Whoopers

Two whooper swans in synchrony, seen from the luxuriously warm Sir Peter Scott Observatory at the Caerlaverock Wildfowl & Wetland Trust Reserve.  To be fair, we had spent most of the day swathed in layers of clothing, gloves and hats in the unheated hides of the Reserve. But this hide enables visitors to see wild birds up close, the whoopers were mixed in with mute swans of more local origin than these birds that summer in the Arctic.

I travelled there with S, J and young M who is an extremely enthusiastic and very proficient birder. There seems to be a developing rivalry between M and me as to who can see the most birds this year. Since he has far better eyesight than me and boundless energy, it's a contest that ultimately I know I cannot win. And why should I want to? It's good enough for me just to see his passion for birds, goodness knows we need people of his generation to become champions for conservation if we are to have any chance of hanging onto our wild places and diverse wildlife.

A good day out, and the bird list moved on to 105.

I'm sorry that I have been absent from viewing and commenting recently. I have been concentrating on getting back into the swing of work and establishing a healthy work-life balance.