Dad, Mum and the kid

It was a lovely morning at the estuary - a soft gentle light, full tide with water like polished steel and plenty of bird activity. It was a very nice walk.

I drove home via the causeway and straight away saw this trio of shags balancing on branches out in the wider inlet, waiting for the tide to recede so they could start fishing again. I sat and watched for some time, quite entertained. 

Dad sat in front on the highest point, very vigilant in watching for danger. Mum was in the middle and spent most of the time checking her plumage for feathers out of place. The kid was at the back, obviously bored out of his tree. He twisted and turned, flapped wings and stretched in all directions without leaving the perch. In this pic, he has turned his head right around looking up at the sky - can he see a bird or a plane or even superman up there? Or perhaps he just wants to see what the world looks like upside down.

It will be a long wait before the tide turns.