Just for kicks!!

Sunshine and blue sky this morning (you could be fooled into thinking it was summer) so I was determined to go look for a meaningful blip.

Decided to head to Linlithgow Loch so off I went - armed with a 120 - 400mm zoom lens - to see what I could capture.

To get myself in the frame, I started off with some leisurely swan photos and this proved to be a good start as I got some nice shots.

I remembered last time I was there, I took shots of a Moorhen (I'm sure that's what it was) that had built a nest, about 50 yards from shore, up against a buoy and I wanted to see how things were progressing.

Turned out, the parents were guarding two youngsters and were taking it in turn to go for food and bring it back to feed their chicks.

Took lots of photographs of this and decided this would be an ideal blip. However, things then get a bit more interesting!!

One of the parents, instead of going straight back to shore for scraps, went out from the nest at right angles. I'm guessing it must have strayed into another hen's patch and this move was none too popular!!

If was fascinating to watch how the antagonists squared up to one another, puffing themselves up to make them seem more aggressive.

A short scuffle - of sorts - broke out and I managed to capture quite a few shots.

The 'karate kick' shot I've chosen proved to be the best of the bunch and I'm pleased to say no birds were injured during the short exchange.

The only thing bruised were some feathered egos and they all soon went their own way.