Summer skies...

The last day of survey along the east coast main line, and my sixth consecutive day of survey. It was a true summer's day, with sunshine and blue skies for most of the time we were out, although by the afternoon there was an annoying wind which rendered invertebrate survey almost impossible (insects tend to hide when it's hot and windy).

After we returned home, I spent a while lying in the garden, enjoying the gentle warmth of the evening sun and just staring into the sky. I watched gulls, like silver anchors, gliding effortlessly in the wind, adjusting their trajectory with the merest twitch of a wing and then tumbling to catch one of the seasonal feast of winged ants. High above them there were swifts, not wheeling casually, but flying purposefully on their return journey south. A cloud shaped like a fish moved slowly from the east, and for a few moments its scales were bathed in rainbow colours as the ice crystals refracted the rays of the low sun. I nearly dashed inside to fetch my camera, but didn't want to spoil my moment of mindfulness. Sometimes memories are enough.