Kingfishers, woodpeckers and Nightingale's Bridge

Despite forecast of rain, it remained dry and the river level was quite low so we headed down to Nightingale's Bridge. The field edges on the way down there were relatively clear of balsam so we left them for later.

After clearing the balsam around the bridge, John and Andrew waded upstream to clear some big clumps on the river bank,  spotting a kingfisher flashing past as they made their way along the river bed. Meanwhile Dave and Phil spotted a green woodpecker as they crossed the field to clear the big clump of balsam in the far corner.

Before...

... after.

We cleared some more growing amongst the undergrowth by the bridge, then headed back, clearing a few stragglers along the riverbank and spotting lots more on the opposite side which will require a further visit.