It's a morning of blustery showers with brighter interludes.  Not ideal conditions for fishing although the rain is bringing the river level back up to a reasonable flow.

Up at the Tarn this morning the swans and cygnets were sitting tight on the nest clearly not impressed with the weather.  It's good to see the cygnets putting on fast growth despite being so late in hatching.  They will still be rather on the small side at the onset of winter and their survival will depend on how the autumn shapes up.  We will just have to wait and see.

I did my good deed for the day by releasing a young swallow that had somehow managed to become trapped in the hut.  It's the first time I have ever handled one of these avian athletes and it really is a wonder that something so small and seemingly so fragile is able to make repeated journeys to southern Africa throughout its life.  The colours when you see them close to are almost iridescent with vibrant blues and a rich chestnut.  The little thing sat in my hand literally vibrating with energy, it's tiny black eyes windows into a mind both wary and intelligent.  As I released it outside the hut it soared above Tarn pasture and immediately began hawking flies above the water.  A good start to the week.

Ian