"We're bird-spotters! We've come here purely for pleasure in this lovely scenery to spot the birds. We like nature and love walking by water, especially when you get the light sparkling on the water, it's just beautiful. Canals are a stress breaker when you see the beauty around and there's usually something different to see. One of the most emotional moments we've ever had on the canals was the day we went on a boat trip over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. When we were halfway across and looked down, that was an experience! The views are what we like about walking canals. Looking out over the estuary here today is lovely and there are so many birds on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. And it's flat walking too - that's quite good for us!
Have you spotted anything unusual today?
Well, that depends on what you mean by unusual. I'd call something unusual if I hadn't seen it before, so 'no'. We've walked the Grand Union Canal, the Oxford Canal and all over the place and seen everything from osprey to ducks. There's a little bird just over there on the estuary today and it's all hunched down so can't say for sure, but I think it is a lapwing. We usually have our binoculars with us and we've got a motto, "Your eyes are cameras, what you've seen goes into your brain and you can store it!" For bird spotters, nothing is just ordinary on the canals, not even the ducks."
Barbara & Mike, Splatt Bridge, Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
