Guided walk with the Gebhardts

Here are some pictures from my guided walk on Monday with Karsten and Renate Gebhardt, from Bielefeld, Germany.  The Gebhardts were excellent company and we had a very interesting cultural exchange - not least in working out the names of birds and flowers in the other language.  My favourite was Wren -  Zaunkönig - which translates as 'fence king.'  What an apt name - the tyrant of the fence!  Goosander is Gänsesäger - 'saw goose.' Mistle Thrush, once we established the fact that it wasn't 'Missile Thrush', is Misteldrossel, which translates as the same.  Jay is Eichelhäher  - 'acorn jay.'  I love the functional yet poetic nature of these words.


We walked around Huccaby and the O Brook, and saw Goosander, Mandarin, Dipper (Wasseramsel), Grey Wagtail, Siskin and Buzzard, among others.