Orange Tips

Okay hand holding a 500mm lens isn't the best way to get a crisp picture of a pair of Orange Tips, but that's what you've got today.

Waited for the rain to stop this morning before heading down to Amwell. With the dampness still hanging in the air, there were insects galore and the Swallows, Swifts and Sand Martins were having their fill. Actually my first sightings of the year of the latter two then added a Whitethroat to the list too. Off to Rye Meads where half an hour in the Kingfisher hide brought a couple of sightings - check out RCB's blip. There was some interesting goings on around the Kingfisher bank too. A pair of Gadwall seemed quite content to be sat on the roof, while a pair of Blue Tits had made themselves a home in one of the unused holes. Walking out I was approached by a couple who'd seen a strange duck. I couldn't work out what they were trying to described, but I popped in to the hide to check it out. My guess was a Teal / Mallard hybrid - nicely marked bird, iridescent green head with white spot in front of eye and large yellow spot behind the eye - definitely not a "proper" duck.

Headed back to Amwell and not a single hirundine was now to be seen. Ended up in the Bittern Pool hide, wrong time of year for Bitterns, but a Reed Warbler put on a nice show before the thunder and lightning rolled in. Hey ho, I was a bit damp by the time I got back to the car. Never mind though, another excellent days local bird watching.