Visit to the RSPB Site at Cornhill Meadows

Tim Webb, of the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds, and I find each other with the help of mobile phones in the Cornhill Meadows above Waltham Abbey. The area is a dragonfly reserve and is beautiful. All along the Lee Valley there is water everywhere - canals, rivers, small lakes, reservoirs and tiny streams. The area marked clearly as 'The Abbey fish ponds' reminds me of Chaucer. The sun falls briefly on a group of weeping willows, illumining the far bank of the waterway in a glowing green which epitomises early spring. Two swans make a majestic descent onto a pond.

Later, walking north west along the canal I count twenty four swans at a glance. Mitzpah barks at almost all of them from the safe distance of the bank. Tim explains that he is producing a guide for Londoners about local birds and reserves and wants to include a section about faiths. I say why I feel so strongly that birdlife, like all life belongs to God and is precious and important. We talk about suburban gardens as habitats, and I promise to include in our newsletter extracts about how to care for the winged visitors in our gardens, together with brief Biblical notes.