TAKE-OFF

Both my photos are a bit blurry today. As I was taking the goldfinch, perching in the fairly stiff breeze atop the buddleia, it suddenly launched itself into a dive before opening its wings and flying to a nearby tree. The extra was taken through the dirty windows of the café at RSPB Saltholme across quite a distance to the artificial "cliff" where the sand martins are raising their second - or possibly third - brood. Most of the parents were swooping in and disappearing into the holes before coming out several seconds later, but I noticed that one set of parents were arriving at the entrance of their hole and flying straight off again. When I zoomed in I could see that the entrance was blocked by three eager faces waiting for their next top-up. I've really had to tweak the sharpness in the hope that you can see them.