Very very Green

Since last I posted I have seen no raptors other than a Buzzard, nothing has flown in front of my car except Herring Gulls, Carrion Crows and a Pheasant, and the Dart's Cormorants... Ok, the sinensis were still tarting about on and off.

To the fun stuff! Today, like a fair few others, I made my way over to cornwall to the Found Gardens of Heligan [they're not exactly Lost anymore, really, are they?]. Arriving just after it opened, I found the Valley, to be told the Heron hadn't been seen and it'd been looked for since sunrise. I visibly deflated as the prospect of a terrible dip loomed up like, well, the horror of an impending Dip..... A Kingfisher where the Heron was supposed to be was scant consolation, as was the presence of Southern Hawkers - apparently a favourite Green Heron bait / food. Not much use if it's done a bunk..

Fortunately, all was not lost, as the little bugger had merely moved to another pool, where he proceeded [once he'd been found there] to show very well indeed, on and off. The viewing point was a wooden bridge over said pool, the strength of which was sorely tested! Various jokes about H&S were made, with the 'reassurance' given that "Don't worry about the water, it's shallow. The Piranhas, on the other hand....." Mostly, however, we were too busy watching this wonderful little bird stalking poor innocent Sticklebacks and generally being fabulous to worry about such trivialities. :)

After an hour or so, I let someone else have my spot and wandered off for a bite to eat and a look around the Gardens. They're quite something. I'm not particularly horticulturally-minded, but I do appreciate the scenery, and I love trees. There are some very nice trees there. They have a big hide with lots of remote cameras [the Springwatch influence is strong here ;) ] and a wide range of habitat to look at. Plus some sculptures in the woods [you have to see the sculptures - they're made of mud and wood] [Really. And plants.]. Anyway, after a couple of hours of munching bree and cranberry rolls [very nice] and covering a lot of paths, I went back the The Jungle to see if a) the crowds had cleared a bit, and b) if the Little Purple One [Green Heron is quite a lot of a misnomer] was feeling showy. Both were correct, so I spent another hour watching the fish population decreasing, with the bird working right up to the bridge, then flying back to the waterfall. :D

A truly wonderful bird in a worthy setting [and how often can you say that?]