A "Springwatch Moment" for me!

You know the sort of thing, Bullfinch nest or rabbits in straw and along comes something unexpected with a shock factor. Well, Monday this week I decided to visit Fairburn Ings fairly early doors, for me, and arrived there around 8am. After sauntering to the Pickup hide I am informed by another photographer/birder that I have just missed the Glossy Ibis. Typical or what! sez I. Apparently it was "encouraged to leave" by the Avocets. And so it continues, heron comes along and Avocets say "go away". Same result when Little Egret pays a visit and a little later the Spoonbill never even wet it's feet. The Avocets did seem to tolerate a couple of female Mallards, a few Lapwing and a Green Sandpiper but little else was allowed to stay. So, around 11:30 I decided to visit the Kingfisher screen, set up camera on tripod as normal and prepared for them to show. One popped in to say hello but stayed only a few seconds on the furthest perch and another about 20 minutes later but it stayed well hidden in the tree further downstream. Other folk that were there moved on and I was left solo for a while when a Coot chick a few weeks old swam into vision from the pipe below the screen and continued towards the sluice gates. I watched it as it progressed and hadn't intended to photograph it, I mean, how many shots of Coot do you need so the camera was being leaned on and was in sleep mode, bit like me really! Anyway, when it neared the sluice gates I heard a slight splash immediately below the screen and as I leaned forward to see what it was my arm caught the shutter button and the camera came back to life. What happened next was like being in slow motion as this creature swept into the water................ and continued towards the sound of the coot swimming and diving. The little coot didn't see it coming.................... The coot realised too late.....................(you can just see it at the top of the photo) .........and then it dived for cover and the mink too. They were under water for a few seconds but the end result was going to be pretty obvious.......................... Lunch for the young mink! More pics at http://www.denisg.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=5