The River Ock is a stream that flows along the Vale of White Horse, mostly through fields and villages, but for the last half mile, before flowing into the River Thames, there is a shady tree lined walk between the houses of Abingdon called the Ock Valley Walk.
There was a heron near the walk today.
The close season for catching fish in rivers runs from 15th March and until 15th June and has ten days to go. This allows the fish to spawn in relative safety and protect fish stocks.
The close season does not apply to herons. This one was waiting patiently, standing still and relying on stealth, quick reactions, and excellent eyesight to catch its next meal.
The bushes and trees along the walk are at their finest in early June. The leaves are fresh and green. Birds are singing in the canopy.
Birds sound so close but, most of the time, they stay well hidden from my not-so-good eyesight.
There are places where the fish can be easily seen in the fast flowing shallows, heading upstream.
They could be feeding on what they can filter from the water. The adults might even be spawning. The heron is at a safe distance away.
Wonderful photos. I use the Ock walk frequently and love the ever changing flora and fauna.
Sorry to hijack – Alastair please feel free to remove, or relink/post to the petition if you want…
Does anyone know why Chipping Norton, Banbury, Wallingford, Reading, High Wycombe and Hinskey outdoor pools are all open, in use, booked up, being enjoyed…and Abingdon is, yet again, left limping along behind?
Why isn’t the water feature open?
Which “colour team” is in charge at the council this time around so we can blame them?
Why is it, every time there’s a muddy end of a stick it is the people of Abingdon that are left holding it?
Isn’t the pool run by “Better”? “Could do Better” more like….
Here is someone else’s link to try and get the pool open:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/open-abbey-meadow-outdoor-pool-now?bucket=&source=whatsapp-share-button&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=whatsapp&share=fb2c7cf6-d19d-48a3-9408-192d5efb5b99
A good point Daniel, and good on Naomi getting a petition going. The grass verges are all looking very overgrown at the moment too.
It does feel that COVID has become an excuse for not providing the services we collectively pay for.
Iain – while I agree 100% about the outdoor pool and am delighted that Naomi and others are asking a stand on this, there are a lot of people asking for grass verges to be left unmowed for a bit for ecological reasons!, so the Council are caught between a rock and a hard place on that one!
Hmmm not sure about that Hester – sounds like a bit of cost cutting masquerading as environmentalism
Agreed
I am sure that if The Veil wanted to engage in some proper cost cuting…they could use Abbey House as their head quarters, what with it being a big office block slap bang in their ward,.already built etc…rather than be looking to ignore it and build, at great cost, a shiny new building in Didcot.
I am sure, if The Veil were eager to partake in some token environmentalism they could use Abbey House as their new headquarters, as it is already a building that exists and already has an accounted for carbon footprint and environmental impact….as opposed to build a shiny new headquarters in Didcot at great environmental expense. Didn’t I once hear someone once say “Reduce, reuse,recycle”?
Or is it that really the whole phrase is “You reduce, reuse, recycle. Not us though. Didn’t mean us. We mean YOU. We mean others…”
Anyway, enough environmental talk…I’m off to rinse my yoghurt pots.
Hi anyone where a curtain Green Gymmer lived near River Ock before moving (This was at Town End) there last was a ironing bar and a few more pieces of junk, are the still there and can they be removed before it becomes a dumping site!!