Tag Archives: river

River Allen

The River Allen is just 13 miles long. It is a tributary that flows in to the River Stour in Wimborne Minster. I first got to know the river and the valley in which it flows in the 1970s when I lived in a small village, Witchampton, just north of Wimborne. The last few weeks I have enjoyed reacquainting myself with parts of the river and surrounding countryside. These are some of the images.

River Allen
Damselfly
Ripening wheat in early summer
Great spotted woodpecker
The hamlet of New Town
River Allen flowing through New Town
Small tortoiseshell butterfly
Poppies and daisies
Small white butterfly (female)
Clump of trees behind a field of barley
Bridge over River Allen near Moor Crichel
Wimborne Minster where the Allen joins the Stour

Canford Bottom

Male and female gadwall in flight over the river stour

Just half a mile from home is the wonderfully named Canford Bottom. It has a roundabout with 70 sets of traffic lights. On the other side of the roundabout, accessed via an underpass on Old Ham Lane, the River Stour runs through fields and meadows. I popped down there this afternoon after the school run with the dog and my camera.

Male and female gadwall on the river stour

It was overcast, but not gloomy and there were some interesting bird species around, such as this pair of Gadwall. I did see a couple of kingfishers, but was unable to get a decent shot – sorry.

Little egret searching for food in the fast flowing water

The river is quite mature at this stage. Overall its just over 60 miles long and we are just about 10 miles from its mouth at Christchurch harbour. Today the levels were quite full and the river was fast flowing. This little egret was fishing and ignored me as I got a few pictures from the opposite bank.

Juvenile cormorant on an overhanging branch

A mile further along Ham Lane is Longham Lakes. This has a large population of cormorants. This one appeared to need some time out from the colony and was perched here unconcerned by passers by.

Male reed bunting on barbed wire fence

There were smaller species around. It was easier to hear them than see them, but this male reed bunting landed on the barbed wire fence running alongside the river. It didn’t stay long, but gave me a choice of left side or right side profile.

Otter in river stour last week

Today I didn’t get to see any otters. I saw one earlier in the week, but again the light was poor. Otters have been reintroduced to the river about ten miles up stream and they do attract attention when they appear.