Silver

I went down the the tidal section of the river this morning. There was a very low tide and there were a mixed flock of juvenile and adult herring gulls in the shallowest part of the river, with some teal dozing on the opposite side of the river.

It was a bit warmer than yesterday morning and for the first time for a week, our little pond wasn't frozen over. Unfortunately, there was cloud cover, and the day hasn't been as bright as yesterday. It was still a nice walk around the river. The crows were mobbing a buzzard, and shelducks and mallard were flying up and down the river, but not landing close enough for a decent picture.

There were very few songbirds around today. There was a woodpecker drumming in the woods across the river and a few robins flitting about, but that was about it. As the tide was so low, I walked across the dam and got the shot of the swan walking up it, against the flow. I walked through the woods as far as I could and back. A heron saw me before I saw it (as usual) and I saw it receding into the distance. A couple of jays were calling in the trees and that was about it.

The highlight came as I walked back down the lane to the car - a pergrine falcon soared into view - too high above the trees for a clear photo, otherwise that would have been my picture for the day. This was the first one I've seen down there this winter. I saw one on two or three occasions last year, but very few this year. Hopefully it will stay around for a while.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend.