The pool at Badger, almost covered in waterlily leaves. While I was there, I couldn’t see any sign of the ducks (or ducklings) which are usually there.
Playful young goosanders, Atcham
Young goosanders playful learning to fish on the Severn at Atcham. Four or five young birds with their mother. The mother would swim, apparently effortlessly, to where the fish were before diving. The youngsters were powering like a set of living jet skis, They were making dashes of perhaps twenty or thirty yards, leaving long wakes behind them, ending by submerging suddenly./
Caption competition time and other sheepish shots
Montgomery (Trefaldwyn) is sheep country. In late spring there are lots of lambs in the fields.
Pied wagtails, English Bridge
Pied wagtails by English Bridge, Shrewsbury. Shortly after I started taking pictures of one hunting insects on the bank of the Severn, a small group gathered on the parapet of the bridge. They seemed to be engaging in a coordinated “dance”. Could this have been a courtship ritual (very late in May)?
Border (Offa’s Dyke)
A woodland glade, with rather late-flowering bluebells. The slight bank to the right is Offa’s Dyke, not very prominent in this section s mile or so east of Montgomery (Trefaldwyn).
It nevertheless marks the border, not just between Powys and Shropshire, but also between Wales and England.
Swan family, English Bridge
Swan with young cygnets, on the river back right by the Severnside footpath, just yards from English Bridge in Shrewsbury. Everyone, as they walked past, whipped out their mobile phones for a picture. The birds seemed unconcerned.
The cob (male adult) was just out of shot, swimming on the river. It was keeping careful watch, but didn’t seem concerned either.