Heron with two chicks

The wildlife homework continues...we spent today at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust venue at Washington (that's in Tyne & Wear, not the USA!). It's 3 years since we last visited there so we were certainly due a return visit. (Isn't blip great? - without it I wouldn't have known when our last visit took place.)

I was quite happy to get some more photos in overcast conditions, but as the weather forecast said that the sun would come out about 2pm I was hopeful for some sunshine shots too. However by 2pm the forecast had changed to 4pm  and by then it had changed to 7pm. As the place closed at 5.30pm I had to forget my sunshine shots (and in fact the sun never appeared even later!).

I did get lots of lovely photos though, and we really enjoyed our trip. A very experienced birder in one of the hides kindly pointed out a heron's nest high up in a tree - a long way in the distance right across a lake, but with my longest lens and some serious cropping I was able to get this photo: I think the parent is getting a bit fed up with its pestering chicks!! We particularly like the chicks' punk hairstyles.