Further along on our Oakwell walk, I stopped at the pond by the hall to catch a photo of this moorhen chick preening itself on the island.

After snapping away for a little while I noticed a couple leaning over the parapet with a phone trying to get a photo of something rustling in the grass – so I joined in.

At first all I could see were some dark stripes behind the grasses, dandelions and buttercups.

And then everything swam into focus – a nest of ducklings!

The moorhen chick was joined by a friend.

The yellow iris admired its reflection in the murky water.

And the gunnera looked magnificently architectural against the backdrop of the 16th century stone hall.