Wot? No Tree?*

Horrid, cold, wet and windy day. In normal circumstances I would have headed for the hides at Amwell Nature Reserve but all dogs, including Ollie, have been banned from them so we went to Longlands Hide at Fishers Green instead. 

I spent quite some time photographing a heron that had decided to go walkabout in a ploughed field and was being mobbed by gulls. I was beginning to think it couldn't fly when it took off.

From there to the Bittern Hide. I got images of a pair of great crested grebes nest building before we went in. As is often the case we had the hide to ourselves. This great spotted woodpecker flew into view and perched on a post. The tree that it would normally perch in has been cut down to allow extra light to get to the reed bed. This is part of the preparations for the construction of a £500,000 new hide and kingfisher nesting bank that is to take place next spring. The character of the area is bound to change.

*The way the pied woodpecker, as I call them, is perched reminded me of Chad.