Coot with young

This isn't a great photo - must take a better camera next time - but I couldn't resist it. Maybe I could pass it off as "bad oil-painting effect". I had a picnic lunch with my friend T at Blackford Pond, close to my home. We met up there frequently last summer and it was fascinating to watch the baby birds (cygnets in particular) grow up. The swans are sitting at the moment, but a pair of coots have young already. We counted three of them and both parents are looking after them. Their nest is on the island this year, safer than near the bank of the pond where I saw one last year. I only saw one young coot then, and on one occasion only, so hopefully things will go better this spring.

Go large for more detail.