Stealth

St David’s Day, daffodils. The ones in the garden are looking wonderful especially after an overnight shower or two. Hazy sunshine and just a light breeze just right and just time to do a blip before I tackle the weekly shop.
After lunch its clouding over a little but still very pleasant so Gofer and I head for the cycle path and the marshes. Not a lot of bird life on the big pond, but what’s that ah a pintail drake with a possible female hidden on the bank. along with a few teal and mallard already in pairs and some moorhens. At the observation deck a crow sits on the information board; the pattern of reeds against the sky reflected in the big pond catches my eye; then the peep peep as the kingfisher flies up the river. We walk on up the path. A few duck are here and there in the marsh fields but not in any numbers. Bright jewel celandines are dotted along the still winter green brown verges along with the odd clump of newly opened primroses.
Further up in the stream running alongside the path, were several bunches of frogs spawn. The receding flood waters have left a thin layer of silt so we could not tell just how far the eggs had developed. We walked back down the canal, crossing over the bridge back onto the cycle path by the big pond. We hurried a spit of rain in the air. Sh, stop stay were you are, a young heron fishing in the rhyne next to the path. We watched, I took a couple of shots, we moved a little closer, it seemed quite unconcerned concentrating on catching its tea. Gofer went home to put the kettle on. I watched the heron for ten minutes or so following it as it stealthily waded up and down the rhyne catching a fish here and there. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a close encounter before. More here