Invasion of the Megafish

Originally the plan was to get the bus to Southwell today and do some exploring round there.

When the driver told me it was going to cost me £6.50 at 9am this morning, I thought better of it. Were they expecting me to pay for spare parts or something?

It was also freezing in the wind first thing and I really didn't fancy it. I ended up wandering around the river and park, smelling the freshly flowering garlic mustard plants and having a warming cup of tea.

During my 7km run in the afternoon, I noticed that in this sort of compressed Spring we've had, the saxifrage and buttercups have now emerged...sadly, the final wave of spring flowerings.

Of rather more surprise was the goings on in the Balderton Blue Lake. It does get used for fishing along nearly all of its banks, and I never see anyone catch anything. It's all static rods and furrowed brows, but not actual, you know, getting fish out of the water.

I never see any fish either, swimming about.

However, there is a small area of the lake called "The Lagoon" in which fishing is banned and the water is populated by the tame ducks being fed by children - they are getting better and using less bread and more leaves and seeds.

The little girl today however was throwing bread in with great abandon. The ducks couldn't get a look in however, as in the one part of the lake they can't be touched, a shoal of about 20 very large common and mirror carp were gulping it down as fast as she could throw it in. They were actually  coming right up to the edge of the water.

The girl could probably have fed them by hand, as if they were koi.

I thought the fish were the smartest things I've met all day - and I've been to the library!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 26.04.18