& the rain returned.

After nice bright weather for a couple of weeks, we had a wet, grey day today, and the forecast says it is with us until early next week. On the positive my water butts in the garden are now full of water.

So, pictures today from Titchfield Haven are more like pictures from a winter’s day. Not very nice under sail in the Solent.

Grey Heron.

Little Egret.

fledgling Reed Warbler.

It is a hard life.

Warning: Distressing images.

Further to my post last week re Black-headed gull chicks

Link below.

The next pictures show how hard it is for the chicks. A much larger Lesser Black-backed gull swoops down and snatches a chick. As this happened, the Black-headed gull colony erupted into the air, but they failed to save their baby.

Pictures taken by my brother Simon Finnegan {I missed this, although I have seen it happen in the past.}

four Spots.

The Four-spotted chaser dragonflies seen here at Titchfield Haven Nature Reserve are easily recognised. Each wing has two dark spots on the leading edge. These spots give this species its name.

Take off.

Kestrel hunting by the Beach at Titchfield Haven.

One of the few books I had to read at school.

A Kestrel for a Knave is a novel by English author Barry Hines, published in 1968. The book is set in an unspecified mining town in Northern England. It follows Billy Casper, a young working-class boy troubled at home and at school. He finds and trains a kestrel, whom he names “Kes”. It was made into a  film directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett,

Parenthood.

Avocet families at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve. Parent birds chase off anything that gets too close to their chicks, including other Avocets. Yet, the chicks wander far from mum and dad. This makes them fairly easy targets for predators like large gulls and Marsh Harriers.

Lapwing.

One Lapwing was sitting in the grass, and two others were flying /displaying just over her head. My interpretation was that they were two males trying to impress. The mating season has started in the wetlands.