Amanda and I went on a guided bird spotting walk of the Leg of Mutton reservoir in Barnes this morning.
It didn't take long before Amanda started tweeting ...
On the path we found dog food on newspaper - a new offering from the local fish and chip shop, extending its product range ...
A dissimulation of bird enthusiasts
Ringed necked parakeets were the most common sighting
The most interesting part of the walk was the description of the bi-annual topping up of the reservoir.
The reservoir sits alongside the Thames - in 1850 or so the local water company built a pipe from the Thames to the reservoir and underneath the mound, where this local committee member is standing, is an ancient screw valve.
When it is a spring high tide, they open the cover and insert the large cast iron key - this requires 37.5 turns to open the valve, which has to be operated by two persons - no talking is allowed to ensure they count accurately. The water, including many fish, flows into the reservoir for around 3 hours and is then shut again. They repeat this for 5 consecutive days and raise the level by around one metre.
see http://www.thebic.org.uk/mar-april-06/leg-o-mutton.htm for more history of the site
The green parakeets nest in the holes in the massive hybrid black poplars.
These black poplars are over 200 years old and are regularly pollarded to extend their life and ensure they continue to be nesting sites for Tawny Owls, Parakeets, Egyptian Geese and Magpies.
Feather on the end of a branch - denotes the end of the winter and the start of longer days - or is it a secret sign to denote a urgent message pick up ...
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