Here is an update from Anne, painting in The Loons hide...
It’s the end of the first week of mural painting at the Loons. Having forgotten the binoculars three day in a row, sightings out of the window have been restricted to things directly in front of the hide or things big enough to see through raindrops and with poor eyesight. This still means plenty of Curlew, Lapwing and Snipe plus passing Hen Harriers. However the highlight of the week came not from any great rarity but from a humble Mallard, skating admirably upon the frozen pool before a slight loss of control resulted in a perfect execution of ‘straddle splits’. His wife looked suitable unimpressed from the nearby reeds.
This is the progress so far on the painting. It’s rather rough and ready still, with more under-painting to do before adding a bit more detail but the layout is slowly taking shape. As per the last post, visitors are very welcome to pop by. So far I’ve seen 2 people and a blackbird who hopped unwittingly through the open door.