Heron

Normally I only see local herons in flight or too far away to view, let alone photograph. However, this morning there was one on Valleyfield Pond, and it was great to be able to watch it for a few minutes. It seemed intent on hanging around to get its breakfast, and my guess is that, since the Esk is a raging torrent after more heavy rain last night, there's no point in trying to fish it. I've been told by local birders that these are also conditions when kingfishers are seen on Valleyfield Pond, but there was no sign of any. I was lucky that the weather cleared for most of our walk, as the afternoon saw a return to gales and squalls.