Monkey Island Estate is a beautiful hotel on a tiny island on the Thames, at the village of Bray, Berkshire, UK. There for a wedding, we found time to bird in the evening around the river where a bridge crossed it and then around the nearby Bray lake the next morning.
The approach road to Monkey Island Estateexiting the estate, we turned left for a couple of hundred metres till we reached an opening on the left which led to a bridge across the river thamesbeautiful view from the bridge across the river Thames back towards the tip of Monkey Islandwe had a delightful encounter with a family of long tailed tits just at the bridge…pair of long tailed titsview from the bridge in the other direction away from Monkey Islandskulking robinchiff chaffthe next morning, a faraway kestrel watched us as we set off towards Bray lake…head down the same path on the left ..just beyond the left turn to the bridge, is a gap on the right leading to Bray Lake. You join a small road which is surprisingly busy with cars and you can’t see the lake yet. You need to turn right again towards a small club house where all the cars park….this is the Bray swimming club…Bray Lake…..you can walk around it in an hourred kites were active in the skycommon white throat with its rusty huesa great crested grebeA pair of great crested grebesgrey wagtailEgyptian gooseEgyptian goose flying over and probably laughing at an intrepid swimmer in the frigid watersthere was lots of activity in the trees around the lake….here a female eurasian blackcapbetter view of female blackcap with its chestnut crownIn contrast, the male eurasian blackcap truly justifies its namemale eurasian blackcapglimpse of the lake through the treesa grey heron posed across the lakethe grey heron in flighta pair of Egyptian geese hiding in the undergrowthsong thrush on the pathblue tits were plentifuland this charming chiff chaff bade us goodbyewith a head shake of great power!
Monkey Island Estate and its environs is wonderfully tranquil location.. surrounded by greenery and water, the birding was excellent. And of course, if you are peckish, Bray has several notable restaurants, the 3 Michelin starred Fat Duck and Waterside Inn….but here’s a tip…the one star Hinds Head gastropub totally delighted us at a fraction of the cost of its more salubrious neighbours…..go for the weekday set lunch!
The Natural Traveller 