Having checked 6 weather forecasts and chosen the best one, I risked a visit to Old Moor today. This was my first visit for a few weeks and I was getting withdrawal symptoms. I headed for the reed bed hide and was treated promptly to a swan reunion - simply beautiful to see .
It started to blow a real hooley outside and the hide was rattle and banging. Outside a tuffty was having a bad hair day. A few little grebes fished for allwere worth but drew a blank . It is a fab hide when those fab little birds come so close.
During the time I was there I saw a group of snipe do a circuit, a shoveller, a little egret in the air, a kingfisher flashing by, lots of gulls (sorry, I'm not good on gulls at all but I assume black headed gulls), Lots of tufted ducks, lots of warring coots and one lonely great crested grebe. But boy that grebe was thowing some shapes!
On the way back I paused at the reed bed screen but no-one was at home. From the bittern hide it was gullantics all the way. I tried to figure out if they were couples or groups and who was diving bombing who. Amazing to watch and probably often ignored. All in all yet another excellent day at Old Moor.
Very nice shots WB, love the romantic love is in the air, with the swans.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
What a great set! The romantic swans are stunning, the grebe is a complete punk and that black-headed gull is clearly trying for an interesting view of the world!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.