egret, heron and swans

I've got myself in a muddle - the swan photos were taken before my Wales trip, the heron and egret after. The afternoon we went to the pond the Cob was having a session of preening, splashing and flapping his wings - a fantastic sight. Watching the swans and their seven cygnets throughout the summer has been such a privilege - I know I'm going to feel really sad the day we go to the pond and they're no longer swimming about.

I shan't have much to post over the next three weeks, my dog walking friend and fellow photographer and wildlife enthusiast is off on a fantastic holiday to Canada!

When I view my blog, sometimes it's not showing the photos - can others see them?

A magical afternoon

I don't think I've stopped smiling since yesterday afternoon - a quick trip to the local nature reserve and we saw a kingfisher. Not only saw one, but it perched in front of us long enough to get some photos. A simple pleasure maybe but for me it was very special. Then a heron flew in too! I expect you have guessed that I'm still not drawing but I hope you like these photos. The Beautiful Demoiselle visited my garden this morning and Tom the alpaca was at the gardens I visited last week, oh and what I think is a meadow pipit was on my walk this morning at Kings Hat. It obligingly stayed still just long enough for me to get a shot, though from a long way off.

Egrets and a butterfly

Same excuses, no ink and too busy! This weekend I had my nephew's wedding to attend, the reception was at a lovely golf club, the grounds looked out to Southampton Water in the distance. During the afternoon and evening I watched three cruise liners depart, including the Queen Mary 2.
Here are a few pics from this afternoons trip to the local nature reserve. We saw beautiful egrets, a cormorant, lapwings, pretty butterflies and dragonflies too. We explored a little further than we have before - big mistake as neither of us has a great sense of direction (actually mine is non - existent) - we ended up walking for at least an hour and a half, totally lost at one point!