Strumpshaw Fen: wet and windy and no Osprey!

Knowing there's a Steam Rally at Strumpshaw today, I thought I'd get up early and stake out Tower Hide before the traffic builds up. I was in the hide by 5.30 am and spent a pleasant couple of (chilly!) hours enjoying close views of the usual suspects. (Chiffchaff, Little Egret, Pochard, Shoveler, Gadwall etc.) Interesting to see that a pair of Gadwall has managed to protect a brood of eight ducklings, while most other species seem to have lost all / most of theirs to predators.

Back home by 8.00, it was good to see that the garden birds seem to have shrugged off last week's disturbance: the Goldcrest was back by the pond and young Robins were all over the place!