Elstow/Cardington Brook

Took a stroll along Elstow Brook at Cardington this afternoon. I was curious to see if the Little Egret that I saw there yesterday was still in residence. There was no sign by the bridge at the pool where I have seen Little Egrets, Grey Herons and Kingfishers catching fish so I decided to walk down stream. The water was crystal clear but very low for this time of year and there were plenty of small fish in the shallows and pools.

There were lots of butterflies including, Orange Tip, Small Whites, Holly Blue, Green Veined White, Brimstone, Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood. No Damselflies as yet.

A Grey Heron took to the wing about 50 yards away, it headed further downstream so I decided to see if I could get a closer look. Eventually I spied it about 100 yards away, it had not spotted me so I tried to get closer for a better look. I could see it was hunting in the margins and slowly moving upstream towards me so I decided to lay low and wait for it to get closer.

Eventually  it got close and I managed to get some captures but was somewhat hampered by the long grass and the Heron skulking in the reeds. The presence of nettles didn't help much either!!