons on the ground (youngsters learning the skills of a Heron).

Walking around one of the smaller lakes, in the restored gravel workings, the algae looked brown and swampy,

but there were lots of exciting wildflowers along the perimeter path.