King of the river

Tue 28 May 2019, 15:03

There was a very disturbing news item on one of the science/environmental websites a couple of days back (can't remember which alas) about the very high level of antibiotics in rivers in UK.

High enough to kill fish in some cases. Has anyone checked the Evenlode, up- and downstream of the waterworks? Be a "nice" bit of work to survey local watercourses for a senior school or college students project along with the usual suspects of pesticide runoff etc.

Sun 26 May 2019, 16:15 (last edited on Mon 27 May 2019, 08:26)

Yes, dont take my word for it - i thought trout but i dont know my fish. Saw them both down by the cornbury gates and above the lock down mill field.

Sun 26 May 2019, 14:43

Miles - where??! Easy to confuse them with chub at Mayfly time as they also 'rise' to the emerging flies.  Would be interested to hear from Angling Club members on this as have yet to see a trout here and the nos (and size) of chub seem to be in decline...

Sun 26 May 2019, 12:47

Noticed lots of trout in the river at the moment. Are there usually so many?

Sun 26 May 2019, 12:26 (last edited on Sun 26 May 2019, 12:41)

Pair of little egrets still around, also a heron though not seen lately. 

Now of course we are into the annual Mayfly carnival, so beloved of trout fishers.  Half the birds in Charlbury seemed to be hitting the early hatches, even the (Church Lane?) sparrows gorging themselves - but strangely not so much over the last few days when the Mayflies have been coming off in droves, almost like old times!  Their survival rate may have risen slightly because there are definitely fewer fish around - at least in this part of the river - than there were even 3 or 4 years ago.  I don't know the reasons for that - I suspect not simple but hope to find out...  

Thu 23 May 2019, 11:21

Then of course when Edith Piaf lived in Charlbury:
"... je ne egret rien ..."

(I shall return to contemplative mode now)

Wed 22 May 2019, 21:18

I think i might have seen one of the even rarer Pheckin Egret, usually only seen in Ireland.

Fri 17 May 2019, 18:52

I maybe should have gone to specsavers, but the one by the station, I think, is a little egret, a great egret is as big as a heron. Maybe we have one of each?

Fri 17 May 2019, 17:38

Egrets – we have a few…

Fri 17 May 2019, 14:50

There’s a pair. Saw them together yesterday in the same place.

Wed 15 May 2019, 23:08 (last edited on Wed 15 May 2019, 23:09)

Yes I saw it today. I see it sometimes when walking to and from the station on my commute. I occasionally see a grey heron.

Wed 15 May 2019, 20:50

An egret has been patrolling the river for several years now.  It seems to hang around for a few weeks then presumably goes off to new lunching grounds.  Hard to tell, of course, if it's the same one that keeps coming back, or whether the Evenlode is visited on a rota basis.

Wed 15 May 2019, 19:09

Spotted a beautiful great white egret stalking the river just downstream of the bridge at Cornbury Pk, off Grammar School Hill. I wonder if it’s planning to stay?