Feathered Friends

Sometimes you need to escape work for a few minutes and get some fresh air. Usually, I just walk onto the Terrace, but sometimes I go and sit by the Great Bath. Normally, all you see are visitors enjoying their trip to the Baths, and maybe the odd pigeon. So imagine my surprise when a bird of a more aquatic nature landed on the water in front of me!

Can you guess what had come to visit?

Yep, ducks.

To me this is extremely awesome, why? Because ducks are cool.

The first time I saw them, the female one then proceeded to preen herself in the Great Bath. I found that extremely amusing. I actually ended up sat next to the Bath for ten minutes watching her. There is something very cool about a duck having a bath in the roman bath, and it’s nice to see the thermal waters being appreciated again!

I have since been informed that these two ducks visit the Baths every summer. They have also attempted to nest around the bath but have not yet been successful in that area. It would be amazing if they did though - can you imagine how cute ducklings would look on the Great Bath?

Personally I think these two have got the right idea, why swim on the cold River Avon when you can swim in the warm waters of the Great Bath?

The ducks can usually be spotted sitting on the stone in the picture, or swimming on the Bath. They aren’t here all the time though, so keep your eyes peeled for them!



Charlotte