When I read that my Weymouth guesthouse was offering a 10% discount on accommodation from late October through to January, well, of course, I had to take advantage of the offer so, earlier this week, I had three and a half days back by the seaside. I have established a routine for the afternoon of my arrival – after five hours sitting on three trains – of checking in, dumping my things in my room, then striding the mile along the beach front to RSPB Lodmoor to get some fresh air and exercise, and my first look at what birds are around. This visit, as the sun is now setting around 4.30pm, I was treated to a lovely sunset as I walked the Lodmoor circuit – useless for photographing birds but, as you see, I was tempted to take a few arty-farty shots of the reeds (they’re not the best – I’m not really a landscape photographer!).

At this time of year, though large parts of the reedbeds at Lodmoor are left untouched (to provide habitat for birds like Bitterns and Bearded tits, as well as other creatures), extensive areas are cut; the Dorset Wildlife Trust website explains that this is necessary to prevent the reedbeds being encroached upon by scrub and, subsequently, trees.

The most common plant species in these reedbeds is Common reed (Phragmites australis), which is a very hardy plant and spreads easily through creeping rhizomes beneath the soil surface. As these reeds can grow to a height of 4 metres, the cut reeds can be used to thatch buildings, according to the Dorset Wildlife Trust website, though I don’t know if this is the case with those that are cut at Lodmoor.

Though I imagine many of you will be familiar with these reeds – as their name implies, they are common, I thought I should also include a daytime photo so walked past a local reedbed alongside Cardiff Bay during today’s walk to take this final photo.