An Evening at the Gravel Pit: Crayfish and Curious Swans

An evening of underwater filming, unexpected wildlife encounters and a reminder to keep nature clean.

Crayfish and swans made my evening at the gravel pit more interesting than I expected. I spent the whole day fishing, but the evening brought a few surprises.

As it got darker, several crayfish appeared among the rocks and found the sweetcorn I had put out for the fish. They got there first! I filmed them with my DJI Action 4, although the underwater footage turned out darker than I had hoped. Still, it was interesting to see what was happening on the bottom.

The crayfish weren’t the only visitors that evening. Two curious swans came quite close to me. I gave them a few kernels of sweetcorn and filmed them with my camera. It was lovely to see them up close. I wanted to enjoy the moment without frightening them or making them move away.

Unfortunately, I also spotted eggshells lying between the rocks underwater. It’s disappointing to find rubbish in a place where wildlife lives. Please take your waste home when you leave. Nature isn’t a bin, and our waters deserve to be kept clean.

The underwater footage wasn’t as bright as I had hoped because the light was fading, but I’m glad I captured these unexpected moments. Not every day by the water brings a memorable catch, but sometimes the wildlife you encounter makes the day special.

Thanks for reading!