The one that got away

I visited our local bird reserve this morning in the hope of getting an exciting photo; the web page talks about spotting kingfishers, rails, harriers and other exciting birds. Sadly, after spending a very cold hour in the hide, I had nothing to show for my time and frostbite other than a few shots of moorhen and teal...and, quite honestly, the hide was so far from the water that I've got better shots of both from walking by the river. And if I was disappointed, how much more so was the bloke who'd gone to the trouble not just of dressing up in camouflage gear but also of covering his camera, including a lens the size of a dustbin lid, with it.

Trudging through the trees back to the car, I realised there was a very large animal standing on the track. Was it a Fen Tiger? No, it was a deer...and one surprisingly unspooked by my presence, though it was watching me cautiously. Slowly, trying not to alarm it, I reached down for my camera bag. This picture would make up for everything.

Aaargh! Velcro!

Sadly, the ripping noise was all it took and the deer sprinted into the foliage before I could react. Still, it was quite an experience. I've only ever seen them at dusk or dawn before, but here was one in broad daylight at one o'clock.

Here's a photo of the reedbeds halfway between the hide and the car park.