Big birds

Another lovely sunny summery day. We'll be getting too used to them if this keeps up . I went to Farmleigh to look for my little Easter chickie, but there was no sign of him. First time I've seen the heron for a while, though. In the first picture he seems to have bushy grey eyebrows like an old man! I'd never noticed that before...

Some coots and moorhens, and as always plenty of mallards - this one stretching her wings and enjoying the sun.

This pair keeping a watchful eye out...

                                                 
                                                                      ... clucking gently away all the while.

I think today I saw more robins than anything else. You can certainly never count on seeing some things twice - I hope I get to see the jays again some time, though. C would love to see them too, but he walks too quickly and sings all the time, so I don't rate his chances very highly.

I wonder if Farmleigh is on the Queen's itinerary when she visits next month. There seems to be an unusual amount of cleaning and tidying going on. Last time we went the sunken garden was closed off because two gardeners were straightening the edges of the paths, although one of them told me that it was worth going in to see all the bulbs in bloom, and told me just to slip under the tape.