We passed this icy pool on one of our longer walking routes that we often take on a Saturday, when time is less pressing, and I saw what I thought was a heron wading in the water. We diverted from the path to approach a little closer for photographic purposes, but as we did so a trio of father, young son and dog appeared from behind the hedge on the far side of the pool, and Tia showed signs of running over to greet the fellow dog. The heron would have no doubt found being caught in a doggy pincer movement somewhat disconcerting, and so, after a quick long distance shot, we returned to our original route. Although the route was a circular one, the last leg of our stroll took us past this flooded field again, but there was no sign of the heron. Tia took some tentative steps into, or rather onto, the water, but since one paw turned sharp left and the other sharp right as she stepped onto the ice, she thought better of it, and returned to the safety of the grassy field edges. On viewing my image of the “heron” at home I discovered that it was, in fact, a swan, standing tall because it was on, not in, the water, its webbed feet stopping the weight of the bird from breaking through the ice.
Pretty colors, nice reflections in the water or the ice, which ever, and lover greases popping up in the water and love the hint of green in the background. FAV
