Cold

We went to Stratford today so that R could have his eyes tested and I could help him choose some new glasses. After that we went for lunch, and then I left R sitting over his coffee and zoomed down to the river in search of Odonata. The sum total in the area around Lucy's Mill Bridge was four - one Brown Hawker, two Migrant Hawkers and one Banded Demoiselle - but four is better than none, and it was on the chilly side for dragons to be out at all. This male Migrant had to keep perching in the sunniest spot he could find, and vibrating his wings to help warm the muscles.

Also lurking down in the reeds at Lucy's Mill was the Grey Heron I photographed there a couple of weeks ago. I almost managed to catch it peering upwards at a dragon flying over its head, but just missed the shot. A few seconds later two Kingfishers streaked past it - possibly juvenile siblings, as it didn't look (or sound) like one adult chasing another from its territory. The flypast was over in a couple of seconds and the Heron may not have noticed, because it didn't so much as twitch. I just stood and watched without even thinking of photos, and laughed aloud at the glorious sight.