I had to be home at 9 this morning, my wife needed the car which was very unfortunate.  I had been at the hide since 7.45 and almost smack on 8, there she was again, just at the same time that she had shown up on two previous mornings.  She lingered for a bit and caught a fish in the tank and then left for  20 minutes or so, to obviously try elsewhere.  Then she came back and for the next 40 minutes she was  with me, doing all the things that you would die to see.  She posed beautifully, she caught fish in the brook, she caught fish in the tank and she bobbed about looking through the tank at them. All the time, the light was getting better and better and I was getting, consequently better and better pictures. As 9 approached I had to make the decision to come out of the hide and therefore disturb her, I needed to get home and sharpish!  I just hope that not too much damage was done and I didn't scare her unduly. Above is another video still, the video camera is not the answer for pin sharp shots.  It's just not quick enough But there is something about the pictures which is very appealing in an artistic sort of way. I did get some success with the flash attached to my Pentax K7 though, enough to suggest that this is the way forward.

Here are the photos from the morning session as it unfolded. The first one shows the bird in the sunlight having just finished a fish which she had caught in the tank, and then taken to the branch to beat Tis is the usual thing, catch fish, beat fish to soften it up and the turn it  to swallow head first so the fins and spikes do not catch in the throat.  The great thing about photography is the variation in every picture because the light is constantly changing and providing a a brand new and original  canvas   to "paint" your picture on, and what lovely light this was at this particular moment in time.

The next picture shows her after she has flown up to the tank  just about to dive in and catch another fish which she did (see video still above).  I don't like the flash, the lighting is too harsh and of course it is always the same because that is constant and not changing like natural light does. But I need the flash to freeze the action.

………then she dives in and out with a fish and you have got to be toquick to catch that.  I wasn't quite quick enough to press the shutter and she was just emerging from the tank.

and then settles on the edge of the tank before flying off to deal with it on the branch below.

Then she flew, as I said to the lower branch and after finishing her meal continued to bathe and preen as they will do.  This pretty much signals the end of the hunting and means that she has caught enough for the time being.  The photos that I took of her preening are some of the best achieved so far, I am pleased with them.