Temper

I knew how he felt, to be honest - I was less than happy myself.

First thing this morning it was quite bright, but by the time I set off for Stratford at noon the weather was closing in, and as I walked along the top side of the river it began to rain. To start with it was just a light mizzle, and people were saying things like, "Oh, it's just a shower - it'll be over in no time." But by the time I reached the Bancroft wharf it was heaving down, and I even found myself wondering where in Stratford it might be possible to buy an umbrella.

As I predicted, the tufted duck count has plummeted, from thirty one birds yesterday to just four today. I can't be sure, but given the way they were huddling together in the very centre of the river, I suspect that they arrived overnight, as the previous flock was moving on. My second photo shows three of them, and gives a reasonable sense of their attitude; the fourth is another female, who appears to be dominant, and I expect she will lead her little group onward pretty soon.