Great Northern Diver

Or at least I'm 95% sure that's what it is. I'd just come back from dropping the kids at school, and noticed something in the water a bit larger than the normal cormorants and ducks we usually get. I guess he might have been diverted by the foul weather we had last night. The RSPB website says 2,500 wintering birds, so rare enough.

The photo isn't that great, as it is a little way from our house to the sea, but I could see him really clearly with binoculars, and he was georgous. I was so excited I even went as far as walking down to the shore, but the nearer I got the further away he paddled, so the best shots ended up being the ones from the house. And I got eaten alive by midges, and I got my feet wet, but blip is now responsible for me taking exercise before breakfast, so another bonus.

There was also an otter eating his fishy breakfast, floating on his back in the sea, but I know from experience that photos end up like a black blob in the water, and not a cat's chance of actually convincing anyone what it really was. I need bigger, better, more expensive, camera equipment!

So I'm feeling pretty lucky today, also it is my day for working from home, so life is much more relaxed.