Outstretched

Today’s walk takes us along the lower reaches of the river Clwyd near Rhuddlan. It’s where I’ve seen the Goosanders in the past, and I’m hoping there might be a little family here today.

Sadly, this is not the case - there are just mallards, lots of mallards. Oh, and gulls of various types. There’s a shingle bank which seems to provide a popular gull bathing spot, and  flocks of herring gulls fly in and out of the water, joined by a few black backed and black headed varieties, all frantically bobbing and shaking and flapping to thoroughly clean their plumage. 

Suddenly something spooks them, and on mass they rise up from the water, wheeling widely, before eventually touching down. The air is full of birds. And as they circle down to land once more, I take some shots. Just gulls, but as I’ve said before, still with a strength and beauty of their own.