Losing the toss

R and I went to Stratford this morning, for the first time in a while, for walking, coffee, and cake. We were heading back towards Old Town on the south side of the river when we saw this heron standing at the side of Lucy's Mill Weir, apparently wondering about fishing. I didn't blame it for hesitating, because the water was flowing fast, but after a few seconds it edged away from the side and out onto the stone steps, carefully testing each foothold as it went. Its reward was this very small fish - surely no more than a tiny snack - which it plucked from the turbulent flow, shook for a few seconds, and then tossed, caught and swallowed. 

Heron 1: 0 Fish.

Back at home I did some mowing, then poached a chicken for tomorrow's lunch (one of my favourite recipes, which I described here, if you're interested). I also checked the wildlife pond, and discovered that there had been two more Southern Hawker emergences overnight - which is six and seven, by my reckoning. One had chosen its support well, and got away safely, but the other had come up under a spider web and met a pretty grisly end. I hope the spider enjoyed its meal, which (in contrast to the heron's fish) must have totally dwarfed it. Personally I always try never to tackle anything bigger than my head, and it's a strategy I recommend.

R: C3, D17.