Keeping a watchful eye

This was the scene when we started walking round the London Wetland Centre at Barnes today. The otter enclosure is quite near the start of the route and the two resident otters were basking in the sun whilst the heron kept watch over them. We went back later to watch them being fed and apparently the heron cleans up after them, picking up any scraps of fish or crab they haven't consumed. My daughter, Jen, and I spent a very pleasant few hours walking round this green oasis with the central London skyline on the horizon and jet planes flying over every few minutes en route to or from Heathrow. The abundance of wild flowers attracts masses of insects and butterflies and the extra photo is of what I think is a hoverfly enjoying a floral lunch.