Nettled And Saddened

Beautiful light at Fishers Green this afternoon. I shot the reflection of the sun in the swollen river and the above was the result.

A little grebe was in position by the weeping willow catching the rays. An almost identical pic to the coot that I posted recently. Wonderful colours and reflections.

As I reached the bend, where I always think of the mayfly that I shot here around eighteen months ago, I noticed a gull at the water's edge on the opposite bank with a backdrop of lovely red twigs. I couldn't understand why it didn't fly as I approached. My heart started to sink. Something was amiss. It repeatedly fluttered but failed to launch. I took some pics but they are too upsetting to post. The bird was drowning. It had a fish hook caught in its beak and the line was trailing through the twigs. It seemed that the more it struggled the longer its head was held under water. I could do nothing.

I then spotted what I thought was a fish in a bush on my side of the river. I didn't realise until I looked at it on screen that it was a lure with a three barbed hook and a line attached.

I enjoy talking to fishermen, they know so much about wildlife, but their discarded tackle causes such a lot of misery. :(