Teenage swan with attitude!

So it's Valentine's Day! We don't really do 'romantic' in our house, but Pete and I did go off to a garden centre in search of a Gunnera for the bog garden, and had a cup of cofee while we were out!! Unfortunately none of the three garden centres we visited had the plant we wanted, but we ended up with several others on special offer instead!

This afternoon Chris and I went for a last walk round Ferry Meadows before he goes back to Sheffield tomorrow morning. All the usual ducks and geese were around, including a very smart set of shoveler. While we were photographing birds at the lake edge we were accosted by a quartet of teenage swans, begging for bread. This one was not impressed when the dogs came over, and swore quite impressively! I'd never realised that swans had such serrated beaks and tongues, so well adapted for gathering waterweed.

On our way back to the car, a flock of starling sized birds flew over our head, accompanied by a musical trilling. Chris had the binoculars and confirmed that they were waxwings. They roosted in a tall tree on the far side of the large lake, so I might have to go back tomorrow to see if I can get a closer look!