Early morning

I decided to get up at sunrise to visit the marsh again to see if I could see the Spoobbills and get a good photo of them together. As I approached the pool at around 5.30 they were both still there along with 5 Little Egrets. Egrets are easily spooked in my experience and they immediately took exception to my presence and flew off. This seamed to disturb the Spoonbills as well and the adult bird left with them. After a while the original bird returned and I got this shot as it came in to land. It didn't stay long and flew off North, landing still inside the RSPB reserve but quite a distance away. Later, after 10 minutes or so it took to the air again and flew deeper into the reserve. At around 7 my patience was exhausted, not to mention my lack of coffee and breakfast! The weather was still disappointing and dull so I never did get that really good in flight shot that I was looking for. Never the less its been a great weeks birdwatching and photographing in Devon with Mediterranean Gull, Spoonbill and Ruff seen and photographed as well as a Southern Hawker Dragonfly and in Wales last Friday, Red Kite.