Protecting Chicks

This morning I went into town to the Post Office and to take a few more things to the charity shop. Then I drove over to Cley to visit the hides and see what was around. I do love May, so much to see and hear at the reserves, a busy time in particular for the birds. A pair of Avocets had a couple of chicks and were doing a great job in protecting them from any potential predators like this shelduck. I've added a collage of some of the various things I saw in the 90 mins I was at the reserve. The collage includes drinker moth and tiger moth caterpillars, a whitethroat, bearded tit, pied wagtail, swallow (in the hide), sedge and reed warblers. I was expecting to blip an owl today as our U3A photo group meeting included a visit by a group bringing us owls to photograph. However they were a no-show without letting us know, I do hope all is ok. I received my replacement credit card today which had been sent on 9th! I checked in on the nest box camera at lunchtime, there is one chick that looks so much bigger than the others, presumably one of two that hatched a day or two before the other four. I had to laugh as today it was 'body surfing' on its back on top of the others with its beak open ready to be fed, reminding me of a fat  Roman Emperor on a couch being fed grapes!