Flood

I got the little Octo bus up to The Loons. Pretty quiet on the marsh there: Mallard, teal, wigeon , lapwings and curlew about. I could here snipe calling in alarm as a hen harrier flew low over the reed-beds. I walked down to Marwick, in heavy rain, and was glad of the shelter of the Fishermens' Huts to have coffee. These horses were in a flooded field. There was plenty of drier grazing available but they seemed to be enjoying the lushness here. Their pal, a Shetland pony was keeping out of the water, being quite short. I carried on over Marwick Head to Birsay Palace where the bus was to pick me up but it didn't show. I managed to get them on the phone- they'd got the booking wrong but diverted the driver to pick me up so no harm done. More shots here.