I got up early to be on the river before it got busy and to coincide with the tide and sun. Yesterday when I had visited the water the river was too high and it meant that I could not get a clear sight of the bank without disturbing the birds. I worked out that the sun would be directly on the the east facing bank as it rose and the tide was still going to be low enough at around 8 o’clock. So armed with theses simple facts and knowing that on a Sunday it should be reasonably quiet at 8 I went before breakfast. It was a beautiful morning, the best of the year by far and as I approached the colony it was obvious that my calculations had been correct. I had to do a bit of wading, so off with the shoes, and trousers rolled up I made my way into the fast flowing but shallow river. I positioned myself opposite some excavations and waited for no more than 10 seconds before the first of a pair, and then a trio arrived to get on with tunnelling work! It was a glorious sight to see them so well, they are not really the brightest coloured off birds but then you don’t often get to see Sand Martins that close up to tell!. I moved slightly nearer and still they were not disturbed and the outcome was these lovelly images that I am so proud of. I will follow the progress of this colony over the next month or more, so you will be able to share with me the pleasure of their activities.