Caen Hill (Monday 21st March 2022)

The main purpose of my trip to Caen Hill was to discover if the swan pair at the top of the lock staircase were breeding this year (spoilers: yes). I first recorded a ghostsign on a building on the Bath Road saying The Central Wiltshire Bacon Company Ltd, and then I joined the canal at a slightly different point,at the bottom of Westminster Close. Almost at once I was treated to the sight of a grey wagtail right in front of me. It didn't wait for me to extract my camera and rushed off down the canal to the first lock gate, beyond reach. Almost at the same time the cob swan popped up at my feet and was soon bribed with food by a family with a phone camera. Having been rewarded the swan glided across the Moorings in the hope of wowing any boaters on board.
I guessed correctly where the pen swan might be, and found her sitting on a nest at a spot where she has nested before. I think she is unfazed by me by now, but kept my distance and used my bridge camera at an equivalent 400mm.
As I left, the cob swan had come onshore to graze in front of Caen Hill Café (in Extras).

L.
Tuesday 22.3.2022 (1741 hr)

Blip #3607 (#3357 + 250 archived blips taken 27.8.1960-18.3.2010)
Consecutive Blip #004
Blips/Extras In 2022 #045/265 + #020/100 Extras
Day #4381 (1027 gaps from 26.3.2010)
LOTD #2751 (#2591 + 160 in archived blips)

Taken with Nikon Coolpix P900 (24-2000mm equivalent bridge camera)

Caen Hill series
Devizes series
Canals series
Kennet and Avon Canal series
Swan series

Caen Hill, 21 March 2022 (Flickr album of // photos)(Work in progress)
(Most of these taken with Pentax K-50 (Red) and Sigma AF 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro HSM lens)

Lozarhythm of the Day:
Jean_Marc and Lowbelly - Battre pour ton droit (2022)
This was played by Cerys Matthews on March 6 straight after another track, so I was initually fooled into thinking it was an example of French Yé-yé girls sixties pop music until I recognised the tune, but actually it is a contemporary recording by Lowbelly from America, who are Jeremy Miller (also Jeremy From Boise and member of Blood Party, Monster Dudes) and Tristan Andreas (from the band Phantahex) in collaboration with Jean-Yves and Marc-André. The song of course is a translation of (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)  by the Beastie Boys from 1987.

One Year Ago:
The Woodland Garden (Snakeshead fritillaries)