Heron?

Some of the more notable failures of my 'photo a day' blogs have featured wildlife. The squirrel on the waste bins behind the pub and my recent shot of The Plough pond both spring to mind as photographs that were seriously deficient in both composition and execution.

Then there was that dreadful photo of a deer in someone's front garden but that at least was rather exciting and, arguably, had an 'on the spot, as it's happening' reportage feel to it*.

Today, I saw this heron (I think) in the river that is just outside our office. Since I was about to set off to spend the afternoon in the pub where photo-opportunities might be slim on the ground (although I did take this, as it happens), I decided that I'd ignore my previous track record and grab a shot of this bird.

Shortly after I took this, the bird flew off down the river, gliding on its outstretched wings with its long neck tucked back aerodynamically. Now, with the right photographer behind the camera, that would have made an amazing photo!

*It didn't.