With the sun shining, we clambered aboard the school minibus ready for our big adventure.
Our first activity was the boat trip, spotting metallic blue damselflies, an Emperor dragonfly, tiny fish, ducks and swans. The reed warblers and pied wagtails were busy catching food for their chicks. Up on the hill we watched the male and female peregrine falcons and red kites. Amazing.
Then it was time for our minibeast hunt. Our guide, Lizzy, explained that insects have three parts to their bodies, six legs and antenna. We looked in all the damp places such as under logs and stones and found millipedes, woodlice and pill woodlice, ants, snails and shiny, bronze beetles.
We ate our packed lunch sitting on the boardwalk watching the river. Beautiful.
Then it was time for pond dipping. The children used their nets to scoop up weed and tiny creatures and empty it all into our observation trays. We were so surprised by the number of different bugs we found. Pea muscles, snails, water boatman, dragonfly larvae, cadis fly larvae, water lice and leeches!
A final walk took us passed the pelicans, geese, ducks, coastal birds such as avocet and oyster catchers.
Then it was time to get back on the minibus and head back to school.
What a wonderful adventure. The children behaved beautifully and we learned so much.
Mrs Rogers and Mrs Reed