Halcyon Jewel

 After a frosty night the day dawned sunny with little wind but cloud forecast for later. We set off for a short walk round the marshes but ended up going further and came back down the canal.

There wasn’t a great deal to see but what we did see was brilliant. We always go first to the old railway bridge over the river. A heron was huddled in the bank and there were some ducks sunning themselves. The moorhens were busying themselves as usual foraging along the banks. We were just about to carry on when I saw it sitting quietly on a branch of a shrubby tree only about 15 feet away. Had it been there all along with people and dogs passing and us standing there? I guess so. Slowly I got the camera in position and took several shots. Hoping to get it in better light we slowly walked down the track to one side but, blow, it flew off …. and landed on a nearby post. I edged closer, another few shots then off again and onto another post… closer… more shots….The Halcyon Jewel had had enough and off it flew up river. What joy!

We wondered on. Lots of lovely ice patterns in the puddles, good views of a
teal drake in the ditch and a meadow pipet on a post, lots about; further up a snipe snugged down on the bank in the sun. There were lots of canada geese scattered over several fields with groups of lapwings here and there and just a couple of curlew. There were good numbers of robins and stonechats, the odd thrush and early on a sparrow hawk hunting overhead.  A good day!