Egret Well Met

I last went to Amwell Nature Reserve on 5th March 2019 when I discovered that The Wildlife Trusts had decided to make the hides out of bounds to dogs. I had no desire to go somewhere where Ollie dog wasn't welcome and haven't set foot on the place since. 

Now that I am sadly dogless I decided to check it out again. I still don't get the dogs in hides ban. Dogs are welcome in the state-of-the-art hide and all the other hides at Fishers Green in The Lee Valley Park.

The first birds I saw of interest were red-crested pochards. The males have strange-looking, sort of ombre, nuanced heads. Cormorants in their breeding plumage were flying busily back and forth with nest-building material. Quite a few lovely fluffy little grebes about. Gadwall and beautifully vermiculated teal too. Coots mating.

A little egret flew in. I watched as it caught two fish. (Extras) When it caught the first a flock of gulls descended on it. It nearly dropped that fish.