πŸ“– #71 ~ Hero Whoopers! ⛄️

☀️3C Sunday 16th December 2018 ~ More exceptional views of the Bittern at Brandon Marsh, which showed well walking along the channel at East Marsh Hide this morning. It was also viewable briefly waterside of the reedbed looking back from the Baldwin Hide as I departed a short while later.

More exceptional views of Bittern at Brandon Marsh
Going walk-about!
Also of note, the four regular visiting Whooper Swans were back on the pool all morning. These along with a residing family group of Mute Swans, the latter of which I have a personal dislike for! Mute Swans are the bullies of the birding world for me and it was not surprising to see the patriarch of the group trying to drown one of its kind, not for the first time. A few years back this particular individual killed another family of five cygnets shortly after they'd fledged.

My hero Whooper Swans

Calm after the storm
Astonishingly the nearby Whoopers suddenly waded into the group of Mutes where a battle erupted, the Whoopers actually managing to dislodge and force apart the battling Mutes, thus rescuing the bird which was being set upon. Respect to those guys!!