A Lucky Horseshoe

Woke up at 4 am and decided to try and get a sunrise.  Unfortunately the clouds again blocked out the sun but then they cleared to allow some photography during the 'golden hour'.

I found this horseshoe in the brook.  OK, I did 'place' it for the shot, but I wanted to make it slightly different from a shot about a month ago.  This is shot in the opposite direction to that image.

When I got home it was time to prepare for family coming around as it is someone (else's) birthday.  As I mentioned earlier in the week we have a very noisy couple of blackbirds in the garden and things if anything have got worse.  That was until about 10 'o' clock when I heard some commotion in the undergrowth where the nest is and our cat appeared with blackbird chick in mouth!  OMG what a racket.  I grabbed the cat, who had dutifully dropped the 'present' at my feet.  locked her in the house and returned to the chick........... but it had disappeared.  Mr and Mrs Blackbird were going berserk, dive bombing me so I left them to it, hoping the chick would be shepherded to safety.

No such luck, they resumed their frantic calling without seeming to have any idea as to the chick's whereabouts.  I looked around but could see nothing until about an hour later when I noticed the little fella in the border.  I grabbed him and put him back in the nest, waiting for the parents to take up station and resume feeding.  Again, no such luck and within a few minutes the chick had dropped back down into the undergrowth.

And that's where he remains as I write this, with the parents flying back and forth in a frenzy; the cat looking out the window and sharpening her claws; and yours truly getting out the ear defenders.