0
0
Callum was dropped off bright and early at Youlbury Scout Centre for an Activity Day so Jon and I decided to visit Otmoor RSPB Nature Reserve on the outskirts of Oxford. It was well and truly tucked away in the middle of nowhere with single track lanes which seemed to go on forever! It didn’t help that SatNav couldn’t find our location for a bit so hadn’t a clue where we were heading!
We found the place – and the description of a very small car park was right – only room for around 20 cars! We donned walking boots and kept fingers crossed that the rain would stay at bay.
There were some serious birdwatchers and photographers around!
The paths were a little muddy in places, but not too bad considering. We picked up a map and wandered around the reserve – it was really quiet. Have to say it was pretty quiet on the bird front. A friendly robin, mallard ducks, blackbird – nothing unusual.
We ended up at a large hide overlooking the reservoirs and had the place to ourselves. A book of sightings showed the people in just before us had spotted herons, reed buntings and yellowhammers, so we sat and waited. Jon spotted the herons through is binoculars at the other side of the reservoir… and the reed bunting were in abundance, probably something to do with the seed that been thrown onto the path. Our patience did eventually pay off and we also spotted the yellowhammers.
From the hide, we made our way back to the car park via the Bridleway – as expected, it was far wetter and muddier than the rest of the reserve – we encountered one mad jogger, no-one else crazy enough to walk this path!
A great morning’s walk! Time to head back home but as it was lunch time, we thought we’d look for a village pub for a bite to eat. In the end we settled on The Talkhouse in Stanton St John.
We both had sandwiches for lunch – I had a Beef and Horseradish Mayo whilst Jon went for Cheddar and Apple Chutney. Jon had chips and I went for a Curried Parsnip and Lentil Soup which was really good. The full menu looked really good and am sure had Callum been with us, he would have given the place a big thumbs up!
