EYE ON NATURE

Earlier in the year I walked on my own by the river upstream from Kilkenny city. Each day I saw something new and exciting. I saw my first goldcrest close-up in the branches of a bare tree and a redwing on its own. I disturbed a heron feeding at the water's edge and saw up to 20 siskins picking over a bushy tree that had withered seed pods. On the same day, about 50 yards further on were a similar number of long-tailed tits on another bush; they let men approach quite close.

I sat on a log and watched a tree creeper work the trunk of a big, old tree, and a strange, distant sound turned out to be five swans flying in v-formation low over the water, honking as they flew past. A robin came out one day and accompanied me for almost two miles of the walk. Or was it several robins each in his own territory? There were pigeons in the tall trees, blackbirds flitting from the lower branches and I put up a cock pheasant whose squawk put the heart across me.

Since those winter walks I have been rewarded with sand martins, grey wagtails and just recently two beautiful kingfishers.

Mary McKeogh, Kilkenny