The bank fringed by willow is formed from the excavations
of the long lake, damp loving alders line the streamside. Note the seed-bearing
cones. The seeds are an important food-source for birds in winter especially
redpolls and siskins. This is a good place to look out for members of the
tit family: long tailed, blue, great and willow, the last excavating its
own nest holes in rotten tree trunks, can be recognised by its nasal call.
Alongside the stream in Spring look for opposite-leaved golden saxifrage
near the water, and for moschatel under the trees. The latter, a plant of
damp woodlands, is also known as the town hall clock because of the four
faces of its small florets. The stream is large enough for trout and kingfishers
sometimes pass this way on fishing trips.
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