
March 14th – A run up the Trent valley to Walton-on-Trent, then back via Barton and Alrewas. A gorgeous afternoon, chilly, but with a wonderful, golden mist. Here at Whitemore Haye, I noticed the swans had descended, and were loafing in the fields. I’ve mentioned it before, but these birds are the bane of farmers lives – beautiful as they are, they’ll decimate fields of young crops, and are breeding at an incredible rate. I pity the poor person who eventually moots the idea of a cull, but I can’t see the current population of birds being sustainable with clutches of 6 or more being the norm.