The good weather has a drawback. A major drawback. I take too many photos and then struggle to decide what to post. Saying I'll something for tomorrow doesn't work… it just doubles the problem ahead of me. So I'm going to be fairly strict with myself tonight and try to keep to the title… but be gentle with me if a couple of extra shots creep in. Like this one, which is by way of introduction.
The rabbits were out in the early sunshine, but this morning they'd descended on the churchyard, rather than keeping to the fields. 
There was heron out on the pond, a new family of ducklings in the distance, ducks (lots of ducks), some juvenile moorhens…
And there were the fish, busy leaping. I've been after a shot like this for a while. Usually I capture a 'splash' or a partial breaching of the surface. This one came right out and I caught it on the descent. It's a fairly hefty crop, but it's a fairly large fish!
That was all before work. The next sequence are from early morning and lunchtime. The herring gull chicks were out and about on their roof, having survived the dire weekend weather. 
One of the adults appeared with some food (regurgitated ham by the look of it).
Two of the chicks are much larger than the third one, though the smallest seems to make up for its lack of size with a fairly aggressive attitude to food. Here it is cramming in as much as it can!
The preferential treatment continued.
I'll leave the chicks there, but they are bound to feature heavily over the next few weeks. I'll close tonight with a couple of swifts photographed earlier this evening over our garden. They were sweeping in quite low as they hunted insects, and the late light was good.
Definitely a good day. Now to see if I can spot a fox!
Camera note: all shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens.
RobinL
15 Jun 2011Words, it was a good day! Great shots. I like the one of the Gull chick sitting back on it's bum!
Great capture of the carp!
Words
15 Jun 2011Robin, that's my favourite of the chicks as well! The carp was a bonus. I see them do that all the time but trying to photograph it is hopeless as you never quite know here they will appear. A long shot, and then cropping down is easier, but there's a big loss of quality.
Words
15 Jun 2011Erwin, thanks!
Words
15 Jun 2011Darko, yes I think it's a carp but I'm not very good with fish! I'm pleased though that news of the web travels below the waterline. Maybe I should visit Loch Ness :alien: 😀
gdare
15 Jun 2011That fish looks like a carp :left: But it was not made by chance, it wanted desperately to be photographed and appear on your famous blog :whistle: :yes:
SittingFox
20 Jun 2011Wonderful shots of the swifts – and the chicks, and well done for catching your fish! Tricky creatures.
Words
20 Jun 2011Adele, the swifts are proving more cooperative than the garden foxes at the moment. I was pleased about the fish as I hear them all the time, but rarely get even close to snapping one.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Lovely shots