A curfew of curlews

Another glorious day of sunshine and warmth - well heat rather than warmth to be honest. 

I spend much of the day in limbo, waiting for the gas engineer to make his third visit, bringing yet another part to repair our boiler. By now, I think little remains of the original except for the outer casing - but it’s now working as good as new; our own equivalent of Trigger’s Broom - an Only Fools and Horses reference. Then we have an unexpected visitor, while those we were expecting cry off …… oh and there’s the pigeon flying around the kitchen leaving a trail of chaos in its wake until G manages to grab it in a cloth and get it back out. 

So, a late afternoon outing to Conwy’s RSPB is most welcome. I’m hoping to see a great white egret, and sure enough, three have arrived. Despite their increasingly regular appearances, they still seem aloof and exotic, so I’m thrilled to spot one - though it’s rather too far distant for the shot I’d really like. 

The tide is in, so we expect little avian action on our return route along the estuary. Yet suddenly we spot not one but what appears to be a vast crowd of curlews on the marsh flats.  Apparently the collective noun is ‘herd’ according to some sources, but I much prefer the ‘curfew of curlews’ suggested by Countryfile in the link below - along with a treasure trove of other avian collective nouns. 
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/nature/collective-nouns-for-birds-68344

Fellow blippers will probably know just how much I love these birds, so it’s wonderful to see such a large and healthy gathering, and today’s blip just had to be one section of Conwy’s curlew curfew.