This was my first visit for over a month. I didn't expect to see much so I decided to pay a brief visit to the hide before moving on to the inlet where I saw the four young Kingfishers on my last visit.
As expected there was nothing much showing on the lake but there was one expeption, the Little Grebes have returned at last. They didn't come close though so I had to make do with this long distance shot.
Young Coot.
One of the resident Great Crested Grebes swam quite close to the hide.
No such luck this time though. How dare they stand me up?
I was on the verge of moving on when something flew in low and landed not twenty feet away on one of the fallen trees.
It wasn't a Kingfisher but the even more elusive (for me at least) Grey Wagtail.
It stayed around for a few minutes and I thought that was that. But then a few minutes later it returned with what I at first thought must be it's partner. They both looked a bit scruffy and I put this down to the toils of rearing the young. But after I returned home and uploaded the pictures I changed my mind. I reckon they are juveniles. They did look a bit on the small side and the scruffy feathers could be 'cos they aren't fully grown yet? Their breast feathers should have more yellow? Either way I was well pleased by their appearance. They stayed for quite a while too!
I'm not sure what it has caught but it did swallow it after thinking about it for a few moments.
When I headed home, well chuffed with the Wagtails I was meandering over a field when a Hare sprung up right in front of me and legged it, heading over a hill on the horizon. I threw the tripod onto it's feet and managed to fire off a few shots just before it dissapeared over the brow.
I reckon you're right about the Wagtails being juvenile - if you look carefully at the second and third photos there's a faint trace of the gape left in the corners of the mouth. I also agree with you that the colours should have more 'oomf!'.
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