(Sunday 30th August, 2026)
Over to Loggerheads Country Park in Denbighshire this morning, where we met up with our friends – Sue, Tanya and Claire. It was a pleasant 19°C with a barely noticeable southerly wind and it stayed sunny for most of the morning.
The last time that Stu and I had been here, in late July, the River Alyn came to an abrupt halt not far beyond the stone bridge that crosses onto the Leete path. As the area has had some rain since then, we were expecting the river to have risen a little, but the water is still quite low, petering out just a little bit further than it did during the drought. The Alyn does flow underground into various swallow holes and caves so this may account for the water levels taking some time to recover.
While the bed of the River Alyn is still very dry, the trees and undergrowth look more vibrant than they did during the recent drought
Sue and I were scanning the river for Dippers but had been unsuccessful. Stu pointed out one he’d spotted, which had concealed itself behind some overhanging branches of a sycamore tree on the far bank. We could just make it out behind the bunched leaves, but this particular bird wasn’t in the mood for posing for the camera today!
Further along the Leete path, we spotted three Grey wagtails which appeared out of nowhere to land on the dry riverbed and began scouring it for insects to feed on. They then all zoomed off upstream. We noticed that an adult bird was aggravating another bird – a juvenile by the looks of it. We suspected that the adult was trying to encourage the younger bird to find its own territory. These might have been the same three birds that we’d seen last month – two adults and their fledgling. And while the adult birds will continue to feed their offspring after they’ve fledged there’s a limit to how long that they’re prepared to do this. While we saw quite a few insects flying around – testament to the little bit of rain that’s recently fallen – food resources are still somewhat limited due to the overall low water level.
The riverbed by the wooden bridge is completely dry
There were other birds in the woods today including Crows and Robins, and a Goldcrest also made a fleeting appearance.
Top: Robin (Erithacus rubecula) and bottom: Carrion crow (Corvus corone)
The light dappling through the tree canopy was something that you’re subconsciously aware of, I suppose, and it was this light that attracted our eyes to the glistening strands of a spider’s web. It was suspended from a hazel tree on the opposite side of the river. In the photograph, you can just make out the spider in the centre!
Spider in its web
While we were all generally aware of our surroundings, I have to confess that we spent a good deal of our time just talking to one another – hardly surprising since we hadn’t seen each other since earlier in the year. We all lead busy lives, of course, but it’s always good to spend time with your friends and share moments like these whenever you can.
The important stuff
Claire and Tanya had to get off early, so it was just the remaining three of us that went to the café. Stu had a Mars bar rice-krispi cake with his cappuccino, and Col had a Lemon curd blondie with his. Sue stayed away from the cakes and just had a black coffee, donating her bonus biscuit to a very good cause (yes, Col had it!).
