It's well and truly Christmas for me at the moment. As a musician I am already in to my umpteenth rendition of Silent Night!  So in between Christmas Carols and Christmas shopping, I managed an hour just before dusk in my Kingfisher hide. I knew it was going to be good when, as I arrived, she flew from the perch in front of my hide. The light was good and I was hoping to see her close again pretty soon. So it proved when she showed herself,  fishing again close by from the rushes opposite.  Then she flew litterally towards me and when I peered through the various 'peep-holes", both to my right, up-stream and opposite; on her favourite perch, there was just no sign of her. I sat it out for the remainder of the light but  didn't see her again. Then just as dusk arrived, a dog walker decided to throw a stick in to the brook right where I was hoping she would appear again. I am pretty sure that this moron knew that I was in the hide because he must have been blind not to see the hide and the camera sticking out of the side of it.  I emerged quickly and angrily remonstrated with him. To prove that he knew I was there all along, he showed no surprise when I suddenly appeared…… well he wouldn't if he knew I was there.  Whats more, I think he deliberately sent his dog in to the brook in front of me just to be awkward. In my three years, and hundreds of hours of watching, this is my first example of hasstle from anyone so I supose I have been very lucky up until now.  I told him in no uncertain terms that he was out of order and then of course, as is customary in situations like this, he got aggresive back! Not backing down of course, he retreated away, I don't suppose he expected me to have the guts to be as protective of the birds as I was but I was so angry by then, any fear of a thump in the chops had disappeared. I can be very amiably but also, if stirred up I am not proud of my reactions some times. 

Anyway, back to the Kingfisher, when I packd me gear away and picked up the camera, the lens cover was covered with guano. She had actually been  sat on my lens for who knows how long, but long enough to make quite a mess. Image she would have been just 3 or 4 inches from my face.  Quite amazing really.