My last post was from the Sunshine State of Florida and now, after a 20 hour journey and a day to get over it things are rapidly returning to normal. One of the best things is being able to get back on to my Mac after struggling and tussling with the vagaries  of my wife's PC. Updating the blog and sorting out the hundreds of pictures taken on the equivalent of a steam computer was not a pleasant experience. If you have never used a Mac then you are missing out on something special, but if you are a Mac user then you know exactly what I mean. Wouldn't it be good if Bill Gates was reading this!  What a lucky man he was to be able to convince the world that his Windows thing was worth using! (Cus it aint Bill) We had some fantastic experiences and saw some amazing sights, (and the wildlife was good too). Most (but not all) citizens of the USA are lovely, friendly people and I really enjoyed their company. There were a few exceptions, one or two quite frightening. For example the confrontation that I had with a none English speaking "git" who was throwing rocks at the pelicans and cormorants on the beach and when eventually I confronted him, I felt seriously in danger of physical abuse. Then there was the ignorant English speaking woman on the beach who stepped between me and a Spotted Sandpiper, 6 foot away from me and then proceeded to give me a hard time because I was slightly miffed. She never did realise what she had done wrong! Most annoying was the posse of photographers with massive collections of expensive gear who probably couldn't have even named the birds they were photographing as they snapped off hundreds of images per minute. A lot like birding "paparazzi". Each to his own of course, but it really wasn't on to be constantly asked by these "weirdos" if , when I come to the US again they could offer me lessons…. yes that really happened.

My most enjoyable times were those spent with my nephew Geoff and his (and my mate) Zac when we did some wilderness fishing….. if you read this Zac, get in touch because I need to email the photos to you.

Back to all things British. I was thrilled when I discovered "my" kingfisher yesterday and watched him for a while. My hides are both still Ok and this morning I was up at 6 to go and see if I could get some shots of him. I didn't see him but I did take this lovely shot of a Pied Wagtail. I am giving a talk this evening on the subject of Wildlife in my local area which I am really looking forward to. Keep checking back because the blog will be updated with lots of pictures daily from now on.