Now I'm a WWT member, I thought I'd pop to Slimbridge to check out their new kingfisher hide. Apparently, the best time to see kingfishers is around May time when they have young to feed as each chick can pack away an astonishing fifteen fish per day! I informed the wife that if she wanted to join me, she should be prepared for sitting for up to five hours in the hide as I was keen to get that elusive shot of the bird plummeting river-wards for a fish or two.

Unfortunately, as is often the case in the UK, the weather had other ideas and a force ten, baltic gale was blowing directly towards the hide which is not particularly helpful if you're having to constantly have contact with a steel-bodied camera. Of course, the official reason is that as I was only on a recce to see the new hide, I didn't want to cart my massive 300-800mm lens and its associated paraphernalia around with me all day. Whichever option you choose to believe, we only stayed for forty-five minutes. Plenty of kingfisher activity going on, but without the big lens, all I got was the equivalent of a holiday snap. Ah, well, another time, another lens maybe.

So back to the main reserve for the wife to dispense food to the goose population. I spent time photographing rooks and coots with my trusty D3 and 300mm lens, after all it's not every day you get to see these creatures! * One of my favourite action shots is currently in the latest images gallery, showing two territorial coots who were determined to fight almost to the death. In amongst all the kung-fu fighting, you'll see the one on the left actually managed to get a beakful of the other one's plumage. Ouch!

Then we discovered the reason why. One battle-scarred coot returned to see his mate who happened to be nesting. As she shifted to tend to his wounds, we were privileged enough to witness the birth of their first-born who wrestled his way from the shell to pose for this touching portrait of mother and baby. One for their family album perhaps. And this explains the old saying "As bald as a coot".


*Please note my tongue is firmly in my cheek whilst writing this blog :o)