Grebes courting

Today we had sunshine!  The snow has all but gone, though there's still plenty up the hills.  The temperature however remains rather cold. I see that -6 is forecast for tonight.  There's also high cloud around and another weather system approaching so I'm feeling that I need to start making some serious plans for my return home pretty soon.

A catch-up kind of a day as I had a few things that I needed to do online.  As seems to be the way with computers, the job gobbles time as though it were starving.  Before I knew it it was mid-afternoon and whilst I was cosy warm in the van, the need to go out into the cold and stretch my legs won out.  Found these two just along the canal........fascinating to watch.  Lots of slow paddling back and forth along the canal, a lot of facing each other, gesturing and craning and then a couple of times, they swam to the edge, gathered some weed and presented it to one another.  Simple romancing I think.  The often noted odd courting ritual of walking on water chest to chest wasn't observed..........maybe that's at the more serious end of their mating rituals?!  Still, I shall see if I can spot them again tomorrow.  Not sure when I will actually leave here - I've all but decided this evening that a return the way I came is the best route to avoid any issues when the bad weather arrives (no passes to drive over).  Thereafter, it will be a case of hopping from place to place depending on what the weather is doing.  Again......watch this space.