Wild Writing Workshop - Lackford Lakes - 24/6/17

For the benefit of you, my readers, I attended a workshop to improve my writing. No more tortured prose, no more robotic descriptions anymore, I promise you.
The course took place in the tranquil grounds of Lackford Lakes, the perfect place for sensory writing, by which I mean the creative uses of the senses to allow words to flow. So part of that meant sitting in a field and noticing the whole world around and writing abut it. It also meant exploring more, and looking more into the writing that I do.
The workshop was run by Matt Gaw, editor of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust magazine, and published nature writer. I thought the course was good, it got the creative juices flowing. I think it will  make me think more about my writing style, about what I am trying to get across. However, don't worry, the blog will stay the same and there won't be any great changes as such.
The day also got me to interact with other writers, something that doesn't happen often, as writers aren't the most out going of people. Me, I'm just a lonely writer not sure if anyone else really reads my blogs. I'm just doing this blog as a labour of love.
Anyway, if you're a budding writer I would recommend going on the next course, as it will do some good.


The Reserve
At lunch time we had an hour to wander around the reserve, allowing time to visit the Sailing Lake and the Slough following a circular route that also passed the large reedbed.
Next to Winter Hide, the first hide and the one that looks over the Sailing Lake, a small area of fen had a few SOUTHERN MARSH ORCHIDS growing. On the Sailing Lake, itself, there was a large influx of SWANS and GEESE, numbering 100 + birds.

The Slough was also busy with a pair of COMMON TERN nesting on one of the rafts with a pair of SWANS nesting on the other. There was an influx of GADWALL and COOT, probably failed nesters, and there were a lot of GULLS and CORMARANTS about. However one thing I noticed, and have seen a lot with the water birds, in most places this year, is the general lack of any young birds about. There were really none present that I could see.
KINGFISHERS were present around the visitor's centre and the hides overlooking the Slough and seemed to have had a good summer, as had the lots of BLUE and GREAT TITS that were feeding on the bird feeders outside the visitor's centre.