Seven members and one guest turned out for the meeting at Rib Valley on a lovely sunny morning with a pleasant ripple on the water. I was pleased to welcome John Cane for the first time and also regular guest, Granville Ainley.
That is where the fishing side of this report ends as there was only one bent rod all day and that was Granville’s. It was a strange day with fish moving but none attracted to our flies. We had a very relaxed lunch, nobody too keen for more of the same. I was able to present the Monk Trophy to Alan Badcock for the third year in succession which was very well deserved as usual.
With nothing else to report on the fishing scene I intend to indulge my passion for all things to do with nature and being a ‘quiet’ day I had plenty of time to roam around with my digital camera. It is amazing what else there is to see on the bankside and I was greeted by 2 pairs of Greylag Geese that between them had produced no less than 25 goslings, all seemingly happily mixing together.
The other sightings tended to be smaller and need to be searched for although it is amazing what one notices out of the corner of one’s eye whilst waiting for that pull on the line that never comes! A mahogany coloured Cream Spot Ladybird was first, nestling on the seed head of a reed. Then an Orange-tip Butterfly which most people will know from the bright orange tips to its wings, only this one was a female which has no sign of orange on it at all.
There were dozens of Dock Bugs adorning the leaves of Dock and Mallow, an orange Soldier Beetle seen hanging upside down from a nettle leaf and a tiny moth, only 7-8mm long seen landing on a grass stalk.
All the usual fishing flies were also present, Mayflies hatching from the reeds and spiralling up into the sky, blue flashes of Damselflies and the rather static dark Alder flies.
Despite the poor fishing, it was a wonderful day for me with new species seen and photographed. I hope this may awaken an interest in the smaller things in the animal world and you don’t have to venture beyond the garden gate to find lots of them. I arrived home to find 4 Rosemary Beetles chomping through our Rosemary – beautiful but a pest!!