Breeding birds include great crested grebe, reed warbler and sedge warbler while lesser spotted woodpecker and little owl occur in the surrounding area.
Later in life he recounted the pleasures of one such stroll; the river a streak of silver, a nightingale and sedge warbler's song drifting through the darkness.
Breeding bird species of local importance include the great crested grebe, tufted duck, coot, little ringed plover, sedge warbler and the reed warbler.
There's more going on in the sky, which, even by lunchtime, is still filled with the trills and tweets of chiffchaffs and sedge warblers, among other birds that nest here.