Lossie Gravel Ponds

This was the second walk organised and well prepared by Mary Shand. We started out on a path skirting the Wards Nature Reserve, before striking out across a field dotted with rabbit warrens to join a path that took us down to the river Lossie and eventually to the chain of ponds that have been created out of the old gravel pits, which like Sandy Hole quarry, used to supply the cement works on Edgar road. We passed farmland on our left, mostly pasture with cattle grazing, and the ponds, lined with reeds and bulrushes on our left. July is not the best time of year for bird watching, but we did see some swans, ducks, coots and moorhens. At the end of the line of ponds, we had our picnic lunch outside the HQ (a static caravan) of the Moray Beekeepers association which provided an assortment of tables and benches. Here there are some raised beds planted with bee friendly plants and an array of hives. We were not aware of many bees however: they certainly did not interfere with our lunch. By now the sun had come out and it became very warm. We walked back along the other side of the ponds and reached our starting point about 3pm. This was another lovely and accessible walk. Many thanks to Mary Shand for suggesting it and leading it.