It was more of the same with the weather early on in August, but we did get our share of the rain into the middle of the month, causing a spike in the river level for a bit before it settled back again.
Over the month the temperatures were quite good, only getting cooler towards the last few days. There was a bit more movement of birds along the estuary these last few weeks; the geese have been seen in good numbers overhead and the Lapwing , Curlew and oyster Catchers are about again now that the fields are being worked with the harvest underway. The Swallows are gathering up in numbers now on the wires, ready for their big return flight but we did have some young house Martins still getting fed in the nest at the very end of the month.
The river and the pontoons have been busier with the boat trips this month, and there has been a variety of others out on the water from canoes and kayaks
right up to the odd coaster plying its trade up to Perth harbour.
It has been a busy month about the river; with grass cutting and strimming still taking up a lot of our time, hopefully it should slow up growing soon! We have had a spell at the wood cutting and splitting, getting ourselves stocked up to keep the wood burning stoves going over the winter months ahead.
The Fishery and the Activity Centre have continued to keep steady after the schools went back earlier this month, and the catches and feedback have been good. There has been a lot of time and work put in this month to get the Café ready for opening up again; it is looking good inside and out with all the alterations that have been done, and the extension work is completed now.
It has been missed by a lot of people when it was closed, so it will be good to see some of our old customers back again and hopefully some new faces as well.
There was an autumnal feel to the end of the month with the cooler mornings and the harvest well underway; but the bees were still busy out on some of the warmer days, and it was good to get a late spin of honey of the hives before summer is past.
We had a settled river and a warm day to see out the end of August, hopefully this weather continues!
Dago