The heron, the kite and the parakeet

Many thanks to Cailleach for hosting today's WildWed.

This morning I went to the nature reserve early.  The first thing I heard - and saw - was a red kite, too far away to blip but it still gives me a thrill seeing these big birds that never used to be here.  Second, I saw 'my' heron from last winter.  In fact I'm not sure it is the same one, it could be slightly smaller and more agile, but I don't know.  It's in a different part of the reserve and I have seen it a couple of times over the summer, rather distant.  Today it was sitting on some scrub alder right by the water, looking incredibly glamorous against a clear blue sky.  (It has been blue all day, I haven't seen a single wisp of cloud).  The lovely thing with this perch is that there's a clear background and the morning sun falls directly on it so none of the difficult back-lighting of last winter.

And the parakeet?  That was last week and I forgot to mention.  I saw this silhouetted bird with a very long tail and making an extraordinary rasping noise.  Just as it was about to land on a tall and distant tree I got a flash of green from its back and wings - a parakeet!  Do you think the London birds are escaping?

This afternoon I spent with OG in his own home.  We both agreed it was a good day..

And I hope you had a good day too  xx

I wanted to thank you all for the last few days.  I know I have been a bad blipper and I owe all of you so many thanks.  I'm feeling better, my comments are back on and I'm on best behaviour  ;))