Another fine afternoon

 A fine evening sky in March

After a dull, grey morning with a few spots of rain, the skies cleared and the sun shone once again helping temperatures to rise to around 16C.  Above is a picture of the early evening sky. 

Perhaps the uncompromising start to the day had an effect on the ducks because there was little activity around the nest boxes this morning and we saw neither the hybrid pair nor Ring Neck and her drake until much later when the sun broke through.

Ring Neck takes off 

By late afternoon all four pairs of mallards had turned up but weren't showing much interest in the nesting boxes. While Ring Neck was having a quiet moment with her mate on the plank in the early evening, Lonely and her partner flew in and chased her away (see above).

Meanwhile, the Blue Tits were also less active around their nest boxes this morning but I spotted one, later in the day, taking a great interest in one of the boxes but not the one with the camera!  Time will tell but it wouldn't surprise me to find that the chosen nest will be the one without the intrusion of a camera!